sbdcsierra Chapter 15 Conditioned Reflexes
Chapter 15 Conditioned Reflexes
Back home, Da Niu hurried to the kitchen to start a fire because his mother said his father was going to make noodles for him!
Lin Xi took the basket from Gao Mengli's back and carried the groceries into the kitchen.
Da Niu was helping his father organize things when he saw his father, Lin Xi, take a piece of meat out of the basket and exclaim, "Dad, meat!"
Is there meat to eat today?
Good heavens, his drool is practically overflowing!
"Yes, we're having meat today!"
Lin Xi was overjoyed. Actually, he'd never eaten fresh meat before. In the apocalypse, everything was canned or frozen; he was like a skilled cook without ingredients. He could only watch food shows every day, and who knows how much saliva he swallowed while watching TV.
"By the way, Xiang...Xixi, you can make whistles and extract the oil, I'll need it."
Gao Mengli couldn't bring herself to call him "husband" and felt a little embarrassed, so she simply called him "Xixi" instead.
Lin Xi was looking at the pork belly and was about to slice it when she heard Gao Mengli arranging a path for the marbled pork belly in the yard.
"Eh, okay."
He changed the slices into chunks, so he could only make whistles from them.
Gao Mengli carried her basket and went out. She had business to do tomorrow, so she decided to pick the elm seeds first.
Lin Xi put the diced pork belly into the pot and slowly stir-fried it. As the temperature rose, the pork belly gradually turned golden and crispy, and the oil slowly seeped out.
Soon, the kitchen was filled with the rich aroma of meat.
He carefully ladled out the rendered oil and set it aside to cool.
He scooped out the whistle and put it aside to cool. Just as he was about to turn around and get the flour, he saw Da Niu, who was squatting next to the stove and tending the fire, looking up at the whistle with his eyes fixed on it, and some unknown liquid was dripping from the corner of his mouth.
It smells so good! He always said even his dad's shoe insoles tasted delicious. This meat, in particular, smells amazing! It's like food from heaven, it's going to make him dizzy with the aroma!
Da Niu was still daydreaming about how the meat would fly into his mouth, when unexpectedly, he actually saw the meat fly out of the bowl and land right next to his mouth.
Lin Xi held a whistle, looked at Da Niu's normally focused eyes, which were now crossed as he stared at the meat in his hand, and almost burst out laughing. "Come on, open your mouth."
Upon hearing the sound, Da Niu snapped back to reality, his eyes immediately returning to normal, and he couldn't wait to take a bite.
The meat burst with a rich and mellow aroma in his mouth, its fatty yet not greasy texture making Da Niu's taste buds seem to transform into dancers, twirling on his tongue.
His eyes lit up instantly, and bubbles of happiness kept rising, almost overwhelming him.
As Da Niu chewed, he mumbled, "Wow, this is so delicious! Dad, this is the best thing I've ever eaten."
Lin Xi glanced at Da Niu's exaggeratedly satisfied expression and curled her lips.
My son, you're really exaggerating.
Da Niu had no idea what his father was thinking. He had just tasted the meat and was now hooked. He was staring at the bowl of meat on the stove, lost in his fantasies.
Da Niu worked even harder at the fire.
Lin Xi watched the blazing fire, which was making the water in the iron pot boil and smoke, and quickly sped up her work.
He had no doubt that if he had been any slower, his son would have burned the pot dry.
He scooped two bowls of flour into a basin, slowly poured in an appropriate amount of hot water, and began to stir skillfully.
The dough gradually took shape in his hands, becoming smooth and elastic.
Lin Xi kneaded the dough while keeping an eye on Da Niu's movements. Da Niu was still staring intently at the bowl on the stove, as if he wanted to see through it, break it, and shatter it.
Lin Xi smiled helplessly and quickened her pace. Soon, the dough was kneaded, and she began to pull the noodles.
The sound of slapping noodles successfully drew Da Niu's attention.
His dad's noodle-pulling posture is so cool, but that little finger sticking up a bit ruins the "coolness".
When Gao Mengli brought back the elm seeds, she saw three little radish heads squatting in front of her yard gate, constantly sucking air through the crack in the door.
These three children are from the second and third families of the old house next door.
She was about to greet them when the three children heard footsteps and turned around to see their "terrifying" aunt standing behind them.
"Ah—" Lin Fu screamed in fear and quickly ran to the yard next door.
Gao Mengli was speechless. No, she just wanted to say hello, she didn't expect such a big reaction.
Eight-year-old Lin Fu ran home, still shaken by the experience, and held his breath tightly. Only when he reached the yard did he finally let go and take a few deep breaths.
He was about to comfort his two younger sisters when he looked left and right, but there was nothing there.
"Oh no, my sister—"
"What are you doing here?" Gao Mengli asked, looking at the two little girls at the door with a puzzled expression.
The older one, Lin Lin, is 7 years old and comes from the third wife's family. The younger one, Lin Lu, is 6 years old and comes from the second wife's family, just like Lin Fu.
The two children felt a shiver run down their spines when they heard their aunt's question.
Lin Lu quickly grabbed Lin Lin's arm, "Sister...Sister..."
She tried to find protection in Lin Lin, who was a year older than her, and to awaken her sister's "love" so that she wouldn't abandon them like her older brother, Lin Fu.
Lin Lin didn't reply, but just held Lin Lu's hand tightly, her whole body trembling.
She once went to play with Da Niu in the neighboring yard, and when her aunt came back from outside, she threw her directly back into the old house yard from the fence of the yard.
He had to stay in bed for five days before he could get out of bed.
From that moment on, her deep-seated fear of Gao Mengli reached its peak.
Today, the three of them felt that the smell in the neighbor's yard was too strong, so they didn't dare to go in and just smelled the aroma from outside the yard.
Gao Mengli felt embarrassed when the two children didn't answer her.
He was about to bypass the two of them and enter the courtyard when Lin Fu ran out of the old house again.
He went straight for his two younger sisters, holding one in each hand.
In the blink of an eye, he ran back to the old house, not forgetting to slam the courtyard gate shut.
Gao Mengli's lips twitched. Was she some kind of demon? Why was she so afraid of her?
She shook her head, pushed open the door to the courtyard, and placed the basket under the eaves.
Lin Xi finished making the noodles. "Honey, come and eat!"
Lin Xi placed the bowl on the table, and Gao Mengli frowned as she looked at the white noodles.
The two had been childhood sweethearts since they were little, so how could Lin Xi not understand what she meant?
He shrugged helplessly. "No soy sauce!"
The two turned their heads and their gazes fell on Da Niu, who was holding a bowl and eating heartily.
Da Niu felt a burning sensation all over his body. He looked up and saw his parents staring straight at him. His hand trembled, and the chopsticks fell to the ground with a thud.
This is a conditioned reflex stemming from a deep-seated fear of the two individuals.
"Father, Father... Mother, Mother... What, what's wrong?"