By the time the three of them returned to the Li household, it was already 7:30 p.m., and there was only half an hour left before dark.
After entering the house, Li Yi asked Li Na to go to the vegetable garden to pick some greens, while he peeled a few potatoes.
Meanwhile, he began kneading the dough!
Tang Xue wanted to help, but Li Yi stopped her, telling her to just sit beside him and watch.
This greatly annoyed Li Na, who bluntly accused Li Yi of being an ungrateful wretch who’d forgotten his older sister now that he had a wife!
To this, Li Yi merely responded with a dismissive “Haha”!
His sister was great, but could she really compare to his wife?
Today, Li Yi was making Qishan Sausage Noodles, one of the famous local delicacies of Qin Province.
The most crucial part of Sausage Noodles is the sausage broth—it’s the soul of the dish.
So, after kneading the dough, while waiting for it to rise, Li Yi started simmering the sauce.
Li Yi hadn’t bought any meat today, but he had some marinated pork at home. He took out a few pieces, rendered the lard on top, and then diced the meat.
He then scooped out a large spoonful of lard, heated the oil in a wok, added the cured pork, and continuously stirred and stir-fried it, adding a generous amount of minced ginger to remove any gamey odor.
Since the cured pork was already quite salty, no additional salt was needed. However, when the meat was about 60% cooked, he added aged vinegar and continued stir-frying. When it reached 70% doneness, he added soy sauce, Sichuan peppercorns, and other seasonings. Just before serving, he added a suitable amount of red chili powder and stirred it in.
Simmer briefly, then remove from heat.
In no time, half a pot of braised pork soup is ready.
The served meat is fresh, tender, and fragrant, while the oil is a bright, glossy red—and not overly spicy.
Once the meat was ready, Li Yi began kneading and rolling out the dough. The characteristic of this dish is that the noodles are long and thin, with a uniform thickness.
For Li Yi, kneading and rolling out the dough was no trouble at all; in no time, a whole cutting board full of noodles was ready.
By then, Li Na had washed the pot and brought the water to a boil, so Li Yi immediately began adding the noodles.
Once the noodles were cooked, he scooped them out and topped them with the sauce, and a bowl of authentic Qishan sauce noodles was ready.
The sauce Li Yi prepared was fragrant and savory, and the broth was glossy and reddish, with a rich, savory flavor that wasn’t at all greasy.
Li Yi had also blanched some fresh vegetables in the broth, and the flavor was truly—absolutely delicious!
Tang Xue truly never expected that she would be able to enjoy a bowl of authentic Qishan sauce noodles from her hometown in this remote mountain village; she was surprised, but more than anything, she was deeply moved.
Before this, she hadn’t quite believed what Li Na had told her—that Li Yi would go out of his way to learn how to make liangpi just for her!
But now she believed it, because Qingshan County is located in northern China, near Shanxi Province, where the locals most commonly eat knife-cut noodles and pan-fried noodles.
As for Qishan-style noodles with minced pork, most people here had never even seen them, let alone tasted them.
If it weren’t for her, or to accommodate her, Li Yi would have had absolutely no reason to make these noodles.
Realizing this, Tang Xue’s gaze toward Li Yi grew even more tender.
Li Yi had no idea what was going on in Tang Xue’s mind; if he did, he would surely say that this was truly a beautiful misunderstanding.
The main reason he made Qishan saozi noodles wasn’t because Tang Xue was from Qin Province and he was trying to accommodate her, but because Qishan saozi noodles were the only noodles he knew how to make.
Just like liangpi, Li Yi had learned to make Qishan saozi noodles in Tang Xue’s hometown.
In his previous life, it was only when he went to sweep Tang Xue’s grave each year that Li Yi would set aside all his pretenses and masks, spending time there in the most relaxed state.
Li Yi felt he had already shown Tang Xue his most unflattering side; what was there left to hide from her, even if it was just a gravestone!
Every year at that time, he would cook by himself, light the fire by himself, and spend an hour or two at Tang Xue’s grave every day.
It was during that time that he learned to make liangpi, roujiamo, Qishan saozi noodles, and several other local delicacies from Qin Province.
As for the local Ge Guo Mian and the Dao Xiao Mian from the neighboring province, he could manage to make them if he tried, but the flavor certainly wouldn’t be as authentic as Qishan Saozi Mian.
Although he had no idea that Tang Xue’s mind was quietly conjuring up a flood of images, Li Yi could sense the change in her.
The way Tang Xue looked at him a short while ago was very different from how she looked at him now—in fact, it was completely different.
Before, they had been distant, cold, and even tinged with a hint of disgust.
Later, while the aversion had faded, there was still no real emotion; she looked at him more like a stranger.
But now—whether it was just his imagination or not—Li Yi noticed that the look in Tang Xue’s eyes had gained a hint of curiosity, a touch of admiration, and a faint, barely perceptible fondness.
This discovery made Li Yi feel a subtle surge of excitement!
He actually knew that there had always been one person in Tang Xue’s heart—a man named Tan Cheng, who, in his previous life, had eventually become Tang Xue’s brother-in-law.
According to the findings from Li Yi’s previous life, after Tang Xue returned to the city from here back then, she discovered that Tan Cheng—the man she had always loved—was about to marry her younger sister, Tang Bing.
In fact, they had already been engaged for two years!
The entire Tang family knew about this, yet they had kept it from her.
On top of that, Tang Xue suddenly discovered she was pregnant. When her parents found out, instead of helping her, they accused her of being promiscuous and tried to force her to have an abortion.
Recalling the ordeal she had endured at the Nianzi Mountain Brigade and seeing her family’s attitude, the cumulative weight of these blows ultimately drove Tang Xue to the brink of despair.
That’s why, ever since his rebirth, Li Yi had actually been feeling a bit uneasy. He was genuinely worried that Tang Xue couldn’t let go of that man in her heart.
If that were the case, all he would have won back would be an empty shell.
He would have her body, but not her heart!
But it seems that, after all, that man doesn’t mean as much to Tang Xue as she had imagined, and she isn’t completely indifferent to him either.
This is definitely a good sign!
Li Yi was convinced that as long as Tang Xue had even the slightest feeling for him, she would be his for life.
After all, he was Tang Xue’s first man; for that reason alone, someone as traditional as her couldn’t just ignore him.
Secondly, barring any surprises, Tang Xue was already carrying a little life inside her.
Given that Tang Xue is such a gentle and kind woman, as long as there is even a sliver of hope, she would never let the child suffer.
In her past life, she would rather die than have an abortion—which shows just how important this child is to her.
Since she’s accepted the child, accepting the child’s father is just a matter of time.
In high spirits, Li Yi paid no heed to the strange looks from his parents and sister. During the meal, he kept serving Tang Xue food and piling noodles onto her plate—his enthusiasm was so intense it was downright infuriating!
Tang Xue was also taken somewhat by surprise by Li Yi’s enthusiasm; her pretty face couldn’t help but flush, and her heartbeat quickened slightly. dxmbang
Although she felt a bit shy, this time she didn’t refuse Li Yi as she had in the past; instead, she gladly accepted his attentions.
Seeing this, Li Shankui and his wife smiled with relief, while Li Na looked as if she’d seen a ghost.
No wonder Li Na was so surprised—the Tang Xue she knew was a real high-and-mighty type. Though she had a cute side, she was also incredibly aloof.
Not to mention a second-rate ne’er-do-well like her own younger brother—even when faced with the advances of the most famous figures at the educated youth commune back in the day, such as Song Wenzhi and Zhang Hanxiang, she had never given them the time of day.
She’d sent back every single gift they’d given her and refused their offers to bring her meals or fetch water—she was incredibly stubborn!
And now she’s actually accepting such an intimate gesture as her younger brother serving her food? It’s as if the sun has risen in the west.
Or is it that once a woman has slept with a man, all other intimate gestures seem like child’s play?