Chapter Seventy-Two: Spicy Strips

"What are you eating!" he shouted outright. "That's grease—do you have meat to eat? And we don't?"

His voice was loud, drawing the attention of those nearby. As soon as people heard someone was secretly eating better food, everyone became excited.

In no time, the crowd swelled from one to more than a dozen people.

Jiang Huan stood up as well.

Even though she had avoided the wind, she couldn't escape the keen nose of a busybody.

Judging by the self-satisfied look on his face, he must have been watching her for a while, disapproving, just waiting to cause her trouble.

But Jiang Huan remained calm, hands in her pockets, and waited until Captain Lei was drawn over by the gathering crowd before she took her hand out.

She produced a small square packet. "Captain Lei, is it a crime now to add some spicy strips to bland canteen food? Tell me, what sort of punishment do I deserve for this?"

By now, the faint aroma of meat had already been carried off by the wind. With so many people gathered, reeking of sweat, it was impossible to trace back what the original scent had been. The packaging for the spicy strips she held showed red oil, no different from the bit of red oil in her bowl.

"No, I swear it was meat I smelled when I got here!" The man, half-crazed, stepped forward as if to snatch Jiang Huan's lunch box, determined to find new evidence and prove she was eating something extra.

Captain Lei looked so irritated it seemed his frown could squash a pair of flies. "Are you out of your damn mind? Did we give you too much break time to let you get so bored? If you haven't had enough, there's still food left in the pot—go help yourself. What's wrong with you, eyeing the dregs in someone else's bowl?"

"She brought her own snacks to go with her food, and you're getting involved? Do you live by the sea, is that why you have to stick your nose into everything? If you're so idle, your partner can have a break while you take an extra hour on the job!"

"But Captain Lei, how can I do all that work alone—Really, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it was just me craving meat and losing my mind!"

The crowd dispersed, most not believing there really was any special meal. Now, seeing the tattler punished, no one dared invite trouble, and they all hurried off to scrape the bottom of the pot.

Jiang Huan tore open the spicy strips and began to eat. The assertive aroma hung in the air for a good ten seconds before it faded.

People around her marveled that life outside the main base really was better—no need to spend contribution points on everything, and even the leisure to snack.

Well then, next time she cooked something extra, all she'd need to do was wave around some spicy strips.

She'd teach her brother that trick when they got home.

The day's work ended in this fashion. Everyone was driven back, and another roll call was held.

Once the headcount was confirmed, Captain Lei announced, "Tomorrow, if you live nearby and have transport, you can come on your own—you don't need to go out of your way to meet here. Those who want to come on their own, register with me now. If you need a ride from the base, just remember the meeting time and head home."

Only Jiang Huan went up to register.

She didn't leave immediately since the Seventh Squad hadn’t returned yet.

She wandered around the official base and was surprised to find a restaurant selling fresh bean sprouts. That was rare.

She checked the price; the contribution points for bean sprouts could buy staple food for days.

No wonder they sold them here, where points were easily spent; they wouldn't move in ordinary places. Who would spend the equivalent of two bags of rice for a single pound of bean sprouts?

"I'll take ten pounds," Jiang Huan said without hesitation.

She had plenty, and she could share with others as a treat.

Ten pounds nearly cleared out the remaining supply, and the owner, grinning, threw in an extra half-pound for her.

Jiang Huan waited in the warm restaurant for about ten minutes before the Seventh Squad's vehicle returned.

She hurried over and saw her younger brother, disheveled and dirty, step off. Her heart clenched slightly with worry. "Are you hurt?"

Jiang Xi grinned. "No, sis, I'm fine. This is just dirt; it'll wash off at home." He pointed at Wanwan, who had come with him. "Wanwan and Brother Xiao Fang and everyone else helped me a lot. The squad leader scolded me, and they all refused to work, which made the leader angry. So we had to work an extra half hour before coming back."

Jiang Huan glanced at the Seventh Squad leader, who still looked disgruntled, negotiating with Captain Lei about something.

But in the end, a few words from Captain Lei sent the other man stomping away in frustration.

Jiang Huan handed the bean sprouts to her brother and said to the others who would be heading home together, "Hot pot tonight—bean sprouts and sliced meat for everyone, as much as you can eat."

The group cheered.

Jiang Huan walked over to Captain Lei. She wanted to know what trick the Seventh Squad leader was trying to pull—what had he just said to their captain?

"It’s nothing, he just had a moment of poor judgment," Captain Lei said, for once looking uncharacteristically gentle. "You’re a good sister."

Earlier, a colleague had come to him complaining about being assigned a 'simpleton' and demanding an exchange. After getting the full story, Captain Lei learned the man had insulted the boy first, and when the others protected Jiang Xi, his pride was wounded, which led to his anger. Captain Lei had replied, "When her sister isn’t around, everyone looks out for her brother. Now imagine if she herself was on your team—if trouble started, how would your street-sweeping progress look then?"

He had spoken plainly, and the other man, knowing he was right, could only curse his bad luck and leave.

Jiang Huan knew she and Captain Lei had only just met; their relationship couldn’t possibly be closer than his with the Seventh Squad leader. Since Lei didn’t want to share more, she didn’t press. She simply left the official base with everyone else and rode home in the neighborhood truck.

That night, perhaps still cautious from her risky lunch earlier, Jiang Huan added two frozen chickens to the hot pot, along with half a pound of dried shiitake mushrooms. The fragrant, steaming chicken-and-mushroom hot pot was ready in no time.

They dipped slices of meat and handfuls of bean sprouts, even opened two bottles of beer, eating to their heart’s content.

Jiang Huan started off with a bowl of chicken broth, not touching much else.

Little Xi had already been fed a bowl of vermicelli with shrimp paste, and during hot pot just nibbled on snacks.

Having relied on each other for so long, the two were unaccustomed to fishing for food in a communal pot with others.

Of course, Jiang Huan didn’t have to clean up the aftermath. Seeing everyone was nearly finished, she left a few packets of noodles and headed upstairs.

The broth at the bottom of the pot just needed a little water added to become chicken noodle soup. After two hours of card games, everyone enjoyed a warm bowl before heading home to rest, ready for another energetic day ahead.

Being a street-sweeping volunteer wasn’t the most dangerous task, but certainly exhausting. Jiang Huan made sure her brother had extra food every day, and she herself often stewed nourishing soups, always giving herself a better lunch. After ten-odd days of sweeping, the street was starting to look almost like it had before the apocalypse, though everyone in the squad had grown noticeably thinner.

Work was hard, and seeing Jiang Huan’s healthy complexion, people started to wonder how she managed it.

After a bit of pushing and shoving, someone finally came over to ask if she had some secret food source.

Jiang Huan saw the eager glances from others and realized with a pang of regret—what an opportunity she’d missed these past ten days!