Xie Yan sat up with a smile, walked over to Yu Yuehui, and enthusiastically explained how to make the two types of hot pot bases.
Yu Yue's eyes lit up as she listened, clearly showing great interest. The smile on her lips never stopped. After listening, she looked at Xie Yan with a hint of reproach, "Why didn't you tell me about this great method sooner?"
Xie Yan: "..."
This is unexpected! If Yu Yue hadn't spoken up today, he would have...
Xie Yan was stunned and stood there.
Something's wrong! Something's very wrong!
Xie Yan could be certain about other things, and perhaps he really would forget them, but he definitely wouldn't forget about food!
With so many flavorless broth options available, why was he so fixated on the spicy broth and willing to wait three months for it?
This doesn't fit his usual persona. He's someone whose favorites are 80% food-related. Even something as simple as a cornbread, he'll search online for ways to make it taste better.
Someone who's the type to make do even when there's nothing good to eat, how could they possibly wait that long?
Xie Yan calmed down and began to sort out her memories little by little.
The more I think about it, the more something seems off!
When he failed to skip a grade last time, he had a vague feeling that something was amiss.
With the intelligence of an adult, having come to this place, and knowing full well what was going to happen next, how could one have never had the thought of skipping a grade, but simply followed the academic progress step by step?
At the time, he didn't think about it deeply, only that perhaps he had a bad memory and had forgotten about it.
However, upon closer reflection now, many problems have become clear.
Whether it was the previous incident of skipping a grade or the current matter concerning hot pot, he was only able to recall them under the influence of external stimuli.
He gradually realized that there seemed to be an invisible force in the world that consciously shielded him from behaviors that might stand out.
Past memories seem to be placed in a transparent box.
He can see many things outside the box, but the memories inside the box can only be brought to light with the help of external stimuli.
This discovery gave Xie Yan goosebumps all over.
This feeling of being monitored is terrifying.
The thought that his every move was being watched by others made him feel as if he were being entwined by venomous snakes, chilling him to the bone.
Afraid of losing his composure and scaring his wife, Xie Yan calmly stood up and said, "I'm going to the restroom."
Xie Yan squatted alone in the toilet, surrounded by an unpleasant smell, with tree shadows swaying on the walls.
What he was experiencing was too supernatural, far beyond human control, and a deep sense of powerlessness and fear gripped him tightly.
He clutched his head tightly with both hands, the veins on his arms bulging like winding snakes, his teeth chattering uncontrollably, making a "clucking" sound as they chattered.
"Aaaaaah!" Xie Yan screamed silently.
He slapped his head a few times to quickly calm himself down.
He had always naively believed that he was just an ordinary reincarnation, and that he was just unlucky enough to drink expired Meng Po soup, which is why he retained his memories of his previous life.
As for that mysteriously appearing space, it was probably hush money from expired Meng Po soup.
But now, looking at the situation before him, a sense of foreboding welled up in his heart.
But judging from the current situation, it's clear that the higher-ups are still paying attention to him. His situation is very similar to the kind of situation where he will be controlled and manipulated in the future.
Thinking of this, Xie Yan couldn't help but let out a long sigh, his brows furrowed tightly as if they could trap a fly, and his chest felt as if a heavy stone was pressing down on him, making it hard for him to breathe. A heavy sense of oppression filled his entire body.
In just one minute, Xie Yan came up with no fewer than eight solutions, but each one required implementation based on the actual situation.
There's no way to resolve this problem beforehand.
Feeling annoyed, Xie Yan walked out of the village. He wanted to take a walk; his current state wasn't suitable for going back.
Before I knew it, I had arrived at the big willow tree at the entrance of the village.
Grandpa Wang sat there, fiddling with a chess set.
Upon seeing Xie Yan, he immediately shouted, "Hey! Xie Yan, Xie Yan~"
Hearing the shout, Xie Yan turned around in a daze and saw Grandpa Wang waving frantically. Thinking that something had happened to him, he quickly went over.
Grandpa Wang warmly took Xie Yan's hand, "Young man, you're not busy right now, are you? Come and play a game of chess with me."
As he spoke, he took a small stool from the cart next to him and handed it to Xie Yan, saying, "Come on, play a game with me."
Xie Yan stared at the chess piece being shoved into his hand, unable to utter a word the entire time.
With a soft sigh, I resigned myself to playing chess with Grandpa Wang.
Just as Xie Yan picked up the chess piece and made his move, six energetic old men suddenly appeared out of nowhere. These old men stood behind Xie Yan, looking at the chessboard in front of them and sighing, shaking their heads as they sighed.
This left Xie Yan, who wasn't very good at chess to begin with, even more bewildered. He asked in a low voice, "Did I make a mistake?"
All six nodded in unison, saying as they did so, "You're definitely going to lose if you keep going like this!"
"Should you go down here?"
The other person glared and said something nonsensical, "We should get off here!"
"You're all wrong, you should go down here."
Next, Xie Yan watched helplessly as his chess pieces were taken away, and the six old men started playing.
In the end, he still didn't win.
After losing the chess game, the six old men started arguing again, and Xie Yan witnessed a spectacular battle of shirking responsibility.
Of course, the conclusion of the competition was also very positive. They concluded that Xie Yan's poor performance in the first game directly affected their subsequent efforts.
Xie Yan: "..."
In that instant, he truly understood the helpless situation of those fictional emperors in history.
Although the emperor held the supreme position, his power was quietly usurped by a group of highly respected ministers.
These ministers, relying on their prestige and power, wielded immense influence in the court, acting recklessly and plunging the entire country into chaos.
When the country was ravaged to the brink of collapse and the situation became unmanageable, these ministers would push the emperor to the forefront, making him the target of public criticism and their scapegoat.
After being rejected, Xie, the scapegoat, left in anger, glaring at the group of disrespectful old men from afar.
After reaching the fork in the road again, Xie Yan headed straight home. There were too many tricks out there; he wanted to go home.
As soon as I entered the house, I saw that Yu Yuehui had already prepared a mushroom soup pot.
She had already washed all the necessary ingredients early on and was just waiting to start cooking.
Xie Yan glanced at the ingredients prepared for today, and the tempting image of hot pot appeared in his mind. "Wife, shall we have mushroom soup hot pot later?"
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