Chapter 37: Hot Pot

The wind was howling as Qin Zhao and Qi Qige were responsible for washing the vegetables in the yard. It was Qi Qige’s first time doing this, and the whole process felt more like a game to him, filled with laughter and giggles.

Cao Xi was in charge of preparing the hot pot base and dipping sauces. Once everything was ready, Cao Xi asked Qin Zhao to fetch the stove and added charcoal to the fire.

Qi Qige kept circling around Qin Zhao, making sure to feel involved in everything. His delicate fingers were smudged with black and white from the charcoal. They placed the stove on the table to heat up.

“What’s with putting it on the table?” Qi Qige asked, surprised.

Cao Xi placed the hot pot base on the stove to heat it up, while they also prepared the dipping sauces.

“Once you know, we’ll wash the vegetables and bring up the meat from the kitchen,” Cao Xi explained.

Qi Qige was curious, “Huh? Isn’t it supposed to be cooked?”

“Don’t ask questions, just hurry and bring it here,” Qin Zhao pulled him toward the kitchen.

Once everything was set, the three of them sat at the table. Qin Zhao and Qi Qige stared at the pile of vegetables and meat, along with the bubbling pot, trying to figure out how to eat it.

Cao Xi picked up a plate of meat and placed it into both pots. “The hot pot is for eating while it’s cooking. Once it’s done, you’ll love it.”

After hearing this, Qin Zhao and Qi Qige exchanged a look, their curiosity piqued as they stared at the meat cooking in the pot.

Cao Xi picked up a piece of meat, dipped it in the sauce, rolled it around, and put it in his mouth. It tasted great. It was a bit of a reward for all the hard work that had gone into earning the money.

Qin Zhao and Qi Qige followed suit, picking up their own pieces of meat, dipping them in the sauce, and tasting them. The new flavor exploded in their mouths, and the method was fresh and delicious.

Qi Qige picked up some tofu and asked Cao Xi, “Do we eat this directly?”

Cao Xi replied, “You can, the things on the table are all ready, but keep in mind, Qin Zhao doesn’t eat spicy food.”

Qi Qige raised his eyebrows. “So this pot was specially made for Qin Zhao?”

Qin Zhao’s face turned a little red, and he picked up a piece of meat and placed it in Qi Qige’s bowl. “Eat your meal without talking so much.”

“You’re even feeding me now?” Qi Qige smiled and took the meat from his bowl with a trembling hand.

He then glanced at Cao Xi, saying, “Long-term efforts are always rewarded in the end.”

Qi Qige’s words weren’t ignored, and they didn’t go unnoticed by Qin Zhao either. Cao Xi, however, couldn’t stop laughing at the exaggerated way Qi Qige spoke. The whole meal was enjoyable, with the hosts and guests having a good time.

“Cao Xi, is this hot pot going to be a restaurant?” Qi Qige asked after finishing his meal and helping to clear the table.

“Mm, I’ve been thinking about opening a hot pot restaurant, but we don’t have enough funds right now,” Cao Xi replied.

Originally, he had planned to ask Li Feng for an investment, but after hearing that Li Feng was busy buying a house, he had decided not to pursue that path for now.

“Ask me,” Qi Qige said suddenly. “My mother left me quite a few properties. I can take one and use it for our hot pot restaurant.”

Qi Qige had been looked down upon by his father and nearly suffocated by his stepmother’s pampering, all because of his mother’s dowry.

The profits from the properties his mother had left him were now controlled by his stepmother, but Qi Qige had already taken them back. Now was the right time for him to clean up.

“Don’t worry about it, let’s get some more people, and with the skills we have, we won’t fear competition,” Cao Xi said enthusiastically. After hearing Qi Qige’s idea, he became more excited, and the two of them started talking about business ideas, ignoring Qin Zhao.

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Later that evening, Qi Qige knocked on his father’s study door. Qi Father was surprised to see him. Normally, he didn’t seek his father out, so he wondered what had brought him there this time.

“Father, I have something to discuss with you,” Qi Qige said.

Qi Father glanced up but continued working, not giving Qi Qige much attention. “What is it?”

Qi Qige’s expression remained calm, and he spoke slowly, “Father, I’m planning to take over my mother’s dowry.”

Qi Father’s gaze immediately turned cold. He stared at Qi Qige for a long time before speaking. “Go back.”

His tone was sharp, and Qi Qige felt that the discussion was far from over. He wasn’t ready to give up so easily. Without waiting for an answer, he pressed on.

“I’m serious, Father,” Qi Qige said firmly, waiting for a response.

At this, Qi Father sat up straight in his chair, his body relaxing. After a moment of silence, he asked, “How did you manage to get the dowry?”

In the past, scholars in the dynasty didn’t kneel before officials. If he were to sue in court, accusing his father and stepmother of conspiring to take his mother’s dowry, he would surely win without a doubt.

However, his father was enraged by his words. He grabbed the ink stone beside him and smashed it hard. With a loud “crack,” the entire ink stone shattered on the floor.

Ink splattered across his clothes, and Qi Qige coldly said, “Hitting a scholar is a crime punishable by imprisonment. And besides, I won’t always be a scholar.”

“Even if you’re a scholar, if you’re the top scholar, I’ll still beat you,” his father said, furious. This dynasty didn’t hold the word “filial piety” in such high regard; he didn’t believe that this brat would really dare to sue him.

“I don’t care about your money, and I’m not interested in your wealth. You’re the one who is scheming to take my mother’s dowry,” Qi Qige responded flatly. “In this dynasty, who doesn’t know that plotting against one’s wife’s dowry is a disgraceful thing?” Filial piety meant nothing to him; everyone knew he was the head of the family and should be in charge.

“Get out, get out of here!” Qi Qige’s father shook in fury.

“Tomorrow, I expect to see the deed and property contracts. If there’s anything missing, I will have the dowry list as well.” After saying this, Qi Qige turned and left the study, hearing a loud crashing noise from behind as his father started throwing things around.

When Qi’s mother heard about the dowry, she immediately exploded. It wasn’t just a little money—it was a huge fortune, with the profits from the estate alone amounting to over ten thousand taels, not to mention the income from the stores.

The Qi family was just an empty shell now; they had been relying on the original wife’s dowry to support everything. Now, everything was about to be destroyed.

If anyone dared take those things, they were just dreaming. All the property was supposed to be passed down to the son, not for some white-eyed wolf to eat and drink off of it before taking the last of the meat.

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Later that night, Qin Zhao, feeling awkward, said to Cao Xi, “Cao Xi, have you finished the Romance of the Three Kingdoms yet?”

Over the past month, Qin Zhao hadn’t been able to listen to the story, and although it seemed that Qin Zhao had grown, everything else remained unchanged. Cao Xi, seeing Qin Zhao’s discomfort, said, “Wait for me in bed.”

Qin Zhao blushed, feeling embarrassed by the casual tone, and glared at him before heading back to the bedroom.

Once in the room, Qin Zhao quickly crawled under the desk and grabbed a square wooden box. Inside was a delicate hairpin that he had made himself. He carefully held the pin in his hands, smiling foolishly, and then tucked it into his chest.

His eyes sparkled as he stared at the door, waiting for Cao Xi’s arrival. But after waiting and waiting, the door remained tightly shut. He was getting anxious when, just as he was about to go out, Cao Xi walked in.

“Why are you only here now?” As soon as the words were out, Qin Zhao realized that he had sounded too anxious. He felt a pang of regret for speaking so hastily.

Cao Xi looked at him in confusion, sensing the urgency in his voice. “Are you in a hurry?”

“Not really,” Qin Zhao replied, scratching his nose, his ears turning red.

Cao Xi, as usual, lay on the bed to continue the story. But just as he took a step, Qin Zhao stopped him, pushing him to sit at the desk instead. Cao Xi, noticing his unusual behavior, stared at him in a daze.

Feeling more self-conscious, Qin Zhao hesitated and carefully took out the hairpin from his chest, handing it to Cao Xi. The hairpin was dark red, clearly carved from wood, with a pearl inlaid at the tip—a simple yet elegant design.

“Is this for me?” Cao Xi asked, surprised. This was the first time Qin Zhao had given him a gift.

“Do you like it?” Qin Zhao asked, his voice nervous as he awaited a response.

“I like it,” Cao Xi said, immediately recognizing that it matched his taste perfectly.

Cao Xi then remarked, “This must have cost quite a bit, didn’t it?”

The material for the hairpin wasn’t particularly expensive, but the pearl at the top of the pin was worth at least twenty taels.

“The pearl was bought, but I made the body of the hairpin myself,” Qin Zhao explained, seeing that Cao Xi liked it. He was finally able to relax a little.

Cao Xi was quite pleased. When he realized it was made by Qin Zhao, he asked, “Did you hurt your fingers making this hairpin?”

Qin Zhao’s eyes smiled brightly, almost overflowing with joy.

“It was my first time making it; I was clumsy and inexperienced.”

The wood was hard and slippery, so carving the patterns had been quite difficult. Only by the end did he manage to do it properly. He believed that the next hairpin he made would be even better.

Cao Xi, still happy, handed the hairpin back to Qin Zhao. “Help me put it in.”

Qin Zhao’s smile grew even more. Carefully, he placed the hairpin into Cao Xi’s hair. Once it was in, Cao Xi wore the pin made by Qin Zhao with a proud look. Qin Zhao’s heart was full—he was pleased beyond words.

Later that evening, the pearl and wooden hairpin was eventually replaced, but even when they had children and grandchildren, the hairpin remained a treasured possession.

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Later, Qi Qige met with Cao Xi again after half a month.

He was always getting along well with Qin Zhao, but on the way back, he dragged Qin Zhao to buy hot pot ingredients, including a lamb leg, and kept shouting that Cao Xi should make the hot pot for him, which made Qin Zhao’s face turn pale.

“Tomorrow, I’ll find a spicy hot pot restaurant, and we can open a shop together.”

Qi Qige kept adding lamb to the pot. He really enjoyed eating lamb hotpot.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Cao Xi had been running the hotpot restaurant for quite some time, and the charcoal that came with it only increased the profits.

When Qin Zhao heard that Qi Qige was going to meet Cao Xi alone, his expression instantly turned difficult. He glared at Qi Qige, who didn’t notice and kept eating.

Perhaps Qin Zhao’s stare was too intense, but Qi Qige eventually raised his head, confused, and looked back at him, his face full of “What am I doing?”

After a moment, Qi Qige suddenly slapped his forehead and said, “I wasn’t planning to meet him alone, we’re just getting together to find Cao Xi.”

Hearing this, Qin Zhao finally withdrew his intense gaze and pushed a piece of lamb to Cao Xi, saying, “If you don’t hurry, this fool will eat it all.”

Qi Qige… Who was the fool?

After that, the trio continued enjoying their time at the hot pot restaurant. The evening was filled with familiar laughter, and although this was a typical routine, it still felt warm after spending so much time together.