Back in the 1980s, hiking in the mountains was also a way of life

After Liu Guilan finished speaking, Wang Dazhu looked back at the fallen logs on the cart several times before following the others into the house.

Upon entering the room, Wang An asked Liu Guilan:
"Mom, is there still hot water in the thermos? The three of us haven't eaten yet."

Upon hearing this, Liu Guilan immediately said:

"Hot water? We have hot water, it was just boiled last night. What's the use of hot water? I'll go make some noodles for you."

After saying that, Liu Guilan was about to walk towards the kitchen in the back room when Mu Xueqing immediately said:

"Mother, let me help you start the fire."

Wang An quickly stopped the mother and daughter, saying:

"We've bought instant noodles. Hot water is enough. Xueqing, can you find us some big bowls? Oh, don't bother with big bowls, just bring out some enamel basins."

It was the first time everyone had tried instant noodles, and Wang An wanted everyone to experience what instant noodles tasted like. If they used a large bowl to make instant noodles, it would be difficult to share them among the small portions.

Although Mu Xueqing was a little puzzled, she immediately went to the kitchen to get an enamel basin.

Liu Guilan asked Wang An with some doubt:

What are instant noodles?

Wang An pointed to a large stack of cardboard boxes on the ground and said:

"Those are noodles that you can just soak in boiling water and eat. They're all in there, those are all."

Liu Guilan frowned, looking completely bewildered at the cardboard boxes. Seeing that they all looked the same, she froze for a moment. Then, she turned to Wang An and began to berate him:

"You spendthrift! Why did you buy so many noodles? We have plenty of flour at home. If you want noodles, just make them at home."

Wang An chuckled, and before he could explain, Wang Li said with a smile:
"Auntie, if you buy too much, just sell it all to me. I don't mind if you don't have too much."

Mu Xueli chimed in with a grin:
"Hmm, ma'am, you can sell it to me, I was just wondering why I didn't buy enough."

Liu Guilan looked at Wang Li suspiciously, then at Mu Xueli, and immediately realized that something was amiss.

Therefore, Liu Guilan changed her tune again:
"Since you've already bought everything, why are you still selling it? We're not selling it."

Liu Guilan's words immediately made everyone burst into laughter.

Liu Guilan, still curious, pressed on with the question:
"All of this, right? What's going on? Why are you buying so much stuff?"

Wang An smiled and said:

"This thing is called instant noodles. It's a new product that's come out in the last couple of years. It's similar to biscuits. You can eat it as a meal or as a snack. It tastes pretty good too. I bought a lot because there are so many people in my family."

While Wang An was speaking, Mu Xueqing brought out several enamel basins. Wang An took the basins and put them aside, then called to Wang Li and Mu Xueli:
"You two come with me to wash your hands, then come out and tear open the bag."

Upon hearing Wang An's words, Wang Li and Mu Xueli agreed and headed towards the back room, while Mu Xueqing asked Wang An:
"Tell me what to do, can't I fix it myself?"

Wang An stopped, took out a packet of instant noodles, tore it open, poured the noodles into the bowl, took out the seasoning packet, tore it open, poured the seasoning into the bowl as well, and said:
"This is super simple. Just do it like this: put fourteen or fifteen packets in a basin, and about ten packets of seasoning. Too much of this stuff will make it too salty. After you've done all that, just pour boiling water into the basin to cover the dough, then cover it with another basin. Wait four or five minutes and it's ready to eat."

After watching Wang An finish his operation, Mu Xueqing said with an incredulous expression:
"That's it? Is it really that simple?"

Wang An smiled and said:

"Yeah, it's that simple. Instant noodles, instant noodles. If it's not convenient to eat, can it even be called instant noodles?"

After teaching Mu Xueqing, Wang An turned around and walked towards the back room.

Liu Guilan and Wang Dazhu had been watching from the sidelines, so they naturally learned it very quickly as well.

So, following Wang An's instructions, the three of them started tearing open the packaging bag together.

When Wang An finished washing his hands and came out, he saw Liu Guilan carefully pouring boiling water into an enamel basin. As she poured, she asked Mu Xueqing:

"Qing, how much water do you think is appropriate?" Mu Xueqing was about to speak, pondering what Wang An had just taught her, when Wang An stepped forward and said:

"It's okay, just pour it in. We'll submerge the dough as soon as possible and then we'll be done with it."

With Wang An's words, Liu Guilan gently lifted the thermos and increased the flow of water. Just as the dough was completely submerged, Liu Guilan stopped, still a little worried, and asked Wang An:

"Is this much water okay?"

Wang An said nonchalantly:
"Hey, it doesn't matter if there's a little more or a little less, just don't leave the dough outside to dry."

After saying that, Wang An picked up another enamel basin and placed it directly on top of the first basin.

Immediately afterwards, Wang An said:

"Come on, let's move on to the next pot."

Seeing this, Liu Guilan asked questioningly:

"Is it okay to just soak it like this? Will it be cooked if you don't boil it? Let me tell you, noodles will become watery if you eat them undercooked."

Wang An, speechless, said to Liu Guilan:

"This pancake is already cooked, so it's delicious to eat it directly like this. If you don't believe me, try it."

As he spoke, Wang An tore open another bag of instant noodles, broke off a small piece and put it in his own mouth, then broke off several more pieces and stuffed them into the mouths of Liu Guilan, Wang Dazhu and Mu Xueqing.

When only half a bag remained, Wang An handed it directly to Huang Zhong, who was standing next to him.

Liu Guilan chewed a few times, then her eyes lit up and she said:

"You know what, this stuff is actually quite delicious when you chew it."

Wang Dazhu nodded and said:

"It's delicious, crispy and fragrant, really delicious. Who invented this thing?"

Mu Xueqing smiled faintly and said:

"It's quite delicious, better than cookies."

Wang An turned his head and asked Huang Zhong with a smile:

"Xiao Zhong, how's the food?"

Huang Zhong chewed and mumbled indistinctly:
"Delicious, so delicious."

Wang An took a bag of instant noodles out of the cardboard box and handed it to Huang Zhong, saying:

"Go and take a bag to your sister. Tell her to eat it first, and your sister-in-law will bring it over when the noodles are ready."

Huang Zhong agreed and turned to run outside.

A short while later, the second bowl of noodles was ready, and the unique aroma of instant noodles filled the entire living room.

Even Wang Yi, who was already asleep, was lured awake by the fragrance. Still half asleep, he came out of the west room, rubbing his eyes and saying:

"What are you guys doing? This smells so good!"

Liu Guilan said to Wang Yi with a smile:

"You're so cunning. You wake up at the smell. Once you're awake, don't go back to sleep. Go and wake Xiaomei and Xiaoli up too, so we can eat noodles together."

I don't know why, but Liu Guilan always manages to call instant noodles "mianfangmian".

Wang Yi took a deep sniff, carefully inhaling the aroma of instant noodles, before running towards the west room. (End of Chapter)