The Xu family’s house was bustling with activity.

When grandpa came, Xu Qingzhi showed him the new clothes he bought for him like he was presenting a treasure.

The old man was extremely happy.

Wang Yanmei and Xu Fuqiang are preparing food.

Let’s have hotpot tonight.

The steaming hot pot slowly cooked over the charcoal fire, with hot steam rising from all around the pot.

During the Chinese New Year in Meicheng, some families like to use induction cookers to cook clear soup pots, using spare ribs to boil the soup.

The Xu family didn’t eat these in previous years, so they didn’t buy an induction cooker.

Grandpa’s old-fashioned hot pot stove came in handy, and bone broth was also used for cooking.

The old-fashioned hot pot stove burns charcoal from the bottom, and the fire spreads from bottom to top. In the outer pot, the rice noodles that have just been laid down will have to wait for a while before they start to jump.

Although the weather is hot, the night breeze in the countryside will make it cooler at night. Eating hot pot on a hot day also has a unique flavor.

Sometimes it is difficult to buy some vegetables at the village market. This time, after I solved the problem of alimony, I came back from the county town and bought some tripe, mutton, beef, duck intestines, beef tripe, etc.

Most of the meals in Meicheng are stir-fried dishes, and even hotpot is no exception.

I always have to fry a few delicious dishes to go with rice and put them on the side.

This hotpot is a clear soup pot, and Wang Yanmei was worried that Xiao Huo and the others would not be used to it, so she followed Qingzhi's advice and prepared some dipping sauces commonly used for hotpot outside, such as minced garlic, chopped green onions, coriander, chili peppers, etc.

The task of cooking was given to Xu Qingzhi who volunteered.

The ducks fed with our own grains are fat and delicious. When you cut them in half, the fat and lean textures are so beautiful. The ducks are chopped into pieces.

The duck blood when the duck is killed has not yet completely coagulated.

Add a spoonful of tea oil to the pan, and when the oil is hot, first add the duck legs and duck heads which are harder to cook, and then pour in the chopped duck meat and stir-fry until the moisture is dry.

You need to add more ginger and garlic cloves, use a little beer to remove the fishy smell of the duck, and add some seasoning.

Put in half a bowl of red pepper, add a few unique wine pot peppers, stir-fry for a few times, and the flavor comes out immediately. The bright color makes people salivate just by looking at it.

Finally, add the duck blood, turn to low heat, and stir-fry.

A dish of authentic Meicheng blood duck that is spicy and goes well with rice is ready.

As soon as the dishes were served, the air was filled with a domineering spicy aroma.

Xu Qingzhi fried a few side dishes and made a steamed egg.

A group of people sat around the table and dinner began.

"I remember having New Year's Eve dinner at my grandpa's house once, and I haven't seen this stove since then." Xu Qingzhi couldn't wait to pick up a piece of rice noodles with chopsticks.

The rice noodles are cooked just right now. They don’t break when you pinch them. They are a bit tough but also very soft.

"Later, there were more people in the family, and we only had this one stove, so we haven't used it since." Xu Dongru looked at the stove. It was picked by his wife. It was not cheap at the time and the quality was good. It has been placed in the cabinet and is still usable after so many years.

Zhang Qi found it novel: "This is the first time I've seen this kind of charcoal-grilled hot pot stove. The food tastes really good. It feels a little different from what I usually eat outside."

Wang Yanmei: "Of course. Those hotpots out there are so spicy that I had a stomachache after eating them once. I saw in the news that some unscrupulous restaurants even dried up the soup and recycled it for others to eat. Look at our bone soup, it's so nutritious."

Zhang Qi said: "Auntie, experts now say that soup actually has no nutritional value, it is just fat and purine, do you believe it?"

Wang Yanmei took a piece of blood duck with chopsticks, and then said to Zhang Qi: "Bullshit, there must be nutrition in the soup!"

Wang Yanmei believed it so firmly that no one could convince her.

Xu Qingzhi smiled and said, "Mom, why don't you try the blood duck and see if it tastes good?"

Wang Yanmei picked up the bone-in duck meat, which had more lean meat. She put it in her mouth, moved her mouth, and spit out the bone. She raised her head and gave her daughter a thumbs up: "Well, you are worthy of being my daughter. The duck meat is fried very fragrant."

Xu Qingzhi hummed happily twice.

Everyone came to support and picked up some.

Even grandpa took several bites and ate with great joy.

Xu Qingzhi is a bit picky about food and doesn't like duck skin very much, but grandpa especially likes the soft duck skin and eats it cleanly except for the bones.

Children usually don’t eat duck gizzards, and Wang Yanmei doesn’t like to eat them either.

But this kind of special thing is the same as duck legs. Giving it to one person represents something special.

Xu Fuqiang put it into Xu Dongru's bowl and said, "Dad, you eat it."

This blood duck has received rave reviews, but it is a bit spicy. The locals of Meicheng can tolerate this spiciness. Jiang Zhan, who usually doesn't eat spicy food, immediately blushed after eating it and even drank several sips of water.

"Zhanzhan, you can't eat spicy food. Eat less and try hotpot." Wang Yanmei reminded him kindly.

Jiang Zhan smiled and said, “Auntie, but this duck meat is so delicious, I want to eat it spicy.”

Xu Qingzhi shook his head, somewhat proudly: "Ah~ It's all because my cooking skills are so good."

After hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.

(End of this chapter)