IHOEAYSTTTIW Chapter 12

Chapter 12: River Bottom Hot Pot and “Tragic” Past

Lin Yan’s chili saplings weren’t mature yet, and without the blessing of chili peppers and tomatoes, he could only eat a clear broth.

The most troublesome part of beef bone soup was cleaning it. First, you had to wash out the bloody water, then soak it for an hour or two, changing the water several times in between until the water was clear. Only then could you put it in the pot, add cooking wine, bring it to a boil over high heat, skim off the scum, and then take it out for another rinse.

Simmering the soup in a ceramic pot, with ginger slices and scallions, adding clear water, and slow-cooking it over low heat, along with salt and wolfberries, was warming and nourishing. Lin Yan figured Yun Qi should be done washing the cat soon, since White was very obedient, lying there without moving.

It wasn’t until the bone broth was ready that Yun Qi came back, dripping wet, with scratches on the back of his hand, looking utterly disheveled.

Lin Yan carefully checked Yun Qi’s wounds, and only after confirming that the skin wasn’t broken did he feel slightly relieved. He held up the arrogant cat by its two front paws. “Was White not being obedient?”

White meowed innocently. Yun Qi glared at it fiercely, and White meowed again, shrinking into Lin Yan’s arms, looking as if it had been frightened.

Faced with the weak little green tea, Yun Qi was powerless, and could only take a deep breath, squeezing out a few words from between his teeth: “Obedient, very obedient.”

Lin Yan knew exactly what kind of cat White was. When it wasn’t doing anything wrong, it was always arrogant, but when it did something wrong, it would become soft and childish. He shooed White aside, washed his hands again, and scooped half a bowl of soup to Yun Qi as comfort.

The milky white beef broth was fragrant, the meat was stewed until it was tender, and the bones would fall out with a gentle press of a spoon. A sip of it sent a warm current spreading from the throat, healing all wounds.

Yun Qi devoured it like a whirlwind.

Being recognized for the dishes he made was a happy thing, and the corners of Lin Yan’s mouth turned up involuntarily, revealing an auntie smile. His hands didn’t stop, the long knife danced like a nimble snake, his fair fingers gently pressing down on the meat, and the long knife followed the momentum, slicing the meat into thin, even pieces, made for hot pot. The slices were as thin as cicada wings yet complete, the control of force and angle reaching perfection. Lin Yan casually tossed the sliced meat, and the red and white slices scattered randomly on the plate, eventually forming a flower.

Yun Qi clumsily selected the necessary seasonings according to the tutorials he had seen on his phone, and surprisingly, he found almost all of the strange things on the menu. Yun Qi took two bowls, hesitating. “Which dipping sauce does Big Brother like, sesame paste or oil?”

Lin Yan pointed at the sesame paste and teased, “You can even make an oil-based dipping sauce? Are you from the South?”

Yun Qi hummed and hawed, being evasive, his movements clumsy.

The four large plates of meat were sliced, and Lin Yan used the knife to nudge the slices, looking disgusted. “That’s about it, the meat’s a bit soft, not very easy to slice.”

Yun Qi carefully picked up the plate, stacking them into an odd equilibrium, and while moving it away, he whispered in admiration: “So… so pretty, like a flower.”

“This looks like a flower to you? You don’t know, the fondant cakes I used to make…” Lin Yan paused, licked his lips, “Suddenly, I want to eat cake.”

“There are pastry shops in Town , Big Brother…”

“I want to eat cream cake…” Lin Yan put down the copper pot and tapped the clay stove in front of him. “This stove should work, let me study it.”

“Why can Big Brother do everything? They all say a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen…” Yun Qi realized his persona halfway through and quickly corrected himself. “Even in modern times, not many people know how to cook. Everyone just orders takeout, right?”

Lin Yan was so carefree that he didn’t notice Yun Qi’s abnormality at all. He shrugged, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. “Because… because my brother is a cook.”

Yun Qi nodded, and the lingering look in Lin Yan’s eyes made him not want to continue the topic, but Lin Yan didn’t want to let him off the hook.

“It’s a bit of a long story, let’s chat while we eat.” Lin Yan opened the basket and took out the dishes one by one. “Vegetable platter, mushroom platter, meatball platter, beef aorta, tripe…”

Yun Qi was flustered. “I… I can’t hold any more, is there more?”

“That’s all…” Lin Yan picked up the last two plates, and seeing White constantly rubbing against his trouser leg, he put the plates down again and took out a delicate little plate from the cabinet. “Oh, and there’s White’s ‘Mysterious Cat Meal.'”

This was the first time Yun Qi had heard Lin Yan tell his past experiences in full.

From being picked up by his grandmother, to elementary school, middle school, high school, and then his grandmother hiding her illness, Lin Yan only learned that she had passed away after the college entrance examination. After his grandmother passed away, Lin Yan moved into the restaurant where he had been working. The owner of the restaurant was a good person who always gave Lin Yan “bonuses” for various reasons. After his grandmother passed away, Lin Yan also regarded the owner as his own family, and changed his address to “brother.” His grandmother entrusted Lin Yan to the owner, and with Lin Yan’s grades, he could go to the best A Agriculture University, and his brother also told him to do so, but Lin Yan had his own ideas and applied to A Agriculture University. And then… Lin Yan helped out at the restaurant while going to school, until he transmigrated.

Lin Yan spoke lightly, even smiling when talking about his grandmother and brother. But Yun Qi couldn’t smile at all, even the hot pot in front of him…

No, the hot pot was still very fragrant, but he couldn’t eat anymore.

Yun Qi had a picture in his mind.

A child abandoned by his parents could only depend on a poor and destitute old woman, and had to help with all kinds of chores from a young age. If it weren’t for the accidental discovery of cordyceps on the Back Mountain, and if the watermelon seeds thrown on the ground hadn’t grown into watermelons, he might not have even finished school. He worked and studied to finish high school and was admitted to university, but his grandmother passed away. As for the brother in Lin Yan’s mouth, Lin Yan said he was kind-hearted, so he took care of him in every possible way, but Yun Qi always felt that this was just a transaction where each had their own purposes, but that person was more ethical.

Yun Qi poked at the meat in his bowl and murmured softly, “So… so pitiful.”

“Why are you all like this? What’s so pitiful about it?” Lin Yan pouted and scooped two more meatballs for Yun Qi, cutting off his next words.

Yun Qi buried his head in his food, not continuing the topic, but his whole demeanor was dejected.

The lamb was tender and delicious, the beef tender and fragrant, the fish balls tender, white, and bouncy… Lin Yan devoured everything, and occasionally added food to Yun Qi, who was lost in his own imagination.

The meal was unusually silent, and Lin Yan had no desire to defend himself.

This kind of sympathy and pity had always surrounded him, as if his survival had been through some arduous ordeal. Lin Yan respected it, but didn’t understand it. His grandmother doted on him and indulged him, and the so-called working while studying was also because he liked to cook, and his brother had never forced anything. He always went if he wanted to. The seeds he planted would sprout, and the food he made was fragrant for miles. Everyone else thought that he had reluctantly changed his aspirations, but he truly liked it and was elated when he received the admission letter.

He also tried to explain to those people, but the pity in their eyes was even greater, just… just like Yun Qi was now.

Lin Yan took a deep breath and served two mushrooms to Yun Qi, trying to find a new topic. “Let’s not talk about this, I’ve been honest with you. What about you? You never seem to talk about yourself.”

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