Shang Jinxiu had finished slicing the watermelon and continued to process the ingredients. She brought out quite a number of items, not only vacuum-packed cured meats and sausages but also an array of fresh chicken, duck, pork, beef, dried wood ear mushrooms, and some other types of mushrooms, plus several kinds of fresh green vegetables like lettuce, celery, and asparagus.
Most of these ingredients were stored in advance by Fang Yuxin in her space. Although Shang Jinxiu was a space-related superpower user, she had met Fang Yuxin sometime after the apocalypse had begun. Back then, the weather was hot, and there was no electricity, so many food items had spoiled. Even though her space could preserve freshness, there was no way to store fresh ingredients.
Because her family sold dried specialty goods and had just restocked, the majority of items in her space were those goods, such as red dates, wood ear mushrooms, and other mushrooms. It was not until she later encountered Fang Yuxin and they went to the Food Trading City together that she managed to store a variety of foods. However, the food she stored was mostly snacks or vacuum-packed cured meats and sausages, with no fresh meat or vegetables.
After the establishment of the Hope Battle Group, she was assigned to the logistics team’s food service group, and Fang Yuxin took her on a vehicle and brought out a lot of fresh ingredients for her to store in her space for future use. Only the two of them knew about this, and Shang Jinxiu was aware that Fang Yuxin must have her own space. Since she was not a space superpower user, Fang Yuxin’s space was likely a spatial treasure, as described in novels!
Shang Jinxiu was no fool; she knew such a thing could not be exposed, so she smartly never asked any questions and just dutifully packed everything away, never mentioning a word of it to anyone else. Now, taking out so many ingredients, she did so only with the hint from Shang Jinxiu to be so generous.
When the superpower users saw the abundance and variety of ingredients, especially the fresh chicken, duck, pork, and beef, their eyes turned greedier, and they salivated at the sight! Vacuum-packed cured meats and sausages, which were easily preserved and common in the post-apocalypse, had been eaten by them to the point of weariness, but fresh meat had not been tasted for a long time!
So now, they all stared intently at the ingredients piled on the folding table, almost wishing they could rush forward and take a bite. Shang Jinxiu led others to process the ingredients quickly, as they were all superpower users.
Tender pork tenderloin was minced and cooked with chopped preserved eggs in congee, creating a savory lean pork and century egg porridge. Fresh beef was cut into small pieces and stewed with potatoes, lettuce was sliced and stir-fried with soaked wood ear mushrooms and sliced meat, adding some pickled chili for a distinct flavor. The cured meat was boiled then sliced; the sausage was placed into new bamboo tubes then roasted and sliced, the meaty aroma infused with a hint of fresh bamboo scent, utterly tempting.
There were several chickens and ducks, so they ended up being cooked in various ways: stewed, roasted, braised, chilled and mixed, everything you could wish for. Large chunks of pork belly were transformed into red braised pork, and the ribs were prepared sweet and sour with a sprinkling of white sesame seeds on top, the mere sight of which was appetizing.
Whether it was the habitual hunger hitting hard and now finally getting access to rich ingredients, or the newly established Battle Group members showing off their skills to impress, everyone threw themselves into cooking with full effort. The dishes they prepared were complete in color, fragrance, taste, and presentation, their skills no less than those of hotel chefs.
It was tough for the surrounding superpower users, who were already close to turning into starved wolves at the sight of the unprocessed ingredients. Watching the food service group’s progress, they disregarded any outdated notions that men shouldn’t cook, eagerly offering to help. However, after a cold glance from Fang Yuxin and Qu Qianhe, they promptly behaved themselves, neither daring to get too close for fear of losing control and snatching food, nor willing to stay too far, forming a circle around the spot and staring intently at the pots and ingredients, drooling continuously.
The four squad leaders and forty platoon leaders stood there gazing at the food service group preparing the meals, feeling embarrassed by their subordinates’ behavior. Yet, after a silent exchange of looks, they turned their intense gazes back to the ingredients.
Due to the abundance of seasonings and the enthusiasm of the food service group, the delicious aromas of the various dishes mingled into an enticing fragrance long before the food was ready to eat, prompting a chorus of swallowing sounds all around.