Chapter Forty-Six: Eating Hotpot

After sealing the chicken feet in jars, Lin Sangqian began to prepare the hot pot base. Meanwhile, Lin Hongda was in the courtyard, teaching the three brothers martial arts. Listening to their rowdy voices, Lin Sangqian felt at peace.

She poured peanut oil into the pot, added two heaping spoonfuls of fermented bean paste, and fried it until the red oil separated. Then she added scallions, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, bay leaves, and dried red chilies, gently sautéing them over low heat until fragrant. Adding water, she had a simple homemade spicy hot pot base. Despite its simplicity, the spicy, aromatic scent made Lin Sangqian’s mouth water.

She also simmered a mushroom broth for a plain hot pot base, so they would have a divided pot with both flavors. With the broth ready, she turned to preparing the ingredients.

There was still plenty left from what Qin Zhengde had brought them earlier. She washed and thinly sliced both lamb and pork. It was a pity there was no beef, but Lin Sangqian was already quite satisfied. She also cut up some vegetables and enoki mushrooms, chopped a few pieces of corn and some potatoes, and finally made a serving of egg fried rice.

Liao Shuxia always loved eating egg fried rice with hot pot, though Lin Hongda could never quite understand why.

Once everything was ready, Lin Sangqian called the men outside to come in and help carry the dishes.

“Little sister, we could smell something delicious from outside. What did you make today?” Lin Beitao walked in first, but was surprised to see the meat and vegetables still raw on the plates.

“Little sister, you haven’t cooked yet? But I was sure I smelled something! Is it too tiring cooking by yourself? Let me help you!” Lin Beitao, though clueless in the kitchen, would never refuse if his little sister needed him.

“That’s not it, Third Brother, I’m all set. Tonight we’re having hot pot—well, here it’s called ‘warm pot.’”

“Really?” Lin Beitao’s eyes widened in delight. “Warm pot? I’ve never tried it before!”

In the past, even having enough to eat was a luxury; how could they have ever dreamed of such a treat? He had heard people talk about it in town and always wanted to try it.

“Hurry, carry these dishes and the two pots into the house. Oh, and don’t forget these two little racks for the pots.”

The two small racks were made of wire—Lin Sangqian had found them earlier, thinking they would be perfect for hot pot.

“Alright!”

Lin Hongda and his three sons cheerfully moved everything to the table inside. The moment Liao Shuxia saw the egg fried rice, her face lit up with joy. “No one knows me like my little girl does!”

Lin Sangqian brought over some condiments, then stuffed charcoal beneath the two racks and lit the fire. Once the broths began to boil, she taught her three brothers how to mix their dipping sauces.

“This is sesame oil, this is chili oil, and here’s oyster sauce, scallions, garlic paste, cilantro, and vinegar,” she explained. “There are more over here. Add whatever you like, and dip your meat and vegetables in it.”

She didn’t bother making sesame paste—it was too much trouble. Besides, from what she remembered, this area leaned more toward the south, so most people probably preferred oil-based dips.

Her brothers had never tried this before, but under Lin Sangqian’s guidance, each made a sauce bowl to their liking.

“The water’s boiling, let’s cook the meat!” Liao Shuxia said impatiently.

Lin Sangqian took a plate of lamb slices, dropping half into the spicy pot and half into the mushroom broth.

“Eat as much as you want—there’s more in the kitchen!” she said generously.

She’d sliced the meat very thin, so it cooked quickly. Everyone fished out a helping.

Except for Liao Shuxia and Lin Yanbei, the others all preferred the spicy broth. The slices of meat, coated in chili oil, were dipped into the sauce—numbing, fiery, and packed with flavor that filled the mouth. The meat was tender and smooth; Lin Sangqian was so happy she could have floated away.

Liao Shuxia also scooped herself a bowl of egg fried rice, alternating bites of meat and rice with great enjoyment.

“I never imagined warm pot could taste this good!” Lin Wenyan sighed contentedly. “I’ve never tasted anything like this before.”

“Now that the lamb’s gone, let’s try the pork,” Lin Sangqian said, adding the pork slices to the pots. Once those were eaten, she threw in corn and all kinds of vegetables, along with the enoki mushrooms.

Most of the vegetables went into the mushroom broth. After adding them, Lin Wenyan topped up both pots with more water, while Lin Hongda brought out extra charcoal.

Lin Beitao, still craving spice, cooked some spinach in the spicy pot, only to end up gasping from the heat.

“Haha, Third Brother, when you cook greens in the spicy pot, it gets even hotter,” Lin Sangqian laughed. “Quick, have some water.”

Lin Beitao gulped down a large bowl of water, then went right back to putting spinach in the spicy pot.

“Weren’t you just complaining about how spicy it was?” Liao Shuxia teased.

“Heh, the spicier, the better!”

“Next time we have warm pot, I’ll figure out how to make some cold drinks,” Lin Sangqian said. They couldn’t make ice here, but chilling drinks in well water should work.

Summer was almost here; once the weather turned hot, the family could enjoy hot pot with cold drinks—what could be better?

The meal lasted nearly an hour, with two more large plates of meat added along the way. After finishing, as usual, Lin Hongda and his three sons handled the cleanup.

Liao Shuxia, after the bump on her head earlier, though feeling fine, went to bed early.

Lin Sangqian checked the money they had left—about twenty-nine taels. For their family in the past, such a sum was unimaginable. But now, she frowned.

Twenty-nine taels wouldn’t be enough to start a factory, even a small one. She would need to rent a courtyard, hire a few workers, and buy more jars for packaging the chicken feet.

Her main source of income was selling dishes to Fortune Pavilion Restaurant. But she couldn’t spend all their money on the factory—she still needed to send her three brothers to school.

Still, as long as she kept working hard, all these things would be achieved in time.

A faint smile appeared on Lin Sangqian’s face. She stood up and went into the courtyard, just as Lin Hongda and the three brothers finished cleaning up and emerged from the kitchen.

“Brothers, shall we go for a walk?” Lin Sangqian asked.

“Sure!”

Now that she had suggested it, her brothers would never refuse. The four siblings strolled slowly along the roadside. They hadn’t gone far when they ran into Tian Liu.

The three brothers never thought much of him and had no intention of greeting him, but Tian Liu approached them with a big grin.

“What are you all up to?”

It’s hard to be rude to someone so friendly, so Lin Wenyan replied, “Just out for a walk.”

“All four siblings out together? How nice.” As he spoke, Tian Liu pulled a dirty piece of candy from his pocket and handed it to Lin Sangqian. “Here, this is for you.”