Yao Wei's pot had no lid, but the size of the frying pan was just right and could be used as a cover.
So Lu Xi'an asked Yao Wei, "Do you have anything suitable to hold these river prawns?"
Yao Wei found her bowl from the car, washed it, and handed it to Lu Xi'an.
Lu Xi'an sighed, surprised that Yao Wei still had a bowl. Unfortunately, all the bowls at the Tan Village Shelter were porcelain and had already been smashed by those two people.
"If you have a bowl, then this frying pan will be mine to use. I'll use it as a bowl in the future, is that okay?"
He asked.
"Okay."
Yao Wei nodded, having no objections.
With limited conditions and scarce resources, everything that could be used had to be utilized.
Lu Xi'an poured the prawns from the frying pan into Yao Wei's bowl, then took the frying pan and firmly placed it on top of the pot to prevent steam from escaping and slowing down the rice cooking.
Yao Wei simply took the bowl to the river, scooping and draining the small river prawns into it spoon by spoon, no longer needing to run back to the pot repeatedly.
However, the prawns in the river, repeatedly ambushed, had become jittery and more difficult to catch, forcing Yao Wei to go further for her catch.
Fortunately, this woman had a lot of patience, and even if she had to go farther or wait a while, she could remain calm.
So the number of prawns in her bowl gradually increased with her persistent catching.
She went farther and farther, yet she eventually began to smell the aroma of rice emanating from the pot, causing her to swallow discreetly.
Lu Xi'an watched Yao Wei's expression, feeling the urge to laugh.
Then he too swallowed back.
It had been so long since he last smelled such a fragrance.
Ever since he left the north and exited East Gate County's Wanhu Village, he hadn't found any edible rice.
Some places he had come across a little bit, but given the capricious weather, it had long gone bad, and after being inspected by Gou, it was deemed inedible.
Even the ones discovered in the cellars of East Gate County's Wanhu Village were old rice frozen for who knows how long, incomparable to the aroma of this vacuum-sealed rice now cooked and steaming.
"Just a little longer, just a little longer."
Lu Xi'an lifted the frying pan to check, the rice was nearly done, but it could cook a bit more.
By now, the sky was slightly dim, though not yet entirely dark, and the firewood could last a little longer.
"Enough prawns have been caught, don't rush, I'll stir-fry them for you to eat."
Lu Xi'an said to Yao Wei.
"Mm."
Yao Wei nodded, put down the bowl, and knelt by the fire to add and change the firewood.
This was a skill Lu Xi'an hadn't mastered.
Lu Xi'an previously could build a fire for warmth, but his methods were always crude.
Having never experienced these things in his previous life, it was only after coming to this world that he slowly explored and gained some experience.
When he saw Yao Wei working, he watched intently from the side, learning studiously.
With Yao Wei's tending, the fire burned brighter, and the rice was quickly cooked.
Lu Xi'an moved the pot aside, then placed the frying pan on the fire rack.
The moisture previously absorbed by the prawns had evaporated, but condensation from sitting on the rice pot had collected in the bottom of the pan.
Now, a quick roast over the fire easily dried it off.
With the pan already warmed, there was no need to wait for hot oil in a cold pan.
Lu Xi'an asked Yao Wei to fetch oil, salt, and soy sauce from the car, poured a little oil in, and briefly heated it before tossing in the river prawns to stir-fry.
He didn't have many seasonings on hand, and the stock at the shelter was sparse, perhaps the people from the old days were in too much of a hurry preparing for refuge to stock up adequately.
But fortunately, small fried shrimp didn't require much seasoning; a simple preparation sufficed.
"Actually, pork can be used to render oil; wild boar meat may be a bit dry, but it can probably provide some oil—if it has fatty meat."
Lu Xi'an said while stir-frying, "Other animals could also work, chickens, ducks, cows, sheep, should all be feasible. We can hunt for oil when we run out."
"Mm."
Yao Wei nodded seriously.
She watched closely Lu Xi'an's frying techniques in the pan with concentration.
Earlier, Lu Xi'an had been observing her actions to learn, and now it was her turn to observe and learn.
Stir-frying the river prawns was quick; soon enough, they turned a rosy red, and the aroma of prawns began wafting through the air, causing both Yao Wei and Lu Xi'an to involuntarily sniff.
Lu Xi'an then added a dash of soy sauce, a sprinkle of salt, and stirred them again, finishing the prawns.
Yao Wei had already cleaned and dried the spoon. Lu Xi'an asked for the spoon and scooped a small amount of shrimp to taste.
The taste was just right, indicating he had seasoned it well.
"Alright, mission accomplished."
The rare delight for the palate lifted Lu Xi's spirits greatly.
He took the bowl from Yao Wei, served her some rice, and topped it with shrimp. Just like that, a bowl of stir-fried shrimp and rice was ready.
Looking at the steaming hot dish with white rice beneath and the red shrimp above, Lu Xi'an felt a sudden surge of accomplishment.
In such a world, in such an environment, he had managed to prepare such a meal; it wasn't easy!
"Here."
He handed the bowl to Yao Wei.
Yao Wei had already taken her spoon from the car and cleaned it.
She glanced at the bowl Lu Xi'an passed to her, then at the frying pan, before saying, "You use the bowl, I'll use the pan."
She indeed thought eating from the pan wouldn't be convenient.
Lu Xi'an, however, just chuckled and said, "It's fine, I'm used to this. I used to eat from a plate, which is quite similar to a frying pan."
With that said, he forcibly handed the bowl to Yao Wei.
Yao Wei was curious about when and where Lu Xi'an used to eat from a plate, but she wasn't comfortable asking.
Seeing Lu Xi'an transfer the remaining rice into the frying pan, mix it with the stir-fried shrimp, and start eating, she abandoned the idea of giving the bowl to Lu Xi'an.
"It's dark now."
She looked up at the sky and said.
"Mm."
Lu Xi'an understood what she meant.
Then they both extinguished the fire.
The sky hadn't fully darkened yet, but with the sunset in the west, the view had already grown dim.
The firewood, charred black, no longer held a single ember. Yet, the heap of charred firewood seemed to still radiate some residual warmth.
They sat by the firewood pile, allowing the night to creep in, under the faint starlight emerging in the sky, savoring the food in their bowls.
Compared to the last life, this bowl of stir-fried shrimp and rice wasn't as delicious.
The stir-fried prawns were slightly hard and too dry, not a dish ideal for rice.
Lu Xi'an remembered in his previous life, when eating rice, his favorite pairing was with vinegared shredded potatoes or scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
But this wasn't the previous life, so how could they afford to be so picky?
This bowl of stir-fried shrimp and rice, with oil and meat, river-fresh, accompanied by rice, and full of carbohydrates, what could be a better treat in this world?
"How is it?"
As they ate heartily, Lu Xi'an asked.
"Mm."
Yao Wei, her mouth full, mumbled her response.