0p0 Chapter 32 The house is on fire?
Chapter 32 The house is on fire?
"Go take a look at my yard," Bai Si'an said, trying to keep his tone casual. "The location of the toilet also needs to be planned. As for what you just mentioned... water seal, ventilation, we need to see how to do it on-site."
He paused, then added, "You have a lot of ideas, let's go take a look together, so I don't miss anything in the drawing."
Lin Weiwei, unsuspecting, readily nodded: "Sure! Let's go!"
She threw down the branch she was holding and followed him out of the yard.
The two walked towards the next room, one after the other.
Bai Si'an walked ahead, a barely perceptible curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Yes, the reason is very valid.
......
Su Wanwan folded the last piece of clothing in the room and put it into the wicker trunk.
It's all done.
She straightened up and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
The room was clean and tidy, the floral bed sheet was laid out neatly, the enamel mug was placed on the table, and the wildflowers in the glass bottle looked more vibrant after the water was changed.
She walked to the door and looked outside.
The courtyard was quiet, and the pile of toilet repair materials gleamed in the setting sun.
Lin Weiwei isn't here; she's probably gone back to her courtyard.
Su Wanwan felt a warm glow in her heart when she thought of the small cloth bag that Bai Rongbei had stiffly told her to "take it back" that afternoon.
They refused to accept money, yet they still brought the materials without saying a word.
She had to do something to show her appreciation.
Let's cook.
Thinking it over, Su Wanwan rolled up her sleeves and walked into the small kitchen.
The kitchen contained only an earthen stove, an iron pot, a few rough porcelain bowls, half a sack of mixed grain flour, a few potatoes and cabbages—which Bai Rongbei had brought back from the canteen yesterday.
Su Wanwan took a deep breath.
She wasn't completely incapable of cooking in modern times, but using this kind of earthen stove... was truly a first for her.
Recalling scenes from TV dramas she had watched before, she first stuffed a few pieces of firewood into the stove, and then struck a match.
The match lit up with a "whoosh," and she carefully brought it to the firewood.
The flame licked the dry wood twice, emitted a little smoke, and then... went out.
Su Wanwan paused for a moment, then cut another one.
This time she added more dry grass, and the flames leaped up, so she quickly put firewood on top.
The fire is burning!
She was overjoyed and quickly got up to wash the pot.
But when she finished washing the pot and scooped out water to boil, she looked back and saw that the fire in the stove had died down, leaving only thick smoke billowing out.
"Cough cough..." Su Wanwan coughed because she was choked, so she quickly squatted down and picked up a fire poker to poke it in.
This poke made the smoke even thicker.
Thick, grayish-black smoke billowed from the stove opening and the cracks in the stove, quickly filling the entire small kitchen and drifting out through the door.
Su Wanwan was choked so badly that tears streamed down her face. She hurriedly stuffed a few more pieces of firewood into the fire, but the smoke only got thicker.
She rushed out, covering her mouth, and stood in the yard panting. Her face was streaked with black and white smoke, and her eyes were red.
No, we have to continue.
There's still water in the pot, and the vegetables haven't been cooked yet.
She took a deep breath of fresh air and plunged back into the thick smoke.
This time she was smarter. First, she poured out the water from the pot—it already smelled smoky. Then she washed the pot, poured in oil, and added the shredded potatoes.
With a "sizzle," oil splashed up, startling her so much that she shrank back.
I quickly stirred it, but the fire in the stove was barely burning, and the bottom of the pot was not heated evenly, so the shredded potatoes quickly stuck to the pot.
She was in a hurry to start the fire, so she dropped the spatula on the ground. She picked it up but didn't bother to wash it and continued cooking.
Thick smoke billowed, and visibility in the kitchen decreased.
Su Wanwan coughed desperately while squinting and stirring the food, feeling like she was about to suffocate.
......
Bai Rongbei returned from the regimental headquarters and had just reached the dirt road leading to the family compound when he saw thick smoke rising from the direction of his own yard.
He paused, his brows furrowing instantly.
Is there a fire?
He quickened his pace, almost running.
The closer you get, the thicker the smoke becomes, and you can see many neighbors coming out of their homes and looking in that direction.
"Where is the fire?"
"It looks like Commander Bai's house!"
"Go check it out!"
Bai Rongbei's heart sank, and he rushed through his own fence gate.
Smoke filled the yard, but the source of the fire was not obvious. Thick smoke was billowing out of the kitchen door and windows.
Just as he was about to rush inside, the kitchen door was slammed open from the inside.
A cat-like figure stumbled out, clutching a spatula in its hand, bent over and coughing hysterically.
It's Su Wanwan.
Her face, hands, and clothes were covered in soot, her hair was a mess and stuck to her forehead, her eyes were red from the smoke, and tears were streaming down her face.
While coughing, she was still thinking about the food in the pot. After catching her breath, she turned around and was about to go back into the thick smoke.
Bai Rongbei strode forward and grabbed her arm.
"Don't go in!" His voice was deep, with his usual commanding tone.
Su Wanwan was pulled so hard she almost fell, but Bai Rongbei quickly caught her waist with his other hand.
She bumped into his hard chest, and a mixture of sweat and soap odor wafted towards her.
Su Wanwan looked up and, through her tear-blurred vision, saw that it was Bai Rongbei. She was stunned for a moment, then became even more anxious.
"The pot, the pot... the food is almost burnt... I, I..." she said, trying to struggle back in.
Bai Rongbei tightened his grip, holding her firmly in front of him. He looked down at her cat-like face and said in an unquestionable tone, "Stand still, don't move."
After saying that, he released her and rushed into the smoke-filled kitchen.
Su Wanwan stood there, coughing while covering her mouth, tears streaming down her face, unsure whether it was from choking or from anxiety.
By this time, a large crowd had already gathered outside the courtyard.
Sister Zhang, Wang Xiuying, and several other women from the residential compound all craned their necks to look inside.
"My God, what's going on?" Mrs. Zhang exclaimed, slapping her thigh. "This is such a huge amount of opium!"
Wang Xiuying craned her neck to look at Su Wanwan, who was standing disheveled in the yard, then glanced at the smoking kitchen, and curled her lip: "Cooking, huh? Did you set the kitchen on fire?"
"Making a meal can cause such a commotion?" A tall, thin woman shook her head. "Look at that girl, her face is all painted up like the Kitchen God's. She's obviously never done any housework before."
"That's right," another woman chimed in, "capitalist lady, you can't lift a finger, you can't even start a fire. If you can't start a fire, don't do it! If you really set the house on fire, our whole row will be doomed!"
"Yeah, they're so useless..."
The murmurs were neither too loud nor too soft, just enough to reach Su Wanwan's ears.
She bit her lip, lowered her head, and gripped the spatula handle tightly with her fingers until her knuckles turned white.
I felt both wronged and embarrassed.
She just wanted to cook a meal to thank Bai Rongbei...
Just then, Lin Weiwei rushed over from next door like a gust of wind.
She saw smoke coming from this side and heard a commotion, which terrified her.
"Wanwan! Wanwan, are you alright?" She pushed through the crowd and rushed into the courtyard, grabbing Su Wanwan's arm and looking her up and down. "Are you hurt? Huh?"