She followed the scent up two flights of stairs, her steps halting outside An Hao’s door.
The fragrance was emanating from inside; it was exceptionally aromatic, far better than anything made in the army’s dining hall.
In these hot days, she had barely cooked at home, preferring to dine in the army’s dining hall instead.
It was big-pot cooking, after all, and the taste was monotonous, the same over and over.
Smelling the aroma from An Hao’s place made her feel a bit itchy, too. So she turned around, went downstairs, bought some groceries, and cooked a meal.
In the summer heat, people’s appetites tend to wane.
Qin Jian had been quite tired these days, eating little, so An Hao felt sorry for him and tried all sorts of ways to cook dishes to entice him to eat more.
An Hao bought two bitter gourds, which, though quite bitter, were excellent for dispelling heat. She scooped out the insides, sliced them thinly, sprinkled them with a handful of salt to marinate for a while, drained the excess water, and removed much of their bitterness.
After that, she arranged the bitter gourd slices in the center of the plate to form the shape of a flower, then drizzled honey on top. It looked so green and bright, it almost inspired an irresistible urge to grab a few slices with chopsticks.
She took out green bean sprouts she had soaked in water when she was free a few days ago and mixed them with shredded cucumber for a cold dish, placed to one side.
In hot weather, cold dishes are refreshing, but one cannot always eat greens; some meat is necessary.
On her way back, she bought some pork and a few large pointed peppers, hollowed them out, cut them in half, stuffed in the seasoned meat filling, then fried them in the pan until both the meat and peppers were thoroughly cooked. Finally, she made a sweet and sour sauce with starch and poured it over.
A dish of "tiger-skin" peppers stuffed with meat was ready!
In the pot was green bean soup. Despite the sweltering weather, she made Qin Jian a pan-fried scallion pancake. After all her busyness, she felt like she’d been fished out of water.
Before Qin Jian returned, she managed to take a bath and change her clothes before setting the table with the food.
Sure enough, not long after, Qin Jian arrived home.
Upon pushing the door open, he saw An Hao standing in the living room, her hands clasped behind her back, smiling at him cheerfully.
"Why are you so happy?" A day’s tiredness vanished instantly at the sight of his little wife.
"Because you’re back," An Hao said with a smile, moving forward to hug his neck and kissed him on the lips, her soft hands sliding under his shirt, gently caressing his well-defined abs.
Qin Jian’s passion was ignited by her teasing, and as he reached out to hold her, An Hao giggled, let go of him, and turned into the kitchen.
"You did that on purpose, didn’t you?" Qin Jian said with a smile, taking off his shirt to reveal his muscular torso. He fetched a basin of water and, with a wet towel, wiped down his body.
"Not at all," An Hao laughed, poking her head out from the kitchen, "It’s your reward!"
Qin Jian curled his lips into a smile, "Can I take it as your invitation to me?"
"Tsk! No way," An Hao served the cool green bean soup and handed him the chopsticks, "Eat your meal. See if it’s to your taste."
"Bitter gourd?" Qin Jian winced at sight of it, a staple of his childhood meals.
"Don’t be so quick to reject it! Try it first," An Hao said with a confident smile.
Qin Jian took a slice and put it into his mouth; his expression quickly changed to one of surprise, "Mmm, it tastes very good."
He tasted the rest of the dishes, especially praising the stuffed peppers, a combination of meaty and spicy flavors that stimulated the appetite.
"An Hao, seeing you suddenly reminds me of a saying."
"To marry such a wife, what more can a husband ask for?"
An Hao’s lips curled, revealing two sweet dimples.
The couple had their fill of sweet talk and were just about to start their meal when they heard a knocking at the door...