Su Xiaotian walked to the window. The floral quilt was soft and loose.
The sheets were also the same floral pattern.
Su Xiaotian recognized the sheets and quilt cover; she had the same set, which she used at school.
She took off the sheets and quilt cover, folded them neatly, and set them aside. Then, she took out a new set of sheets and a quilt cover from her bag and made the bed again.
With space at her disposal, Su Xiaotian naturally didn't skimp on bringing more things.
After all, most of them were kept in her space, taking up no room and requiring no effort.
After tidying up the bed, Su Xiaotian took out several books and placed them on the desk.
Finally, she took her thermos to fetch water.
After leaving her room, Su Xiaotian specifically knocked on Shen Zizhen's door to ask if she needed hot water.
Shen Zizhen smiled and took out her thermos, handing it to Su Xiaotian.
"You go to that room. An Ronghua's wife has probably already boiled water."
As the two were talking, they saw An Ronghua hurrying over, saying the water was boiled and they should wash up.
Su Sangong also came out at this time. Seeing Su Xiaotian going to fetch hot water, he helped by fetching cold water.
In a short while, all three water buckets were filled with cool water, and the thermos was filled with hot water.
Su Xiaotian washed herself thoroughly.
She felt filthy after not being able to wash for three to four days on the journey.
However, the conditions here seemed a bit poor, and she wondered if she could take a bath.
Su Xiaotian changed out of the clothes she had worn all the way and was about to wash them when she heard An Ronghua calling everyone for dinner.
Remembering what Shen Zizhen had said earlier about the rice here being exceptionally delicious, Su Xiaotian was very interested in today's meal.
Su Xiaotian was not familiar with the place, so Su Sangong waited by the door.
Shen Zizhen also came out at this time.
It was evident that all three had washed up, and their clothes were now clean and presentable.
"Xiaotian, I'm treating you to the best rice today!" Shen Zizhen said with a smile.
"I'm becoming more and more curious."
The three walked towards the kitchen. The kitchen and dining room were connected, with the kitchen in the inner part and the dining room outside.
The tables in the dining room were the simplest wooden square tables, coated with a layer of clear varnish. However, because they were wiped clean, they looked very pleasant.
Three bowls of rice were already placed on the wooden tables.
Su Xiaotian instinctively stared at the rice.
The steaming rice was crystal clear, with uniform grains. Even before getting close, she could smell the unique aroma of the rice.
Su Xiaotian had redeemed many good things from the system, including rice.
But Su Xiaotian felt that the rice here seemed even better than the one from the system mall.
She had always believed that the best ingredients in the world should be redeemed from the system mall, but now she realized that might not always be the case.
"Xiaotian, see? It looks good, doesn't it? After tasting it, you'll understand why we built this base here!"
Shen Zizhen didn't know that Su Xiaotian was contemplating the superiority of ingredients from the system and the real world. He only thought that Su Xiaotian was also attracted by the rice and urged her on.
Su Xiaotian was not polite. After Shen Zizhen sat down, she and Su Sangong sat down as well.
"We didn't expect you to arrive today, so there aren't many good ingredients. Only two dishes. Tomorrow, we'll prepare more delicious food."
An Ronghua's wife was a thin, dark-skinned woman who seemed a bit introverted and spoke with hesitation.
At this moment, she still had a look of guilt on her face, likely feeling embarrassed for not preparing a more elaborate meal.
"It's because we didn't notify you in advance. Besides, with rice like this, the dishes are secondary."
Shen Zizhen laughed heartily. He was not a person who focused on gluttony. It was only because the Su family's cooking was delicious over the years that he could comment on their culinary aspects.
Although the food on the train was quite good, it was cold dishes and cold rice. Now, with a steaming hot dinner, Su Xiaotian and Su Sangong were not picky about the lack of meat.
Su Xiaotian picked up a bowl of rice and took a bite. Up close, the rice was indeed excellent, with uniform, incredibly lustrous grains.
Truly good rice!
She put the rice into her mouth, and the aroma was indescribable. Each grain was cooked to a perfect tenderness with just the right amount of chewiness.
When she chewed, it even gave her a feeling of the rice being springy to the teeth.
Su Xiaotian suddenly felt as though all the rice she had eaten before was wasted.
This was real rice!
She couldn't help but eat heartily, even forgetting to pick up any dishes.
The other two were also focused on eating rice, only occasionally picking up a dish when they remembered.
Even though Su Xiaotian usually didn't eat much, she ate two bowls that night, her stomach full, before putting down her chopsticks.
"Third Brother, if our Yiming Pavilion could use rice like this, I reckon our customers would increase," Su Xiaotian said with emotion.
"Not yet. This rice is delicious, but its yield is very low. The rice produced each year is basically for self-sufficiency."
Shen Zizhen also finished eating and put down his chopsticks with satisfaction, answering Su Xiaotian's question.
The remaining portion was sent to the capital, but that was considered premium quality, barely enough for state banquets, and certainly not available on the market.
Shen Zizhen had thought about buying some to take back to the village, but the locals said there were regulations regarding this rice, and it couldn't be casually released into the market.
Although Shen Zizhen was regretful, he also knew that rules were rules, so he had to give up.
However, he also decided that he must increase the production of this rice. If the yield could be increased without compromising quality, perhaps this high-quality rice could eventually enter ordinary households.
Therefore, for now, it was almost impossible for Xiaotian to use such rice to cook and sell at Yiming Pavilion.
Su Xiaotian felt a bit disappointed upon hearing this but could only let it go.
She had planned to rest after dinner, but Su Xiaotian wanted to wash her changed clothes first.
An Ronghua's wife offered to help wash them, but Su Xiaotian politely declined, repeatedly saying she could do it herself.
Children of the Su family, from a slightly older age, washed their own clothes. Even the most pampered Su Xiaotian had no habit of letting others wash her clothes for her.
In the end, the siblings carried their basins to the small river to wash their clothes.
The research base was not far from the small river; it only took about three to five minutes for the siblings to walk there.
In the past, when Su Sangong came here, he would wash clothes.
Watching the siblings walk away, An Ronghua and his wife sighed, remarking on how good-looking the siblings were, and how sensible and intelligent they were. If their own children could be half as good, they would be satisfied.
Shen Zizhen rested in the room. After all, he was getting older and didn't have the same stamina as younger people.
He was pondering what Su Xiaotian had said on the train. At his age, although not very old, if he overworked himself for a long time, he probably wouldn't last much longer. It seemed he needed to pay more attention to his health.
He could discuss this matter with Xiaotian when he had free time in the coming days.