The dishes covered the entire table: crisp, tender beef tripe, marbled beef, freshly sliced aorta, hand-pounded shrimp paste, tribute vegetable, tender bamboo shoots, chilled, crunchy duck intestines... They had everything, all the dishes Yang Wanqing had been talking about the whole way there.
"I'm digging in!"
Yang Wanqing's eyes lit up. Without even waiting for the broth to reach a full boil, she grabbed her chopsticks and picked up a huge helping of tripe. Following the "seven up, eight down" rule, she swished it through the broth, coated it in the chili oil, and stuffed it straight into her mouth.
This time, having learned from her last experience of being reduced to tears by the spice, she had prepared sour plum juice in advance. Even so, the authentic Jincheng heat still made her choke and left her eyes red.
She stuck out her tongue and frantically gulped down sour plum juice, yet still cried indistinctly, "So good! It's so good! That heat really hits the spot!"
"Master! Yaoyao! Try this tribute vegetable! It's so crunchy, absolutely amazing!" Yang Wanqing excitedly recommended it as she picked up a chopstickful, a little chili oil still clinging to the corner of her mouth. She looked adorably goofy.
Chen Siyao smiled and took out a tissue, gently wiping the oil from the corner of her mouth with fond exasperation. "Slow down. Nobody's going to steal it from you. Look at you, you've got food all over your face."
Their hot pot meal lasted a full two hours. At last, Yang Wanqing rubbed her rounded belly, leaned back in her chair, and let out a thoroughly satisfied burp.
"That made my whole life worth it!" she said feelingly. "Jincheng hot pot really lives up to its reputation. I'd happily gain ten pounds for this!"
Chen