Chapter 205: Hot Pot Feast

Chapter 205: Hot Pot Feast

And the haul was impressive.

Six wild chickens, one mountain goat, and each person carried a live rabbit in their arms.

Clan Chief Zhou accompanied Mo Jiuye to inspect the situation and saw this bounty before his eyes.

The old man rubbed his eyes hard, almost disbelieving.

He had lived here all his life and knew there were game animals on the mountain.

The village hunters would gather together with plans, going up the mountain for days at a time.

Even so, it seemed they never returned with as much game as this family could procure in a single day.

Clan Chief Zhou envied them, he envied the Mo Family deeply.

With such remarkable skills, even if they remained simple country folk like them, the Mo Family would never have to worry about food or drink in the future.

At that moment, everyone's attention was on the prey, especially the rabbits held in people's arms, which were particularly captivating.

Mo Hanyue couldn't resist these adorable creatures; now, the little girl's eyes were smiling.

"Big Brother Liang Hao, you're amazing, catching so many little rabbits."

Liang Hao smiled simply. "If Miss likes them, we'll find ways to catch more."

Mo Hanyue pointed to an empty room to the west, which she had already designated as the place to feed and house Fan Tuan'er and the new white rabbit.

"Brothers, put the rabbits over there first."

As the door opened, Fan Tuan'er bared its teeth and approached them aggressively.

It looked like a guardian deity, ready to bite anyone who dared to come closer.

Everyone knew that this black-and-white ball was Ninth Lady's treasure, so they naturally indulged it.

Liang Hao made a gesture of surrender first. "Little Ancestor, don't bite me, we promise not to enter."

Mo Hanyue laughed and ran over, carrying Fan Tuan'er into the room.

"Fan Tuan'er, they're all family, okay? Don't be so fierce."

In front of Mo Hanyue, Fan Tuan'er could only barely refrain from being hostile, not showing the same good attitude it had towards He Zhiran.

It stuck out its small bottom and slid off Mo Hanyue, then swaggered away.

This could be considered tacit acceptance of Mo Hanyue's words.

Amused, they placed the rabbits in the room and left, closing the door behind them.

Mo Jiuye, seeing that his brother was back, asked him to accompany Clan Chief Zhou inside while he went to invite Clan Chief Zhao over.

Just as he reached the gate, the Zhou clan delivered another large round table, several chairs, and two charcoal stoves.

Everything was ready except for the wind, it was time for He Zhiran to take center stage.

She directed her bewildered family members to place the two charcoal stoves in the center of each table, then fetched two large copper basins purchased during their exile from the kitchen.

She filled the copper basins with water and added red oil hot pot base she had bought from Taobao.

At this point, Mo Jiuye, who had gone out to invite guests, also returned.

Accompanying him were not only Clan Chief Zhao but also Xie Tianhai and Fang Chuanzhou.

Fifth Sister-in-law also supported Fifth Brother as they came over.

Seeing the red-hot charcoal stoves and copper basins on the table, everyone was somewhat at a loss.

Especially the outsiders.

The Mo family was hospitable, inviting them to dinner was true, but what kind of eating method was this, using charcoal to boil water on the table?

Especially Clan Chiefs Zhao and Zhou, they didn't understand but were too embarrassed to ask, assuming it was a new way of eating practiced by the wealthy families in the capital.

If they asked, they would seem like unsophisticated bumpkins...

In the end, it was Xie Tianhai who spoke up, asking the question on everyone's mind.

"Jiuye, what are we supposed to eat?"

Mo Jiuye smiled.

"Uncle Xie, this is a new way of eating my wife has devised, called hot pot."

With that, he invited everyone to take their seats, men at one table, women at another, the arrangement was perfect.

Just as everyone sat down in confusion, He Zhiran led a group of female relatives to bring out the ingredients.

When they saw these ingredients, they were even more perplexed.

Before anyone could ask, He Zhiran introduced them:

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a new way of eating I learned from a book. You cook the ingredients in the copper basin and eat as it cooks."

As she spoke, the water in the copper basin, containing the red oil hot pot base, began to boil, filling the room with a spicy, fragrant aroma.

After He Zhiran's explanation, coupled with the enticing smell wafting from the pot, someone couldn't resist the urge to try, picking up their chopsticks.

The chopsticks were picked up, but how to eat this hotpot was still a bit confusing before they could see someone demonstrate it firsthand. Thus, everyone could only look expectantly at Mo Jiuye. In truth, this was also the first time Mo Jiuye had seen such a new way of eating. However, as the host, he had to lead by example. So he placed various ingredients into the copper pot. He Zhiran also timely prepared the dipping sauce and distributed it to everyone. When she saw the water in the copper pot boiling again, she reminded them, "You can eat now. Just dip some of the ingredients in the sauce in your bowl." Everyone followed He Zhiran's method, placing some ingredients in their bowls and eating them with the sesame paste sauce. Da Shun didn't have chili peppers yet, so the pungent taste that hit their throats made several people unable to hold back a cough. After the coughing, a fresh, rich, and enticing flavor lingered in their mouths, giving them a feeling of wanting more. Immediately after, everyone once again picked up the cooked ingredients from the copper pot and began to feast. Mo Chuhan kept nodding his head in praise, "I don't know what seasonings my sister-in-law put in the broth, but it's incredibly delicious. It's truly irresistible." Fang Chuanzhou echoed, "Yes, I've been in the capital for so many years and have tasted all kinds of delicacies, but nothing compares to the satisfaction of eating this hotpot today." Xie Tianhai also laughed, "Such delicious food would be even better with wine." Speaking of wine, He Zhiran had indeed been careless today. She had prepared so much delicious food but had forgotten about the wine. The things inside the mule cart had already been completely moved out. If she suddenly produced wine now, it would definitely raise suspicion. Therefore, she could only leave everyone with a little regret today. Seeing that everyone had learned how to eat hotpot, He Zhiran called over a few sisters-in-law and brought out the garlic steamed lobsters and spicy crayfish that had been prepared in the kitchen. Chief Zhou was alright; he had already heard Mo Jiuye talk about these things when he came over to deliver charcoal earlier. But Chief Zhao was different. He asked in surprise, "Ninth daughter-in-law, what is this?" The ingredients for the hotpot were so good, and looking at the Mo family, they didn't seem to be short of money. Why would they bring out something that hurt the mouth to eat? Out of politeness, Chief Zhao held back the rest of his thoughts. He Zhiran didn't explain but instead had Mo Jiuye invite everyone to try some of the seafood he had picked up. She wanted to prove with facts that these seafood items that they didn't consider valuable became irresistible delicacies in her hands. Indeed, that was the case. Everyone, constrained by propriety, forced themselves to take a bite of the seafood that Mo Jiuye had picked up for them. The result was just as He Zhiran had expected - it was simply irresistible.