The seven brothers reaped a bountiful harvest!
When Hu Zi carried the whole bucket of fish to the kitchen, Jiang Shan praised him so much that his face turned red.
"There's hot water in the pot, go wash up and change into clean clothes before you come eat steamed buns!"
In the time it takes to drink a bowl of tea, the table is full of people.
Seven brothers, plus An Er.
Xi'er squatted down at the kitchen door with her bowl in her arms and ate with her hands, without even using chopsticks.
Two large steamers were placed on the table, and eight pairs of eyes stared at the small steamed buns inside, their eyes shining.
"The soup dumplings are full of broth, be careful not to burn your mouth. The dish contains vinegar, which can help cut through the richness." Jiang Shan finished his instructions and returned to the kitchen.
"Eat up!" Tiger gave the order, and eight pairs of chopsticks stretched out at once, aiming at the plump, fragrant, and oily steamed buns that he had already spotted.
"Wow! It's so hot!" Xiaoqi exclaimed, fanning her mouth with her hand before swallowing it whole.
The others glanced at Xiaoqi, slowed down, and carefully took a bite of the bun, their eyes narrowing in blissful contentment.
"Are you silly? Your sister said it's hot, and you're still eating so fast! Like this, first use chopsticks to poke a hole in the skin, drink the soup inside, then eat the filling, and finally eat the skin. Try it!"
After being taught by Sanlang's example, Xiaoqi, with tears in her eyes, ate a small steamed bun according to Sanlang's method and grinned.
In the blink of an eye, both baskets of xiaolongbao were empty.
Jiang Shan brought out the hawthorn soup that had been simmering in a hot pot, poured a bowl for everyone, and said, "Drink some hawthorn soup first to cleanse your stomach, then we'll have hot pot later!"
"What is hot pot?" Tiger and Stone asked Sanlang at the same time.
Sanlang looked at Shitou with a somewhat complicated expression, paused for a moment, and sighed, "Brother Shitou, it's not that I don't want to tell you how to eat hot pot, it's just that you can't handle spicy food! Hot pot without spice is soulless hot pot, and I've been holding back this for too long!"
Stone can't handle spicy food, and Mr. Xunmei doesn't seem to be very sensitive to spiciness either. After Sanlang discovered this problem, he refrained from mentioning hot pot.
Now it's all good, he doesn't have to put up with it anymore!
Stone instinctively felt that he had missed something, and when he was about to ask Sanlang for details, he suddenly smelled a spicy yet incredibly intoxicating aroma, mixed with a strange fragrance that stimulated his taste buds, which wafted into his nose in waves.
"What's that smell? It smells so good!" Xiaoqi stood up, not even bothering to drink the hawthorn soup, and ran towards the kitchen.
"Achoo! Achoo!" Tiger sneezed twice in a row, the tingling sensation was indescribable.
Jiang Shan was frying hot pot base when he saw Xiao Qi run in. He smiled and asked, "Does it smell good? This is the base for hot pot."
"It smells delicious!" Xiao Qi nodded vigorously, her eyes fixed on the red broth in the pot, swallowing hard.
"It's too pungent in the kitchen. Let's go outside and wait. We can start eating once Brother Fu Wen brings back the pot!"
Little Qi ran out, sniffled, and sat up straight, waiting to eat hot pot.
Fu Wen arrived late amidst everyone's anticipation. Xi'er unloaded two large iron pots from the carriage and headed straight for the kitchen.
Just waiting for the pot to be filled with vegetables!
The boys couldn't wait to get to the table, forgetting even about the two newly bought sheep outside.
As Jiang Shan had said before, two tables had been set up outside. Those who liked spicy food sat at one table, and those who couldn't eat spicy food sat at the other table.
Jiangshan made two flavors of fresh fish hot pot: one spicy and the other seafood.
When all the dishes were served and Jiang Shan took his seat, he saw that Shi Tou had sat down at the spicy table again.
"Hey, didn't you say you can't eat spicy food?" Jiang Shan heard Hu Zi and the others trying to persuade Shi Tou not to eat spicy food.
Stone scratched his head, looking extremely conflicted, and said, "But this soup smells so good!"
“Yes, this soup is delicious!” Xiaoqi chimed in.
Jiang Shan asked Xiao Qi in surprise, "You drank the soup inside?"
Xiaoqi licked her lips with lingering enjoyment and nodded earnestly, "I only took one sip."
"...Isn't it spicy?" Saburo asked.
Xiao Qi turned to look at San Lang, "It's not spicy, it tastes really good!"
Okay, this small one is Sichuan-style!
Jiang Shan briefly explained how to eat it, and the hot pot feast began.
In addition to the freshly sliced fish, Jiangshan also made shrimp paste, shrimp balls, fish balls, steamed pork with rice flour, and vegetarian dishes including bamboo shoots, lotus root, cabbage, and green vegetables. There were also two plates of dim sum, and two desks were put together and filled with dishes.
Jiang Shan scooped out the blanched fresh fish slices from the hot pot and placed them in Mr. Xunmei's bowl. He also prepared a dipping sauce for him. Mr. Xunmei ate with great satisfaction.
To cater to Mr. Xunmei's tastes and to feed Jiang Huai, Jiang Shan specially chose a non-spicy hot pot. Xue Zhen, Fu Wen, and Xi'er also sat at the same table with them. To Jiang Shan's surprise, An Er couldn't eat spicy food either.
The spicy table was a special for the seven brothers.
When Shi Tou tasted the first piece of fish, it felt a bit choking in his throat. But after he recovered from that initial choking, hey, he got the hang of it!
I never knew spicy flavors could be so refreshing, so stimulating, and so delicious!
It was as if the stone had opened the door to a new century; the more it ate, the more energetic it became, and even when it was sweating profusely, it was reluctant to stop.
The most impressive one was Xiao Qi. He wasn't fast either; he would eat a few bites of vegetables and drink a sip of soup, picking up whatever his chopsticks could find in the pot and eating it without being picky.
The only difference is that while others talk while eating hot pot, Xiao Qi doesn't. He hasn't said a word since the first bite, just focusing on eating, one bite after another without stopping.
Jiang Shan was worried that Xiao Qi's stomach might not be able to digest spicy food well, so she kept an eye on Xiao Qi. Every time she looked at Xiao Qi, Xiao Qi's little mouth was constantly eating.
Jiang Shan couldn't help but walk up to Xiao Qi and lift him up.
What she saw nearly scared her to death!
Xiaoqi's belly was bulging, clearly from overeating and forcing herself to eat more.
"Stop eating! Are you feeling unwell? Drink some hawthorn soup first, and try walking a few steps! Can you walk?"
Xiaoqi obediently took a couple of steps with her pregnant belly sticking out, but her gaze involuntarily drifted back to the hot pot.
"Aren't you afraid of bursting your stomach? If you damage your stomach, you won't be able to eat so much good food in the future!"
Xiaoqi sniffed and said softly, "Then, then I won't eat it."
Tiger also came over, touched Xiaoqi's belly, and said with a stern face, "How many times have I told you, we won't go hungry anymore. Don't eat so much, it'll hurt your stomach!"
Xiaoqi looked at Jiangshan, then at Huzi, and said softly, "Hot pot is delicious. Will we have hot pot again in the future?"
Jiang Shan felt a pang of sadness and gently rubbed Xiao Qi's belly, saying, "Don't worry, with your sister here, you can eat whatever you want from now on. I keep my word and never lie. You can ask San Lang if you don't believe me."
Seeing Sanlang nod, Xiaoqi asked happily, "Then, Sister Jiang, can we have braised pork again tomorrow?"
"Yes, absolutely! If Xiaoqi wants to eat it, I'll make it for you!"
Xiaoqi smiled happily.
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