Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 426 This way of eating is really good, delicious and addictive

When he took off his hood, everyone could see clearly that it was actually Qixi.

Qi Xi saw that everyone was eating and said with a smile: "You guys had dinner very early today."

Having said that, he bowed and greeted everyone.

Li smiled and said, "It's snowing, so there aren't many customers. We'll close early for dinner."

"It's snowing right now. Why are you here instead of staying in the county government office?"

Qi Xi said, "The young master asked me to come here and tell Miss Shen that if the snow doesn't stop tonight, we will have a banquet at the restaurant tomorrow afternoon to get together with my classmates."

"Then, in the evening, we will go to Green Cloud Garden in the suburbs to enjoy the plum blossoms in the snow and write poems."

Everyone knew that Lu Lang was going to hold a banquet at the restaurant, but the date had not yet been decided.

Hearing Qixi say this today, Shen Yu quickly agreed and asked how many people there were and what flavors each of them liked.

Qi Xi stared at the red spicy hot pot on the table and answered absentmindedly, "I heard that there are four of us including the young master, and our tastes are similar to the young master's."

"What is the name of this soup you guys are eating today? It's a little different from the usual soup base."

Li and the others knew that Qixi loved to eat, so they greeted him without any hesitation: "We had dinner early today. Have you had dinner yet?"

"Why don't you sit down and eat some with us? You'll know after you taste it."

Qi Xi came here after having some snack with Lu Lang in the afternoon. He hadn’t had dinner yet.

However, Lu Lang told him not to stay in the restaurant too long so as not to cause trouble to Miss Shen's family.

Qi Xi knew it very well. She knew that Lu Lang said this because he wanted to eat at the restaurant but was always unable to do so.

The young master has to help his master with work and also prepare for next year's examination, so he spends most of his time staying in the county government office every day.

Although sometimes I would send myself to pack some food to take home, the food would never be as delicious as the one that was reheated and served to the table right after it left the stove in the restaurant.

What's more, Miss Shen has a large family and it's lively and it's much more comfortable than eating in the cold big kitchen in the county government office.

Qi Xi hesitated for a while, unable to decide whether to stay and eat or listen to Lu Lang's instructions and go back quickly after delivering the message.

Yucheng and Dundun saw that he was staring at the pot, and it was obvious that he wanted to eat it.

The two men hurried forward, holding him from the left and right, and pressed him on the chair and said, "Brother Qixi, this is called spicy hot pot, it tastes very delicious, come and sit down and try it, I guarantee you will like it too."

Qi Xi was originally reluctant to leave this place full of laughter and steam, so he took the opportunity to sit down immediately.

Yucheng was chattering away telling him how to eat it, but Dundun had already run over and got a set of bowl and chopsticks and placed them in front of him.

Fortunately, the dining table in this big kitchen was originally very large, so everyone could still sit down if they squeezed together.

Because there were so many people, the ingredients were prepared in sufficient quantities.

Even if we have another 7-Up, it will be enough to eat.

Qi Xi listened carefully to Yu Cheng's words and said with a smile, "This sounds like a good way to eat. No matter who comes to eat, they can enjoy the dishes and flavors they like."

"Then I'll try it for the young master. If it tastes good, Miss Shen will make this as the main dish tomorrow."

As he said that, he started to do it himself. He first put a chicken meatball into the spicy pot, and then put a piece of fried tofu in it.

Chicken meatballs are very easy to cook and they are cooked in just a few moments.

He scooped up the Qixi and put it in his own bowl, and dipped it in some of the sour and fragrant garlic paste that Yucheng had already prepared for him and placed in front of him.

After taking just a small bite, his eyes widened and he exclaimed that it was so delicious and satisfying to eat like this.

After saying that, he didn't care about the burnt mouth and rolled the whole chicken meatball in his small condiment dish again and ate the whole thing into his mouth.

Seeing that he also liked the meal, Li was happy and asked everyone to continue eating.

Yucheng and Dundun piled all the delicious ingredients they thought were delicious in front of Qixi, and were busy filling various dipping sauces for him so that he could taste them all.

Although Qixi joined in halfway, after being encouraged by Yucheng and Dundun, he ate no less than the others.

He ate so much that his face was smiling and his belly was full.

Finally, he couldn't eat any more, so he put down his chopsticks and said to Li with a look of regret: "Madam, I wish I were your servant."

"I work in the kitchen with Miss Shen every day and eat with everyone. I wake up laughing in my dreams."

Qi Xi had been living in the restaurant with Yu Cheng and Dun Dun for almost a month because he had followed Shen Yu to work on the canal. Li had already regarded him as one of her own.

Seeing Qixi's regretful face, he comforted her, "Your young master will surely pass the imperial examination someday and become a high-ranking official. Your worth will also increase exponentially, and there will be many good days waiting for you."

"Working in a small restaurant like ours, preparing food and drinks all day long, at best you can only be a cook, there's no comparison."

Qi Xi pursed his lips, these words sounded almost exactly the same as what his father, the chef, said.

He also knew that everyone was doing this for his own good, so he stopped talking about it and said with a smile, "Miss Shen, this spicy hot pot tastes really good, not as bland as the usual hot pot."

"It's really delicious when it's cold and snowy like now."

"I'll tell the young master when I get back that this should be the main dish for tomorrow. I guarantee they'll like it, too."

Shen Yu agreed with a smile. Qi Xi saw that it was getting late, so he hurriedly said goodbye and left.

Everyone had almost finished eating, and seeing that the snow was about to get heavier, they quickly got together to clean up the kitchen.

At this time, Xiaobao had already eaten his fill and Xiaozhuzi was playing on the side.

Seeing that it was still snowing, Mrs. Li was afraid that the child would be cold if she went back in the snow after dinner, so she asked Xiaobao to stay and sleep with Xiaozhuzi, and she could come and pick him up tomorrow when the snow stopped.

On weekdays, the two children often played and slept together, and would not cry or make a fuss because they were away from their parents. Zhou Dalang and his wife thanked them and went home with an umbrella.

The north wind stopped, and the snow fell all night long.

It was not until breakfast time the next day that the snow gradually stopped falling. A thick layer of snow had accumulated on the streets, and everything was covered in silver.

The snow in the yard had already been cleared to create a path.

Yucheng and his friend didn't have to go to school today, so they got up early in the morning to sweep the snow. They also used the swept snow to make a strange snow sculpture in the shape of a puppy by the well.

The snow in front of the store also needs to be swept to prevent customers from falling on the slippery road.

There were not many customers coming to eat this morning. Apart from the shop owner and the waiters, there were people living nearby who bought hot buns and packed them up to take home.

The market was also deserted. Apart from people sweeping snow on the street outside the entrance, there were no pedestrians passing by.

Everyone worked together to sweep the snow in front of the store clean, and then laid two pieces of sackcloth on the steps at the door to prevent slipping before stopping.