Abandoned the Immortal Cultivator, returned to his hometown to farm and sing

Chapter 1324, page 1312: Comfortable
Without bowls, the seven people gathered around the lunchbox, each with a spoon in their hand.

The chopsticks are poking into the steamed bun.

After the first bite, almost no one spoke.

The scalding hot soup slid down my esophagus and into my stomach in an instant. A burst of heat exploded in my body like a small sun, quickly driving away the cold that had invaded my limbs and bones.

Everyone exhaled in unison.

A sip of hot soup awakened the frozen body and roused the hunger in the stomach.

Ignoring the heat, he picked up the golden-brown steamed buns and flatbreads, still fiddling with them in his hands, and reached for his lunchbox with his chopsticks.

The tangy flavor of the pickled cabbage perfectly awakened the taste buds that had been suppressed by altitude sickness, and the greasiness was perfectly neutralized.

The pork belly slices are stewed until they are almost melted, with the fatty parts translucent and tender, and the lean meat fibers soaked in the broth, making them soft, tender and smooth.

When you cut open the blood sausage, its honeycomb-like structure is filled with scalding hot juices and a rich aroma.

Frozen tofu has become the epitome of flavor, with every hole filled with tangy and piping hot broth, bursting in your mouth with every bite.

Most importantly, everything was hot, scalding hot.

"Mmm...delicious!" Peng Dewei mumbled a praise, not even lifting his head.

"The old squad leader's cooking skills are amazing..." Zhuo Jinlu ate while sucking in air, clearly burning herself but unwilling to stop.

Seven people, seven pairs of rough hands, silently and attentively ate around a box of stewed pork, a dish incredibly precious in these extreme conditions. The only sounds were the soft scraping of spoons against the bottom of the lunchbox and satisfied gasps from those who had burned themselves.

In the blink of an eye, the two large boxes of pork stew were devoured, and seven steamed buns or flatbreads were also eaten.

There was only a little bit of vegetable soup left in the lunchbox.

But the meal wasn't over yet.

As if by magic, Wang Zhen pulled out several vegetables wrapped tightly in plastic wrap from his backpack: a few washed cabbage stalks, a small potato, and half a radish, all of which had been carefully cut into small pieces.

"Hey! Class monitor, you've been hiding this good stuff!" Zhuo Jinlu's eyes lit up as soon as she saw it.

"It was given to me by the old squad leader. He said he was afraid it would overcook and told me to add it when I was eating it. He blanched it and then scalded it again until it was cooked."

As Wang Zhen spoke, he dumped all the vegetable chunks into the still-boiling broth.

He really is a veteran head cook; he's always so thoughtful.
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The vegetable leaves quickly became soft and wilted, while the potato and carrot chunks sank to the bottom, simmering slowly in the residual heat and oil.

Wang Zhen then stirred the campfire again to reduce the heat.

I just ate some hot stew, and my body has warmed up, so it's not as unbearable as before.

Plus, we need to be careful with the firewood; we still have one night left.

Then he took out another bag of dry food, distributed it to everyone, and roasted it on chopsticks.

Once the steamed buns are heated, the surface will turn golden brown.

The soup in the lunchbox had stopped boiling, but it was still warm.

The edges of the potatoes and radishes were simmered until they were almost translucent, soaking up the glistening broth, while the cabbage was soft and tender, blending into the sauce.

The seven people gathered around again, taking turns to eat the even more hearty and hearty "refill" of stew from the lunchbox. The potatoes were half crisp and half soft, the carrots had a hint of sweetness, and the cabbage had absorbed the last bit of the broth's saltiness.

The last leaf of lettuce.

After several rounds of refusals, the youngest child, Zhuo Jinlu, was given the opportunity to be rescued.

Xu Yuan also taught him to use steamed buns to soak up the soup in his lunchbox.

Zhuo Jinlu obediently took the last piece of steamed bun in her hand and swiped it around in the lunchbox, even dipping it in the last bit of soup.

The two lunch boxes were clean.

He threw the steamed bun into his mouth, chewed it a few times, and swallowed it.

He let out a burp, a long, drawn-out "Aiya~~" that sounded really comforting.

We walked all day, trekking through mountains and rivers, braving the howling cold wind, and even wading through the icy meltwater river.

A hot soup and rice dish is just what I need right now. Ah, how comforting!

Hearing Zhuo Jinlu unconsciously making strange noises, Xu Yuan smiled and raised his eyebrows at him, "How about that? I told you so, right? There'll be something delicious tonight."

Xu Yuan is a veteran of the company and knows the entire company like the back of his hand. These boxes of stew were brought over from the mess hall by him.

Zhuo Jinlu nodded eagerly, "Mmm, mmm, it's delicious! I think it's even better than what we get in the company. I'm so full."

He even rubbed his stomach as proof.

"That's because you're hungry. Everything tastes good then," Xu Yuan laughed.

He didn't know what was special about the pork today, but as long as it tasted good, that was enough.

"It's good to be full. When you're full, you don't miss home." Xu Yuan stretched out his legs, leaned closer to the fire, and sighed unconsciously.

Upon hearing this, squad leader Wang Zhen chimed in, "Old Xu is homesick?"

"Of course I want to," Xu Yuan readily admitted without feeling embarrassed. "After being away from home for so many years, I can hardly remember the mountains and rivers back home anymore."

"Haven't you seen enough mountains yet? Our mountains are higher than any other mountain." Chi Dehai joined in, adding to the post-dinner chat.

"How can that be the same?" Xu Yuan laughed. "My hometown is Wuyishan. The mountains are green, the water is blue, and the wind is warm, making your face feel moist. Unlike here, the sun is scorching when it's out, and turns into an icebox as soon as it sets. It's windy every day, and the wind feels like knives on your face."

He was full of complaints, but when it came to actually letting him leave...

"I really hate to leave."

Zhuo Jinlu was taken aback upon hearing this, and asked blankly, "Brother Xu, are you leaving?"

Xu Yuan nodded, smiling as she looked at him, "Almost there, your legs aren't what they used to be, it's time to go..."

As he spoke, he pounded his knees.

"Ah!" Zhuo Jinlu stared at him blankly, and the atmosphere became heavy.

Xu Yuan smiled and patted Zhuo Jinlu on the shoulder, "I'm not leaving today, it'll be at least next year. I won't feel at ease until I bring you out with me."

Zhuo Jinlu then smiled again.

He's still young and doesn't realize how quickly a year goes by.

But Wang Zhen and Chi Dehai knew that they were not young anymore.

Not wanting the atmosphere to become too heavy, Wang Zhen asked, "Old Xu, have you thought about what you'll do after you retire?"

Xu Yuan laughed again upon hearing this, "What else can I do? I'll just sell tea. My family has been growing and selling tea for generations."

"I was thinking that when I get back, I'll get a small car, and once the spring and autumn tea harvests are ready, I'll drive to various villages in the mountains to collect tea leaves, and then transport them to shops in the city to sell. My family has a small shop in the city, and my wife only needs to keep an eye on it. She's very good at business; she also sells cigarettes, alcohol, and beverages. I'll send you some tea leaves later; my family's tea is excellent."

"When the tea harvest is over in summer and autumn, and the kids are on summer and winter vacation, I'll drive them out to play. There are so many fun places in our area, like Wuyi Mountain, Jiufeng Mountain, Yunwo, and Dongyue Temple. Further afield are places like Shaowu, Pucheng, Longyan, and Quanzhou. You know the Tulou, right? It's the place that foreigners sometimes mistake for missile silos."

"But we can't go all the time. What if the kid gets too wild and doesn't study? We'll take him again when he gets a perfect score on his final exam."

"Hiss~~ Isn't that a bit too much? I never got a perfect score when I was a kid, and I haven't been around the kids all these years. My wife has been the one taking care of them. I really feel bad about it... Let him be wild, what's there to be afraid of for a boy?" "Anyway, I don't expect him to become a high-ranking official or a scientist in the future. I just hope he'll be safe and healthy."

"When he grows up, I'll have the chance to send him to the army. The army is great... I really don't want to leave..."

Once Xu Yuan started talking, he couldn't stop. It was clear that he had longed for a return to an ordinary life. Besides his nostalgia for his hometown, he felt even more guilty towards his wife and children.

I plan to catch up on everything I've missed before.

But in the end, his voice grew softer and softer.

The smiles on everyone else's faces also froze...

I'm so reluctant to part with it.

The atmosphere was about to turn sad again.

Wang Zhen quickly put on a smile and said loudly, "Old Xu, I'm really looking forward to your tea. I've heard that Wuyi Mountain tea is good, but I've never actually tasted the authentic kind."

Xu Yuan patted his chest and immediately agreed, "The tea in my house is guaranteed to be authentic and of excellent quality. The aroma goes in through your nose and comes out through your eyes."

"Who drinks tea with their nose? I'm not an elephant~~" Chi Dehai laughed and scolded, then brought up another topic, "I haven't met our nephew yet. When you have a holiday, don't just keep wandering around the area. Bring him to XZ too, so we can have a look at him. And ask the old squad leader to cook something nice for him."

"Of course I'll bring my wife and kids back to visit," Xu Yuan readily agreed.

Then the conversation turned to the cookhouse.

"Our old squad leader's cooking skills are truly unparalleled. I think he could go to the battlefield alone. Just when we were in a standoff, the old squad leader drove the field mess cart behind the position..." Xu Yuan chuckled and started telling the story he made up on the spot.

"In the trenches, the mud and water were ankle-deep, and the exhausted Arjun was eating dry biscuits that had been soaking in sewage for three days."

"He was so fed up with this dark, cold, damp place that was all mud. He couldn't understand why they were still squatting in trenches in the 21st century."

"A whole bunch of people huddled inside, farting and grinding their teeth without taking a shower, and hey, their noses are super clear."

He had barely begun speaking when he incurred the wrath of the crowd. Even the reporters who had been observing him couldn't take it anymore, saying, "It's disgusting, I just finished eating."

Xu Yuan quickly apologized and skipped this part.

"Logistical supplies were cut off ten days ago, and air support couldn't even tear a gap in the dense web of drones. The deafening roar of exploding shells was almost deafening."

"Dust keeps falling from the thin roof of the bunker, and it could collapse at any time."

"One cannonball down, and they'll meet Amaterasu."

"That's not right. Brother Xu, the one on the other side is Shiva, and Amaterasu is from the Japanese side."

Xu Yuan waved his hand dismissively, "It doesn't matter, this kid can also be called Toyota."

His story is quite flexible.

"Whether he lives or dies doesn't matter. This kid Toyota just wants a bowl of hot noodles before he dies."

"You should still go with Arjun. That name sounds familiar. Why should those Japanese get hot noodles? They should be lucky to get a mud cake." Chi Dehai wasn't satisfied with the story.

Xu Yuan laughed and said, "Then let's change it back. We're easygoing."

He changed it on the spot after he finished speaking.

Just then, a familiar aroma wafted from the opposite position—curry chicken! It was his favorite food from a street food stall in New Delhi before he joined the army. If only the battlefield were in New Delhi!

This time, even the reporter couldn't stand it anymore and burst out laughing, "You're too easygoing..."

"By the way, does our old squad leader know how to make curry chicken?" Zhuo Jinlu was still in character and didn't realize that Xu Yuan was just making it up on the spot.

“Our old squad leader can do everything.” Xu Yuan waved his hand and continued.

"I wonder if he's delirious with hunger, because Arjun can actually smell the aroma of fried chicken coming from the south. Didn't the southern positions lose their supplies five days ago? Where did this chicken come from? Did he steal it from a villager? There aren't any villagers around here."

Before he could even catch his breath, the aroma of stewed mutton from the east and baked naan from the west wafted over.

"This time Arjun is certain, he was hallucinating from being delirious..."

Goodness, this plot twist almost made the audience throw up.

A burst of laughter erupted.

Xu Yuan was the only one who didn't laugh.

His story isn't over yet; it's almost at its climax.

"In a daze, Arjun suddenly heard the buzzing of a drone, which startled him so much that he quickly hid in the pit, trying to get as far inside as possible. At that moment, the radio, which had been silent for many days, started broadcasting a message that alternated between Hindi and English spoken in a Shandong accent..."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Does our old squad leader speak Hindi?"

Chi Dehai was still laughing when he suddenly heard this and shook his head, "The old squad leader doesn't know, but the clerk does."

He knew the people in the company best, and Xu Yuan believed it on the spot: "That's a Henan accent."

That's just how easygoing I am.

"A broadcast in a Henan accent: Prisoners of war will be treated well! Surrender your weapons and you will be spared. We guarantee your safety. Just follow the drone and go to the designated place to complete the formalities!"

He tried to imitate Henan dialect in a high-pitched voice, which made the audience laugh even more.

Peng Dewei, who was usually quiet and reserved, was laughing so hard he was almost out of breath. He clung to Xu Yuan's arm, gasping for air, "The clerk... the clerk speaks Hindi... without an accent..."

Xu Yuan quickly pulled him close, took out an oxygen cylinder from his bag, and put it on his face. "Take it easy, take a couple of breaths to calm down. It's really bad if you run out of oxygen here."

Peng Dewei coughed twice and pushed the oxygen cylinder away, saying, "It's alright, I don't need it."

"If it's nothing, I'll continue." Xu Yuan looked at his face and saw that he was really alright.

They put the oxygen cylinder aside and continued chatting.

“Our little Arjun sniffled as he climbed out of the ditch, just in time to hear the important part.”

"Henan accent... For those without an accent, today's special offer includes curry chicken, fried chicken legs, stewed mutton, naan bread, fried rice noodles, hand-pulled noodles, braised pork, and sauerkraut stew. Unlimited iced cola, hot milk tea, and watermelon are also available. Raise your hands and head to the designated area to complete the formalities before dining. Limited quantities, first come, first served."

“Our Arjun is quite tough. His eyes are cold, his battle robe is cold, the gun on his back is cold… but the stew in his hand is warm…”

After the story was finished, there was another major twist at the end, which caused everyone in the group to strain their backs.

One of the reporters listening in couldn't help but chime in, "I thought you were going to say that the bastard got frostbite..."

"If it freezes, our old squad leader's skills won't be shown off," Xu Yuan chuckled, his face full of smug satisfaction at having gotten away with something mischievous.

"Hearing you speak so toughly, I thought that kid would be a tough nut to crack and refuse to surrender." Chi Dehai chuckled.

Xu Yuan chuckled to himself, waving his hand dismissively, "It's more than just tough bones, it's practically hard all over."

"My whole body is almost hard... Hahahaha~~" Peng Dewei's threshold for laughter is really low.
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Soldiers are human too, and they aren't always serious; they chat a lot at night when they have nothing to do.

The fabricated story had everyone laughing out loud.

It's like laughing away all the fatigue of the day.

Unfortunately, this segment cannot be broadcast.

(End of this chapter)