The evening temperature dropped sharply, bringing a chill to the air.
Each person at the table had two standard bowls: one for soup and one for dipping at.
Holding the soup bowl and gently blowing along its rim, a puff of steam would escape. With one sip, the warmth would travel from the esophagus all the way to the stomach, as if it could dispel the chill of the entire winter. This was why the people in Yi Province loved drinking lamb soup during the Winter Solstice.
It might also be why Chunming doesn’t like lamb soup, Zhou Li thought.
After finishing the soup, one would let out a long breath, not caring about appearances, then pick up a piece of at, swirl it in the dipping sauce, and pop it into their mouth, feeling utterly satisfied.
The dipping sauce in this restaurant wasn’t homade but prepared by the owner, which was similar to the lamb soup restaurants in Yan City. The taste was similar to that of pickled cabbage with pork knuckles and clear soup goose dipping sauce, largely using fernted tofu, chili, green onions, and coriander as the base.
Although the cooking thods and styles of lamb soup varied, the flavor was still good.
The lamb was neither fishy nor gay; that was a given.
Usually, the lamb offal served in restaurants consisted mainly of intestines and stomach, without any lung or liver, and this restaurant was no different.
The taste of the lamb blood was also pretty good.
According to Chef Kuanyou, lamb blood had the best taste among many blood products. Zhou Li didn’t eat it often and couldn’t tell.
Brother Nan might be able to tell, Zhou Li mused. She loved these odd delicacies. During the sumr break in Yan City, she even took to eat roasted pig’s penis, all the while telling about the pumpkin leaves she used to eat roasted with sothing or other when she was a girl... She didn’t act like a girl at all.
The tastiest, however, was actually the pea tips.
When eating lamb soup in Yi Province, this dish was a must-order.
The pea tips, which had just sprouted in November and December, beca soft and tender after a quick blanch in the boiling hot lamb soup. They soaked up the oil and fragrance of the lamb soup, and their popularity sotis even surpassed that of the lamb and offal.
Brother Nan ordered five portions. This wasn’t really a lot because although each portion appeared large, it would shrink significantly once blanched. Adding two portions to the pot ant they would be gone after just a few grabs by everyone; five portions were never enough to satisfy them.
"I’ve got this!"
Baozi promptly stood up and started to add the food to the pot.
After finishing, seeing Zhou Li reach for the soup ladle, she snatched it without a word, diligently offering, "Cousin, let serve you."
"Thank you."
"Do you want so rice?"
"No thanks."
"Oh..." Baozi trailed off and sat back down in her seat, seemingly idle again. Her eyes wandered, watching everyone at the table, ready to intervene if anyone tried to serve themselves soup or rice.
"I’m thinking about getting a winter job during the winter break, hopefully, the pandemic doesn’t worsen," Mianmian said. "I’m not sure what to do, though."
"I want to find one too," Qian Qian added. "I worked at a cinema last year, but I didn’t work many days before the pandemic hit. Actually, working at the cinema was quite comfortable, the pay was decent, and I got to et lots of cute guys and girls."
"Really?" Mianmian asked, surprised.
"Really," Qian Qian said. "You should ask your local cinemas; they usually hire part-tirs during the school breaks. Cinemas probably laid off a lot of staff in the first half of this year. If the industry aims to recover during the New Year period, they’ll definitely be short-staffed."
"I’ll ask about it!"
"Baozi, serve so soup..." Qian Qian said. "Thank you."
Baozi wordlessly took her bowl and started serving the soup, now seemingly like an emotionless service machine.
Yet, she found their part-ti job discussion quite interesting, quietly noting it to herself. She probably wouldn’t need it, though, since her inco would peak during the winter break, and there was no necessity for her to take a part-ti job. Sumr might be a different story.
That reminds ... Baozi covertly turned her head towards Zhou Li and Brother Nan, attempting to figure out their secret to wealth, and asked, "Cousin, Sister-in-law, do you have any plans for part-ti jobs during the winter break?"
"Be the shop owner," Brother Nan said.
"..." Baozi remained silent.
"Part-ti? No, I don’t think so," Zhou Li said. "If the pandemic doesn’t rebound, I might go to Qingjiang with Huai Xu. Brother Nan, would you consider joining us?"
"..." Baozi fell silent again. "To Qingjiang?"
"Yes."
"Qingjiang is best in the autumn, though spring and sumr are also fine, but not winter," Baozi carefully probed. "I suggest you guys go next sumr break when you can enjoy the fruits. I can join you then."
"Huai Xu grew up in Qingjiang before moving to Yan City," Zhou Li explained. "You didn’t know."
"Right, right, right," Huai Xu nodded, taking a mont from eating.
"But isn’t it very cold in Qingjiang now?" Baozi was still stunned. For soone passionate about landscape photography, Qingjiang and the Tibetan region were undoubtedly her dreams. However, those dreams were too distant and expensive for a student like her to afford. But if her cousin could sponsor her, she could definitely bring this post-graduation plan forward to her university years.
"I don’t know," Zhou Li glanced at Huai Xu. "But we’ve already decided, and we will go as long as nothing unexpected happens."
"In that case... take with you, cousin!" Baozi bowed her head. Although winter in Qingjiang was not her first choice, as many renowned photographic sites would be icy and snowy, she was still eager to try if given the chance. Even if it was just to scout the area for the first ti, it would be worth it, especially since it would save money. "I can carry bags, pull suitcases, massage your shoulders, and be your driver. If you think my driving is bad, you can drive yourselves. You can even use my driver’s license to take any point deductions."
"No," Zhou Li flatly refused.
"I’m familiar with Qingjiang; I’ve morized strategies for various places online," Baozi said, her attitude sincere. "I could be a great help if you guys are going there to have fun."
"No," Zhou Li was ruthless.
"Cousin~~"
"You have no money," Zhou Li pursed his lips.
"..."
Baozi bowed her head deeply, remaining silent. I swear, one day I’ll be rich! she vowed to herself.
"When are you guys going?" Brother Nan asked.
"If we’re going, we’d visit Huiyan City first and spend a few days there before heading out," Zhou Li said. "Qingjiang is vast. Huai Xu might want to stay in his hotown for a few days, and we also need to rush back for the New Year. Alternatively, we could depart after the New Year."
"Sounds like it’d take a lot of ti," Brother Nan hesitated.
"Are you coming?"
"I need to think about it," Brother Nan was still hesitant. After all, she was the shop owner. "My family is also busy during the New Year."
"That’s fine."
"..."
Baozi silently listened to their conversation, troubled by poverty.
Su Jue, who had remained quiet until now, finally interjected, "Qingjiang seems a bit unstable..."
Mianmian and Qian Qian nodded in agreent, showing their concern for Brother Nan and Handso Huai.
Only Baozi was unconcerned. She knew that most of these were re hearsay or outdated rumors. With the efforts of the Ministry of Public Security in recent years, the security in Qingjiang had improved trendously. As long as you didn’t venture deep into the countryside, the safety there could even surpass that of the inland areas.
But people always liked to propagate these things...
However, Huai Xu and Zhou Li knew that Su Jue might not be referring to that.
The northwest direction had been a haven for evil demons since ancient tis. From the Hexi Corridor extending into the region, many belligerent demons gathered. This had an inseparable connection with the military operations conducted there by the ancient human world. The demons that originally lived there either moved away or were also affected by the human world’s wars, starting to beco "fiercely spirited."
Huai Xu’s initial stay in the area was to counter the impact of demons and foreign Heavenly Masters on the border.
Now, many evil demons had awakened there.
Yet, naturally, Huai Xu was not afraid.
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