Hot Pot Is the Greatest Invention in the World.jpg

Chisa was the first to finish putting her room in order.

She had only recently arrived here, and when she left the apartment, she hadn't had much to bring. Aside from the three essentials of modern life, she had only brought a few changes of clothes and some crudely made Bozai dolls.

She came out of her room and went downstairs to the living room, where she spotted Xiao Ling standing in front of the open refrigerator, lost in thought.

"Senior, did you run into a problem?" Chisa asked as she walked over to him.

"I did." Xiao Ling frowned slightly. "A very serious problem."

Hearing him say that, and seeing how serious he looked, Chisa realized the problem really must be grave. She was ready to help him with it at a moment's notice.

"I was wondering... what are we eating tonight?"

With that one sentence, Chisa let out the breath she had been holding.

"Senior, you really didn't have to joke about that," Chisa said reproachfully. But she was genuinely relieved, too. As long as it wasn't anything serious, all was well.

"I thought you'd like it."

Like it, my foot! Chisa couldn't help breaking into a sweat at her senior's unusual sense of humor.

"Hmm... there's plenty of food in the fridge, but I can't be bothered to cook a whole tableful of dishes myself."

After all, he had been out for most of the day, and the sun had already set by the time he got home. In the past, he probably would have made do with takeout or instant noodles.

But bringing five beautiful girls home and treating them to takeout or instant noodles would be a little too halfhearted, wouldn't it? Xiao Ling suddenly felt as if Grandma Lin's mighty weapon was beckoning to him.

Just then, Xiao Ling spotted the beef brisket he had stuffed into a corner of the fridge a few days ago, and an idea immediately came to him.

"How about we have hot pot tonight?" Xiao Ling suggested.

"I don't mind, but Dania and Sigrika seem like they aren't very good with spicy food."

While enjoying the food at lunch, Chisa had also been observing everyone else's eating habits. Although the two close friends hadn't shown it very obviously, they clearly weren't fond of spicy food.

"Of course I'm not making a spicy broth. I'm making beef hot pot."

As an outstanding representative of modern Chaoshan food culture, beef hot pot emphasized ingredients, knife work, and cooking time. Most importantly, it wasn't spicy, so Dania and Sigrika could enjoy it too.

Xiao Ling checked the time. It was nearly six in the evening; if he started simmering the broth now, there should still be enough time.

"I'll help you out, just like at lunch." Chisa once again volunteered to assist Xiao Ling. She had even rolled up the sleeves of her uniform long ago.

"I feel a little bad asking you to keep helping, but I'll have to trouble you, Chisa. There are a lot of ingredients to prepare and plate, and I can't manage it all by myself." Xiao Ling smiled a little awkwardly.

"It's fine. I can take the opportunity to learn how to make beef hot pot." Chisa didn't mind at all. She could help her senior and learn something herself, so why not?

Besides, since they were all living under the same roof, it was only right to share the work, even when it came to something as ordinary as preparing dinner.

"Done!"

Lynae looked at the bedroom, now filled with doodles and photographs, and felt a small sense of accomplishment.

She had rearranged the somewhat plain-looking bedroom to match her dorm room at Star Torch Academy exactly.

Now the bedroom was filled with Lynae's style from corner to corner, and she was quite satisfied with it.

"Oh, right, this photo too!"

Lynae placed the group photo with Grandma Lin and the others in the most prominent spot in the room.

To her, it was her first and most precious memory since coming to this world, and she had to treasure it.

After finishing everything, Lynae opened the bedroom door and stepped out. The aroma of meat mingled with the savory fragrance of clear broth instantly stole her senses away.

She bounded down the stairs three steps at a time, then turned her head and saw Xiao Ling and Chisa preparing dinner for everyone in the spacious kitchen.

Come to think of it, standing together like that, the two really did look like a husband and wife working in harmony.

"Oh, Lynae, that was quick." Xiao Ling spotted Lynae, who had wandered into the kitchen at some point and was now roaming around, and immediately recruited her as an unpaid taste tester. "Here, see what you think of this soup."

Lynae took the bowl of freshly made beef soup Xiao Ling handed her and couldn't wait to scoop up a spoonful and put it in her mouth.

"Ow, hot, hot, hot..." Lynae successfully burned her tongue on the freshly made beef soup. "But it's really delicious!"

"So what are you making? Why did you suddenly start simmering soup?"

"Beef hot pot," Xiao Ling answered. "Everyone in the alley gave us quite a lot of ingredients. If we stir-fried them, we wouldn't get through them anytime soon, so hot pot is just right."

"Hot pot? I've heard of it, but I've never tried it. I can't wait! Is there anything else you need help with? I'll lend a hand too!" Lynae was really looking forward to the hot pot, and she eagerly asked Xiao Ling if there was anything else she could do.

Seeing how enthusiastic Lynae was, Xiao Ling asked her to carry the plated ingredients to the dining table one by one.

The next to come downstairs were the close friends Sigrika and Dania.

The moment Dania smelled the meat in the air, she hopped over like a rabbit.

"What delicious food are you making now?" With her hands behind her back, Dania leaned forward and watched Xiao Ling at the stove without taking her eyes off him.

"Want to know?" Xiao Ling glanced at the little glutton beside him and used his chopsticks to fish a piece of cooked beef brisket out of the broth. "Open up!"

Dania looked at the brisket held before her, blew gently on it twice with her little mouth, then opened wide and swallowed it.

Her cheeks puffed out slightly like a hamster's, and she gave Xiao Ling a thumbs-up as she chewed.

"Sigrika, want a piece?" Xiao Ling was enjoying himself and planned to feed the mandarin orange too.

"Ah, no need, Senior! I can do it myself!" Sigrika was still quite reserved; being fed like that was just too embarrassing!

After sampling Xiao Ling's cooking, the two close friends went to help Lynae set the table and lay out the utensils. Dania had originally wanted to slack off, but her best friend insisted on dragging her along.

Aemeath, on the other hand, was the last to come down. She seemed to have taken a short nap and still looked a little sleepy and hazy.

"Is it time to eat?" Seeing everyone busy, Aemeath spoke in a soft, sweet voice.

"Yeah, you woke up right on time." Xiao Ling poured the finished broth into a pot and placed it on the induction cooker, which had long been sitting obediently in the center of the dining table.

Aemeath immediately went over and used her hand to waft the savory aroma rising from the pot toward her. "Mmm~ smells so good. I bet it'll be delicious."

(Thus, the work is complete, and all has been said... sorry, wrong channel.)

In any case, once the star of tonight's show had returned to its loyal dining table, everyone sat down around it, ready to eat.

With a click, Xiao Ling opened a can of fizzy otaku happiness, and the girls followed suit. The sound of cans opening rang out one after another.

"Come on, everyone, here's to a brighter tomorrow!" Xiao Ling raised his fizzy otaku happiness high.

"To tomorrow!"

The cans clinked together, and the gathering that meant reunion and a new life officially began.

"By the way, how do we eat this?"

Dania looked at the slice of beef on her chopsticks, as thin as a cicada's wing, and wondered aloud.

"Here, Yaya, look. Like this."

Xiao Ling demonstrated, picking up a slice of beef and swishing it around in the hot pot.

"For beef slices like these, ten-odd seconds in the hot pot is enough. Cook them too long and the meat gets tough," he explained as he swished.

Dania copied him, putting her slice of beef in and taking it out after ten-odd seconds to taste it. Hmm, indeed, the texture was quite good.

Then she cooked another slice, this time deliberately waiting half a minute before taking it out and eating it. Just as Xiao Ling had said, the meat really was tough.

"You really can't cook it too long," Dania concluded after her experiment, reaching the same conclusion as Xiao Ling.

Aemeath, sitting beside Xiao Ling, picked up a plate of uncooked beef balls and asked, "What about these?"

"If you want to eat them, just put them straight in. Once they float to the surface, cook them for a few more minutes and they'll be ready," Xiao Ling replied. "Remember to test them with your chopsticks. Cooked beef balls are firmer and springier."

After getting his answer, Aemeath obediently poured all the uncooked beef balls into the hot pot.

Seeing Dania and Aemeath ask their questions first, the other three girls also voiced their own questions and observations. With Xiao Ling answering and affirming them, they gradually began to understand the eating habits of this world.

"I didn't expect even ordinary-looking greens to have so many ways of being prepared..." Lynae murmured softly as she looked at a piece of greens in front of her.

"In my hometown, beef is usually pan-fried or boiled, but this is the first time I've learned that beef soup can also be used as a broth for cooking other ingredients." Chisa was quite moved as she looked at the piece of tofu in her bowl, soaked full of broth.

"This is my first time hearing about this way of cooking too. Senior, could you teach me later? If I can go home someday, I'd like to try making it for my parents." Sigrika asked Xiao Ling to teach her how to make beef hot pot.

Xiao Ling thought it would probably be difficult to recreate this dish in Lahai-Roi, and it would likely be labeled wasteful.

But since she was willing to learn, there was no harm in teaching her.

The little interlude about eating habits drifted away with the steam rising steadily from the pot. As the girls cooked food in the hot pot, they began chatting about all the interesting things they had encountered in Solaris and this world.

Xiao Ling sometimes joined their conversations and sometimes watched quietly as they chatted animatedly.

He had originally been a little worried that Dania wouldn't fit in with them, but Aemeath and the others would subtly draw Dania into every conversation while managing to avoid precisely the parts of her past she least wanted to mention. They made it impossible for her to just eat quietly.

This is nice, he thought.

Just as he was about to continue eating, a breeze from who knew where brushed his cheek, as though it had brought someone's longing from afar.

"Ha, I'm all grown up now, and you still can't stop worrying about me?"

Xiao Ling suddenly laughed a little self-mockingly. He raised the bowl of beef soup he hadn't finished and, using it in place of wine, drained it in one gulp, looking rather like someone boldly raising a drink to the spring breeze.

"Don't worry, Dad. Your son's surrounded by beautiful women now, and life is pretty sweet."

"It's just... I might still think of you once in a while."

Yeah, just once in a while.