Xie Xiao looked at her with a questioning gaze, it seemed that he would still have to cook after they got married.
Besides Xie Xiao, Uncle Luo, the Third Boss, General Zhao, and Marquis Xinyang, those invited to the hot pot dinner included Old Lady Li, Lian Lizhi, Li Yi, Liao Fusheng, and at the next table, Sun Ergou, Little Li, Yang Huahua, Xu Dafu, and others.
Everyone shares this sentiment.
Li Ruo smiled and said, "Don't rush, all my skills are in this soup base and this soul sauce."
As she spoke, she divided some into everyone's bowls.
Liao Fusheng said, "This pot is quite unique." It felt very familiar.
"This is called a 'Yuan Yang' hot pot, one side is spicy, the other side isn't." Li Ruo's mouth was practically watering as she spoke. "Let's open the pot!"
No one dared to make the first move, fearing they would get sick.
Xie Xiao felt he should give his wife some face, so he threw a mushroom in without hesitation. Li Ruo called him to fish it out a short while later.
He tentatively dipped a piece in the sauce and put it in his mouth, but suddenly his eyes lit up and he grabbed another piece without saying a word.
Seeing that he hadn't fallen, the others then took action.
Grandma Li took a bite of the fish slice her granddaughter had placed on her plate, and her eyes immediately lit up. "Mmm, delicious!"
Lian Lizhi ate a meatball with some skepticism, and wow, it was so delicious! The next moment, she even put the child aside.
Looking over, they saw Master Liao already munching away on a bowl of mutton, looking up with a satisfied expression. "It's been so long since I've had such delicious meat."
Li Ruo laughed.
Xie Xiao was right across from her. He looked up and saw that her lips were bright red, like a cherry, from the spicy food she had eaten.
He suddenly felt thirsty. "How can we eat meat without wine? Er Gou, go and fetch ten jars of wine."
"Yes, boss."
Li Xingran, sitting in the rocking chair, couldn't see the table and kept sniffing. Hmm? He thought he smelled spicy hot pot!
No way, no way—
Then they heard a woman's clear and loud voice say, "Great! Hot pot with sake, absolutely perfect!"
Li Xingran: ……
Woohoo!
The sudden cry of the baby startled everyone. Lian Lizhi hurriedly tried to comfort him, but he continued to cry, his little hand seemingly reaching out somewhere.
Lianlizhi asked, "Aruo, does he want you to hug him?"
Li Ruo accepted it.
What happened? You've really stopped crying!
Li Xingran stared at Li Ruo with her round eyes, gesturing wildly and making noises, as if she were saying something.
Grandma Li chuckled, "Little Bao must want to eat it too, but we'll have to wait until you're older, hehe."
Sun Ergou brought over some wine and egged them on, saying, "Grandma, the head of the family and my sister are engaged. Why don't you hurry up and get married so you can have a healthy baby boy?"
People are so eager to become brothers-in-law that their necks are practically growing long.
"Have one, have one!" Sun Ergou's brothers at the table cheered.
Li Ruo then glanced at Xie Xiao, their eyes meeting. His eyes shone with a light that seemed to be waiting for her answer.
Perhaps it was because she had eaten spicy hot pot, but Li Ruo felt the heat spreading from her mouth to her face. She raised the wine in her hand and said, "Come, let's toast General Zhao and Marquis Xinyang from Ziyang Peak."
On a snowy day like this, what could be more enjoyable than eating hot pot and having a few drinks?
After a few rounds of drinks, everyone relaxed and said, "I sent people to the capital to ask for help, but more than two months have passed and the emperor hasn't sent a single person. Surely the 300,000 imperial guards couldn't have all been flooded. It's really disheartening."
Marquis Xinyang sighed, "It is said that there are still over 100,000 Imperial Guards, but they are controlled by the First Prince, the Second Prince, and the Fourth Prince. They took advantage of the flood to fight each other, so they have no mind to care about others."
Liao Fusheng paused, his chopsticks holding chicken in them. "Even the Emperor can't do anything about them?"
"The Emperor is indulging in pleasure; a month before the flood, he issued a proclamation to select beautiful women from all over the country to enter the palace." Marquis Xinyang shook his head.
"Over the years, the people have suffered greatly, and the Great Yin Dynasty has long since rotted to the core."
Old Lady Li put down her chopsticks. "What if the Western Rong attack now?"
This is also a concern for everyone, and it's also one of the reasons why Xie Xiao must win over General Zhao and Marquis Xinyang.
"The flood came too fast; there wasn't even time to salvage the granaries. An army needs supplies before it can move. If we are disorganized at this time, the people of Dayin, who cannot be wiped out by the flood, will eventually perish under the iron hooves of the Western Rong Kingdom," General Zhao said.
Marquis Mu Tangchun of Xinyang also had a solemn expression on his face, "I'm afraid the Northern Army won't do its job properly and will instead use it to mobilize troops back to the capital."
Xie Xiao's gaze was deep and somber: "You two see very clearly."
Marquis Xinyang continued, "It was Chief Xie who reminded me. Your foresight at such a young age is truly admirable. As the saying goes, troubled times produce heroes. I am willing to contribute my meager strength to persuade other noble families to join forces against the foreign enemy."
The title of Marquis of Xinyang was hereditary and had been passed down through three generations. By his generation, the title had begun to decline. His younger brother had finally entered the Ministry of War, but was harmed by the Minister of War. Others were unaware of this, but he and the Emperor knew it. However, the Emperor turned a blind eye and even considered stripping him of his title, which chilled him to the bone.
When the flood came, the Marquis's mansion did not bring much food. Of the more than 3,000 people, nearly half had died on the way. If it weren't for Xie Xiao's help, the other half would not have survived for long either. This man also saved his beloved daughter.
It was only the third meeting, but the young man displayed extraordinary ambition, which truly moved him.
That's something a bandit could never possess.
A hero's origins are irrelevant; why should he be bound by status? After just three meetings, he agreed to form an alliance with Xie Xiao.
Xie Xiao's eyes flashed, and he clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Thank you, Lord Marquis. I'll toast you with this bowl of wine."
"Good!" Marquis Xinyang raised a bowl of wine with an elegant air and drank it down.
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