I was reborn after my cousin stole my life.

Chapter 40: Satisfaction

At 6:30, Jiang Zhou arrived home on time. As he walked to the door, he smelled an enticing aroma that was both spicy and irresistibly fragrant.

Instructor Liu, who was traveling with him, sniffed and asked enviously, "What delicious food has your wife made this time?"

"I don't know, she didn't say." Jiang Zhou unconsciously straightened his back even more.

"Anyway, everything she cooks tastes good."

Instructor Liu glanced at him sideways; this blatant boasting was far too obvious.

Now, which of the leaders in the army doesn't know that Battalion Commander Jiang's wife is a good cook?

Jiang Zhou ignored Instructor Liu, waved his hand, pushed open the closed courtyard gate, and went inside.

He closed the door behind him and went straight to the kitchen.

As you get closer, the aroma becomes even stronger, along with a pungent spiciness that hits your nose.

"Achoo!" Jiang Zhou sneezed loudly!

Yuan Xiu then noticed him. "Don't stand in the wind, the smell is drifting over there."

Jiang Zhou left the doorway and entered the kitchen. "What are you making?"

"Frying chili peppers, doesn't it smell delicious?" On the stove was a bowl of freshly fried chili oil, and in the oil-splattered pot were peanuts that Yuan Xiu had just poured in.

At noon, when I was making hot and sour noodles at Chunmei's house, I didn't fry peanuts and put them in. It was a simplified version. After Yuan Xiu came back, she used the vermicelli that Chunmei gave her to soak half a basin of vermicelli, planning to make it for Jiang Zhou to eat in the evening.

Jiang Zhou nodded. "It smells very good, unlike the scent I've smelled before."

While frying peanuts, Yuan Xiu said, "The chili powder I used before was bought from the market. This time, I made it myself using dried chilies. I put the chilies in a pot and slowly roasted them over low heat until they could be crushed with a pinch before taking them out of the pot. I also added a few spices to the oil I used to fry the chilies, so it's definitely different."

Jiang Zhouguang thought it sounded like a very time-consuming task. "What's the point of frying peanuts?"

Was it meant to be served with his drinks?

However, he rarely drinks alcohol; aside from social engagements, he generally doesn't drink at home.

"These are just side dishes to enhance the flavor," Yuan Xiu said, pointing to the vermicelli and Jiang Zhou in the bowl. "Sister Chunmei brought a lot of local products from her hometown, and she gave us some. These vermicelli are from her family, along with pickled cabbage, mushrooms, and dried vegetables. By the way, are you hungry? Do you want some dried sweet potatoes? I put them in the basket on the dresser in the living room, and there are also some roasted sunflower seeds that Sister Chunmei gave us."

"I'm okay, not very hungry."

Yuan Xiu smiled, sprinkled a small pinch of salt on the crispy peanuts, stirred them briefly, then picked up a peanut from the pan with chopsticks and handed it to Jiang Zhou, "Have you tried it yet?"

Jiang Zhou subconsciously opened his mouth, and a peanut was stuffed into it.

It's crispy and crunchy, with a savory flavor.

Yuan Xiu: "How is it?"

Holding her chopsticks, she tilted her head slightly and asked him with bright, sparkling eyes.

Jiang Zhou smiled and said, "Alright, it's delicious."

"Of course, you don't even know who made it." Yuan Xiu turned her head and took a bowl of fried peanuts from the pot.

This was the first time she had shown such a proud and confident expression, Jiang Zhou thought.

With his hands in his pockets and a smile spreading across his eyes, he turned and left the kitchen, went into the bedroom, took off his hat, and took off his outer clothes.

While hanging up the clothes, he saw the new clothes that Yuan Xiu had just finished. He picked them up and looked at them, nodding slightly as he looked. The color suited her.

The largest porcelain bowl in the house was placed in front of Jiang Zhou.

The soup in the bowl was a bright red color, and the crystal-clear vermicelli was topped with the side dishes that Yuan Xiu had mentioned.

The pickled pudding was cut into small pieces, topped with bright green scallions and freshly fried peanuts.

The spicy aroma of chili peppers, combined with a tangy and appetizing scent, wafted straight into Jiang Zhou's nose.

Yuan Xiu handed him the chopsticks, "Try it and see if it's good."

Jiang Zhou first picked up the bowl and took a sip of the soup. The sour and spicy taste spread in his mouth, causing him to suddenly drool a lot.

He quickly swallowed and picked up a mouthful of vermicelli to eat.

"It's delicious," he said.

A smile of approval bloomed in Yuan Xiu's eyes. "Eat more if you like it! I'll make you dan dan noodles tomorrow morning."

"What kind of noodles is Dan Dan noodles?" Jiang Zhou asked.

"It's a delicious noodle dish. You can make it dry or in soup. Would you like it dry or in soup?"

"Let's make it dry-mixed," Jiang Zhou said. The fried noodles with soybean paste she made on the first morning were delicious. The sauce coated the noodles, making them fragrant and chewy. After eating, she would drink a bowl of soup, which was very satisfying.

Of course, the hot and sour noodles I made today were delicious too!

Jiang Zhou thought to himself that all the food she cooked was delicious.

Now, as soon as he gets off work, he wants to rush home, and on the way back, he keeps thinking about what delicious food she will cook tonight.

When I wake up in the morning, I also think about what I'll eat today.

He only ate lunch at the camp canteen.

I used to eat all three meals a day at the camp canteen and never thought there was anything wrong with the food. Now, it's not tasty.

After finishing the last sip of soup, Jiang Zhou's forehead was slightly sweaty. The spiciness lingered on the tip of his tongue, which felt very refreshing and satisfying.

"Put this chili oil in my noodles tomorrow morning too, and add a lot of it."

Yuan Xiu smiled and nodded: "Okay."

The hot and sour noodles tonight are definitely delicious, but not as delicious as the ones Yuan Xiu made in her past life. It's not that her skills have declined, but rather that she used less oil.

No matter how high the salary is in Jiangzhou, the amount of vegetable oil they use is rationed every month. If they want to eat more oil, they have to use meat coupons to buy pork and render it into oil.

The chilies I fried tonight were completely dry when I poured the oil in. To make them taste better, the ratio of chilies to oil should be 1:6. That way, when the hot oil is poured in, the aroma of the chilies will be better released.

Another point is that there's no minced meat.

It would taste even better if you could fry some minced meat sauce and add it inside.

The next morning, Jiangzhou ate the dandan noodles made by Yuan Xiu.

"No wonder you said peanuts are used as a side dish, it's true."

The noodles were sprinkled with crushed peanuts and finely chopped pickled vegetables. Jiangzhou mixed it all together and quickly took a bite. "Delicious!"

Each noodle is coated with crushed peanuts and pickled vegetables, giving it a unique, spicy, and refreshing taste.

Jiangzhou ate the whole bowl of noodles, leaving not even the leftover pickled vegetable scraps at the bottom.

On his way to work, he ran into Instructor Liu from next door again.

"Look how satisfied you are! What delicious treat has your sister-in-law made this time?"

"Dan Dan noodles, ever heard of them?"

Instructor Liu shook his head, "It's probably food from your sister-in-law's hometown again."

He asked out of curiosity what kind of dandan noodles were.

He regretted asking the question as soon as he did. He shouldn't have asked. Jiang Zhou described a bowl of noodles in such detail, like he was writing a report.

Instructor Liu swallowed hard. "Do you know what I ate this morning?"

Jiangzhou wasn't curious.

Instructor Liu insisted on saying, "Coarse corn porridge with pickled vegetables."

Jiang Zhou patted him on the shoulder reassuringly and left.