A Young Woman's Heart

"Hmm, there are many options to choose from." Xuan Anyi placed the ingredients she had found one by one on the stove, seemingly calculating the amount she needed.

"Why didn't you call someone else to help? Aren't you sure you can manage by yourself?"

"Yes, I'll prepare it myself slowly."

Mo Xueyao didn't offer to help because it was too hot and she was too lazy to do anything. She just wanted to see if there would be a tasting session later so she could sneak some snacks.

Actually, she wasn't hungry at all, just a little craving something sweet—especially when she heard Xuan Anyi say she was going to make food that kids would like to eat.

Yes, she likes almost everything that children like to eat.

After all, few people can resist the deliciousness of high-calorie foods; it's a desire truly etched into human DNA!

Xuan Anyi pointed to one ingredient after another, seemingly speaking to Mo Xueyao: "French fries, fried chicken legs, fried chicken nuggets, fried fish fillets... these are for egg tarts, these are for ham pizzas..."

Mo Xueyao listened and couldn't help but wipe her mouth: "Holy crap... is this a kids' meal?"

"Pretty much."

"That's too extravagant! Make more!"

"Eating too much will make you fat."

"Ahem..." Mo Xueyao immediately fell silent.

Xuan Anyi tilted her head and gently waved the cutting board at her: "Xiao Yao, would you like to help prepare the ingredients?"

"Ah..." Since they've already said so, she couldn't very well refuse. "Okay..."

The water in the kettle was now bubbling and the lid was about to burst open. She lifted it to take a look and saw that it was completely boiling.

Half a minute after the lid was closed, the latter started making a 'whooshing' sound, and the lid was pushed even harder.

This means it's completely boiled.

Mo Xueyao was quite experienced in boiling water.

Moreover, she learned from the "100,000 Whys" book when she was in elementary school that the so-called steam engine was actually just a large water-boiling device.

The boiled water was poured into two thermos flasks, which was enough for drinking and other use that evening.

As soon as she straightened up, she saw dark clouds slowly gathering in the sky, which had been clear and sunny just moments before.

Summer downpours always seem to come out of nowhere.

"Then should I peel the potatoes?"

"Hmm, let's wash it first before scraping it."

Just as Mo Xueyao found a stool and sat down in front of a large bag of potatoes, the rain began to pour down without warning.

Everywhere there was a sound like popping beans.

"Pat-pat—"

The sound was so crisp it was almost like hail.

Just hearing it makes me think it's very hard.

Although it was actually just a water droplet.

The noise forced Mo Xueyao to shout, "Auntie—you don't make kids' meals every time for dinner, do you?"

"Of course not."

What are your plans for tomorrow?

"Tomorrow? Noodles, something light, okay?"

"Hmm, I think it's okay—!" Mo Xueyao lowered her head and clumsily peeled the potato, trying not to peel off too much flesh.

Xuan An-yi's habit is to prepare all the ingredients before cooking.

Cut what needs to be cut, and marinate what needs to be marinated.

Unlike Mo Xueyao's mother, who always cooks and prepares ingredients at the same time, making her look busy enough, although doing things in between does save a lot of time...

But even a mother can make mistakes when she's in a flurry of activity.

This is also a major reason why she often makes a dish too salty or too bland.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the sound of surging tides could be heard as they crashed against the steep cliffs and reefs.

"Hey, Xiaoyao, what are you doing? I was wondering why you were taking so long to boil water—" Hua Yinyin rushed in from outside the kitchen, put her hands on her knees, and bent down to look at her. "Did Auntie drag you into being a laborer?"

"Yinyin, would you like to come along? We're making a kids' meal today."

French fries? Fried chicken?

Yes~

"Can we eat it after it's fried?"

"Of course you can." These were the words of Xuan Anyi, who was preparing the fish. Although it was a sea fish with almost no bones, it still required some knife skills to slice it into the shape of a fish fillet.

Although her movements looked slow, they were very steady, indicating that she was already very skilled at doing this.

"Okay, I'll help!"

"Get yourself a stool and sit down. Hey, don't make things worse."

"What? Do you think I'm that kind of person? By the way, what's that milk for?"

"It's for making egg tarts."

"Egg tarts! Does Auntie still know how to make egg tarts?"

"Not only egg tarts, she's also planning to make pizzas!"

Wow—that's amazing... But, are all the tools complete?

"Yes, it can be done. Although there is no oven, there is a wood-burning stove here. As long as you wrap it in aluminum foil and put it in the fire, it can be baked just the same way."

The reason for making an extra earthen stove was to avoid being unable to cook when there was no gas.

In contrast, it takes a long time to deliver gas from the mainland, but you can collect some firewood or simply ask the islanders for some, which will take much less time.

And someone actually brought some chopped firewood today, which will come in handy.

It's only in rural areas that this thing can be given as a gift...

The torrential rain was accompanied by strong winds, and the shouts of children could be heard outside.

It was obvious that the students who had been playing on the playground had run back to their dormitories to take shelter from the rain.

There should be quite a few more students in the teaching building. With so many peers gathered together, and the playground having excellent sports facilities, many students living on the main island come up to play after lunch.

Fortunately, no day students went into the kitchen, otherwise many of them would have wanted to stay and freeload.

Summer showers come and go quickly.

More than ten minutes later, the rain began to gradually subside and then slowly stopped. Meanwhile, Mo Xueyao and Hua Yinyin hadn't even finished digging the potatoes yet!

Once the wind and rain subsided, the dark clouds in the sky dispersed, but there were many more soft white clouds than before, blocking the scorching sun and maintaining the coolness after the rain.

In the summer without air conditioning, every rain shower brings joy and enjoyment.

"Ta-da! Huh, you're already preparing ingredients so early?" Wang Qianyu suddenly appeared at the kitchen door with a 'snap', carrying a small bag in one hand, and walked in briskly.

"Teacher Qianyu? You're finally back from the sea?" Mo Xueyao teased, pursing her lips.

"I went with Taiyin! Phew, it was a bit too sunny, but we still had a lot of fun. Look! These are the oysters I harvested myself!"

"Oysters? You can boil them and dip them in soy sauce, or you can grill them."

"You can even eat it raw!"

"I suggest you don't eat it raw." Xuan Anyi smiled as she took the bag from Wang Qianyu as she walked towards her. "Even the safest food carries risks when eaten raw."

"Okay, okay, whatever you guys do, I'll just focus on eating~" Wang Qianyu gently patted Xuan Anyi's shoulder, "Xuan Anyi, I really trust your cooking skills!"

"Then let's bake it."

"Okay—see if there are enough for everyone to have one."

"That should be enough."

"I feel my stomach is growling..."

"Me too." Hua Yinyin rubbed her lower abdomen and grabbed an oyster from the bag. "Teacher Qianyu, can this really be eaten raw?"

"Of course, wash it, then dip it in vinegar and soy sauce, and remember to add ginger and garlic—"

"Is it okay to dip it directly in vinegar?"

"That's fine too."

"Hey, Yin Yin, eating it raw... be careful of parasites."

"Seafood... I think it's okay to eat one?" Hua Yinyin was probably really tempted, and the raw clams didn't look too scary, so she hesitated.

Wang Qianyu, however, simply prepared the sauce in a small dish and handed it to her: "Here, why don't you try it?"

Finally, Hua Yinyin couldn't resist the urge. After washing an oyster she had just taken out of its shell, she dipped it evenly in sauce, put it in her mouth, and took a big bite.

"How about it?"

"Hmm... weird... like chewy gummy candy... but it's still quite tender... um... little Yao Yao, would you like to try it?"

"I'll pass..." Mo Xueyao had no interest in any raw meat.

Even if it looks beautiful, it won't make you hungry.

As they were talking, the petite Taiyin, carrying a large, still thrashing sea fish, walked into the kitchen, her steps slow and deliberate.

The fish was about the size of a fat cat, which made it seem even more exaggerated compared to the Taiyin.

Its splashing was exceptionally powerful, even though there wasn't much water left to splash on her face.

"They look so fresh...like they were just caught."

"That's about it! We can make something out of this fresh sea fish."

"This isn't the type of fish used for sashimi."

"Hmm, of course not. How about we make grilled fish instead?"

Mo Xueyao scratched her earlobe, glanced at Hua Yinyin who was struggling to swallow a raw oyster, then looked at Hua Yinyin, Wang Qianyu, and Taiyin, and asked in a low voice, "I say... isn't there a bit too much food today? Can we really finish it all...?"