I was reborn after my cousin stole my life.

Chapter 84: Hot Pot

After eating two, Yuan Xiu reluctantly handed the rest to Jiang Zhou.

"Why aren't you eating?" Jiang Zhou asked.

Yuan Xiu shook her head regretfully: "You can't eat too many hawthorns during pregnancy, just taste them."

Jiang Zhou didn't understand these things, and none of the women he asked told him. "Then don't eat it."

He took them and ate them one after another, quickly finishing them off.

Yuan Xiu was filled with envy.

Further on, the supply and marketing cooperative was also open. Jiang Zhou went in and bought Yuan Xiu two large twisted dough sticks, so she could eat them as she walked.

Among the people strolling around the town, there were very few like Yuan Xiu, who were carrying food.

The two strolled around town for two hours. When they returned, the basket on the front of their bicycle was filled with a bag of fried dough twists. If Yuan Xiu hadn't been feeling bloated, she would have loved to eat another one while still on the bicycle.

The fried dough twists here are different from those in her hometown. Back home, they're fried until crispy, but these here taste like bread—soft and fragrant! And each one is especially big!

After arriving home, Yuan Xiu couldn't resist eating half of it. It wasn't that she didn't want to eat, but she was afraid that if she ate too much, she wouldn't have room for hot pot that night.

"Where did you two go?"

Sister-in-law Guiying came over for a visit and brought them a bowl of homemade fried dough sticks, made with radish, pork cracklings, and flour. They were quite delicious.

Yuan Xiu couldn't resist trying two right away.

"I went to a nearby town; the supply and marketing cooperative there sells fried dough twists. I ate two and a half of these huge twists!"

She was even a little impressed with her own appetite.

"That's how it is for pregnant women. Others want to eat but can't, but you two both have jobs and you don't lack for these things, so eat whatever you want! Your pregnancy looks pretty good, I haven't seen you vomiting."

Yuan Xiu nodded: "When I first noticed it, I felt a little tired and kept dozing off, but now I don't feel anything at all."

"It means the baby in your belly is considerate of you as the mother and isn't causing you any trouble."

After chatting with Yuan Xiu for a few minutes, Sister-in-law Guiying took the bowl filled with crispy pork and fried dough sticks and went back home.

At 5 p.m., Yuan Xiu began preparing the hot pot ingredients.

If you can't buy butter, then use vegetable oil. There are more than a dozen kinds of spices, including cinnamon, star anise, galangal, fennel, cardamom, dried Sichuan peppercorns, and dried chili peppers. In order to prepare for this hot pot, Yuan Xiu would ask about these spices every time she went to the market to buy vegetables, and added them little by little.

Of course, there are some things that are simply unavailable, such as fermented soybean paste. Yuan Xiu hasn't had time to make it yet, and it's not available here either. She can only temporarily use the soybean paste from here as a substitute. If she wants to eat fermented soybean paste, she'll have to wait until next year when the weather is warmer and chili peppers are in season before she can make it.

"You have to add fermented glutinous rice to hot pot?"

Seeing her open the jar of fermented rice and scoop out two large spoonfuls of fermented rice and put it into the pot, Jiang Zhou was curious.

"Yes, fermented glutinous rice can blend the various flavors in the base sauce, enhance the aroma, and also alleviate the heat from the chili peppers."

As she spoke, Yuan Xiu tossed in a few more rock candies.

"I know that, it's for enhancing flavor, right?" Jiang Zhou had an expression that said, "I know everything." Having watched Yuan Xiu cook so much, he wasn't a complete novice anymore.

Other people's wives only put oil and salt in their dishes, but his wife's cooking involves a whole table full of seasonings.

Yuan Xiu smiled and nodded: "Yes, the purpose of putting them in is to make the hot pot taste better. I'm going to cook a lot this time. Since it's cold, it can be stored for a while. When we want to eat it later, we can just take it out, add water, boil it, and have hot pot."

As Yuan Xiu added the seasonings one by one, the spicy and fragrant aroma wafted far and wide, attracting the locals who almost came knocking on their doors.

No one else came, but Instructor Liu from next door strolled in with his hands behind his back, and sneezed several times as soon as he entered!

"My goodness! What is this? It smells spicy!"

He was sniffing as he spoke, his eyes fixed on the kitchen.

Jiang Zhou handed him a cigarette. "We're having hot pot tonight."

"Hot pot? Copper pot hot pot? Did you manage to buy some mutton?" Instructor Liu had eaten copper pot hot pot before, back a few years ago when he went on a business trip with his superiors. The local unit treated him to it, and he still savors the taste.

"No, it's Sichuan hot pot from Xiao Yuan's hometown."

"I've never eaten it." Coach Liu took the cigarette but didn't smoke it, then whispered to Jiang Zhou, "I heard that people over there can eat spicy food. I was wondering how much they could eat, but now I believe it. They really can eat a lot of spicy food."

Instructor Liu was so overwhelmed by the aroma that he said, "Let me take a look."

Upon taking a look, he clicked his tongue twice, "Only you two can eat like this."

There must be at least half a pound of oil in that pot; who would be willing to waste that much?

Yuan Xiu smiled and said, "You guys can handle spicy food, right? If you can, I'll scoop half a bowl for you to take back. Whether you add it to boiled meat or vegetables, or stir-fry meat or vegetables, adding a little bit will enhance the flavor. You can also use it as a base when cooking noodles."

As she spoke, she went to get a bowl.

Instructor Liu quickly waved his hand: "No need, no need, you can keep it for yourselves."

It wasn't that he didn't want to try it, but he felt embarrassed to ask for the hot pot ingredients, as they were quite expensive.

Yuan Xiu took a rice bowl, filled it about seven or eight-tenths full, and handed it to him. "I was originally going to send it to your house, not for you, but as a gift for my master."

In the end, Instructor Liu still took most of the hot pot ingredients back with him.

Sister-in-law Guiying was preparing the New Year's Eve dinner in the kitchen when she saw him return. She glared at him and said, "Where have you been? You didn't even offer to help me out at home. All you do is wander around. Battalion Commander Jiang next door does all the washing and cooking. Look at you, I'm not asking you to cook me a meal, but you could at least peel a clove of garlic..."

Before she could finish her complaint, she noticed the bowl he was holding: "Where did you get this from?"

Instructor Liu: "I went to Xiao Jiang's house because I could smell it."

Sister-in-law Guiying rolled her eyes at him: "How dare you! Little Yuan just gave us a bowl of crispy pork and fried dough sticks this afternoon, and you're already trying to take advantage of him!"

Being neighbors means giving and receiving; what kind of relationship is it to just take what others have?

Instructor Liu: "I didn't want it either, but Xiao Yuan said it was a gift for her master, and asked me to bring it back so her master could have a taste, so I brought it back."

Dr. Liu beckoned: "Bring it over here so I can smell it. Is that the smell that just wafted over?"

"Yes, when I went there, Xiao Yuan was stir-frying it. She said it was for hot pot, and could also be used for cooking vegetables and stir-fries..."

After smelling it, Dr. Liu began instructing his daughter-in-law: "Use this to cook a dish."

Sister-in-law Guiying: "Then how do we cook it?"

"Do you know how to boil vegetables? Put this in water and boil it with the vegetables..."