Chapter 68: Eating Hot Pot

“You mentioned using sliced meat, and I’ve already cut it for you,” Xiao Huai’an showed off his knife skills.

Looking at the paper-thin slices of meat and the small clay stove that had already been prepared, Ye Xin Ran said to Xiao Huai’an, “Start the charcoal fire and add water to both stoves. I’ll go invite the village chief and his wife to come over for dinner.”

Inviting the village chief and his wife had already been discussed on the way here. Ye Xin Ran wanted to go up the mountain with Xiao Huai’an to gather herbs, but she couldn’t leave the children alone at home, so she thought it would be best to entrust them to the most authoritative person in the village.

When Ye Xin Ran arrived, she overheard the village chief’s wife scolding her husband again.

“I’ve told you so many times not to kick stones while you walk. Look, look, this new pair of shoes hasn’t even been worn for two months, and now there’s a hole in the front! From now on, you can just wear shoes with open toes, I’m not the one embarrassed.”

“Ai Ya, I wasn’t paying attention, how did my foot become so disobedient? I’ll beat it twice, and you can work hard to patch them for me!”

Ye Xin Ran felt a bit embarrassed hearing their conversation and called out from the yard, “Village chief, are you home?”

“We’re here!”

The village chief walked out from the house with a smile on his face.

“Big niece, what’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing serious, I just wanted to invite you and Aunt to have a meal at my house!”

“You’re too kind, you’ve been here for so long and haven’t had a meal at our house. I’m the village chief, how can I go to the younger generation’s house for a meal?”

“Inviting you is to thank you for helping me solve a big problem. Besides, I have something to ask of you, village chief!”

“What is it? You can just tell me! You don’t have to worry about the meal, everyone is struggling these days,” said the village chief’s wife as she also walked out of the house.

She, like her husband, always had a smile on her face whenever she saw Ye Xin Ran. This girl was both smart and capable. If only she were their own daughter.

“Aunt, I’ve already come, so don’t be polite. It’s just a simple meal, and you won’t have to cook it yourself!”

“I want to go eat at Chang An’s house.”

The village chief’s little granddaughter, who had been listening for a while, suddenly spoke up.

“Chang An said her aunt’s cooking is so delicious.”

“This child, am I not good at cooking?” The village chief’s wife tugged at her granddaughter’s little braid. “You can’t just go to other people’s houses for a meal. Didn’t I tell you that?”

Seeing the little girl’s pained expression, Ye Xin Ran quickly pulled her over and said, “Aunt, the children play well together, so they should visit each other more. I’ll take Niu Niu back now, and you two hurry up and come over later!”

The village chief’s son and daughter-in-law weren’t at home, so it was just the village chief and his wife left in the house.

Seeing Ye Xin Ran almost “kidnapping” their granddaughter, the village chief’s wife looked at her husband in hesitation. “What should we do? Should we go or not?”

“Go!” The village chief looked at Ye Xin Ran’s back. “Their family is doing well now. A meal won’t hurt.”

“Alright, I’ll change into something else, and you should take off those old shoes and wear a new pair.”

After the village chief and his wife tidied up a little at home, they made their way to Xiao Huai’an’s house.

As soon as they entered the yard, the smell of chicken wafted over.

Chang An, Chang Ping, and the others were crouched in a corner, seemingly studying something, each holding a piece of Yun Nan paste, eating it carefully and enjoying it immensely.

“Uncle, Aunt, you’re here.”

When the village chief saw Ye Xin Ran placing a pot from the kitchen onto the small clay stove on the table, he immediately spoke up, “I told you before, when living life, be a bit more frugal. Had I known you were killing a chicken to treat us, I wouldn’t have come.”

The village chief turned to leave.

Ye Xin Ran reached out and stopped him.

“Uncle, this chicken was bought in the city, the chickens at my house are still for something else!”

“Bought? Isn’t that more expensive?”

“Ai Ya, not expensive!”

Ye Xin Ran held onto the village chief and gently pressed him onto a small stool by the table, then said, “Even if it’s a bit more expensive, it’s worth it. We don’t eat it every day. The main thing is to treat the children. Just wait here.”

With no choice, the village chief reluctantly sat still. After Ye Xin Ran made sure Aunt Chen was seated, she went to the backyard to fetch the dishes.

Soon, Xiao Huai’an brought another pot to the table.

The pot was filled with floating red oil, and the spicy fragrance filled the air. The village chief was stunned.

“What’s this? Why two pots? Did you make two flavors with one chicken?”

Before Xiao Huai’an could answer, another surprise was brought to the table.

Ye Xin Ran came back with three plates, each full of meat.

“Ai Ya, you all really… So much meat! You should save some and eat it slowly!”

The village chief’s wife was equally astonished, her mouth agape.

Their family hardly ate this much meat throughout the whole year.

It seemed like the Xiao family’s life was even better than she thought.

“Uncle Village Chief, don’t worry about how much we’re eating. At least, this way of eating is something you’ve never seen before.”

Ye Xin Ran went back to the kitchen to bring out more dishes, and the village chief was on edge, wondering what else might be coming.

Thankfully, this time it wasn’t more meat, but two bowls of vegetables.

Inside were cabbage, green asparagus, potatoes, tofu, winter melon slices, and some pumpkin tips.

“Wait, why is it all raw?”

The village chief’s wife was completely shocked.

First, the meat was raw, and now the vegetables were too. There were two pots on the table, was Ye Xin Ran going to have them cook the food themselves?

“It’s raw, but it cooks once it’s dipped in the hot pot.”

“Kids, come eat!”

She called the children over to the table, then grabbed a slice of meat and put it into the pot. Once the meat was boiling, she took it out again.

“You just need to cook the meat to eat it, and the vegetables too. But the potatoes and winter melon take a little longer, so we can put those in first.”

“Ai Ya, I’ve learned something new! I didn’t know you could eat like this!”

While the village chief and his wife were still processing the surprise, the four children had already grabbed their bowls, eager to try.

“There are two pots, one with spicy and one without. Those who can eat spicy food sit by the spicy pot, those who can’t sit by the non-spicy one. If you can eat both, sit in the middle.”

Ye Xin Ran arranged the seating.

Then, she pointed to the condiments and said, “Here we have sesame paste and sesame oil. You can use whichever you prefer. After you grab your vegetables, dip them in the sauce for extra flavor.”

The village chief could handle a bit of spice, so he sat by the spicy pot.

Before Xiao Huai’an could say anything, Ye Xin Ran had already placed him at the non-spicy pot.

Everyone gathered around and sat down.

Once seated, no one moved their chopsticks.

Seven pairs of eyes stared at the village chief.

“Why aren’t you eating? Why are you all looking at me?”

The village chief felt suddenly nervous.

“You’re the highest-ranking here. Everyone is waiting for you to start before they’ll touch their chopsticks! Hurry, eat a bite!”

Aunt Chen urged him on.