Dare to shirk responsibility? This adorable little one will tear down your military district!

The kitchen of the mess hall was more chaotic than a battlefield.

A dozen large iron pots were lined up in a row, the flames licking the bottoms of the pots, the heat threatening to lift the roof off. Qian Mei, wearing a greasy apron, stood in front of the stove in the middle, banging a large iron ladle in her hand with a deafening sound.

"Hey everyone, give it your all!" Qian Mei's voice was shrill, almost piercing through the chimney. "Today we're improving the soldiers' meals, so don't skimp on the oil. Look at this braised pork, two pounds of lard in it, it's so glossy!"

The chunks of meat in her pot were bubbling in the hot oil, releasing a strong aroma of soy sauce and caramel. Although it was a bit greasy, in those days of oil and water scarcity, it was the ultimate temptation. Several military wives around her looked on with envy, no one glancing at the corner.

In a corner, Lin Wanrou tended to a small stove.

On the cutting board in front of her, there were only two pieces of tofu, a handful of scallions, and half a bowl of minced meat. When it came time to divide the meat, Qian Mei and the others had snatched up all the good cuts, leaving her only these scraps.

"Wanrou, you only make tofu?" Aunt Li leaned over, feigning concern and pursing her lips. "Tofu is bland. The soldiers train hard; they need meat to have the strength. How about I give you a couple of slices of fatty meat?"

When he said "Yun," his eyes were full of contempt.

Meng Yaya sat on the flour sack next to her, her two short legs dangling in the air. She looked at Sister Li's face and sneered inwardly.

Do these people even know what it means to turn something rotten into something magical?

"No need, sister-in-law." Lin Wanrou's voice was soft but steady. She picked up the kitchen knife and flicked her wrist.

Tap tap tap tap.

The sound of the knife blade hitting the cutting board was as dense as a sudden downpour. The two pieces of tender tofu were instantly transformed into small, evenly sized, sharply defined cubes. The knife skills were so deft and skillful, it didn't seem like those of a village woman who spent years doing farm work; it was more like that of a seasoned master craftswoman.

Feeling awkward, Sister Li swayed away and walked away.

When no one was looking, Meng Yaya reached into her little yellow backpack.

That was her personal space.

With a thought, a small glass bottle filled with red powder appeared in his palm. This was high-grade ghost pepper grown in the space, ground into powder with more than a dozen spices. In the apocalypse, even if this stuff was sprinkled on the soles of shoes, mutated beasts would take a bite.

"Mom, here's some salt." Meng Yaya jumped off the flour bag, handed over the bottle in her childish voice, and replaced the damp chili powder with it.

Lin Wanrou was busy heating the oil and didn't look closely before taking the bottle and pouring it into the pot.

"Sizzle~"

Deep-fry the red oil.

An extremely domineering spicy aroma, as if it had grown legs or was loaded with explosives, instantly exploded in the kitchen.

The smell was so aggressive. It relentlessly invaded everyone's nostrils, forcefully squeezing out the greasy aroma of braised pork.

The previously noisy kitchen fell eerily quiet for two seconds.

Qian Mei was tossing the food in the wok when she was hit by the smell, and her hand trembled, almost causing half a spoonful of meat to fly out.

"Cough cough! What's that smell? It's choking me!" Qian Mei coughed exaggeratedly, trying to hide the jealousy in her eyes. "Lin Wanrou, are you cooking or releasing a poison gas bomb?"

Lin Wanrou ignored her. She was completely focused at the moment.

Add the tofu to the pot, stir with a spoon, shake the pot, and thicken with cornstarch.

The bright red broth coated the tender white tofu, and a sprinkle of bright green scallions on top, along with the rising steam, elevated the aroma to a whole new level.

"The mealtime call has sounded!"

Someone shouted.

The canteen door was kicked open. A group of soldiers who had just finished a field training exercise rushed in like hungry wolves. They were all covered in sweat, their green uniforms soaked through.

"They have braised pork today! I can smell it!"

"No, this tastes...this doesn't taste like braised pork! It's much more fragrant!"

The soldiers' noses were even more sensitive than those of military dogs. Zhao Tiezhu rushed to the front, heading straight for Qian Mei's window, but halfway there, he abruptly changed course, following the irresistible aroma of spicy food, and ended up in the farthest corner.

"Sister-in-law! What's this dish? Give me a spoonful! No, two spoonfuls!" Zhao Tiezhu held the lunchbox, which was bigger than a washbasin, his mouth practically watering.

"Mapo tofu." Lin Wanrou was startled by the crowd. Before she could even reach out with her spoon, the window was already packed with people.

"Me too! Me too!"

"Don't push! My hat's been knocked off!"

"This smell is absolutely amazing! Just the aroma alone could make me eat three bowls of rice!"

Qian Mei stood in front of her window, looking at the large, reddish-brown pot of meat in front of her, then at the empty queue, her face as black as the bottom of a pot.

Are these soldiers stupid? Why would they abandon a big piece of meat and go after those two pieces of broken tofu?

"Try my braised pork! It's specially made pork belly!" Qian Mei shouted at the top of her lungs.

Nobody paid any attention to her.

That pot of Mapo Tofu was wiped clean with steamed buns in less than ten minutes, even the broth was wiped clean.

Gu Changfeng was the last to come in.

As a leader, he was supposed to eat in the private canteen, but after hearing that his wife had prepared a special meal, he came to the main canteen.

As soon as I entered, I saw Zhao Tiezhu squatting on the ground licking the lid of a lunchbox.

"You're hopeless." Gu Changfeng kicked Zhao Tiezhu.

Zhao Tiezhu looked up, his mouth covered in red oil, a satisfied, dazed expression on his face: "Commander, it's so delicious... Is your sister-in-law a goddess? This tofu is even more fragrant than meat, and that numbing sensation goes from the tip of my tongue all the way to my heels."

Gu Changfeng raised an eyebrow and looked out the window.

Lin Wanrou was taking off her apron, her forehead beaded with sweat, her cheeks flushed. Meng Yaya sat on the windowsill, a handful of sunflower seeds in her hand, grinning like a little fox who had just stolen some cream.

All the military wives stopped what they were doing and looked at the empty aluminum basin with complicated expressions.

Strength is the most unreasonable thing.

No referee is needed; those stacks of lunchboxes, licked clean, are the best proof.

"What? Everyone's finished?"

A woman wearing a fitted cadre uniform and with wavy hair walked in through the side door. She didn't look at the empty basins; her gaze was like two knives, piercing straight into Lin Wanrou.

This is Li Aihong, the deputy political commissar's wife. She usually considers herself an educated person from the compound and looks down on family members from the countryside.

Li Aihong walked over to Qian Mei, looked at the pot of braised pork that was mostly left over, and then glanced at the table where Lin Wanrou's table was completely devoid of even scallions. She let out a cold snort.

"Our military canteen emphasizes nutrition and hygiene." Li Aihong's voice was not low, just enough for the military wives around her to hear. "Some shady methods may make the food smell delicious, but we don't want them to add anything unclean just to win."

Upon hearing this, Qian Mei's eyes immediately lit up.

"Yeah, I knew it! How fragrant could a few pieces of tofu be?" Qian Mei threw the spoon into the bucket, her voice rising eight octaves, "Lin Wanrou, you didn't bring poppy shells from your hometown into the army, did you?"

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the kitchen, which had been immersed in the delicious food, instantly froze.

In those days, possessing opium packs was a serious crime that could lead not only to imprisonment but also to public criticism and struggle sessions.

Gu Changfeng had already walked to Lin Wanrou's side and was about to wipe her sweat when he heard this, and his straight back stiffened abruptly.

He slowly turned around, his gaze like two cold daggers, locking onto Li Aihong who was speaking.

The temperature in the air dropped to freezing point instantly.