Chapter 38: Chrysanthemum Blooms!

  Li Xiaoteng listened to Zhao Baozi's shouting on the phone, and he really felt a bit mysterious. He couldn't help but ask curiously: "Big-breasted beauty? Said I'm a donkey? How come I don't remember it at all?"

  Zhao Pangzi kept reminding him: "It was the last time we bought a toaster together, and on the way, you said you wanted to write a donkey, and someone said that you were the kind of girl who raised a donkey!"

  Li Xiaoteng, shrouded in misty mountains, really had no impression of Cui Xiaoyan. Taking a deep breath, he said into the phone: "I have something important to attend to now, I'll call you back later!" and casually hung up the phone.

  Feng Aijun was sipping on a Tieguanyin tea, still savoring the lingering aftertaste of the spicy hot pot from earlier. And there was some unknown type of Sichuan pepper that brought a cool and numbing sensation! Yu Pianer was fiddling with his Chinese chess pieces, putting them away in their box. Seeing Li Xiaoteng hang up the phone, he asked: "What's wrong? More trouble?" Li Xiaoteng hastily shook his head and said: "Nothing, it seems like someone on the other end opened a lamb skewer stall, maybe they're an acquaintance. Fatso just called me to let me know."

  Yu said with a smile, and turned to look at Feng Aijun. Hurriedly saying: "Xiao Teng, quickly get some spicy hot pot for Old Feng! Look at his eyes..."

  Li Xiaoteng turned around and said, "Director Feng, why don't you wait here for a while? I'll go get it ready and bring it over to you?" Feng Aijun hastily stood up and said, "No need! No need! I'll go with you. You get it ready and bring it over, and then wait for me to come home. If we don't hurry, it will get cold!" Li Xiaoteng smiled and said, "Then Director Feng, just watch me do it!"

  Feng Aijun was thinking about how to please his mother-in-law, and nodded in agreement to go out with Li Xiaoteng. Suddenly he said: "Old Yu, why don't you come with me too? I won't be back for a while..."

  Today, when Cui Xiaoyan arrived at the night market, it was already almost dark. She had worn more than 400 strings of meat skewers and over 100 strings of meat strips. They were placed in a plastic foam box, along with carbon and seasonings, and transported here together.

  As soon as I arrived, I found that the people opposite were fighting. After watching for a while, shaking my head and starting to prepare my own stuff. When Li Xiaoteng asked everyone to evaluate the situation, I felt very familiar. It wasn't until later that I remembered it was that donkey brother who bought an oven with me the other day!

  Actually, Cui Xiaoyan also wanted to go forward and help say a few words. But the boss of the restaurant next door, Zhao, was standing beside Cui Xiaoyan at some point. Looking at the two middle-aged women who were getting more and more fierce, Boss Zhao sighed and said: "Do you know why Li Xiaoteng across the street would get into this kind of trouble?"

  Cui Xiaoyan was taken aback and asked casually, "I just arrived today, I'm not very clear about the situation here. Judging from their appearance, their business is quite good!" Old boss nodded and said, "Not only is it good! That Li Xiaoteng who spoke up, he's really got skills. Don't look at his young age, he might be only two years younger than you. But the mala hot pot he makes, I've been in the catering industry for so many years, I've never had such delicious mala hot pot!"

  Cui Xiaoyan felt a bit dizzy. On the way to Tiejiangying, this kid was talking non-stop about wanting to write. Write what, write some donkey stuff and still expecting readers to give him rewards and whatnot. At that time, I thought he was an online writer. Who would have thought he was actually a chef!

  Cui Xiaoyan nodded silently, and Boss Zhao continued: "When you came to me to discuss cooperation at that time, Li Xiaoteng had just arrived not long ago. But in a very short period of time, he got his own spicy hot pot going." He pointed to the surrounding restaurants and said: "Look, with Dongxing Restaurant as the center, the night market empty spaces around these restaurants are all on fire!" He sighed after finishing speaking.

  After Li Xiaoteng left, Cui Xiaoyan finally got her oven ready on this side. A long scarf was wrapped around a light blue shirt. Long hair was casually tied up in a bun and pinned behind the head, standing behind the oven. Not to mention how well the roast string is done, just look at the appearance...

  Before long, an uncle came over and asked: "Miss, what are you grilling?" Cui Xiaoyan hastily replied: "Brother, I'm here for the first time today, I only have meat skewers and meat strips. There aren't many things. What would you like to order?"

  The uncle said, "Bring 20 skewers of roasted meat and 20 skewers of tendon!" After finishing speaking, he didn't leave, but stood there chatting with Cui Xiaoyan about everyday things. Before long, a few young men came over shouting, "Wow! Beautiful girl selling lamb skewers! What do you have here?" Cui Xiaoyan hastily introduced the menu again, and the young men ordered a bunch of roasted meat and tendon, found a table, and sat down. One of them shouted, "Old Fourth, go buy some more spicy boiled fish from across the street!" Turning around, he yelled at the waiter, "Bring a plate of mixed radish skin, a flower-shaped double-layered pancake! Four bottles of beer!"

  Cui Xiaoyan's father used to often roast lamb skewers for the family, and she would help out a lot. However, it had been many years since they last did it. Just starting again, she felt a bit rusty, and naturally was busy and flustered for a while.

  Zhao Panzi was savoring the spicy hot pot in his hands, while admiring Cui Xiaoyan's roasted lamb skewers. He felt that no matter how he looked at her, she was a pleasure to behold. Just like those two tall mountain peaks, one side roasting lamb skewers, the other following along, swaying up and down...

  "Fat brother! Give me 20 strings of black wood ear!" a customer shouted. But Zhao, who was already salivating, seemed not to have heard and continued to fiddle with the ingredients in his hand! The customer said somewhat annoyed: "Fat brother! Black wood ear..." Just then, Zhao casually shouted back: "Damn it! I'm sure it's not black wood ear, probably still pink wood ear!"

  The guest looked at Zhao Baozi, somewhat speechless. At this time, Zhao Baozi suddenly felt that his buttocks had been lightly kicked by someone, and he turned around angrily and shouted: "Who kicked me?" Only to see Li Xiaoteng standing behind Zhao Baozi, with Yu Pian'er and an unfamiliar man following behind him. Zhao Baozi immediately became dumbfounded and said: "Teng Ge is back! How did Yu Pian'er come too!"

  Li Xiaoteng's face was a bit red as he said loudly: "Someone wants wood ear! What are you thinking? Get out of the way, I'll do it!" Zhao Baozi nodded and stepped aside. Seeing someone wanting to pay, he hurriedly went over to collect money again. However, the customer standing in line to buy spicy hot pot in front of the stove refused to give up, shouting: "Baozi, did you prepare the spicy hot pot I ordered earlier?"

  Li Xiaoteng hastily said: "You wait a moment, what you want to tell me, or you go up the shelf and choose yourself! After choosing, just give it to me..."

  Yu Pian'er accompanied Feng Aijun, the two of them chatting and laughing, not paying attention to Li Xiaoteng's affairs. Before long, Li Xiaoteng saw that there were fewer people around. He hastily called over Zhao Baozi and said in a low voice: "Go to Dongxing Restaurant and get a thermos, just say it's on our account. Hurry up!"

  Looking at Zhao Pengzi nodding, he ran in. Li Xiaoteng then said to Feng Aijun: "Director Feng, what do you want to eat? You choose yourself, and I'll cook it for you personally later."

  Zhao Baozi poked his head out, putting the thermos under the pot. It seemed like he was going to say something. Li Xiaoteng hurriedly stopped Zhao Baozi from speaking. Then, he glanced at Feng Aijun who was still picking and choosing, and said to Zhao Baozi: "You put the rest in the pot on the left. The one on the right is mine!" After that, he walked over to Feng Aijun and asked: "Director Feng, does Auntie like spicy food?"

  Feng Aijun smiled and said, "Your aunt doesn't just love to eat spicy food, she super loves it! But nowadays, mala hot pot is not spicy enough, they add chili oil inside. Your aunt doesn't really like that flavor either. So I haven't been eating much lately."

  Yu Pian'er listened on the side and said with a smile: "Old Feng, you don't know! The mala tang made by Xiao Teng's side never puts chili oil in it. It's all spicy in the soup. I've had his spiciest mala tang once, and I was sweating! That was a thrill!"

  Li Xiaoteng smiled and didn't say a word. Zhao Baozi on the side couldn't help but say, "Yu Suoer, you don't know. The mala hot pot that Brother Teng makes, what you eat is not even the spiciest! The level of spiciness is also differentiated!"

  Yu Pian'er and Feng Aijun were both very curious, Yu Pian'er asked: "Isn't that the spiciest? How many levels of spiciness do you have here?" Zhao Huaizi replied casually: "The mala tang we sell is generally medium spicy as specified by Teng Ge. But it can be divided into five levels, namely slightly spicy, medium spicy, very spicy and extremely spicy!" Yu Pian'er chimed in: "I'll eat the spiciest one, isn't that the best? Won't the highest level be pervertedly spicy?"

  Zhao Pàngzi shook his head and said: "It's really not a pervert! Teng Ge told me to call it 'Chrysanthemum Opening'!"

  Li Xiaoteng looked at Zhao Baozi, who couldn't speak, and suddenly felt a burning sensation on his face. The truth was that Zhao Baozi had been thrown into the pot to be scalded. But Yu Pian'er and Feng Aijun both burst out laughing!

  Feng Aijun patted Li Xiaoteng's shoulder and said, "I didn't expect you to be so humorous, okay! You make a chrysanthemum dish for me, and I'll let your sister-in-law try it!" Then Feng Aijun handed over the selected ingredients to Li Xiaoteng. Li Xiaoteng hurriedly took the plate with both hands and was about to walk away when Yu Pian'er pulled him back, saying, "Choose some delicious ones and give them to your older brother too. I also want to experience the feeling of chrysanthemum opening!"

  Li Xiaoteng smiled and picked up a few more pieces of su shi jin, placing them on the edge of the pot. He lowered his head to search through the seasoning box and found a tea leaf can. Opening it, he saw that there was only one dried chili pepper inside, slightly larger than usual.

  He took it out and put it in the pot to simmer for a while, then scooped it out. He placed it in a tea canister. Turning to Yu Pian'er, he said: "Yu Pian'er, actually, the chrysanthemum blooming is just a joke. I went to buy seasonings a few days ago. The boss of the store happened to have Sichuan's boiled spicy pepper for sale, so I bought one on a whim. It was just for fun, and I've never sat down to eat it before. This kind of pepper can be said to be one of the hottest peppers in the world!"

  After finishing, start adjusting the soup and taste it. Then quickly started making spicy hot pot. Before long, the spicy hot pot was done! Picked out a few assorted dishes made by Yu Pian'er. The rest were all packed up in thermoses.

  Yu Pian'er couldn't wait to pick up a piece of assorted tofu with chopsticks. As soon as he put it in his mouth, his eyes widened and he hummed a few times. He chewed quickly and swallowed, then said: "Refreshing! Old Feng, try some!" Feng Aijun picked up the chopsticks and also picked up a piece. Before finishing eating, he turned around and left!

  Yu Pian'er hastily shouted: "Where are you going?!" Only to see Feng Aiyun shouting from afar: "I'm hurrying back home to let my wife try some!" Yu Pian'er sighed helplessly and said: "Why don't you even think about paying when eating?" Then, rushing towards Li Xiaoteng, he said: "How much money?! I'll pay for this old guy!"

  Li Xiaoteng would have wasted his time if he had taken Yu Pian'er's money. Seeing Zhao Baozi coming over to settle the account, he secretly pushed him away and hastily said: "Are you trying to slap me in the face? You mind your own business, Yu Su'er! This little thing of mine costs less than two yuan in total. How can I settle accounts with you?"

  The little boy smiled and politely said goodbye to Li Xiaoteng, then wandered off.

  Li Xiaoteng looked at Zhao Huanzi and sighed. He wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, he was just a rookie in his early twenties. Immediately, he instructed Zhao Huanzi to continue working. Looking at the chrysanthemum-shaped pot he had made, he found a basin and scooped out a lot of soup. Then he added some new soup to it, and only then did he start adjusting the flavor again.

  Cui Xiaoyan was very happy tonight, all the lamb skewers and meat strips were sold out, after counting the money, she found that after deducting the stall fees and costs, it was just enough for her mother to have a dialysis treatment. Tears almost fell out. She packed up early and planned to add more meat tomorrow and prepare two more varieties. Estimated earnings will definitely be enough for her mother's dialysis treatment. While thinking about her mother, Cui Xiaoyan suddenly felt her stomach growling loudly.

  Cui Xiaoyan, who hadn't eaten all day, rubbed her stomach. She took out a bread from her bag and casually picked up a cup. Sitting by the barbecue stall, she solved her dinner. After resting for a while, she started to pack up...

  Zhao Pangzi glanced at his watch, it was already past 12 o'clock. He rushed to Li Xiaoteng and said: "Teng brother, let's close the stall too! Tomorrow we still have to take over the territory of Dongxing Gang! Haha" Li Xiaoteng nodded and said: "Wait for all the customers to leave, then we'll close. If there are customers coming, we won't sell!" Zhao Pangzi was in a difficult situation and said: "Others are easy to say, but look at that master! He ordered two strings of frozen tofu, two strings of duck blood, one string of white vegetables, and also asked for a bottle of Shaoxing wine! They've been sitting there for four hours! The duck blood has all been sucked dry by him......"

  After finishing speaking, Zhao Baozi pointed with his finger at Kong Zhen who was still sucking duck blood inside.