"Alright, wait for me a moment," Xavier agreed happily. Soon, he prepared the medicine in the exact amount that Yaelle asked for. When Yaelle wanted to pay, Xavier firmly refused.
He said he needed the medicine too and couldn't let her pay. They argued for a while, but finally Yaelle gave in. She thought to herself that she would definitely use her special skill tomorrow to cook a hot pot base with a rich aroma that would make his tongue fall for it.
They left the pharmacy one after the other and got into their respective carriages. Both headed to Yaelle's house. As soon as they arrived, Yaelle rushed to the kitchen and quickly told the chef to prepare some dishes.
The dishes were balanced with meat and vegetables. The meat was sliced thin, and the vegetables were washed and picked clean, cut thin if needed. Xavier did not want to wait in the living room, insisting on following Yaelle into the kitchen.
No matter how she tried to send him away, he stayed, saying he wanted to help with the fire. Yaelle could only let him be and went to stir-fry the hot pot base quietly.
First, she heated oil to about 70% temperature and added ginger, scallion, and garlic oil to fry until fragrant. Since there was no beef tallow, she used regular oil and pork fat instead. She fried the three ingredients on medium heat until dry and colored, then removed the shallots but kept the ginger and garlic pieces.
She added star anise (seed removed), bay leaves, cloves, sand ginger, white cardamom, coriander seeds, cinnamon, licorice, agrimony (cut into sections), sand ginger, crushed Amomum fruit, and other spices soaked in warm water beforehand. She added bean paste, since there was no doubanjiang here, she had to find a substitute. She fried the bean paste until fragrant and crispy.
This was the hardest step because she had to be careful not to burn the pot. Then she added chili and Zha pepper. She ground rock sugar into powder and added it to the pot.
She stirred on medium heat slowly to let the spices and chili fully blend their aroma and spicy flavor into the oil. She added rice wine; Yaelle liked sweet wine and had bought many packs of sweet rice koji to make it from time to time. This kind of wine was rare here but had to be added to try.
After cooking for one or two hours, the hot pot base slowly changed color. She poured in strong white liquor, then removed the firewood under the stove to extinguish the flame and covered the pot to simmer for a while. The hot pot base was done.
Following Yaelle's instructions, Attendant Sean quickly took a small delicate stove and placed it on the table. He carefully scooped the hot embers from under the stove into the small stove. Then he put several pieces of silver thread charcoal on top and gently fanned it to let the charcoal burn slowly.
Meanwhile, Yaelle skillfully sealed the carefully cooked hot pot base into a jar. She tightly closed the lid and placed it in the cellar for storage. That way, they could enjoy delicious hot pot over the next few days.
At the same time, some of the hot pot base was left in the pot for immediate use. She kept stirring and cooking the base, then poured in hot water. After the water boiled, she transferred it to a small pot.
Finally, she carried the pot and stove to the dining table. Xavier smelled the strong and unique aroma coming from the kitchen and couldn't help but sigh that the meals he had eaten before tasted plain. His mouth secreted a lot of saliva without him realizing, which made him a bit embarrassed.
The table was already full of various pre-cut ingredients. Yaelle warmly invited Xavier to sit and enjoy the hot pot together. But Xavier looked confused and didn't know how to eat the raw ingredients in front of him.
"Miss Yaelle, how do you eat this raw food?" Xavier asked with a puzzled expression. He looked at the table full of ingredients, feeling at a loss.
"This is for dipping. Watch, like this. First, pick some vegetables and put them into the pot. When they are cooked, you can eat them," Yaelle said as she skillfully put some meat and vegetables into the pot.
Watching the food roll in the pot, releasing a tempting aroma, Xavier swallowed his saliva. After a while, Yaelle thought the food was cooked enough. She used a slotted spoon to take them out and put them into a bowl.
Then she gave Xavier a few bites and said, "Try it, the taste is definitely good!" Xavier carefully took a bite. His eyes lit up immediately, and he praised, "Wow, it's really delicious! So this is the new way you were working on!"
Seeing Xavier enjoy the food so much, Yaelle smiled happily. They enjoyed the meal and chatted happily. The atmosphere was very pleasant.
They ate while talking until their stomachs were too full to continue.
Yaelle sat still in the nearby chair, not wanting to move. Then she heard Xavier say, "Miss Yaelle, this hotpot tastes fresh and spicy. After eating, your whole body feels warm. It's even better to eat in winter. I want to cooperate with you to open this shop. I will provide the store, all facilities, and herbs. You provide the ingredients and skills. We split the profits fifty-fifty. How about that?" His first reason was that he saw this business as promising. The second was to get closer to Yaelle.
Yaelle thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Xavier, are you confident this business won't be targeted? Our family could open it ourselves, but we worry competitors might use dirty tricks. You've tried it yourself, so you must know how popular it will be."
"I am sure no one will suppress us. My family has connections. No one in Qingyun City dares to pick a fight with us. Even if someone reckless tries, we are not afraid. You can rest assured," Xavier said confidently.
Hearing this, Yaelle guessed his family must have some important person, though she didn't ask for details. Cooperation was possible. His fifty-fifty split seemed fair.
"All right, you handle the store decoration. You need to make tables with holes in the middle for the stove. Also, make a special pot. I will bring you a sample later." Yaelle went to the kitchen while others were distracted and took a double-flavor hotpot from her space. She showed it to Xavier and placed it upside down in the center of the table. She dipped her finger in water and drew a circle around the pot to show him.
"See, the table should have a round hole in the center, a bit smaller than the pot, so the pot fits in well. You should make this kind of pot and also some normal-sized ones. Because some people prefer spicy flavors, and some prefer mild. This way, one pot with two flavors can satisfy everyone. Understand?"
Xavier looked at the drawing and the pot with silent admiration. He raised his eyes to Yaelle with respect and praise. "You explain clearly. You have so many good ideas."
Yaelle smiled shyly. "You flatter me." Actually, she knew these ideas were not hers. She borrowed from modern hotpot culture but did not plan to tell Xavier. It was her secret.
Xavier admired her humility even more. He looked at her deeply, showing a feeling hard to describe. "You are really amazing. How did I not think of this?"
Yaelle laughed awkwardly, thinking she was just picking fruit from giants' shoulders. Without modern knowledge, she wouldn't have had these ideas. But now that she was in the ancient world, she might as well make good use of that knowledge.
They discussed more details about opening the shop. The sun was already setting when Xavier reluctantly said goodbye.
After he left, Yaelle held her waist and walked back to her courtyard. Before, she secretly ate in her space alone. Eating alone was boring. This time she ate openly with someone else. It was rare to enjoy a meal so much, so she ate a little too much. Also, cooking the day before was exhausting. Standing by the stove, stirring the pot in the heat was tiring. Next time, she would train two apprentices. Her old back could not take it. She had been like a salted fish for a few days and did not want such hard days again. Now that she lived in a wealthy family, she should not treat herself badly.
Back in her courtyard, Yaelle collapsed on the bed, lying still. She felt like she had heatstroke, as if all her strength was drained. She didn't even want to move her fingers.
"Miss, what's wrong?" Attendant Sean hurried over to ask.
"I'm fine, just a little tired," Yaelle replied weakly.
"Should I prepare some snacks or tea?" Attendant Sam asked with concern.
"No need. I don't want to eat anything now. Let me rest for a while," Yaelle waved her hand, showing she didn't need anything.
Seeing Yaelle was really tired, the two quietly closed the door and left the room. Yaelle closed her eyes. Her mind kept replaying the talk with Xavier about opening the shop. They discussed many details, including location, decoration style, and menu design. Though it would be hard work, thinking about seeing her ideas become real made Yaelle very excited.
Night came unknowingly. Yaelle fell into a deep sleep. In her dream, she saw her hotpot shop thriving with many customers. She sat inside, leisurely tasting delicious food, enjoying the good life.