The Meng family’s hot pot eatery was a small, ordinary operation.
It was so ordinary that when Lao Lu entered, he felt that visually, it had no redeeming features at all.
Some places, while ordinary, could still look interesting through the camera lens. But in run-of-the-mill operations like this, at best, the photos would be of a documentary nature that showcased facades of society—there were hardly any modern or trendy characteristics to be found.
As for selling points besides aesthetics…
Probably it was that the hot pot here was more fragrant.
Lao Lu had been hit by the aroma of spicy hot pot the moment he entered. His mouth unconsciously watered from the fragrance.
There were several customers in the store, and everyone was eating enthusiastically.
Even though the air conditioning was very strong, everyone had beads of sweat on their foreheads; they couldn’t help but blot the sweat off with tissues as they ate.
Lao Lu looked for a chair and sat down.
Father Meng and Mother Meng saw that Meng Xiaoni had brought someone in; they hurried over and greeted Lao Lu.
“Sir, have you eaten? If not, how about having hot pot?”
“Our hot pot is spicy, savoury and flavourful!”
Lao Lu had come with the intentions of having hot pot. He greeted them politely and replied, “I haven’t eaten; I come here especially for a meal. Just a few dishes of your choice will do.”
“Then we’ll bring you a small pot! A spicy one!”
Meng Xiaoni went to the kitchen to bring out the hot pot.
Elder Lu sat directly across from Old Lu. He sniffed at the smell of the hot pots around him from time to time, the fan in his hand never stopping.
The old man’s wrinkled face was now as happy as a flower. He looked around, and even spoke to his son now and then; even if he got no response, he was still as happy as a clam.
Meng Xiaoni brought out the hot pot and served it to Lao Lu. “What kind of sauce would you like?”
Lao Lu glanced at the sauce station.
There were bowls after bowls of condiments and sauces. Minced chilli, millet pepper, beef sauce—these were the most consumed at the moment. Apart from these, there were bottles of sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, among others.
He asked Meng Xiaoni, “What do you recommend?”
Meng Xiaoni asked Lao Lu in return, “A spicy sauce? Do you want vinegar?”
Lao Lu, being a native of Fengdu, naturally replied, “No vinegar. I’m not picky.”
Vinegar is used for relieving spiciness; he was afraid that the hot pot would not be spicy enough.
Meng Xiaoni went to make the sauce for Lao Lu.
Traditionally, hot pot dipping sauces were a mixture of condiments and spices in various proportions. In Fengdu, the most common type was to mix onion, garlic, cilantro together, then finally pour sesame oil over the mix. As for the uncommon type, Meng Xiaoni was about to prepare it now.
An enhanced spicy version.
She took a small bowl, added a few scallions, garlic, and cilantro, and then added a large spoonful each of millet pepper, chili noodles and beef sauce. Then, she added a small spoonful of oyster sauce, sprinkled some crushed peanuts and white sesame. Finally, she poured on a thick layer of sesame oil.
With so many things in it, it felt more like an actual dish, rather than just a dipping sauce used as an accompaniment for hot pot.
This dipping sauce that she made actually tasted good just on its own.
Meng Xiaoni put the bowl on Lao Lu’s table. “My mother made the beef sauce by herself.”
Lao Lu gave an “Oh~” in reply, and directly took a mouthful of the sauce mixture.
He carefully savoured its taste.
It was thoroughly salty and fresh; the spiciness and heavy beef flavour mingled harmoniously—even Lao Lu, who was used to Fengdu cuisine, couldn’t help but nod her head, “Not bad.”
Although its taste was not top tier, it really was not bad.
The beef, chili and garlic used were all the freshest.
Meng Xiaoni was very contented with his verdict. She beamed happily, “Then, Uncle Lu, please enjoy your meal. We’ll discuss the renovation plans after you finish.”
Mother Meng brought out several plates of food. “Don’t hold back, eat more.”
Indeed, Lao Lu did not hold back. He nodded, picked up the chopsticks, and started adding the food into the hot pot.
Meng Xiaoni returned to the kitchen; Mother Meng whispered, “He looks a bit old, he should be quite good, right?”
Father Meng’s rationale was slightly different, “Since he was scouted by Nini, he must be good.”
As the two spoke, Meng Xiaoni poked her head out to look again; she would still have to wait to see the design first. Before the contract was signed, nothing was set in stone.
Outside, Lao Lu was still eating; opposite him, Elder Lu was also eating.
Lao Lu fished a slice of shabu-shabu beef from the pot; Elder Lu took the opportunity to steal a bite.
Even though Elder Lu ate the beef, it did not disappear; it entered the bowl ordinarily, and finally into Lao Lu’s stomach.
Meng Xiaoni did not know what exactly the spirit of Elder Lu ate.
Looking at the situation, the pair of father and son eat were enjoying their meal.
Meng Xiaoni shrank back, “I’ll go feed Guifeng something.”
When Mother Meng heard this, she brought out the watermelon in the corner. “Take this, take this—this black-skinned watermelon just came in. Cut it for Guifeng to have a taste. It’s very pricey you know, you can’t find this in the supermarket.”
There were fields near Fengdu that specialised in the production of black-skinned watermelons.
These black-skinned watermelons were not sold on a regular basis. Those of good quality were directly sent to high-end restaurants or shipped overseas, while those of average quality were kept for personal consumption. The one that Mother Meng had should be a gift from a friend.
Meng Xiaoni carried the watermelon and heaved it onto the table with a grunt. “Mm.”
Guifeng had gone from being doted on by her alone, to the object of the whole family’s affection. In the future, he might even become the darling of the entire eatery.
She took a knife, cut the watermelon in two, then cut one of the halves into twelve pieces.
People who cut watermelon often would have a certain technique—in the twelve pieces of watermelon, six would be completely without seeds, and the other six would have the seeds at the edges. Watermelon seeds grow with extreme regularity; once one grasped the pattern, it is easy to avoid them when cutting up the watermelon.
She cut two of the seedless pieces into cubes, thought about it, and decided to prepare some hot pot for Guifeng as well.
She went upstairs with the two bowls of food.
The windows of Meng Xiaoni’s room were wide open.
A string was tied to the curtains at both ends, and the parrot swing that she bought hung from the middle.
The swing had a pole and a place to lie down on.
Guifeng was lying on the swaying swing, basking in the sun; his eyes squinted into slits and his face bore an expression of enjoyment.
There would always be some wind even in the hot summer days. When the light breeze came, Guifeng would sway a little more sharply on the swing. At this moment, the pink feathers on its head ruffled in the wing, and he looked extremely cute.
Meng Xiaoni entered with the bowls, “Guifeng, it’s lunchtime.”
Guifeng turned over and looked towards the door, “There’s a ghost downstairs.”
Meng Xiaoni’s heart skipped a beat.
Was Guifeng was talking about Elder Lu?
She set the bowls on the table, “What did you say?”
Guifeng reiterated, “There’s a ghost downstairs.”
Meng Xiaoni looked carefully at the small and cute Guifeng, “You can sense the presence of ghosts?”
Were all animals able to sense spirits, or was Guifeng truly as different and unique as he claimed to be?
Sunlight fell upon Guifeng, and he was dazzling as could be.
He swayed with the wind, and in an ordinary tone, said unordinary words, “Yes. This is a new ghost that has only been dead for a few years. According to the average lifespan of human beings today, it is not considered long-lived.”
After listening, Meng Xiaoni reached out and rubbed Guifeng’s head.
Guifeng narrowed his red eyes and was about to reprimand her, when he heard Meng Xiaoni say, “Don’t tell anyone.”
She smiled, then turned around to leave. When she left her room and was about to close the door, Meng Xiaoni put a finger to her lips, made a shushing motion, and whispered, “I’m going downstairs to help out.”
The door closed.
Guifeng looked quietly at the closed door.
“Human beings tend to discriminate against things they are not familiar with.”
He got up and jumped lightly onto the table and made his way to the two bowls with his little steps. One bowl was filled to the brim with various hot pot items, and the other was filled with diced watermelon.
Judging by Meng Xiaoni’s behaviour just now, she wasn’t rejecting him. Theoretically, she seemed to be afraid of being rejected by him.
In all the years that Guifeng had been a phoenix, no one had ever dared to reject him.
Likewise, no one had ever worried about being rejected by him.
“Humans…”
Guifeng pecked at the watermelon. “…have a really amazing talent for cultivating crops.”
The watermelon was so delicious that Guifeng’s thoughts were suddenly derailed. How could there be such a sweet and juicy watermelon in the human realm? The ghosts of this continent were all gathered in the same underworld, why was there nothing in that garbage underworld?
Once again, Guifeng inwardly condemned the Ten Yamas of the Underworld for the umpteenth time.
At this moment, the unaware Lao Lu was eating hot pot downstairs, his face flushed slightly from eating.
He put in half of the beef slices at one go and swished them about a couple of times. When the blood was gone from the meat, he took them out immediately and piled them in his bowl. This pace of eating was an immense satisfaction to his father’s spirit, who was eating along next to him.
Father Meng also served him a glass of peanut milk.
After the meal, Lao Lu and Elder Lu both slumped back in their chairs, feeling the pleasure of being over full.
For the human Lao Lu, spiciness bloomed on his taste buds and stimulated the pain he was able to feel as a human. When the brain was aware of pain, it would secrete some substances to make one feel a little happier.
If there is something in life that couldn’t be solved with one round of hot pot, then just have another round.
For the ghost Elder Lu, who had not eaten human food for some time, this meal had been a great pleasure. Not to mention, there seemed to be something else in the food. Unfortunately, Elder Lu was now completely unable to discover what it was; he was too ordinary, and his whole mind was occupied with the thought. “I ate hot pot!”.
Father Meng cleared the table, and asked the immobilised Lao Lu proudly, “The hot pot base is delicious, right? My daughter made it recently.”
Lao Lu nodded.
Father Meng and left happily with the rag.
Meng Xiaoni sat down next to Elder Lu, opposite Lao Lu. “Uncle Lu, the store’s design…”.
Lao Lu sat a little straighter, but unfortunately, the bulging belly still felt uncomfortable, protruding.
He tugged on his clothes to attain a more comfortable position, then placed the document folder on the table. “Take a look at my preliminary ideas. I want to see the plumbing and electrical lines on site. The draft of the contract is also inside. As for the costs…”
Hearing this keyword, Meng Xiaoni’s heart leapt.
Lao Lu: “I’ll take a share of the dividends for my design fees. I’ll hire a plumber and electrician, and paint the walls myself. This can reduce the expenses significantly. The amount can be settled monthly after paying the deposit. I’ve made the rough calculations and put it in here.”
Before Meng Xiaoni had the chance to say anything, her parents, who’d been eavesdropping, spoke up, “We have some money, don’t worry, Nini.”
At that, Lao Lu chuckled, “That’s good then. Well, open it and take a look.”
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