After a while, the water in the pot evaporated, and Jiang Yue added a large bowl of broad bean paste, along with red and green Sichuan peppercorns, stirring constantly while simmering.
"Comrade Jiang, what are you doing? It smells so good."
The women who were sitting in the living room all gathered around.
"I'm making spicy hot pot base," Jiang Yue replied with a smile.
The women stood at the door watching Jiang Yue busy herself.
After more than twenty minutes, cinnamon, bay leaves, star anise, fennel seeds and other ingredients were added to the pot and simmered for another twenty minutes.
"Aichu".
It has a rich aroma, but is also very spicy.
The women were getting restless.
Jiang Yue opened the window, and the room was also opened, and the fragrance quickly spread out.
Many people in the courtyard came out after smelling the fragrance.
Zhang Yu and several other women went outside because the smell was too pungent.
Upon seeing the other women, Zhang Yu waved to them.
"Sister Zhang, what are you doing?"
"What are you all doing here? What's that smell?"
"What kind of spicy hot pot base are Battalion Commander Lu's family making?"
Upon hearing Zhang Yu's words, several of the women looked toward the kitchen.
"What is this? Why does it smell so good, yet so pungent?"
Hearing their questions, Zhang Yu explained to everyone with a touch of pride.
"I saw she used such a big block of butter, along with cilantro, onions, and lots of spices..."
Upon hearing Zhang Yu's words, her sister-in-law spoke up.
"How much does this hot pot broth cost?"
"This pot must have cost at least a few dollars."
Upon hearing that it would only cost a few dollars, one of the women exclaimed in surprise.
"A few dollars? That's too extravagant!"
"It's already a luxury for us to eat a meal that costs one yuan a day."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu deliberately said something.
"Comrade Jiang is different. Today, she bought eighty or ninety yuan worth of things at once."
Around noon, one of the sisters-in-law overheard this. Now, hearing Zhang Yu say this, she curiously asked Jiang Yue what she had bought.
Zhang Yu told her what Jiang Yue had bought, and then added...
"Comrade Jiang buys stoves in pairs, unlike us poor farmers who only have one stove at home."
Tang Zhaodi listened to Zhang Yu's words and felt that Zhang Yu's words were strange.
"Comrade Jiang came to accompany the army, and he has nothing at home. It will cost a lot of money to buy everything at once."
Lin Ling echoed this sentiment.
"That's right. We buy a little at a time, and when we finally settle the bill, it adds up to several tens of yuan."
One of the sisters-in-law agreed with what Tang Zhaodi and Lin Ling said.
"That's absolutely true. I spent a lot of money when I first came here."
Zhang Yu didn't expect these people to speak up for Jiang Yue. Have they all forgotten the nasty things Jiang Yue said to them before?
They called them country bumpkins, and also criticized the other women, saying their clothes weren't fashionable enough...
She's a gossip; she'll get what's coming to her sooner or later...
She is indeed from the countryside, but in the past few years, she's changed a lot. Her clothes aren't exactly fashionable, but she's no longer a country bumpkin. And she doesn't talk much...
Jiang Yue had already prepared the hot pot broth and put it in a bowl. Since it was cold, it would solidify in a few hours. Then she could cut it into small pieces. Whenever she wanted to eat it, she could just use it to make hot pot.
Jiang Yue scooped up a little bit with a spoon and tasted it.
It tastes good.
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