books44 Chapter 264 On mediating disputes
Chapter 264 On mediating disputes
Laughter filled the kitchen, mingling with the aroma of hot pot, wafting out the doorway. This beautiful scene left a particularly warm mark on this lonely and desolate, snow-covered landscape.
That's how hot pot is.
It's not just the unique flavor that's appealing, but also the joyful and lively atmosphere...
As the various meats were consumed, the broth in the dipping sauce bowl dwindled, revealing the small granules of seasoning at the bottom. The remaining chili oil began to solidify, sticking to the rim of the bowl and looking quite greasy.
Lin Lanshan scooped half a spoonful of boiling hot pot broth into the bowl and stirred it with her chopsticks.
Slurp it with your chopsticks; if it's bland, add salt; if it's not spicy enough, add chili oil. Ah, another bowl of new dipping sauce!
She tasted the sauce on her lips and suddenly remembered something.
"Sis, do you remember when we used to go to hot pot restaurants, they had small pieces of houttuynia cordata in the dipping sauce section? But we've always had sesame sauce, so I don't know if adding some houttuynia cordata as a condiment would be good~"
Lin Chunyi could tell from her expression that she wanted to try a new flavor again. "When the weather gets warmer, houttuynia cordata will be in season. You can try putting a spoonful in the dipping sauce and see for yourself."
They don't have any fresh houttuynia cordata right now, but they have quite a lot of dried houttuynia cordata left. Aside from drinking it for a few days when I had a sore throat, I haven't drunk it much otherwise.
There's nothing I can do; I just don't like the taste.
Although houttuynia cordata has a fragrant aroma, for the two of them, the only way to enjoy it is in a cold salad!
After they had eaten their fill of meat, the two sisters slowly began to tackle the other dishes.
Fish balls that almost bounced off the chopsticks, dried lettuce with a texture similar to dried bamboo shoots, and sweet and spicy sweet potato chips. There were also mushrooms, egg dumplings, potato slices, and frozen tofu soaked in hot pot broth... They didn't miss a thing.
Afternoon, around 3 PM.
As time slowly passed, the hot pot broth was reduced to only half its original volume, and the chili oil on the surface gradually gathered, swirling and bubbling.
The leftover vegetables in the pot were thoroughly cooked, and their bright red color stained their clothes.
The two sisters had eaten most of the dishes they had prepared, leaving the table in a mess.
Most of the black charcoal in the stove was covered with a thick layer of white ash, with only a few pieces still burning hard, releasing their last red glow.
The heat of the charcoal fire, the steam from the hot pot, and the spiciness of the food scalded the two sisters' faces, making them flushed red. They couldn't even wipe away the beads of sweat on their foreheads and under their noses.
Lin Lanshan felt quite full, about 120% full, so she picked up a piece of cabbage leaf coated in chili oil as the last bite of this hot pot meal.
Green vegetables truly deserve to be called the king of spicy hot pot, especially after being cooked for so long.
The pungent spiciness almost killed her when it hit her mouth. It felt like taking a big mouthful of pure chili sauce, with a side of green vegetables.
She opened her mouth wide to breathe in the cool air, only to find that all she breathed in was a hot, spicy taste. Her lips were numb and painful, so she stuck out her tongue and fanned herself up and down with her hand. "Phew, it's so spicy, it's killing me!"
Once she felt a little better, she grabbed the cup full of ice-cold tea and gulped down a big mouthful.
The cool, sweet and sour bayberry juice washes over the burning, painful tip of the tongue, down the throat, and into the stomach.
After the clash of hot and cold, she couldn't help but make that classic move.
He slammed the cup down on the table and shouted with gusto, "Awesome! Hahahaha!"
A dull thud came from the table, startling Lin Chunyi so much that she instinctively spread her arms to protect the sides of the table before she could even put down the bowls and chopsticks in her hands.
Even Taozi, who was lying down after eating, and Tuanyuan Ankang, who were half asleep, were startled awake and sat up abruptly, both craning their necks to look at the table, looking completely bewildered.
Lin Chunyi glared at her and angrily scolded, "What are you doing? You have to flip the table after you finish eating. Where did you learn this habit from, bandit camp?"
"You've got strength now, you'd think you were a weakling before! If this pot of hot soup were to tip over, how thick-skinned would you be to withstand it?"
People who make mistakes are bound to back down, so Lin Lanshan shrank her neck and said sheepishly, "I couldn't help it for a moment, I couldn't help it for a moment."
She suddenly thought of those chivalrous heroes in TV dramas—the image of them downing a bowl of wine, slamming their fists on the table, and shouting heartily—and couldn't resist trying it herself.
Then he forgot about his strength and almost lost control, flipping the table over...
Lin Chunyi continued her lecture: "You can even get drunk and act crazy while drinking water. You just can't be at ease unless you cause a scene! You woke Taozi and Tuanyuan Ankang up from their peaceful sleep."
"Hehe, I was wrong, sis. I'll definitely be more careful next time!" Lin Lanshan honestly admitted her mistake and apologized.
But in my heart I was thinking: Next time, when there's no hot soup on the table, and Peach and Reunion are not asleep, I'll bang on the table again. Then I'll say: Waiter! The bill!
Hehe, it's got that vibe!
Lin Chunyi, unaware of her sister's thoughts: Oh~ You've considered everything else quite well, so actually I'm the only one who's been the real victim all along?
Startled awake, Peach and Reunion got up and curiously approached, watching the two sisters talking loudly back and forth. Thinking they were arguing, they quickly and skillfully divided the tasks, using their mouths to separate the two sides.
This is called: mediating a dispute.
Lin Lanshan, who was sitting lazily in the chair, almost stumbled and fell off the chair when she wasn't paying attention and was pulled by the strong peach.
"what the hell!"
She steadied herself and grabbed the chair leg. "Peach, could you give me a heads-up next time? With that kind of strength, you'd be tipping over if you didn't have a good balance. Oh, I mean, tipping over the chair."
"Huh?" Peach blinked and tilted its head, trying to get away with being cute. Never mind! It successfully stopped its two owners from arguing; it deserves praise and a reward!
Lin Chunyi, the other person being tried to mediate, was being pulled and tugged at, biting her pants and sleeves, which made her even more helpless.
She swayed left and right, like a blade of grass in the wind, leaning towards whichever side had more force...
Lin Chunyi said, both amused and exasperated, "What are you doing? We didn't fight, let go of my mouth. And also, when are you guys finally going to agree on something? You always come up with this and that, I don't know which way to go."
Yes, their division of labor is that Peach pulls one person, and Reunion and Peace work together to pull another person.
Of course, achieving reunion and well-being wasn't a very collaborative effort, since everyone had their own ideas and never cooperated. This always resulted in them going in four completely different directions…
Yes, this isn't the first time that Peach and Reunion have tried to mediate between their two owners.
Even if Lin Chunyi and Lin Lanshan are very close, they are still two different people! They might unintentionally do something wrong that makes the other angry and causes unpleasantness.
We've argued countless times, and even fought a few times.
Fortunately, Peach and Reunion are always very clever and resourceful. Whenever they see this situation, they run over and try to dissuade the two of them in their own way.
And they did manage to dissuade them many times.
Whenever the two women started arguing or even fighting, these little ones would come over to block them.
The clumsy movements, the way it held onto the clothes and wouldn't let go, and the way it pulled in different directions, created a scene that was both heartwarming and hilarious.
The tense atmosphere was instantly dissolved by the uncontrollable laughter of the two upon seeing each other; how could they possibly start arguing anymore...?