Chapter 11: Hot Pot

Today, after discovering that she was pregnant, Lin Nuo decided to celebrate the arrival of new life by having a nice meal.

Since she had come to this world, she had never eaten hot pot. Why not have some today? Lin Nuo was quite skilled in the kitchen. Back in the modern world, there was much to learn and many tasks to do. During her free time, she would often experiment with food and occasionally invite five-star chefs to teach her. So, her cooking skills were quite impressive.

She decided to go ahead with it.

She began preparing the ingredients for the hot pot.

First, she started making the broth by simmering chicken, since Lin Lei was still young and couldn’t handle spicy foods. So, she decided to make a clear soup instead.

She took a fish out of her space, planning to use half of it for fish balls and slice the rest for eating.

To avoid drawing attention to the fact that she had ingredients people hadn’t seen before, she decided to go to the foot of the mountain and search for some wild vegetables.

With a basket in hand, she headed out. The foot of the mountain was somewhat barren, but she kept searching. Suddenly, she spotted a patch of bright green white chrysanthemum (a type of edible wild herb). Lin Nuo’s eyes sparkled with excitement. It seemed that the locals didn’t know how to use it, so the whole patch was left untouched.

In no time, she had filled almost half the basket. She also found some mint and purslane, and after checking the time on her phone, which was now about 4 PM, she decided it was almost time for Lin Lei to return, so she headed back home.

Once all the ingredients were prepared, the broth was ready.

Since she didn’t have a proper stove or pot for hot pot, she quickly made a simple stove in the yard using stones and found a large-mouthed clay pot to use as the pot.

As for dipping sauces, there wasn’t much to work with—just vinegar, cilantro, salt, minced garlic, and chopped green onions.

For the hot pot, she had fish balls, fish slices, pork slices, white chrysanthemum, purslane, and mint. She also secretly took out some beef balls from her space.

By around 6 PM, Lin Lei returned. It was early June, so the sky was still bright. The two siblings set up in the yard to eat.

Lin Lei had never had hot pot before, and he was particularly excited. His big eyes blinked as he watched Lin Nuo prepare the dipping sauce for him.

Lin Nuo dipped some fish slices into the pot and then put them into a bowl with the sauce, feeding him a bite. Lin Lei became even more curious. Is it really that delicious?

Lin Nuo smiled as she watched him, encouraging him to try it for himself.

She patted Lin Lei’s head.

“This is how you eat it. Try it, it’s more fun when you do it yourself.”

Lin Lei smelled the fragrant broth and looked at his sister’s satisfied expression, feeling that it must taste really good.

He immediately followed his sister’s example and took a bite.

Instantly, his eyes widened, filled with disbelief.

“Sister, sister, this is so delicious!”

Lin Lei shook his head and nodded enthusiastically, thoroughly enjoying it.

Lin Nuo smiled as she patted his head. “If it’s delicious, eat more.”

After that, the two siblings fell silent, focusing on their meal.

Before long, the plates of food were all finished. Lin Lei still seemed to want more, but since he was a child, eating too much wasn’t good for his digestion, so he stopped eating.

After they finished, both siblings let out a satisfied burp and exchanged a smile. Life was really good.

Previously, Lin Nuo had heard that many people experienced morning sickness during the early stages of pregnancy, vomiting uncontrollably. But she hadn’t felt anything like that. Other than the brief nausea earlier, she hadn’t felt uncomfortable at all.

“Sister, can we eat this hot pot again tomorrow?” Lin Lei asked, his little face looking up at her.

“Tomorrow, I’ll make something else for you. Hot pot can’t be eaten every day. Don’t you want to try some other delicious food?” Lin Nuo teased.

“Really? Sister, then we won’t eat hot pot tomorrow?”

Hearing Lin Lei’s words, Lin Nuo couldn’t help but laugh. Children were so easy to please, chubby and adorable. Thinking about how, in a few months, she would have her own little cutie like that made her happy.

She thought it was probably time to talk to Lin Lei about her pregnancy. Although he was only six years old, he was still a part of the family.

Suddenly, Lin Nuo grew serious.

She looked at Lin Lei and said, “Lei’er, I need to tell you something. Listen carefully, okay? But don’t get too excited. I know you’re old enough to understand, but you’re still small, so just let me handle it, okay?”

Seeing his sister so serious, Lin Lei felt that whatever she was about to say probably wasn’t good news.