An array of fresh vegetables, mushrooms, beef, fish, and shrimp — somewhat different from the dishes of modern times, but still far beyond anything Feng Jiu’er could have expected.
Looking at the spread of food on the table beside her, every cell in Feng Jiu’er’s body felt as though it was swelling with anticipation.
“Jiu’er.” Zhao Yusheng looked up at her and reached for a cloth napkin nearby, wiping his hands.
“Jiu’er, come have a look — how does this hot pot seem to you?”
Inside the tent, besides Zhao Yusheng, were two of his brothers.
None of them quite knew what sort of affair this meal was supposed to be, but seeing the delighted smile at the corners of Feng Jiu’er’s lips, both brothers were in high spirits.
“Young mas—”
One of the brothers had barely gotten the first syllable out when Zhao Yusheng let out a heavy, pointed cough.
Receiving a pointed look, the brother immediately corrected himself: “Miss Jiu’er.”
“Miss Jiu’er.” The other brother called out as well, smiling warmly.
Feng Jiu’er’s stomach was already growling — she had no attention to spare for whatever they had nearly called her.
“Zhao Yusheng, this is actually something.” Feng Jiu’er licked her lips, all but drooling. “Not bad at all!”
She picked up her chopsticks and lifted a live, wriggling shrimp from the plate, then asked: “Where did these come from? Did you find a water source?”
“That’s right, Miss Jiu’er! There’s a small stream in the woods behind the mountain to the right. It’s a bit of a distance, but the water quality is excellent — and there are fish and shrimp.”
“Miss Jiu’er, rest assured. Young Master said the water flows down from the mountain, and the fish and shrimp are fresh and lively — completely safe.”
Once one of the brothers started talking, he found it hard to stop.
“Young Master also had us brothers follow the stream all the way upstream to guard the water source and prevent the enemy from taking advantage.”
“Miss Jiu’er, don’t you think our Young Master is exceptionally thorough? And when he heard you liked greens and mushrooms, he nearly scoured an entire—”
Zhao Yusheng coughed again, cutting the brother’s story short.
He gave the talkative brother a look, then went over to arrange a few chairs.
“Jiu’er, come sit and try it — see how it tastes. I also minced some chili. You mentioned you like dipping in chili, and as it turns out, we actually managed to find some.”
Seeing that everything before her was fresh and real, Feng Jiu’er was genuinely overwhelmed with excitement.
She was actually getting to eat hot pot. It was almost too extraordinary to believe!
“Wonderful.” She nodded.
Seeing her nod, not only Zhao Yusheng but both brothers as well let out a collective breath of relief.
“We’re so glad Miss Jiu’er is pleased. You don’t know the half of it—”
The talkative brother’s voice started up again, but Zhao Yusheng gave him no opening this time.
“Go and invite the others in for the meal.”
Could this fellow not see that he was putting unnecessary pressure on Jiu’er?
The brother caught the reproachful look in Zhao Yusheng’s eyes and seemed to finally understand.
“Right away, Young Master — I’ll go now.” The moment the words were out, he turned and left.
Even the remaining brother glanced between the two of them, smiled, and made his way out of the tent as well.
Feng Jiu’er settled into the chair beside the fire and picked up a pair of specially made long chopsticks from the table.
They were long and thick — clearly crafted in haste, just from the look of them.
“Jiu’er, try the fish and shrimp — they’re wonderfully fresh.”
Feng Jiu’er eyed the spread of ingredients, licking her lips, but didn’t move to take anything.
“Let’s wait for everyone to arrive first.”
She licked her lips again, then looked up at Zhao Yusheng.
“By the way, is there anything I can help with?”
Even without the brothers saying so, she knew that putting together a meal like this was no small feat.
Zhao Yusheng — this man was really too good to her. She had only said it offhandedly.
Everyone had found the term “hot pot” amusingly novel and asked several questions about it, and this fellow had actually taken it all in — and even prepared it for the whole group.
Such a thoughtful man made Feng Jiu’er impulsively want to introduce Qiao Mu to him.
Qiao Mu was a wonderful girl, and she deserved a good man to cherish her. But then again, Feng Jiu’er had been trying to nudge every good man she came across in Qiao Mu’s direction — would Qiao Mu end up wanting to strangle her for it?
Feng Jiu’er smiled faintly and put the thought aside. Besides, Qiao Mu still seemed to be hung up on Yanu.
She was so devoted to one person — Feng Jiu’er couldn’t help feeling worried for her. Given Yanu’s circumstances, he might spend his entire life unable to live for himself. How could someone like that ever give Qiao Mu happiness?
“Mmm, what is that incredible smell?!” Qiao Mu’s voice carried into the tent before she even appeared.
“Young Master — what delicious thing have you made for your lady this time?”
Qiao Mu stepped inside, glancing between the two with an amused smile and raised eyebrows.
Feng Jiu’er turned and gave her a look, frowning slightly.
Zhao Yusheng smiled contentedly and did not bother to deny anything.
“Jiu’er mentioned she had a craving for hot pot, and we had some time on our hands, so I put this together.”
“Some time on your hands?” Qiao Mu stepped closer and swept her gaze over the spread of food on the table.
She looked up at Zhao Yusheng for a moment, then shifted her gaze to Feng Jiu’er.
“After keeping busy all this time, isn’t today supposed to be his rest day? Young Master must have extraordinary stamina — apparently he doesn’t even need rest.”
“Jiu’er, you’d better treasure this properly.”
In the encampment, unless the battle was at its most desperate, everyone was given a day of rest in rotation — that was a rule Feng Jiu’er had newly drawn up for the army.
A person must be well-rested to perform at their best.
Feng Jiu’er extended her long chopsticks and prodded Qiao Mu with the tips.
“Miss Qiao, it seems you’re really looking for trouble today, aren’t you?”
“Mm.” Qiao Mu nodded. “A little bit, yes.”
The moment the words left her mouth, she too grabbed a pair of the specially made long chopsticks and — with a sharp clack — crossed them against Feng Jiu’er’s.
Zhao Yusheng kept smiling. He picked up the cloth napkin and walked over to lift the pot lid.
“The sides of the hot pot are very hot. All I could have the brothers find were long tree branches, stripped of bark. You’ll have to make do. But there aren’t many to go around, so if you two want to duel, save it for after the meal.”
The lid came off the pot, and waves of rich meaty fragrance rolled out. Neither Feng Jiu’er nor Qiao Mu had any interest left in sparring.
They both turned to look at the bubbling pot, and Feng Jiu’er let out a loud, audible swallow.
“Zhao Yusheng, what kind of meat did you put in? How is it this fragrant?”
“Dried beef. Everyone has been eating travel rations for so long. Fresh meat is limited, so I thought I’d start by simmering some dried beef in the pot.” Zhao Yusheng replied gently.
“The fragrance is incredible — I’m not holding back.” Feng Jiu’er stood, grabbed a bowl, and casually picked up a few stalks of vegetables.
She used the long chopsticks to stir the vegetables around in the pot for a moment, then pulled them out and managed — with some difficulty — to get them into the bowl.
The chopsticks went back in, and Feng Jiu’er fished out a piece of dried beef that had been simmered to a deeply fragrant tenderness and placed it in the bowl.
She held the bowl up for a sniff, and in that moment forgot there was anyone else in the tent beside her.
“Jiu’er, don’t hold yourself back — we still have plenty of dried beef. Once it’s all eaten, we can add more.”
Zhao Yusheng watched Feng Jiu’er, the smile at the corners of his mouth deepening.
Feng Jiu’er set down the long chopsticks, picked up a regular pair from the table, and settled herself in her chair.
“I am truly not holding back! It smells too good — I think I could eat three full bowls.”