He was a disabled military officer who doted on his research work in the Northwest.

The canteen does have some basic spices: dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, and fennel seeds. But the most crucial ingredients for making curry—turmeric, coriander seeds, and yellow mustard seeds—are nowhere to be found in Northwest China.

Unless—there is space.

Shen Tang's thoughts probed into the space, and the system panel appeared in his mind:

[Ding—Host needs detected. Temporary mission issued: Collect wild spice seeds in the Gobi Desert outside the base. Reward: 3 turmeric seedlings, 5 coriander seedlings.]

coming!

"Sister-in-law, don't rush." ​​Shen Tang stood up, patting the dirt off her knees. "Give me a day. By tomorrow noon, I promise I'll make a dish that Xiao An will be unable to resist just by smelling it."

Lin Qiaozhen was so grateful she almost knelt down before her: "Sister Shen! Then I'm counting on you! Just tell me what ingredients you need, and I'll try my best to get them!"

"I'll take care of the ingredients myself. Sister-in-law, could you cook a bowl of thin porridge for Xiao An today, with a few rock sugar pieces, just enough to fill his stomach?"

After seeing Lin Qiaozhen and Wang Xiulian off, Shen Tang did not delay. Before the sun set, he walked alone towards the Gobi Desert outside the camp.

The system directed her to a patch of wild grass about three miles northwest of the compound. It was near a dried-up seasonal riverbed, and because the water table was shallow, there were some drought-resistant wild shrubs and herbs growing there.

Shen Tang squatted down and carefully searched among the rocks and withered grass.

Sure enough, at the base of a clump of dried and yellowed wormwood, she found several tiny wild coriander seeds, as well as a plant with thick leaves and yellowed roots that resembled wild turmeric.

Just as she reached out to dig, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of her eye.

About twenty meters away, a young man was also squatting on the ground, intently digging in the dirt with a small shovel. He was wearing a faded gray-blue work uniform, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his tanned forearms. He wore a tattered straw hat on his head, the brim pulled low, almost completely obscuring his face.

But judging from his movements—a stable squatting posture, precise soil-digging technique, and stopping to observe the color and moisture of the soil after each layer—this is definitely not an ordinary farmer.

Shen Tang's heart skipped a beat.

The young man seemed to notice the gaze and abruptly looked up.

Their eyes met briefly in the air.

Beneath the straw hat was a young face, about twenty-four or twenty-five years old. His skin was tanned slightly by the Northwest sun, but his features were well-defined, with a straight nose. His eyes shone brightly in the shadow of the straw hat, as if he were full of curiosity about everything.

Shen Tang narrowed her eyes slightly.

This person... looks familiar.

The feeling was strange, like she had seen him somewhere before, or like she had met him in a dream. But lately, she had too many things on her mind—the space, gardening, the cafeteria, Mu Qinghan's legs, the rumors about Bai Wei, school—and she couldn't remember where she had seen that face before.

The young man glanced at her, his gaze lingering for a moment on the wild turmeric she had just dug out. His brow twitched almost imperceptibly before he casually lowered his head and continued digging.

Shen Tang didn't think much of it and temporarily suppressed the faint sense of familiarity. It wasn't unusual to occasionally encounter someone collecting plants in the Gobi Desert; she was in a hurry to get back and cultivate seedlings.

After putting away the seeds, Shen Tang got up, patted the sand off her knees, and walked towards the courtyard without looking back.

Behind her, the young man looked up and watched her figure disappear into the horizon of the Gobi Desert. His gaze fell on the shallow pit she had left behind—the sampling technique was clean and efficient, the digging depth precise, and even the surrounding vegetation was not disturbed.

He adjusted his straw hat, a meaningful glint in his eyes.

Back in the courtyard, Shen Tang immediately placed the wild coriander seeds and turmeric seedlings she had collected into her spatial storage. As soon as a drop of spiritual spring water fell, tender green buds sprouted from the soil at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The next morning, the turmeric roots had grown plump and golden, and a small handful of coriander seeds had ripened.

Shen Tang ground the turmeric produced in the space into powder, and then mixed it with the fennel, cinnamon, and dried ginger that were available in the canteen, repeatedly adjusting the proportions according to the food videos she had seen in her previous life.

The golden powder was stir-fried in an iron wok over low heat, and an unprecedented, rich, and warm exotic aroma instantly filled the entire kitchen.

"Shen, what new trick are you up to now?" Squad Leader Wang came running over, drawn by the aroma, his nose twitching like a hunting dog. "This smell... I've been a cook for twenty years, and this is the first time I've ever smelled anything like it! Spicy, fragrant, and unique... Absolutely amazing!"

Shen Tang stir-fried the prepared curry powder in oil until fragrant, then added milk and bone broth to simmer into a thick sauce. Finally, she poured in diced potatoes and chicken.

Golden curry sauce coated the soft, sticky potatoes and tender chicken, bubbling and releasing its fragrant aroma in the pot. Shen Tang ladled out a large bowl and poured it over steaming white rice.

At noon, at Lin Qiaozhen's home.

Six-year-old Xiao An was huddled listlessly in the corner of the kang (a heated brick bed), his face sallow and his cheekbones protruding from thinness. Seeing Lin Qiaozhen bring in a bowl, he immediately buried his head in the blankets as a reflex: "I don't want to eat! I'm not hungry!"

"Xiao An, Mom didn't cook today." Lin Qiaozhen coaxed as she placed the bowl on the kang table and lifted the lid.

An irresistible, rich fragrance, like an invisible hand, forcefully "dragged" Xiao An out of bed.

Xiao An sniffed and slowly opened her eyes.

"It smells so good..." he whispered, involuntarily sticking his head out to look at the bowl of golden rice coated in thick sauce, his saliva dripping onto the blanket.

Lin Qiaozhen was so excited she almost cried, and quickly scooped up a small spoonful and brought it to his mouth.

Xiao An hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth and put the spoon in her mouth.

The unique warm and spicy aroma of curry explodes on the tongue, the potatoes are so soft and melt in your mouth, the chicken is tender and delicious, and the thick sauce coats every grain of rice, making it impossible to stop eating.

Xiao An's eyes suddenly lit up. He snatched the spoon from his mother's hand and started shoveling food into his mouth.

"Eat slowly! Slow down! Don't choke!" Lin Qiaozhen was both surprised and delighted, and tears streamed down her face.

Ten minutes later, Xiao An had devoured the entire bowl of curry rice. Not a single grain of rice was left, and he had even scraped and licked the sauce off the bottom of the plate clean with his fingers.

but--

"Mom, I don't want this." Xiao An wrinkled her little nose and neatly picked out the few blanched bok choy and carrot slices that Shen Tang had specially prepared for her and placed them on the side of the bowl.

The rice was all eaten, the meat was all eaten, but the vegetables were not touched.

Lin Qiaozhen looked at the pile of vegetable leaves that had been precisely removed, and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"She ate it all! She finished all the rice!" Lin Qiaozhen excitedly grabbed Wang Xiulian's hand. "But this little darling won't touch the vegetables! Not a single carrot or cabbage! I'm so worried, how can she eat only staple food and not vegetables!"

As she spoke, she picked up a spoon and shoveled the remaining few leaves of vegetable along with the curry sauce into her mouth—then she froze.

"My God..." Lin Qiaozhen stared wide-eyed at the empty bowl in disbelief. "This...this is so delicious! What kind of sauce is this? I've lived for over thirty years and this is the first time I've ever tasted anything like this!"

Wang Xiulian laughed so hard she slapped her thigh: "What did I tell you! Nothing Shen Tang makes is bad!"

"But..." Lin Qiaozhen's smile faded, "What's the use if it tastes good? Xiao An just doesn't eat vegetables. If he doesn't eat vegetables for a long time, he won't get enough nutrition—"

"Not eating vegetables? That won't do."

An untimely, high-pitched voice cut in from the side.

Bai Wei approached unnoticed, holding an enamel mug. She appeared to be a kind-hearted person, but her tone betrayed a barely concealed schadenfreude: "Sister-in-law Qiaozhen, the child doesn't eat vegetables, only those strongly flavored foods. It's not good for his health. I studied nutrition at the hospital; children's digestive systems are delicate. Eating those pungent spices can easily cause them to get a sore throat and upset their stomachs."

Lin Qiaozhen frowned but didn't reply.

Seeing this, Bai Wei became even more enthusiastic, raising her voice a few decibels to make sure the military wives washing clothes nearby could hear her: "And I've heard that the sauce Shen Tang uses is a yellowish-brown color and smells so pungent—who knows what's in it? These days, those unscrupulous vendors put all sorts of additives in their food to make it taste better. You don't know, some of the colorings and flavorings are the same raw materials used in animal feed factories!"