Time Travel: A Fisherwoman Goes to the Sea to Raise a Baby

Chapter 487 Six-compartment hot pot

Xu Yiyi's gaze lingered on Wen Zaisi for only a moment before she looked away, not bothering to dwell on it.

She looked at Sanchuan and said in a gentle and considerate tone, "The private room at the very back on the second floor was specially reserved for you. It's quiet and has a good view. Please take your husband and classmates up there."

Sanchuan nodded quickly and replied, "Yes, thank you, big sister."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xue Shiyu breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully there were private rooms available; otherwise, he would have had to reconsider having them eat in the main dining area.

Sihai walked briskly at the front, leading the way.

Sanchuan quickly walked to the counter and picked up the teapot.

"Chuan'er, bring me a pot of wine. It's cold today, and I haven't had your eldest sister's wine in a long time. I really miss it."

Xiang Yu spoke casually, with a rare sense of closeness and relaxation.

Having said that, he followed Sihai's footsteps, the fragrance of rice wine still lingering at his nose.

"Brother A Yuan, do you often eat here, sir?" Xue Shiyu asked, puzzled by Xiang Yu's familiar tone.

“Yes! I come here often. Sometimes when I don’t want to go out, Sister Sanchuan will specially cook and bring the food over.” A Yuan replied, “Don’t let the small size of this restaurant fool you, the cooking is excellent. You’ll know once you try it.”

Things will definitely change.

A Yuan is very confident about this.

Xue Shiyu pursed her lips, surprised that her teacher, who came from a noble family, would often come to eat at such a small restaurant.

Just as he was thinking this, he quickly followed.

Wen Zaisi followed Sanchuan upstairs, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

“Sanchuan, may I call you that? I’m so sorry about what happened earlier. It’s just that… I’ve never eaten at such a small restaurant before. Back in Chang’an, it was common for me to spend tens of taels of silver on a meal at a restaurant with my father and brothers, so…”

Before he could finish speaking, Misu was already impatient.

Seeing that Sanchuan was walking slowly with a teapot in one hand and a wine pot in the other, he simply reached out and took the heavy teapot from him, carrying it himself.

His eyes, however, were fixed on the table of customers closest to the counter next to the stairs.

On the table, the hot pot with two broths, red and white, was bubbling away, the rich, spicy aroma mixed with the savory flavor of the bone broth, the steam rising directly onto his face.

He swallowed hard, no longer bothering to listen to Wen Zaisi's explanation.

She quickly tugged at their sleeves with her free hand, urging them in a low, urgent voice, "Oh, stop talking, stop talking! Smell this! It smells amazing! Hurry up and come upstairs to order. I'm starving!"

San Chuan smiled and said, "It's alright."

……

Inside the private room, Sihai was excitedly introducing the six different hot pot bases to Xiang Yu, becoming the busiest little man around.

While Xue Shiyu was still in a daze, the chubby little boy had somehow climbed onto the chair next to Xiang Yu, and even leaned half of his little body against Xiang Yu's arm, stretching out his chubby little hands to count.

Meanwhile, Misu, Wen Zaisi, and A Yuan were also busy, huddled together head to head.

They pointed at the simple menu and excitedly discussed what they wanted to order.

He sat quietly to the side, his gaze fixed on the strange yet harmonious scene before him.

He knew best that Mr. Xiang valued rules and etiquette most highly, and would even scold someone for being improperly dressed in the school.

At this moment, however, he allowed a chubby little boy who knew absolutely no manners to snuggle in his arms and chatter on and on.

His face was no longer stern; instead, he listened attentively to the child with a smile, nodding occasionally and stroking his beard. There was no displeasure on his face, but rather a gentle, indulgent one.

This scene felt completely unfamiliar to him.

Xue Shiyu frowned and pondered for a moment.

Looking at Xiang Yu's smiling eyes and the adorable, chubby little boy in his arms, who was talking enthusiastically, a guess suddenly came to mind.

Yes.

The gentleman is now quite old, has no children or grandchildren, and is far from his hometown.

Looking at the well-behaved and clever little baby in front of you, it's hard not to feel happy.

As a result, all rules and etiquette were thrown to the back of their minds.

Having figured this out, Xue Shiyu nodded slightly, feeling that he had guessed the truth.

"I want to try every single hot pot base you mentioned... but this table is a bit small! Can we fit six tables? Or should we combine them together?" Misu slurped her saliva, her face showing longing.

Sanchuan and Sihai exchanged a glance, their faces beaming with smug smiles.

That's enough. It'll be a waste if you can't finish it.

Wen Zaisi snorted and snatched the menu from his hand.

"Don't worry, except for the coconut chicken hot pot which is temporarily unavailable, all six other soup bases are available," Sanchuan said confidently.

Then she asked, "Have you ordered yet? I see you've ordered quite a lot... We can add more later if it's not enough."

With that, he took the order and left the private room.

Before long, he returned with a young man.

The young man steadily held a specially made large copper pot in his hands, which was larger than the ones ordered on the first floor below.

Everyone's attention was drawn to it, especially Misu, who craned her neck to look behind her and found that there was only one pot.

"Just one? Didn't they say we could have six soup bases at once? Are we supposed to finish one before switching to another? When will that even happen?"

As he spoke, the young man placed the pot in the center of the table.

The others, including Xiang Yu, also looked puzzled.

Seeing their eager expressions, San Chuan smiled and, without keeping them in suspense, gently lifted the lid of the large copper pot.

Immediately, a more complex and layered aroma rose up.

Inside the large pot, it was ingeniously divided into six identical compartments, like a miniature city!

Five of the compartments already contain soup bases of different colors and aromas.

The soup is bright red and glistening with oil, the seafood soup is milky white and rich, the rice porridge base is thick and creamy, the sour soup is golden in color, the mushroom soup is garnished with mushrooms, and the clear soup is refreshing and mellow.

"This is..." Xue Shiyu couldn't help but lean forward slightly when he saw the strange pot.

“This is a pot specially made by my eldest sister. It’s called a six-compartment hot pot,” Sanchuan said, pointing to the pot with a hint of pride in his voice. “You can taste all six kinds of soup bases at once. You can put whatever you want to cook in whichever compartment it is, and the flavors won’t mix.”

"See? I wasn't lying to you, was I? You can eat everything in one go."

Everyone looked on with curiosity.

Sihai quickly stood up and explained to them what each compartment represented.

The charcoal fire in the small stove was burning brightly, and the aroma instantly wafted to everyone's noses, filling the small private room.

Misu swallowed hard, watching longingly.

Just when he was about to lose his temper, the kitchen staff finally brought up the ingredients they had ordered.

The presentation was exquisite, and it was personally delivered by Xu Yiyi.

As soon as she opened the door and came in, the warmth and fragrance hit her first.

However, what first caught her eye was a particularly eye-catching chubby little boy across from her.

Sihai sat on the table, his little head barely protruding above the surface.

Two little hands tightly held a small bowl that belonged to her alone, painted with a fat carp. Her chubby chin rested on the edge of the table, and her big, dark eyes were staring unblinkingly at the bubbling pot in front of her.

She shook her head helplessly.

"Didn't you already eat? Are you hungry again so soon?"

She placed the plate on the table, looked at Sihai's face, which had become even rounder, and said with a helpless tone.

A while ago, I punished him by not letting him eat meat, thinking it would help him lose two pounds.

Who would have thought that when weighed, not a single pound was missing, and in fact, two pounds had been gained.

It turned out that during those few days, the little brat would often sneak into the kitchen to grab food when things got busy, and his mouth never stopped moving.

Thank goodness he didn't take it directly from the dishes served to the guests, otherwise she would have given him a good beating.

Sihai had just picked up his chopsticks when he immediately put them down, puffed out his cheeks, and said in a self-righteous tone, "I only had seafood hot pot and congee for lunch. I haven't tried any other flavors yet. I want to try them... is that not allowed?"

Xu Yi looked at him with a smile in her eyes, without saying a word.

The child became even more anxious when he saw her like this, and simply started to throw a tantrum.

He twisted his chubby little bottom on the bench, turning his whole body around and leaving everyone with only his puffed-up back of his head.

This childish and adorable little face instantly made everyone laugh.

"Eat! You can have some, but you can only taste it, you can't eat too much."

Xu Yiyi patted his head and only left the private room after seeing him smile.

He immediately brought up his personal high stool.

"Sit on the stool, don't climb on the table," Xu Yiyi said, setting up the stool and placing the child inside.

"Sanchuan, keep an eye on him, don't let him eat too much."

Xu Yi patted Sanchuan on the shoulder, then said a few words to Xiang Yu before going downstairs to attend to other matters.

……

"Sanchuan, why does your eldest sister look even colder than Xue Shiyu? She's so fierce." Wen Zaisi felt guilty when she saw Xu Yiyi and only dared to speak after the other person left.

He leaned closer to Sanchuan, lowered his voice, and asked with a mixture of curiosity and lingering fear, "Is she usually very strict with you?"

He recalled Xu Yifang's calm gaze just now and still felt a little scared. He couldn't help but continue to ask, "If... if you don't do well, or if you don't listen, will she scold you? Or... will she hit your hands?"

No sooner had he said that than Sihai, who was sitting next to him, snorted: "You're not allowed to talk about my older sister like that!"

Misu and Xue Shiyu also looked over curiously.

San Chuan quickly reached out and gently pressed Si Hai, who almost jumped off the bench, back into his seat, patting his back lightly as if to comfort him.

After his younger brother sat back down, Sanchuan began to explain in a serious tone: "My older sister may seem a bit aloof, but she never scolds us, much less hits us."

He saw the obvious disbelief in Wen Zaisi's eyes.

She quickly continued, "No matter how difficult things are at home, my eldest sister shoulders them all by herself. She has to run the restaurant, take care of our food, drink, and clothing, and deal with all sorts of things outside. She just... just puts all her energy into supporting this family, so she looks a little tired and quiet, not stern."

He paused, recalling the barely concealed fear Wen Zaisi had shown when speaking of his father at the academy, and added, his voice soft yet resolute:

“My eldest sister and your father… are perhaps different. When she punishes us, the most she does is make us do more work, or like Sihai, she punishes him by not letting him eat meat. But everything she does is for our own good. I understand, Sihai understands, my second sister who is a traveling doctor understands, and Wuyuan will understand when he grows up.”

Wen Zaisi listened, stunned for a long while, looking at Sanchuan's serious expression.

He awkwardly touched his nose and muttered, "Oh...I see."

"Don't worry, Third Brother! When I'm a little older and more capable, Eldest Sister won't be so tired."

The child, with a fish ball stuck in his chopsticks, took a bite and said in a pretentious tone.

Actually, none of them knew that the original owner of this body loved to laugh, but Xu Yiyi herself was naturally aloof and didn't like to laugh.

When Xu Yiyi transmigrated, her family had just experienced a major upheaval. They had barely recovered when she started tinkering with this and that again.

I'm so tired every day that I don't even have the energy to speak.

This is what led to such a beautiful misunderstanding.

"Hey, stop talking, or Brother Yuan will eat all the meat."

Misu's interruption instantly broke the delicate atmosphere in the private room, making it lively again.

The group immediately turned their attention back to the six-compartment hot pot in front of them, exclaiming in admiration and gasping for breath from the spiciness.

Xiang Yu sat in the main seat, slowly sipping the warm rice wine, a contented smile on his face.

He doesn't intervene in the minor disagreements or discussions between students, but lets them get along and resolve things on their own.

He heard Sanchuan's words defending Xu Yiyi, but did not comment on them; only a hint of approval flashed in his eyes.

At such a young age, he was able to understand the hardships his older sister faced in managing the household. He spoke with great respect for her, explaining things in a humble yet assertive manner. This kind of character and understanding made him feel much more gratified than simply memorizing a few articles.

Looking at the child's composed demeanor, he nodded inwardly, then casually picked up a perfectly cooked mushroom with his chopsticks and placed it into Sihai's small bowl.

Xue Shiyu observed closely and naturally noticed the changes in her teacher.

He glanced at it casually, then turned his attention back to the pot in front of him.

This six-compartment hot pot meal truly broadened the horizons of the young masters.

Xue Shiyu has a limited tolerance for spicy foods.

He was always cautious when it came to food, so he first picked up a slice of radish from the clear soup pot and found it to be quite delicious.

Finally, unable to resist Misu's encouragement, he tentatively picked up a piece of fish from the spicy compartment, dipped it in just a little bit of chili oil, and put it in his mouth.

The next moment his face turned red, and he coughed repeatedly from the spiciness, quickly gulping down a large mouthful of plum juice.

When I caught my breath, cold sweat had already broken out on my forehead, and I didn't dare touch the spicy hot pot broth after that.

Misu, on the other hand, was the complete opposite.

The moment it entered my mouth, I was completely captivated by its spicy and savory flavor.

His eyes widened as he ate, hissing and gasping for breath from the spiciness, his lips quickly turning red and swollen. He didn't slow down his eating, mumbling between mouthfuls, "So satisfying! So incredibly satisfying! Sanchuan, your spicy hot pot is so delicious! Why didn't you invite me here before?"

There was still a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.

The thought of missing out on so many delicious foods makes my heart bleed.

"We didn't have a pot before; we only got one today."

As Sanchuan spoke, he noticed an empty compartment and immediately poured the vegetables into it.

Wen Zaisi prefers sour soup and mushroom soup.

The sour soup was appetizing and refreshing, while the mushroom soup was delicious and mellow, both of which suited his stomach perfectly, and he ate with frequent nods of approval.

The reactions of the group varied after the meal.

Without exception, everyone ate until their bellies were round, completely convinced of the novel hot pot feast at Wufu Restaurant.