Chapter 390: Qi Han's Soul-Soothing Words
"This is the hotpot you two secretly sneaked off to Star Luo City for?"
Niu Yue picked up a thin slice of snowflake beef, dipped it briefly into the spicy broth, then fished it out and dipped it into the dry seasoning before placing it in his mouth. As the tenderness of the beef fused with the fiery spice, a look of satisfaction spread across his face. "Truly delicious."
"Right? Right?" Tai Lei chuckled. "With something this good, I could eat it for a week, even two we—"
Halfway through his words, Tai Lei suddenly felt a chilling aura from behind. He turned his head, only to meet Tang Qianqiu's half-smiling gaze from not far away. His body instantly shivered. "—even two weeks– I would never abandon my post again!"
Only when that icy aura slowly dissipated did he breathe a sigh of relief.
'Good heavens, the sect master's here? Scared me half to death.'
Across from Tai Lei and Niu Yue, Zhao Yunsheng leisurely scooped half a ladle of broth from the Chaoshan beef pot in front of him, poured it into a clean bowl, and took a sip. A look of ease and enjoyment appeared on his face.
"Old Sparrow, you can drink this broth directly?" Yu Hua, watching Zhao Yunsheng, asked in surprise.
Zhao Yunsheng gave a mysterious smile. "Each of the eighteen types of hotpot broth has its own character. Take Old Rhino and Old Monkey's spicy bases, for example—they're only meant for cooking ingredients. Drink them directly and the spice would be overwhelming."
"But this Chaoshan beef broth is different. Light yet rich in beef flavor, perfect both for cooking and for sipping as soup." He raised the bowl again and took another sip. The pure, meaty freshness was truly exquisite.
"Oh?" Yu Hua grew interested. "My health-preserving broth is fragrant as well. Perhaps it can also be drunk directly?"
He ladled some into a clean bowl and sipped. Surprise lit up his face.
Not bad at all—the health-preserving broth, when tasted directly, was indeed quite delicious.
Still, Yu Hua preferred dipping food into it over drinking it straight.
Trying hotpot for the first time, Yu Hua was brimming with curiosity.
He picked up a slightly greenish paste and raised his brows. "This is… shrimp paste balls, right?"
He vaguely remembered them from the menu.
All you had to do was scoop them into round balls, drop them into the pot, and wait until they floated back up—ready to eat. Easy enough.
As he thought, Yu Hua carefully scooped the shrimp paste into neat balls, dropping them one by one into the broth.
"Old Wood, put a few in for me too." Tai Lei, having just stuffed a slice of snowflake beef into his mouth, brightened at the sight.
Shrimp balls! Now that was a treat.
Yu Hua nodded, dropping several balls into the spicy pot, then a few more into the beef pot.
Before long, the plump shrimp balls rose to the surface. They had grown slightly larger, their once semi-transparent, greenish hue now turned into an enticing pale pink. Just the sight was enough to make one's mouth water.
Fishing one out, Yu Hua rolled it through his sesame paste sauce before lifting it to his mouth.
The shrimp ball was silky-smooth, tender with just the right elasticity—not overly chewy. With each bite, the fresh sweetness of shrimp blended with the clean flavors of the health-preserving broth, then mingled with the rich sesame aroma of the dipping sauce. Layer after layer, the flavors intertwined into something unique and complex.
What a marvelous shrimp ball.
At that moment, Yu Hua suddenly felt that Tai Lei and Zhao Yunsheng sneaking off to Star Luo City for a week of hotpot wasn't such a bad thing after all.
With their guidance, he and Niu Yue, though trying hotpot for the very first time, were able to enjoy the experience to the fullest—learning which ingredients suited which broth, how to mix dipping sauces just right.
Those two old rascals really knew their stuff.
And then…
Yu Hua's gaze swept across his three old friends, who were now enthusiastically debating over the shrimp balls. He suddenly realized that during hotpot, people were talking far more than usual—the atmosphere had become lively and cheerful.
So hotpot even has this kind of effect?
He fell silent for a moment, then unexpectedly chuckled.
"Old Wood, what are you laughing at? Which broth do you think the shrimp balls taste best in?" Tai Lei suddenly turned to him. "I say they're best in the spicy broth, but Old Sparrow insists the beef broth is better. What about you?"
"My opinion?" Yu Hua straightened his face. "It has to be the health-preserving broth!"
Tai Lei shot him a look of disdain. "What's so good about that? It's bland as bird feed—worse than dog food!"
"Oh?" Before Yu Hua could answer, a hand suddenly came down on Tai Lei's shoulder. "Nephew Tai Lei, what did you say about the health-preserving broth? Repeat that for me."
His neck stiffened as he slowly turned his head, only to see the smiling, white-haired elder behind him. Tai Lei shuddered violently.
"Uh…" He forced out a smile uglier than a cry. "I meant… the health-preserving broth is so good, even dogs would praise it…"
"Hm?"
"N-no, no, what I mean is—"
…
"Phew… finally, business hours are over."
Mo Ran wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a long breath as he quickly began tidying up the tables and chairs on the second floor.
Originally, he had looked down a little on the work of a waiter, thinking it was easy. But reality had dealt him a heavy blow.
Taking orders at first was simple, since the menu made it straightforward. But the follow-up work—serving dishes and clearing tables—was not nearly as effortless.
In just one afternoon's shift, Mo Ran had already delivered the wrong dishes four or five times, and more than once he had forgotten to clear a table promptly after guests left, causing the next customers to wait longer.
Fortunately, the patrons of Han Shi were patient—used to waiting in line every day—so they hadn't complained.
Still, Mo Ran felt guilty and embarrassed.
After all, Boss Qi had given him such good treatment, yet he hadn't done well.
Once he had wiped down and straightened the last table, Mo Ran carried the dishes downstairs and saw that the first floor was already spotless, with the four other staff waiting for him.
"Slow down, no need to rush." Qi Han smiled when he saw Mo Ran hurrying his steps.
Since this was Mo Ran's first day as a waiter, Qi Han had gone upstairs a few times to quietly observe.
Overall, he was very satisfied. Though there were small mistakes, most of the time Mo Ran did well. In a few more days, he would surely become a capable waiter on his own.
Mo Ran put the dishes into the washer, his face tinged with embarrassment. "Sorry, boss. I didn't do very well today."
"No, no. On the contrary, I'm very satisfied with your performance." Qi Han smiled gently. "Everything requires a gradual process. It's impossible for your very first day as a waiter to be flawless."
"In fact, you've already done much better than I expected. So there's no need to be hard on yourself." He patted Mo Ran's shoulder with a warm smile. "Take a good break at noon—we'll be busy again this afternoon."
"Mm!" Mo Ran nodded firmly, his spirits renewed under Qi Han's soul-soothing encouragement.
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