Nian Li stood on tiptoe, her little finger pointing to the largest copper pot in the center of the hall. Inside, a red broth bubbled and simmered, countless chilies and Sichuan peppercorns bobbing in the boiling water like a burning flame. "We want the reddest, spiciest broth!" she exclaimed, her face tilted upward, her tone filled with excitement, as if it weren't just a spicy soup, but some rare delicacy. "We want the biggest portion!"
Jiang Yan looked at the boiling pot of chili oil and swallowed involuntarily, his Adam's apple rolling on his slender neck. He thought of Chang'an's spicy hot soup and felt a pang of fear. He tentatively asked, "Um... could you give us something non-spicy? We have kids at home, and I'm afraid it might hurt them." He knew deep down that he was the one who was most afraid of spicy food, but he was too embarrassed to say it out loud.
The waiter laughed heartily, revealing two rows of white teeth stained a little yellow by the tea. "Sir, you can tell you're from out of town!" He patted Jiang Yan's shoulder so hard that he staggered. "Hot pot in our Shu region must be spicy to be truly flavorful! Look at that gentleman over there," he pointed at a man at the next table who was guzzling tea. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, and his cheeks were as red as boiled shrimp. "When he first came here, he said he couldn't handle spicy food, but now he eats it more wholeheartedly than anyone else! The spicier it gets, the more delicious it is, and the more addictive it gets. I guarantee you'll want to come back again after trying it once!"
Seeing this, Su Jinli thoughtfully ordered a shabu-shabu hotpot for Jiang Yan. "Then let's have a shabu-shabu hotpot," she said to the waiter with a smile. "Get the spicy side with the full flavor, and put more mushrooms on the non-spicy side." When the waiter brought the copper pot over, the spicy side was as red as burning charcoal, with densely packed red chilies and dark brown peppercorns floating on it. The steam emitted a pungent spicy smell that made Jiang Yan rub his nose. The non-spicy side was much more gentle, with a few snow-white mushrooms and a few slices of emerald green onions floating on it. The soup was clear and exuded a light and fresh fragrance, forming a sharp contrast with the strong spicy pot.
Si Yan stared at the thinly sliced tripe on the plate, his brows furrowed, as if he was pondering some serious problem. "How long does it take to cook this tripe?" he muttered to himself, counting on his fingers. "I heard it should take seven or eight strokes, three seconds per slice." He picked up a piece of tripe with chopsticks and looked at it under the light. "How many slices can I make out of that pound of tripe? How many rounds can we have for our family of three? Add in the pig throat and beef, and the brains the waiter just mentioned..."
"Si Yan!" Su Jinli smiled helplessly, picked up a piece of tripe, and stuffed it directly into her son's bowl. "Eat it first, or the tripe will be too tough to chew! Try it, this is the most famous tripe in Shu."
Jiang Yan took a deep breath, watching the spicy broth bubbling before him. Ultimately, he couldn't resist his wife and children's enthusiasm. He picked up a piece of tripe with his bamboo chopsticks and carefully counted to three seconds before quickly removing it from the hot pot, blowing on it and shoving it into his mouth. The next second, his eyes widened, as if he had witnessed something incredible. An intense spiciness instantly exploded from the tip of his tongue, shooting down his throat like a ball of fire. The spiciness numbed his tongue, and it felt like countless needles were piercing his mouth.
"Hiss!" Jiang Yan couldn't help but gasp. He grabbed the tea on the table and poured it down his throat, but accidentally choked and started coughing violently. His face flushed crimson, and beads of sweat instantly seeped out of his forehead. "Too...too spicy!" He finally caught his breath, his voice a little hoarse. "This is more than ten times hotter than spicy soup!"
Nian Li couldn't help laughing at her father's embarrassed look, and two cute dimples appeared on her little face. "Dad, look at you, your face is as red as the bottom of a pot!" She picked up her small teacup and handed it to Jiang Yan in a pretentious manner. "Dad, drink my sugar water. It's sweet and can help with the spiciness."
Si Yan looked at Jiang Yan seriously, as if studying some scientific phenomenon. "Dad," he said seriously, putting down his chopsticks. "Based on my experience eating spicy food in Chang'an, vinegar can help with the spiciness." He picked up the vinegar pot on the table and started to pour it into Jiang Yan's bowl.
"Don't pour too much!" Su Jinli hurriedly stopped him, "Look at how jealous your father has become."
Jiang Yan watched his wife and children singing in unison, shaking his head helplessly, but he couldn't help but smile. Although his mouth was still burning, his heart was filled with the warm atmosphere. He watched Su Jinli eat with relish, Nianli made playful faces at him, and Si Yan picked up his abacus to calculate the cost of the hot pot. Suddenly, he felt that the spicy food in Shu didn't seem so terrible after all.
The other diners in the restaurant couldn't help laughing when they saw this scene. The man at the next table shouted, "Sir, if you're used to being loud, then be loud! The spiciness of Shu gets better the more you eat it!"
Jiang Yan smiled sheepishly and took another piece of tripe. This time, he learned his lesson and put it in the non-spicy side to rinse it before carefully putting it into his mouth. Although it was not spicy, the delicious taste still made him praise it endlessly.
Su Jinli watched her husband finally get used to it and said with a smile, "How's it? It tastes good even without being spicy, right?"
Jiang Yan nodded, his heart warming as he watched the lively scene unfold, listened to the laughter of his wife and children, and felt the unique local atmosphere of Shu. He knew this trip to Shu was destined to be filled with surprises and challenges, but with his family by his side, even the spiciest hot pot would taste like honey.
Si Yan suddenly put down the abacus, raised his head and said: "Mom, Dad, I've calculated, this hot pot cost us..."
"Okay, okay," Su Jinli interrupted him with a smile, "Let's eat first, and we'll figure it out after we're done."
Jiang Yan also smiled and said, "Yes, let's eat first, otherwise the tripe will really get old."
Amidst laughter and joy, the family continued to enjoy this challenging yet enjoyable Sichuan hot pot. Jiang Yan would occasionally accidentally pick up ingredients from the hot pot, causing him to gag at the spiciness, but seeing the smiling faces of his wife and children made him feel it was all worth it. This hot pot not only allowed them to savor the unique flavors of Sichuan, but also filled their journey with warmth and joy, becoming another unforgettable memory in their sweet lives.
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