Unlimited estates for rural beauty-Chapter 132: Interrogating the Hot Pot (8)
"Not yet."
"Come on, let’s go to the small kitchen. You go and call Brother over, we’ll have hot pot."
"Yes, Miss." Du Juan and the young lady left the room together and separated halfway.
"Miss, try this, does it taste right?" Moli ran excitedly to the young lady’s side with a small bowl, offering the seasoning for her to taste like presenting a treasure.
Feng Xuxu smiled and accepted the small bowl, taking a light taste, "Mmm! Not bad, to get it right on the first try is quite impressive. Practice a bit more, and it’ll be even better."
"Miss, Shaoyao and I worked on it for half a day to get it right." Shaoyao and Moli shared a smile.
"Yes, just add a little bit more chive blossoms next time, and it will be perfect," Feng Xuxu gave her sincere feedback.
"Yes, Miss, we’ll improve it in the future."
"Wow, it’s so lively here. What are we making to eat today?" Lifting the curtain, he saw the laughing and joking among the servants.
"Brother, you’ll find out in a bit." Seeing her little sister being so secretive, he decided to patiently wait.
After the time it took an incense stick to burn, Jueqing finally returned with a bucket of charcoal.
"Xuxu, it’s ready. I’ve also tried it on the mountain, no problems," Jueqing put down his bucket and, eyeing the array of novel items on the table, curiously asked, "What’s this? Did you make some new dish?"
"Yes, go wash up, and come over to eat with us in a bit," Feng Xuxu nodded to Jueqing, not minding the addition of another pair of chopsticks.
"Here, let’s light the pot. Once the soup starts boiling, we can eat," Feng Xuxu took out the Fire Starter and blew on it twice before lighting the charcoal.
"Little sister, just like this? We eat it like this?" Eyeballing all the raw ingredients, he was concerned that eating them uncooked would cause stomach issues.
"Right, just like this." As the water in the copper pot began to boil, Feng Xuxu put a slice of thin mutton into the pot to swish back and forth a few times before taking it out and dipping it in the seasoning bowl. Having seasoned the food, she took a bite, and seeing her do it, the others started to follow suit. In no time at all, the table was a flurry of activity with everyone thoroughly enjoying themselves, not a soul questioned whether the food was edible anymore.
After everyone was full and content, they looked at each other, bloated, and then burst into laughter.
"Little sister, what’s this called? It’s delicious, I can barely walk now," the elder brother exclaimed while patting his belly, leaning back in his chair.
"It’s called hot pot. What do you think? Isn’t this way of eating quite nice?" Feng Xuxu patted her little round belly contentedly.
"It’s incredibly satisfying! Not like stir-fried dishes that cool down after being served. With this, you cook and eat simultaneously, so it’s still hot when it hits the mouth, and it keeps the stomach warm," Jueqing said, patting his stomach, realizing he wasn’t the only one who overate that evening.
"Right, Jueqing, go to town tomorrow and get more of these copper pots, then send them to Zuiyun Pavilion Restaurant," Feng Xuxu seized the moment to talk business while still satisfied from the meal.
"Zuiyun Pavilion?" Isn’t that Xiao Chen’s restaurant?
"Yeah, Zuiyun Pavilion will be mine from now on."
"What?" The elder brother was utterly shocked. When had this happened?
"I just took over Zuiyun Pavilion."
"What about Shopkeeper Ma?" Feng Xi had not seen Shopkeeper Ma since the year before last and when he went to pay a New Year’s visit, the doors were tightly shut.
"Shopkeeper Ma has returned to the capital. From now on, I’ll be in charge here," Feng Xuxu said, having never told her elder brother about her assassination attempt, and no one in Lotus Garden had mentioned it, so he was still unaware of Uncle Ma’s presence in their home.
