Spicy and savory hot pot
Jiang Yichun stood at the school gate, wearing a dark black cotton coat.
On Sunday, she once again spent most of the day at the library.
She not only had to review and preview her junior year courses, but also had to find time to look at the past exam questions He Yinxin had given her.
I lingered over those documents for a long time, and the clock on the wall already pointed to 5 p.m. By the time I finished packing up, it was already 5:20 p.m.
Jiang Yichun arrived at the school gate on time.
Her gaze lingered on the turnstile at the school gate, her hand clutching her phone.
A familiar figure finally appeared before her eyes.
He Yinxin, carrying a small bag, wearing a turtleneck sweater and a light gray coat, strode towards her.
The light blue scarf around his neck fluttered in the wind.
As dusk settled over the land, only the streetlights beside the turnstile cast a few warm rays of light.
The light shone on him, making every strand of his hair sparkle and his features even more distinct.
Jiang Yichun unconsciously lingered on his face for a while longer.
Her almond-shaped eyes, high nose bridge, and gentle outfit were all hidden behind her glasses.
He doesn't look like he just came out of the library; he looks more like an idol drama male lead who just got off work on set.
His gaze met hers.
Jiang Yichun's hand holding the bag strap trembled, avoiding his gaze.
"Jiang Yichun, I'm here."
"It's exactly 5:30."
A familiar, calm voice rang in her ears.
The moment he opened his mouth, the idol drama scene that Jiang Yichun had built in his mind shattered into dust.
The line she had rehearsed in her mind was: "Long time no see, Yi Chun."
But this wasn't an idol drama to begin with, and he wasn't an idol drama male lead.
She patted her cheeks lightly and managed a weak laugh: "Haha, okay, senior, let's go."
"Hmm," he replied softly. "Taking the subway? It seems to be just one stop away."
Jiang Yichun squinted and waved his hand: "Let's walk there, it's not far anyway. It only costs six yuan for two subway stops round trip, and we can buy some other good food on the way."
He Yinxin nodded in agreement and followed slowly behind her.
The two remained silent the entire way, with only the chilly early spring wind whistling past their ears.
"Haha, senior, it's strangely cold today." Jiang Yichun finally spoke up, unable to bear the odd atmosphere any longer.
He Yinxin gave a soft "hmm": "It is indeed quite cold. Jiang Yichun, the temperature difference between day and night has been large lately, be careful not to catch a cold."
Jiang Yichun chuckled twice: "Hehe, no, no, senior."
Her first attempt to break the ice ended with the advice to "not catch a cold."
Jiang Yichun's stubborn spirit gradually awakened. She rubbed her hands together and asked, "By the way, senior, what do you want to eat at the night market later?"
What's available at the night market?
"Ah, there are grilled meat skewers, mixed rice noodles, lean meat balls, juice, and things like that," Jiang Yichun said, counting on his fingers as he chattered on.
"With this kind of weather lately, it's actually perfect to go to the night market for mala tang (spicy hot pot). There's an old-fashioned mala tang place there that's really delicious. Oh, and there's also a barbecue skewer shop that's affordable and tastes great, but it's not open right now..."
"Okay. I understand. I'll do as you say." His voice rang in her ear.
Jiang Yichun choked again, and her second attempt to break the ice ended with "I'll listen to you."
She took a deep breath and exhaled a puff of white steam: "Let's go eat some spicy hot pot to warm ourselves up!"
He replied with a smile, "Okay."
Jiang Yichun turned around and met He Yinxin's gaze.
His face was half-buried in his scarf, with only a pair of glasses showing.
As the steam rose, his glasses fogged up, and his eyes appeared blurry in the dim light.
Jiang Yichun couldn't see him clearly, so she turned around and said, "Let's go, it'll be too cold when it gets dark."
He gently agreed and followed her slowly.
The two walked one after the other, passing through the towering buildings of Huaxing City and through two or three alleyways lined with sycamore trees.
The smell of gasoline in the air was gradually replaced by a rich aroma of cumin.
Jiang Yichun's dim eyes gradually brightened. She turned around and smiled at He Yinxin: "Senior, the night market is just ahead!"
He Yinxin nodded, quickened his pace, and followed behind her.
"Come on, I'll take you to eat some super delicious mala tang!"
"Okay, I'm looking forward to it."
Jiang Yichun walked ahead and stopped in front of a simply decorated shop.
He Yinxin looked up at the sign above:
Li Ji Authentic Old-Style Mala Tang.
She turned around, her eyes shining: "Senior, this is the store."
"oh."
"...Okay, let's go in then."
"Um."
As soon as the two entered the store, a fragrant aroma of Chinese herbal medicine wafted towards them.
An auntie wearing an apron greeted us with a smile: "Oh my, isn't this Xiaochun? You brought your friends to eat?"
Jiang Yichun stopped where he was and smiled at his aunt: "Yes, I brought a friend with me. He's my senior from school."
The aunt's smile widened as she bent down and peered at the young man standing behind Jiang Yichun.
Her eyes lit up: "Wow, Xiaochun, your friend is so handsome! Could it be...?"
Jiang Yichun put his hands in his pockets and shook his head: "He is an outstanding senior I respect. He helped me, and I had dinner with him."
Auntie said "Oh", and pulled Jiang Yichun's arm, leading the two of them to the air conditioner where the hot air was blowing: "Come on, Xiaochun, you and your friend can sit here."
"It's warm here."
After speaking, she walked back to the pot of hot pot and turned to call out to Jiang Yichun, "Xiaochun, the hot pot is the same as before, ten yuan, mild spicy with chicken breast, noodles with vermicelli?"
Jiang Yichun nodded, then turned to He Yinxin and asked, "Senior He, what about you? Can you eat spicy food? Is there anything else you'd like to add?"
He Yinxin pushed up her glasses and frowned: "Isn't mala tang supposed to be self-service? Why did we have to order from the menu?"
The aunt puffed out her chest, hands on her hips: "Young man, you wouldn't understand. Our family makes the authentic old-fashioned mala tang!"
"This isn't the kind of soup base used in chain restaurants, which is made with bone broth. Our soup base is made with Chinese herbs, so it has a light and refreshing aroma."
"Our chili oil is freshly made, it smells amazing!"
My aunt's face was glowing.
She put on plastic gloves and then a mask.
Her calloused hands grabbed a handful of vegetables and tofu puffs from a basket full of them and threw them into a steaming pot.
"Don't worry, young man, our shop's main focus is on cleanliness and hygiene."
Looking at the smile on her aunt's face, He Yinxin took a deep breath: "Then let's do the same as her. Ten yuan, slightly spicy with chicken breast, and glass noodles."
"Mildly spicy...how spicy is that?"
"It's not very spicy. This mala tang isn't good without chili oil; it's too bland," the auntie replied casually.
He Yinxin pursed her lips: "Okay. Then let's do the same as her."
"Alright!" Auntie continued working in front of the pot.
Two bowls of spicy hot pot were served in iron bowls and placed on the table for two people.
The auntie smiled and put the bowl down: "Enjoy your meal, Xiaochun, young man!"
Jiang Yichun nodded, then took out chopsticks and a spoon from the chopstick holder, and picked up a bottle of vinegar from the table and added it to the bowl.
She rubbed her hands together, stirred the contents of the bowl a few times with her chopsticks, and the rich red oil blended perfectly with the clear broth.
Tender green vegetable leaves and pale yellow tofu puffs float on the red oil broth, while crystal-clear glass noodles sink in the clear soup.
Jiang Yichun used his chopsticks to pick up a strand of vermicelli and slurped it into his mouth.
The smooth vermicelli, carrying the heat of the clear broth and the savory aroma of the chili oil, all rushed into her mouth at once.
The heat wave swept away all the jumbled economic theorems and advanced calculus calculus from her mind, leaving only the Chinese herbs swirling in the spicy hot pot broth.
It has a slightly bitter taste, but the aftertaste is indeed rich and fragrant.
Jiang Yichun sighed softly, a blush rising to her cheeks.
He Yinxin sat beside her, quietly watching her take a big bite of vermicelli and reveal that familiar happy expression.
A slight smile played on his lips as he looked down at the bowl of spicy hot pot in front of him.
As expected, there were no calorie counts; it was still just a bowl of "harmless" mala tang (spicy hot pot).
If you ignore the chili oil above.
He Yinxin frowned, rubbed her fingertips on the chopsticks a couple of times, and finally stirred it gently before picking up a piece of floating green vegetable.
He rinsed the greens in the clear broth a few times and put them in his mouth.
The vegetables weren't overcooked and became soft; instead, they were crisp, and he chewed them with a satisfying crunch.
He could taste a hint of Chinese herbal medicine in the vegetable leaves.
"What amazing spicy hot pot," he muttered to himself, picking up another large piece of vermicelli and putting it in his mouth.
"Cough cough cough..."
The spiciness of the chili oil and the rising steam from the hot pot caused his glasses to fog up again.
He coughed a few times, then quickly pulled out a tissue from his small bag to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Seeing his embarrassed look, Jiang Yichun put down her chopsticks: "Senior, is it too spicy?"
"How about I get you a drink so you can have something to calm down?"
He Yinxin shook her head and continued eating the spicy hot pot in her bowl.
"No, it's okay, it's acceptable."
"I just ate too fast."
Although the spicy oil stung his tongue, it also pushed out something repressed deep within him.
The meridians and blood circulation are gradually improved.
He was so spicy that his nose and eyes were full of snot and tears, and he took off his glasses and put them aside.
He continued to swallow the noodles, one bite at a time.
"Jiang Yichun, this spicy hot pot is delicious."
Jiang Yichun's lips trembled: "Senior, if you can't handle this level of spiciness... we can go eat something else."
"There's no need for me to force myself to finish it."
He Yinxin seemed not to hear her words, and finished the bowl of spicy hot pot. He looked up and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"I'm done eating, it was great."
"I haven't had anything this spicy in a long time."
Jiang Yichun looked at his face, which was as red as chili oil, and without saying a word, took a bottle of lychee soda from the beverage counter.
"Senior, you should have something to drink to calm down."
He Yinxin stared at the bottle of chilled soda, her Adam's apple bobbing: "Jiang Yichun, eating something cold right after something hot can easily cause stomach problems."
"I'll just take a bottle of room temperature one myself."
He stood up, picked up a bottle of sugar-free soda from the beverage counter, unscrewed the cap, and gulped it down.
Jiang Yichun looked at him, put his hands on his hips, sighed, and also pried open the soda in his hand, taking small sips.
The soda was ice-cold, and her thoughts were bubbling and churning like bubbles.
He Yinxin is still the same weirdo who works with both humans and machines.
After paying the bill and leaving the mala tang restaurant, the time on their phones had already jumped to past 6 p.m.
"Jiang Yichun, what are we going to eat later?" He Yinxin asked, his hands in his pockets, his face still flushed from the red oil he had just eaten.
Jiang Yichun raised an eyebrow at him: "Senior He, are you still not full?"
He Yinxin avoided her gaze: "Um... a little. I didn't get enough protein today."
Jiang Yichun narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Okay, then let's go..."
Her nose twitched slightly as she caught the familiar scent of cumin in the air.
She had a sudden inspiration: "Let's go get some barbecue! I smell that familiar aroma!"
"That grandma's barbecue and fried skewers taste exactly like this; it's my favorite hidden gem barbecue restaurant!"
"It seems like she hasn't set up a stall in a long time!"
Looking into her bright eyes, He Yinxin smiled and said, "Okay. Let's go."
"It does smell really good."
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