"So this is hot pot? I thought it meant putting a pot on fire!"
Ye Yingfeng sized up the big contraption up and down.
Even the usually silent Ye Shenyan looked quite interested.
"This thing looks like the Five - Compartment Pot. I wonder if the way to use it is similar."
The Five - Compartment Pot, also known as the warming pot, was made of copper. It had five compartments inside with a round hollow in the middle. Different seasonings were put in each compartment, similar to the modern nine - grid hot pot.
"Actually, they share the same origin if we trace back."
Ye Zhinan's stomach was already flying to the Sichuan and Chongqing areas. She took out the red oil hot pot base from her space.
"Adding this will make it perfect. But..."
With only vegetables and no meat, the deliciousness would be cut in half.
She had a sudden thought, stuffed the ingredients to Han Xiangmei, and rushed out of the door.
Before running out, she didn't forget to tell Ye Yingfeng to chop more firewood.
It wasn't really firewood she wanted. She just didn't want her brother to follow her up the mountain.
The mountain was rich in resources. Besides mushrooms, there were also plenty of wild game. At this time, the wild game was truly wild.
She dodged the miners on the mountain, picked mushrooms and wild vegetables along the way, and by the way, caught some hares, pheasants, and a wild boar...
The wild boar was a bit big, and it was inconvenient for a weak woman like her. Just when she was in a dilemma, she heard footsteps behind her.
"What are you doing?"
Qin Yihuai saw a familiar figure squatting on the ground from afar. When he got closer, he saw a fainted wild boar at Ye Zhinan's feet.
Qin Yihuai raised his eyebrows slightly.
This woman would stop at nothing for a good meal!
Ye Zhinan felt relieved when she saw it was an acquaintance.
"It's good that it's you. Help me cut it up!"
With that, she handed over her personal knife.
A flash of surprise crossed Qin Yihuai's eyes, but it disappeared in a flash. He pushed the knife away.
"Use mine."
His big knife was sharp. With a few strokes, the huge wild boar was cut into dozens of pieces.
"Those who see it share it. These are for you. I'll take the rest. The credit still goes to you."
After saying that, she put the wild boar meat into a bag and picked it up to leave.
Qin Yihuai was stunned for a moment and then quickly caught up: "You can't kick someone to the curb after using them!"
"I won't kill you. If you don't mind, come back and have hot pot with us!"
Qin Yihuai didn't refute. A smile curved his lips.
When they got home, Han Xiangmei had already prepared the hot pot. The vegetables were washed and neatly placed on the table. Only Ye Yingfeng was standing there looking at the pile of firewood he had chopped, not knowing what to do.
When he saw his sister coming back and was just about to ask a question, he noticed the figure following behind.
"May I ask what brings Inspector Qin here?"
"To have a meal."
Qin Yihuai's tone was firm. After greeting Ye Taifu and Ye Bumu, he followed Ye Zhinan to deal with the ingredients.
Ye Shenyan smiled but said nothing, signaling his son to add a pair of chopsticks and a bowl.
Soon, the hot pot was giving off a fragrant smell. The smoke and fire made the room warm, and it also warmed people's hearts.
"Today, let's celebrate surviving a disaster. I'll use tea instead of wine. I wish my parents good health and my brother to find a sister - in - law soon!"
"Eat meat, eat meat. You talk too much."
Ye Yingfeng, a big and rough man, could also be shy.
"The meat is good, but it would be even more delicious if there were beef and mutton."
Ye Zhinan said regretfully, and she started to have an idea in her mind.
"Don't even think about beef and mutton."
Ye Shenyan reminded her.
Beef and mutton were rare in the northern border. Oxen were used for plowing the fields, and sheep were used for shearing wool.
As for eating them.
Don't even think about it. That would be a crime.
Ye Zhinan of course knew these rules, but unreasonable rules should be broken. Sooner or later, she would eat beef and mutton, and she would make sure everyone could eat them.
After the meal, Qin Yihuai told them to store the wild boar meat properly and then left.
As soon as he left, someone came to their door.
Wei Shishi twisted her waist and shouted loudly at the door.
"The Ye family is secretly feasting!"
The word "secretly feasting" was a double - entendre, which attracted a group of gossips.
Ye Zhinan wasn't angry. She walked straight towards Wei Shishi. Before the other could react, she slapped her heavily on the heavily - made - up face.
"You dare to hit me?"
"I dare to hit you again."
Before the words were out, Ye Zhinan slapped her again, making Wei Shishi stagger and fall to the ground.
"Your family is secretly feasting and beating people. It's an even greater crime!"
"Your mouth is filthy and you're distorting the truth. I'm just teaching you a lesson on Uncle Wei's behalf. If you still don't understand things, I don't mind going to your house and having a talk."
With that, Ye Zhinan stepped forward, grabbed Wei Shishi's hair, and was about to drag her to the Wei family.
"I saw you stealing wild boar meat."
Wei Shishi shouted at the crowd: "All under heaven belongs to the king. Even the inspector can't ignore the king's law!"
Smack!
Another slap came down.
"You're immoral yourself, and you still want to frame me! If all under heaven belongs to the king, where does the fertilizer you use come from?"
Wei Shishi was stunned. Among the on - lookers, there were some aggressive people who shouted: "From our own plant ash and leftovers!"
"What do you mean by 'our own'? In the end, they all come from the king's land! If we're going to be punished, let's all go to the yamen and plead guilty together!"
After hearing this, the crowd was stunned and gradually dispersed.
Wei Shishi smacked her lips, covering her red and swollen face. Her eyebrows were knitted together, and she was about to fight back.
Unexpectedly, she was grabbed by the arm by Wei Louming who rushed out and dragged back. Finally, he left an apology.
Ye Zhinan was still angry and wanted to chase after them to argue, but was held back by Ye Shenyan.
"Dad, Wei Shishi has caused trouble again and again. Are we just going to let it go?"
"Do you think Wei Louming doesn't know about Wei Shishi's actions?"
Ye Shenyan's eyes were dark. On his weather - beaten face, although it seemed calm, in fact, his heart was like a volcano about to erupt. He didn't know when it would burst out.
Since the Ye family was exiled, there had been frequent accidents. One accident might be just an accident, but so many accidents made them have to be vigilant.
Although Ye Shenyan was strict with himself in dealing with the world, when it came to his family, it had touched his bottom line.
The Wei family, Wei Louming, and Wei Shishi, their intentions were just like a layer of window paper. If it was to be torn, it shouldn't be by Ye Zhinan.
Suddenly, there was a scream from inside the house. Han Xiangmei fainted.
Ye Zhinan suppressed the anger in her chest and rushed in.
She saw Han Xiangmei's face was pale, her eyes were closed, and her whole body was stiff.
Ye Zhinan quickly felt her pulse and secretly took out some western medicine from her space and fed it to her.
She was relieved when she saw Han Xiangmei's complexion getting better.
At this time, the father and son were still standing there nervously. She quickly explained.
"Mom is over - worked. I've given her the medicine. She'll be fine after a good rest for a while."
She omitted the diseases like anemia, low blood pressure, and insufficient blood supply to the brain, because they wouldn't understand these terms, and it would just increase their worries.
However, this explanation didn't relieve the father and son's worries. Ye Zhinan added helplessly: "Mom's body has always been weak and needs to be slowly recuperated. I just found some available medicinal herbs on the mountain. I'll go and pick them now."
These days, she had been focusing on improving the living environment and had ignored her family's health. Ye Zhinan felt extremely guilty.