This is it, this old apartment building.
He turned off the engine and removed the key.
Silence returned to the surroundings; the only sound was the beating of my own heart.
A muffled television sound came from upstairs.
He climbed the creaking wooden stairs, a wave of exhaustion washing over him.
After the adrenaline recedes, every cell in the body screams for rest.
He still carried the scent of the wilderness, a mixture of gunpowder smoke, blood, and pine forest odors, clashing with the cooking fumes from the residents in the stairwell.
Finally, he stood at the door of room 302.
Behind that white-painted wooden door was warm light, a soft sofa, and... the person waiting for him to return.
He raised his hand, ready to knock on the door.
However, his knuckles hadn't even touched the door yet.
A "click" sound.
The door was opened from the inside.
Emily was standing inside the doorway, still wearing the somewhat comical pink cartoon apron that Su Wei had worn.
She held a spatula in her hand, and a few strands of golden hair playfully fell beside her cheeks.
When she saw Su Wei at the door, she was stunned for a moment, and then her beautiful blue eyes were instantly filled with a relieved light.
"You're finally back." Her voice trembled slightly, revealing a clear sense of lingering fear. "I almost called the Fish and Game Department."
Chapter 96 A peaceful sleep after exhaustion
You're finally back.
Her voice trembled slightly, without her even realizing it, and there was a clear sense of lingering fear.
"I almost called the Fish and Game Department."
Su Wei stood at the door, the smell of gunpowder, blood, and pine forest on him instantly diluted by the warmth of the apartment and the aroma of food.
But he was still stiff, which seemed out of place with the warmth of the room.
Emily's beautiful blue eyes stared at him intently, scanning him carefully from head to toe.
She saw his trouser legs covered in mud and snow, the almost invisible dark stains on his windbreaker, and smelled that odor that only you'd find in a slaughterhouse or an emergency room.
Her heart clenched.
Su Wei moved his somewhat stiff body, then closed the door behind him, completely shutting out the cold wind outside.
Click.
The small apartment finally found peace and quiet after the sound of the lock clicking shut.
He leaned the Browning rifle that had accompanied him through life and death against the corner of the entryway wall; the butt struck the wooden floor with a dull thud.
"Mission accomplished." Su Wei took off his heavy down jacket and casually hung it on the hook behind the door, deliberately making his tone sound relaxed. "The poachers have been caught and handed over to the enforcement team."
He avoided all the dangerous details.
There was no mention of the enormous stag that was used as a living shelter, nor of the lightning-fast exchange of fire within thirty meters.
The harshness of the wilderness should not be brought into this warm little apartment.
Emily didn't press further, but simply nodded. Her relieved expression eased Su Wei's tension, which had been building all night.
Just then, a burnt smell wafted from the kitchen, growing stronger and stronger.
"Ah!"
Emily screamed and, ignoring Su Wei, hopped on one leg, her posture somewhat comical, into the kitchen.
My soup!
Su Wei followed.
The small kitchen was a complete mess.
A pot on the stove was bubbling strangely, its bottom already turning black. The microwave next to it dinged and stopped.
Emily frantically turned off the stove, braced herself against the counter with one hand, and picked up a pair of oven mitts with the other, trying to lift the scalding hot pot.
"Don't move."
Su Wei stepped forward, naturally took the gloves from her hand and put them on, then carried the pot to the sink.
A strong smell of tomato sauce mixed with burnt cheese wafted over.
The pot contained a thick, oddly colored soup.
He lifted the lid and glanced at the pot; the bottom was already covered with a layer of black crust.
Emily stuck out her tongue a little shyly and pointed to the microwave. "I also baked garlic bread... I was hoping to wait for you to come back so we could have some hot soup to warm ourselves up."
A typical white person's meal.
Su Wei could even imagine what she did: simply pour canned broth into a pot, add some chopped ham or something similar, and heat it up.
It's simple and quick to do, but it's also easy to mess up.
"Go sit on the sofa." Su Wei untied her pink cartoon apron and tied it around her waist. "I'll take care of the rest."
"But you're already very tired..."
"I broke my leg, not my arm," Su Wei retorted, echoing her earlier words.
Emily chuckled and hopped out of the kitchen on one leg, not forgetting to take two slightly overbaked garlic bread slices from the microwave before leaving.
The kitchen was back under Su Wei's control.
He glanced at the pot of almost ruined soup and shook his head.
Fortunately, Emily only poured the canned food in to cook; there should still be other ingredients in the refrigerator.
I opened the refrigerator, and sure enough, there were onions, potatoes, a few carrots, and a small piece of frozen beef.
That's enough.
He ignored the burnt soup and grabbed a clean pot instead.
Rinse the rice, add water, and simmer over low heat. Porridge is still the best for the stomach and the most comforting.
Next, he soaked the frozen beef in cold water and then began processing the vegetables.
Dice the onion, and peel and dice the carrot and potato.
His movements were not fast, but each one was steady and precise.
The cleaver landed on the cutting board with a thud.
The sound completely relaxed him, freeing him from his previous state of high tension and allowing him to return to the life of an ordinary person.
In the living room, Emily was hugging a cushion, with Cotton Candy nestled in her arms. Both she and the fox turned their heads toward the kitchen.
The TV was on, but the volume was very low, playing a boring midnight soap opera.
But her attention was completely drawn to the sounds coming from the kitchen and the aromas slowly wafting out.
First, the sweet aroma of onions sizzling in the pan is released, followed by the caramelized fragrance of beef sizzling as it hits the pan.
Cotton Candy twitched its nose and made a longing "gurgle" sound in its throat.
Su Wei poured all the stir-fried beef and vegetable cubes into the rice porridge, which was already thickening, and stirred it slowly with a spoon to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
[Cooking in progress...]
[ Cooking Experience +3.]
He sprinkled in salt and black pepper, and finally found a small bunch of wilted scallion leaves in the corner of the refrigerator, chopped them up, and sprinkled them in.
A pot of steaming hot beef and vegetable congee is ready.
[Cooking complete. Quality: Excellent.]
[Temporary buff triggered: Energy Replenishment (minor). Increases mental fatigue recovery speed by 3% for one hour after consumption.]
Su Wei ladled out two bowls of porridge and placed them on the small dining table. Emily had already come over, leaning on her cane.
"It smells amazing!" she exclaimed sincerely.
The porridge was very hot, but she couldn't wait any longer. She gently blew on it with her spoon and carefully took a sip.
"Hmm..."
A mouthful of hot porridge immediately warmed my stomach.
The savory flavor of the beef and the sweetness of the vegetables were infused into the soft, sticky rice, along with a touch of black pepper, which dispelled all her anxiety and fatigue.
" Su Wei, you really should open a restaurant," Emily mumbled between bites.
Su Wei smiled but didn't reply.
He picked out a few pieces of beef from his bowl, blew on them to cool them, and placed them in his palm.
The Cotton Candy under the table immediately stood up, nuzzled his palm with its wet nose, and swallowed the beef with a flick of its tongue.