Aruk originally intended to sneak in and steal a piece of dried venison.
But as he stood by the central platform, watching Su Wei's fluid and skillful knife work, he was completely dumbfounded.
He held a half-eaten piece of smoked fish in his hand, his mouth half-open, having forgotten to chew.
"Dude..." Aruk swallowed, his voice a little hoarse, "When did you go to culinary school? Or were you possessed by some Michelin- starred chef?"
He had never seen such knife skills in the town's most upscale seafood restaurant.
When those chefs were cutting meat, their expressions were as if they were fighting with a cow.
Su Wei meat was like playing the piano, incredibly elegant.
Su Wei didn't stop; with a gentle flick of the knife tip, he precisely removed a piece of excess white fascia.
"Talent."
Without looking up, he replied, a slight smile playing on his lips, and casually pushed the plate of sliced beef, piled high like a small mountain, in front of Aruk.
"Take it out. Be careful, don't eat any, it's raw meat, unless you want to get diarrhea."
Aruk picked up the plate with the utmost care, as if it were a sacred decree.
Looking at the tempting pile of reddish-brown slices of meat on the plate, he couldn't help but sniff. "This meat looks even more tender than my cousin's new girlfriend's face... Su Wei, you're a genius."
"Get lost," Su Wei said with a laugh.
Without stopping, he dismembered the red-eyed snow crab that Cartier had brought, processing it simply.
Then, arrange them neatly on a plate.
With the last plate of fresh vegetables, still glistening with water droplets, washed and packed into a basket, the main event of the evening finally began.
Su Wei came out carrying the huge stainless steel double-compartment pot.
On one side of the pot was a milky white bone broth, with red dates and goji berries bubbling around. This was to cater to Emily, who doesn't eat spicy food, and the elderly, providing a gentle and nourishing broth.
On the other side, there's a spicy red oil soup that makes your scalp tingle just by looking at it, yet also makes your mouth water.
(refer to)
That was made by Su Wei using a special butter base, with plenty of Sichuan peppercorns and dried chili peppers added.
The pot was placed on a portable gas stove, and as the temperature rose, the butter melted, creating a bubbling, red-hot display.
A powerful aroma burst forth instantly.
Spicy, rich, savory, and full-bodied.
The smell quickly filled the cabin, penetrating every nostril.
The women who were chatting stopped talking and turned to look at them in surprise.
Old Kash, who was studying the antlers, took a deep breath, coughed from the pungent smell, but his eyes shone with an alarming light—a primal craving for heat and flavor.
Even Black, who had been keeping his eyes closed and pretending to be deep in thought, subtly moved his Adam's apple and opened his eyes to stare at the pot of red soup.
For Alaska who are used to eating undercooked roast meat and bland stews, this was a shock from Eastern culinary culture.
"What... what is this smell? It smells so good, but it also seems dangerous." Emily leaned closer curiously, her blue eyes filled with surprise, her eyes slightly narrowed by the pungent aroma.
"Chinese hot pot."
Su Wei placed the pot steadily in the center of the old square table.
The red broth was bubbling, occasionally bursting with bubbles, and the rising steam blurred everyone's faces, casting a warm filter over the little house.
"In this godforsaken place, nothing makes you feel alive more than a hot pot," Su Wei said with a smile.
He gestured for everyone to take their seats.
Five rough tree stumps, chopped by the Su Wei's own hands, formed a circle. Although simple, it possessed a primitive, wild beauty. Surprisingly, it didn't feel crowded; instead, it made people feel close to it.
Everyone sat around the stove, with howling wind and snow outside the window and bubbling red soup inside.
The extreme contrast between cold and heat made everyone's pores cheer.
Aruk eagerly picked up the chopsticks, which Su Wei had forcibly shoved into his hand.
Although he held the chopsticks like he was grabbing drumsticks, it didn't diminish the greed in his eyes.
"Don't rush."
Su Wei smiled, pressed his hand down, picked up a freshly opened bottle of single cask whisky, and poured the amber liquid into everyone's glasses.
The aroma of wine and hot pot mingled together, creating a truly intoxicating flavor.
Then, he raised his glass, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.
From his strict, fatherly mentor Black, to his kind and devoted best friend Aruk, to his childhood sweetheart Emily, and the Kash couple who gave him warmth and care.
Just two weeks ago, he was a destitute young man with nowhere to turn.
Now, he has confidence, friends, and the warmth of home.
"Salute to the blizzard," Su Wei said softly, his voice low but firm.
"We're grateful that we can still sit here, with meat to eat and wine to drink."
Cheers to this damn life.
Black was the first to raise his glass, a rare, faint smile appearing on his usually stern face, as he clinked glasses with Su Wei.
The glasses clinked together, making a crisp "clink" sound.
"Cheers!"
The cheers of the crowd drowned out the sound of the wind outside the window.
Su Wei tilted his head back and drank the strong liquor. The spicy liquid burned down his throat and into his stomach, like a fire that instantly ignited the blood in his entire body.
He picked up his chopsticks, took a slice of beef as thin as a cicada's wing, and gently placed it into the bubbling red oil.
"Up and down," he muttered to himself.
The slices of meat instantly changed color and curled up, soaking up the bright red broth.
Su Wei put the slice of meat into her mouth, and the hot, tender, and spicy flavor exploded on her tongue.
"Phew~"
This is life.
This is the little plot of land he truly desires.
Chapter 113 Explosive Deliciousness, Bear Hunting? (4800 words - Bonus Chapter! Please Subscribe!)
The piping hot slices of meat exploded on the tip of the tongue.
There was no fishy or gamey smell at all; only the aroma of butter and the savory flavor of numbing spiciness spread in the mouth.
Su Wei chewed twice. The creamy aroma of the top-grade beef mixed with the savory flavor of the beef tallow broth slid down his esophagus, and a warm feeling rose from his stomach, instantly spreading throughout his body and dispelling the chill of the long night.
Cool!
This is the life we should be living.
Su Wei exhaled a breath of hot air, glancing at his side out of the corner of his eye.
"Hot! Hot! Hot! My tongue!"
Aruk, that simpleton, has absolutely no idea what "up and down" means.
This guy, who was as big as a brown bear, dumped half a plate of meat into the red soup. Before it even boiled again, he hurriedly scooped up a large spoonful, along with a few peppercorns and ginger slices, and stuffed it into his mouth.
He grimaced from the heat, fanning himself with his large hands to try and dispel the steam, his features contorted in pain.
Aruk, however, was reluctant to spit it out.
The aroma, mingled with the allure of butter, forced him to swallow the scalding hot meat.
Then, the numbing and spicy aftereffects kicked in.
"Water! God, is this lava?! Su Wei, did you put gunpowder in the pot?"
Aruk's face turned bright red, and the veins on his neck bulged. He grabbed the ice-cold beer next to him and gulped down more than half of it.
The icy liquor washed over his burning esophagus, the contrast of hot and cold causing him to let out a loud burp. He slumped against the tree stump, his eyes glazed and satisfied.
"Ha!"
Aruk slammed the bottle down on the table, wiping the red grease from his lips. "Damn, this stuff is amazing! Ten times stronger than the suicide hot sauce at that Mexican restaurant in town, but I can't stop! This pain... it's addictive!"
Compared to Aruk's disheveled appearance, Emily was much more refined, but the light in her eyes was no less intense.
She imitated Su Wei, picked up a piece of meat, carefully dipped it in the red soup, counted the seconds, scooped it out, and then rolled it in the sesame sauce that Su Wei had specially prepared for her.
Entrance.
Emily's beautiful eyebrows instantly relaxed.
The rich sesame paste neutralizes the sharpness of the spiciness, while preserving the savory aroma and meat juices to the greatest extent.
"Delicious... the flavor is so complex, the layers of taste are so rich."
She didn't bother wiping the fine beads of sweat from her forehead; her chopsticks reached for the bright red snow crab leg in the pot.
The usually aloof polar girl had no time to maintain her composure, as Aruk's chopsticks were rapidly devouring the food in the pot, showing absolutely no martial spirit.