The Space-Time Boss: 1970s Revolution

Chapter 171: Baked Sweet Potatoes

The cold wind howled outside, and the leaves had all turned yellow and fallen. It was December, and winter was fully upon them.

The school had officially started its winter break the day before, and while she longed for the warmth of her family's home, she had to stay in the county for one more day. She was waiting for her older brothers, Fu Sui and Fu Yu, who were due to arrive any time now. They had sent a telegram three days ago saying they would be coming over before heading home.

In the afternoon, while she was still wrapped in a warm coat, Fu Hong called out to her.

"Meimei, the sweet potatoes are done!"

Fu Xiao set aside her book and walked out of her room. She saw Fu Hong covered in black soot and chuckled. "Erge, you've got soot all over your face."

Fu Hong wiped his face with his sleeve, unconcerned, and grinned. "It's nothing. Hurry up and eat. The freshly baked sweet potatoes are really fragrant."

She took the hot, charred sweet potato from him, set it down on the ground to cool a bit, and carefully peeled off the burnt skin. She then took small bites of the sweet potato, savoring its warmth and sweetness. It was the perfect comfort food on a chilly day. She wished it would snow soon; she loved the idea of enjoying baked sweet potatoes while watching snowflakes drift down.

Just as she was getting into her sweet potato, there was a loud knock at the door.

Fu Hong frowned, clearly annoyed. "Who's knocking at the door at this time?"

Despite his grumbling, he went to open the door. As soon as the door swung open, Fu Hong was engulfed in a hug that knocked him to the ground.

"Hey, damn it, Fu Sui!!!"

Fu Sui, grinning from ear to ear, didn't immediately get off. He pressed down on Fu Hong and teased, "Fu Hong, did you miss me?"

Fu Hong, struggling for air, grumbled, "Miss you, my foot. Get off me already."

Fu Sui finally stood up, stretching lazily. "You're looking a bit weak, aren't you?"

He then turned his attention to Fu Xiao, who had come to greet them. "Meimei, it's been a while. I've missed you."

Fu Xiao smiled. "Why did you come by yourself? Where's Xiao Yu?"

"He's in the back," Fu Sui replied. "Oh, and Fu Hong, you sneak attacked me."

Seeing the two of them bickering, Fu Xiao shook her head with a smile and went to the door to greet Fu Yu.

However, she was surprised to see Mu Lian Shen following closely behind Fu Yu. She froze for a moment.

"You all came together?"

Fu Yu merely smiled, not saying much. Mu Lian Shen, holding several bags in one hand, used his free hand to gently pat her head. His tone was soft. "I came to keep you company."

"Let's go inside. It's getting cold."

Fu Yu led the way into the yard. Fu Xiao and Mu Lian Shen followed, not paying much attention to the commotion outside.

Inside, Fu Xiao set up the teapot and cups, filling them with hot water.

Fu Yu noticed the half-eaten sweet potatoes and asked with a smile, "Are there any more baked sweet potatoes?"

"I'm not sure how many Fu Hong threw into the oven. I'll go check."

Fu Xiao stood up and went to the kitchen. She fished out two more sweet potatoes from the ashes. They were blackened and burnt.

Fu Sui entered the kitchen, glanced at the charred sweet potatoes, and teased, "Fu Hong, you're really something. You've turned them into charcoal."

Outside, Fu Hong was brushing off the dirt from his clothes, shouting, "If you want them, eat them yourself!"

Fu Xiao chuckled, "I'll roast a few more for you. It won't take long."

She poured water from the bucket into the stove and prepared to light the fire. Fu Sui, recalling that she wasn't very skilled at starting fires, took the matches from her. "I'll do it."

As Fu Sui worked on lighting the stove, Fu Xiao handed him several pieces of sweet potato. "These are from our home's garden. Uncle Da sent them to us. We've been eating them all along."

Fu Yu set up two small stools in the kitchen and sat down with Fu Xiao. Fu Hong joined them, sitting on a pile of wood by the stove.

The kitchen quickly warmed up with the fire. They all sat around the stove, chatting and laughing as they awaited their roasted sweet potatoes.

Even though they hadn't seen each other for a while, there was no sense of estrangement among them.

As they enjoyed their sweet potatoes, Mu Lian Shen, who was busy sorting through the things he brought, listened to the familiar banter from the kitchen with a soft smile.

The sweet potatoes turned out perfectly this time, and they tasted much better than the ones Fu Hong had initially burnt. Each person had only one piece since eating too many could upset the stomach.

Fu Xiao had already had her share earlier, so she took only a small piece and walked outside to find Mu Lian Shen, who was sipping tea in the living room.

She approached him with the last sweet potato. "Try this. It's quite sweet."

Mu Lian Shen's eyes twinkled with a gentle smile as he reached out to brush the soot from her face. "Sure, I'll try it. Are we heading back to the village today or staying the night here?"

Fu Xiao sat down across from him. "We'll rest for a bit and head back. There's no place like home, especially with the warm kang."

Mu Lian Shen frowned slightly. "If you want, we could set up a kang here."

Fu Xiao waved her hand. "No need. It's only a short time before we go back to the village. It's not worth the trouble to set up a kang. And besides, it's inconvenient to get firewood here."

"It's not a problem. I can have someone bring it to you," Mu Lian Shen insisted.

She smiled helplessly. "Really, it's fine."

Seeing that she wasn't willing to change her mind, Mu Lian Shen let it go.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Fu Hong turned to Fu Yu and asked, "Why did you all come together?"

Fu Yu tossed the sweet potato skins into the stove and replied with a smile, "Mu Lian Shen was coming anyway, so we decided to tag along with him."

Fu Sui remained silent, his expression unreadable.

In truth, they had all planned to buy tickets for the trip, but Mu Lian Shen had shown up at their home with gifts, asking if they needed anything brought over. When he learned that Tan Ling Ling had injured her foot during a dance rehearsal, they were concerned about their safety on the road.

Fu Sui, with a smile, had welcomed them and agreed to take them along.

They all finished their sweet potatoes, extinguished the stove fire, and Fu Hong poured water over the ashes to make sure there were no lingering embers.

Fu Xiao offered a cup of hot water to everyone and suggested, "Let's head back to the village now."

Fu Yu held his enamel cup and smiled, "Should we inform Uncle at the county office?"

"Also, Big Brother is at the county office now, right?"

"Yes," Fu Xiao confirmed. "But he's not here right now. He's gone to the city for a meeting."

Fu Yu nodded. "In that case, let's head back to the village."

Everyone finished their tea, and Mu Lian Shen spoke warmly to Fu Xiao. "Go pack your things."

Fu Xiao shrugged. "Everything is already packed. We're ready to leave anytime."

Fu Hong, realizing he hadn't packed yet, rushed to his room. Fu Sui followed, grumbling loudly, "Fu Hong, your room looks like a pigsty. The bedding isn't even folded. It's so messy."

"Get out!" Fu Hong shouted back.