Chapter 35

PS: Sorry, I had to put up the Spring Festival couplets today and just finished. The New Year is coming soon, and I'm here to wish everyone a happy new year, hoping you all get rich and find a wife soon! Also, please vote and add to your favorites!

"Mother and Sister are in the kitchen, saying they want to cook something delicious for Duer!" Duer looked up with a puzzled expression.

"Cooking, so early?" Zhou Chong was a bit surprised. Although the days were shorter in winter, it was only around three or four in the afternoon, and it seemed too early to start cooking.

With his question in mind, Zhou Chong carried Duer to the western wing of the house. The kitchen was originally in the eastern wing of the adjacent courtyard, separated from the western wing of Wang Yiniang's courtyard by a wall. Zhou Chong had a door cut through the wall between the two wings, making it more convenient for Wang Yiniang and the others to access the kitchen without having to go through Zhao Yiniang's courtyard.

When Zhou Chong entered the western wing, the kitchen had been converted into a food storage room. Several shelves from the front kitchen were now here, holding bags of rice, fish, meat, and vegetables. Another shelf held many kitchen utensils that were not currently in use, such as pots, bowls, and spoons. Although these items were varied, they were all very clean and neatly arranged, having been cleaned by Wang Yiniang and Zhuo'er in their free time.

Passing through the small door between the storage room and the kitchen, Zhou Chong finally saw Wang Yiniang and Zhuo'er busily working. However, strangely, there was no aroma of cooking, and the two of them were only slicing vegetables and meat into thin pieces and placing them on different plates.

"Auntie, Zhuo'er, what are you preparing?" Zhou Chong asked, a bit puzzled.

Hearing Zhou Chong's voice, Zhuo'er turned and smiled at him. "Big Brother, we're preparing Antiquity Soup. Manager Xu is old, and with the snow making the roads slippery, Mother said he loves to eat Antiquity Soup and drink a little wine on snowy days. So we're preparing Antiquity Soup for tonight. He has a stove in his room, so we'll send the pot and ingredients to his courtyard, so he doesn't have to come back and forth!"

"Antiquity Soup? What's that?" Zhou Chong asked, a bit confused. From the name, it couldn't possibly be a dish made with antiques, right?

"Antiquity Soup is just Antiquity Soup. Look, you boil the soup in this pot, then dip various vegetables and meat slices in the pot, and eat them with the sauce." Zhuo'er pointed to two copper pots on the table. Zhou Chong's occasional 'ignorance' of some common knowledge had long been accepted by Zhuo'er and Wang Yiniang, and they no longer pressed him for answers, as he wouldn't respond even if they did.

Following Zhuo'er's delicate hand, Zhou Chong saw two copper pots about the size of basketballs, each divided into two half-circles, containing two different colored soups, emitting a faint aroma.

Seeing the pots and the prepared vegetables and meat slices on the table, Zhou Chong suddenly understood. "So, Antiquity Soup is just hot pot. Eating hot pot on a snowy day is indeed a great pleasure. Manager Xu really knows how to enjoy himself!"

Hot pot was one of Zhou Chong's favorite dishes, especially when sitting with friends, eating meat and chatting about everything under the sun, which was a true delight.

Thinking of this, Zhou Chong rolled up his sleeves to help, but Wang Yiniang and Zhuo'er were almost done. The two soup bases had been prepared earlier, and although chili peppers had not yet been introduced to the Ming Dynasty, the two soup bases were similar to those of the future, one spicy and one not. The spicy one was made with Sichuan pepper, Zanthoxylum sauce, ginger, and garlic, which, though not as spicy as chili peppers, could still make one sweat profusely. The non-spicy soup was simpler, made with old hen, pork bones, and various seasonings.

With the soup bases and sauces ready, and the vegetables and meat almost sliced, Zhou Chong couldn't really help much. In the end, he just accompanied Duer to find White Ball, but the dog ran away at the sight of Zhou Chong and hid under Wang Yiniang's bed, much to Zhou Chong's frustration, who wanted to catch it and slice it into dog meat to cook in the hot pot!

By the time Wang Yiniang and Zhuo'er were ready, White Ball still hadn't come out from under the bed. Wang Yiniang asked Zhou Chong to deliver the hot pot to Manager Xu. As soon as he turned to leave, White Ball came out from under the bed and jumped into Duer's arms, wagging its tail.

Manager Xu was a big eater, and Wang Yiniang had prepared plenty of dishes for him. Zhou Chong carried the pot in one hand and a large food box in the other, braving the wind and snow to the front courtyard where Manager Xu lived. He found Manager Xu humming a tune and getting ready to go to the back courtyard for dinner.

Manager Xu was now living a very comfortable life, rehearsing "Journey to the West" in the morning and evening, telling stories at Fengyou Teahouse in the afternoon, and then returning with the tips from the tea guests. At dinner time, he would go to the back courtyard to eat.

"Hey! Young Master, why are you here?" Manager Xu was surprised to see Zhou Chong carrying things and hurriedly came to greet him, taking the food box and pot.

"The snow is so heavy, and Auntie is worried about you slipping and falling, so she prepared Antiquity Soup for tonight and asked me to bring you a portion so you don't have to go out in the snow!" Zhou Chong explained.

"Wang Yiniang is so thoughtful, and to have you, Young Master, deliver it personally, I am truly grateful. Even if I were to die, I could not repay your kindness!" Manager Xu, having told many stories, could say such exaggerated words for just a meal.

"Enough with the gratitude talk, let's save that for later. Eat first, I'll go to the back!" Zhou Chong was immune to Manager Xu's expressions of loyalty. Such words sounded good once or twice, but after hearing them many times, they lost their impact.

Seeing Zhou Chong's indifferent attitude, Manager Xu chuckled and then, seeing Zhou Chong about to leave, called out, "Young Master, I have some good wine I just bought. Why don't I join you for a few cups?"

After earning money from telling stories at the teahouse, Manager Xu initially gave all his earnings to Zhou Chong. However, Zhou Chong later decided to give Manager Xu 30% of his daily earnings as a reward, which he reluctantly accepted. With this money, Manager Xu bought various delicacies and wines, living as comfortably as before.

Hearing about the wine, Zhou Chong licked his lips but, after some thought, regretfully declined. "No, I won't drink. Zhuo'er has a very sensitive nose and can smell even the slightest hint of alcohol. Besides, I have to write a manuscript tonight, so it's not a good idea to drink."

Zhuo'er and Wang Yiniang didn't like others drinking, especially Zhuo'er, who couldn't stand the smell of alcohol and would feel nauseous and lose her appetite for days. The last time Zhou Chong and Manager Xu drank secretly, the next day, Zhou Chong's lingering alcohol smell made Zhuo'er not eat anything all day.

After saying this, Zhou Chong turned to leave, and Manager Xu immediately got up to see him off, walking him to the gate of his courtyard. Zhou Chong then let Manager Xu return and turned to leave. However, at that moment, they suddenly heard the front gate being pounded loudly and urgently.

"Who's knocking at this time?" Zhou Chong stopped and asked, puzzled.

"It must be Wu Shan. He said he was going to the outskirts to get meat this afternoon and should have been back long ago, but he hasn't shown up until now." Manager Xu replied, looking relieved. Since Wu Shan moved in, he had a companion in the front courtyard, and they often drank and chatted together. He had been worried about Wu Shan's absence, and now, hearing the knock, he was relieved.

Hearing this, Zhou Chong looked at the snow-covered road and said to Manager Xu, "The snow is so heavy, Manager Xu, you don't have to come out. I'll open the door."

Without waiting for Manager Xu's objection, Zhou Chong walked to the gate, lifted the wooden bar, and slowly opened the door. However, what he saw was completely unexpected. A man covered in blood stumbled in, leaving long bloody handprints on the door.

Seeing such a blood-covered person, even Zhou Chong, who had seen many big scenes in his past life, was startled and took a few steps back, ready to defend himself. But then he realized the man had fainted, and looking outside, he saw only long footprints and a pool of blood.

Seeing no immediate danger, Zhou Chong relaxed and then frowned, examining the blood-covered man. The man was tall and muscular, covered in blood, making it impossible to see his original appearance. There were clear wounds on his hands, back, and face, which, from Zhou Chong's experience, looked like knife wounds. The wounds were long but not deep, and should not be fatal.

"Hey? This figure looks familiar." The more Zhou Chong looked, the more familiar the man seemed. He turned the man over and examined him closely, finally exclaiming, "Damn, isn't this Wu Shan? Who did this to you?"

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