Spicy Hot Pot makes its debut.

 

On a leisurely morning at the Jing family’s small stall.

 

“Sigh…” “Sigh…” Father Jing sat in the courtyard, worrying. In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he sighed three or four times.

 

“What’s wrong with you? Our eldest son just got engaged, and you’re sighing. People will think you have objections!” Mother Jing, who was happy about Jing Yi’s wedding these days, couldn’t stand someone sighing around her.

 

“Don’t misunderstand me. I couldn’t be happier!” Father Jing immediately refuted the accusation.

 

After a while, he started worrying again and complained to Mother Jing, “Look at our business. Ever since Jing Yi stopped selling mung bean soup and plum soup a couple of days ago, we’ve been making much less.”

 

“I’m worried too! But Jing Yi said he has a plan, so we’ll just wait.” Mother Jing said indifferently. She trusted their eldest son since he had the ability. If he said there was another plan, they would naturally believe him and wait.

 

At this moment, Jing Yi entered the house holding a chicken in his hand and happened to overhear the conversation between his parents. He waved the chicken in his hand towards Father Jing and reassured him, “Dad, don’t worry. Today, I’ll let you try the upcoming new dish from our family.”

 

“What strange words you’re saying. Where did you buy this chicken? Are you going to slaughter it now?” Father Jing muttered to himself, thinking that his eldest son’s way of speaking was getting stranger and stranger. Could it be that he was getting old and couldn’t keep up with the young people?

 

Though he muttered, he quickly walked over to help and said, “Alright, hand it over to dad, take a rest.”

 

“Alright, dad, you slaughter the chicken and cut the meat into pieces. I’ll go wash the pork bones we bought yesterday.” Jing Yi instructed Father Jing and walked briskly to the kitchen to start preparations.

 

The essence of the spicy hot pot lies in the broth. It’s best to simmer pork bones and chicken bones together to make it taste delicious. Moreover, the cooked vegetables will also have a meaty flavor, which customers will appreciate.

 

Clean the pork bones and chicken bones, remove the blood, and blanch them in boiling water. This way, the broth will have a more vibrant and clear color.

 

A large pot was set up in the courtyard, and Jing Yi put the blanched pork bones and chicken bones into the pot with cold water. He added spring onions, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, chili peppers, and the half bottle of white wine that Father Jing hadn’t finished, as cooking wine.

 

Speaking of which, Jing Yi was still thinking about how to deal with the “spicy” taste because he hadn’t seen people in the village or town eating spicy food. He had considered going to the pharmacy but if that didn’t work, he would have to use Chinese prickly ash as a substitute, although it wouldn’t be as authentic.

 

Later, when he was carpet-searching for wild geese at the town’s pier, he discovered that some merchants were selling dried chili peppers there. They were bright red, and he heard that people in the south loved to eat them.

 

Although they looked festive and beautiful, few people in Fuyang Town bought them. People from the northern region were still not accustomed to eating spicy food, and the preparation method was also lacking. They didn’t find it delicious; instead, it left a prickling sensation in their mouths, making it less popular.

 

When Jing Yi saw this, he was pleasantly surprised and bought all the chili peppers from the merchant, two large sacks in total.

 

The merchant was also delighted, thinking he would have to take them back, but he gladly sold them to Jing Yi at the lowest price, a total of four taels of silver.

 

Jing Yi thought that this would be enough until next summer, but he wanted to be prepared. He agreed with the merchant to deliver another two sacks of chili peppers after the Chinese New Year in February or March. They negotiated a price of two and a half taels of silver per sack.

 

“Xiao An, increase the fire.” Jing Yi told Xiao’an, who was responsible for stoking the fire, and explained, “When simmering the broth, you need to bring it to a boil over high heat and then simmer it on low heat for at least two hours. That’s how we get a thick and milky white broth.”

 

“Big brother, there’s no meat on these bones. Are we drinking bone broth?” Xiao An looked at the bones in the pot, with a disdainful expression. He preferred to eat meat.

 

“This isn’t for drinking. We’ll have a late lunch today, so we’ll have this for lunch—spicy hot pot!” Jing Yi happily announced that the hot pot, which had been popular in the streets and alleys in his previous life, was finally available again.

 

After noon, Jing Yi and Mother Jing prepared the side dishes together.

 

At this time of the year, there was an abundance of vegetables. They had Chinese cabbage, radishes, baby bok choy, spinach from their own garden, as well as some dried wood ear mushrooms and dried shiitake mushrooms. They also had Jing An buy some tofu and dried tofu from the village’s tofu shop. Of course, the most important thing was to slice the pork and chicken into thin slices.

 

As time passed, the fragrant smell from the pot began to emerge. Jing Yi lifted the lid, and smoke wafted out. The aroma was enticing, and upon closer inspection, the clear soup that had looked unappetizing in the morning had now turned into a pot of fragrant, light milky white meat broth.

 

Taste is like the taste from memory, but Jing Yi feels that the color is not quite satisfactory, it’s not milky enough, and lacks a bit of cooking. Suddenly, he has a bright idea – yes, he can try adding some sheep’s milk, the popular soup base in modern times.

 

“Big brother, can we eat now?”

 

Xiao Shu’s eager question interrupted Jing Yi’s thoughts. He glanced at the Jing family members gathered around the pot. It was almost two o’clock now, and everyone was hungry to the point of having green eyes.

 

“Oh, yes, we can. Xiao An, lower the fire a bit. Let’s bring the dishes to the pot,” Jing Yi said, and everyone started moving. Jing Yi quickly went to the kitchen to retrieve the sesame paste and garlic chili sauce he had prepared earlier.

 

“Come, everyone can choose their own vegetables and give them to me. I’ll blanch them for you. Once they’re done, you can eat directly. If you feel the taste is not enough, you can adjust it with these two sauces,” Jing Yi explained the eating method, simulating the state of a hot pot restaurant opening, to give his parents an idea.

 

By the stove, everyone began eating the hot pot they had individually chosen.

 

It was Jing Yi’s first attempt, so he didn’t dare to put too much chili. After taking a bite, he felt that it wasn’t spicy enough and a bit unsatisfying.

 

He looked up and observed the reactions of others. Except for Xiao An, everyone was sweating from the spiciness, but they didn’t put down their bowls to drink water. They kept eating with their heads down.

 

Only Xiao An, who was probably naturally tolerant and fond of spicy food, took a few sips of the original broth and then poured some garlic chili sauce on it. His eyes lit up even more.

 

Jing Yi chose his favorite sesame paste and enjoyed it. He looked at his mother and Xiao Shu, their eyes filled with tears from the spiciness, and told them they could add some sesame paste to mellow the flavor and make it even more delicious.

 

After a delicious hot pot meal, the whole family was stuffed. After resting for a while, Jing’s mother cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks, and the family sat in the living room to discuss business matters.

 

“Xiao Yi, is this the hot pot you want to sell? It’s so delicious. What did you put in it? It’s spicy and tingly, but it feels different from before,” Jing’s father was the first to speak, occasionally savoring the taste, showing his satisfaction.

 

“This is great. The weather is getting colder, and I was just craving something warm. And after only a few bites, I already feel warm inside and started sweating,” Jing’s mother thought that this food was perfect for the cold weather. The current weather was still fine, but it would sell even better when it got colder.

 

“The hot pot contains chili, also known as spicy fruit. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it, but it’s not commonly eaten in the northern region. Few people know how to make it, and I read about it in a travelogue,” Jing Yi explained, trying to establish a source for his parents. Sometimes you have to rely on “there is gold in books.”

 

“This business will definitely thrive. But there are other issues now. Hot pot requires cooking with fire and providing seating for customers. Many of our regular customers are quite particular, and eating outdoors in the winter can be unpleasant. I’m afraid many of them won’t stay,” Jing’s mother anxiously asked.

 

“What should we do then? How can we continue this business?” Jing’s father was worried.

 

“I was thinking it would be best if we rent a shop. That way, we won’t suffer while doing business in the winter, and having a fixed storefront will attract more customers,” Jing Yi analyzed the situation carefully.

 

Jing’s parents hesitated, not knowing how renting a shop worked in town, but they were sure it wouldn’t be cheap. They didn’t expect the cost of this business venture to be so high and were a bit reluctant, fearing losses.

 

“Large investments bring large returns. With a shop, it’s not the same scale as a small stall. We can stock more inventory and make more money,” Jing Yi assured them.

 

“In the future, if we have a shop in town, we won’t have to rush back in bad weather like rainy or snowy days, or when we’re busy late at night. It will reduce the risk,” Jing Yi explained the reasoning without pressuring his parents, simply stating the facts.

 

“Alright, my eldest son, I’ll trust your judgment. Sour plum soup was your idea, and this time it will surely work!” After patiently explaining each point, Jing’s parents finally understood. Their eldest son was capable, and they supported him.

 

With the matter settled, the members of the Jing family went their separate ways. It was late October, and people had just started wearing thicker clothes. Even the strong young men were still in thin shirts.

 

The small stalls at the pier were still selling tea eggs and jelly cakes, and that would continue. They could sell as much as possible.

 

In the past few days, Jing’s parents went to the pier to sell goods, while Jing Yi went to the town to look for a shop. They entrusted the two little ones to their third uncle’s family to take care of.

 

The man who showed them the shops was named Zhang, known as Zhang San. He took Jing Yi around for two days, looking at several shops. In the end, Jing Yi thought three shops were quite good: two in the town and one at the pier.

 

The first one was in the town, a shop with a courtyard. The courtyard was quite spacious, and there were several rooms. It was located on the outskirts of the town, next to a road leading out of town, but not a main road. The surrounding neighbors were mostly ordinary people, and the environment was mediocre. However, the advantage was that the rent was cheap, only twelve taels of silver per year.

 

The second one was also in the town, a shop with a small courtyard. The courtyard was not big, and there were only three rooms, but there was a well in the courtyard, making water convenient. It was located at the eastern end of the main road, with a good flow of customers. The surrounding households were wealthy families in the town, so the purchasing power was there. However, it was more expensive, asking for sixteen taels of silver per year.

 

The third one was at the pier, just a shop without a courtyard. But the shop itself was quite large, with four spacious rooms, twice the size of a shop in town. The pier had a high flow of customers, and the regular customers would easily find their way there. However, the shop was located in a relatively chaotic area of the pier, with merchants from outside and laborers coming and going every day, making business less stable. The asking price was fifteen taels of silver per year.