The time has entered September, and the air in Huaijiang is gradually getting hotter.
The dazzling sunlight fell on the street, and Xia Zhaoyao couldn't help but squint his eyes slightly.
Compared with the "magic city" that has become popular in recent years, Huaijiang used to have a more famous label.
"Huh...it's so hot——"
Xia Zhaoyao fanned his little hands, creating a slight breeze.
"It is indeed one of the four largest furnaces in the country. I believe you when you say this is the Flame Mountain."
"The Flame Mountain is at TLF, and it's an open-air oven—"
Qin Shuo replied casually that he bought two bottles of ice cola from a small supermarket on the street, and handed one of them to Xia Zhaoyao.
"Huaijiang here is considered a sauna and steaming. Now is the intermission, July, August, and the autumn tiger at the end of September."
"At that time, the temperature was getting higher, you could fry eggs on the ground, and you could even see waves in the air——"
"Oh...hiccup——"
Xia Zhaoyao unscrewed the bottle cap and took a long sip.
As the bubbles and sugar of the ice cola flowed down her throat.
She felt as if the pores all over her body had burped, and her whole body became much refreshed.
"To be honest, I really don't understand. Why do you still choose hot pot on such a hot day?"
As a native of Yancheng, Xia Zhaoyao sometimes has a hard time understanding the brain circuits of Huaijiang people.
Even though the weather is so hot, I still have to go to the butter hot pot with red molten water.
Even if the air conditioning in the hot pot restaurant is sufficient, it is still a very magical thing, right?!
"Huaijiang is a mountain city, surrounded by two rivers and steep mountains and forests——"
Qin Shuo explained casually while looking at the navigation on his phone.
"In ancient times, this was an important dock hub, and we can trace it back even further."
"It's a land of southern barbarians. If you studied the text in high school, it's hard to reach the sky."
Xia Zhaoyao shrugged and replied that her Chinese is not bad.
"Yes. Oh, it's right here."
Qin Shuo looked around and finally stopped in front of a small store with an unprepossessing appearance.
"In ancient times, Huaijiang was plagued by mosquitoes and the heat was unbearable. People ate chili peppers to remove moisture and sweat to avoid the heat."
"This is the earliest origin of Huaijiang hot pot, and in this branch, there is a category called old hot pot."
He pointed to the name of the store in front, and Xia Zhaoyao looked up.
Above the shabby-looking hand-operated sliding door, a simple light sign reads the name of the store:
Niushan old hot pot.
"Old hot pot? The kind that has been in a century-old restaurant?"
"No, Huaijiang's old hot pot is a cooking method."
Qin Shuo opened the door and walked into the store, while giving Xia Zhaoyao some science knowledge.
"Old hot pot uses old oil that has been boiled repeatedly, and a pot of butter is boiled repeatedly and finally cooked."
"Well--"
Xia Zhaoyao was stunned for a moment and quickly grasped the key points.
"You mean the bottom of the pot here is reused? What we eat is what others have eaten?"
"If you understand it this way, that's right."
Qin Shuo shrugged noncommittally and turned to look at Xia Zhaoyao, who had a resistant expression.
"However, the most authentic hot pot in Huaijiang is Lao Hot Pot, which is the key requirement of counselor Zhang."
"If you feel a knot in your heart, you don't need to eat anything in the red soup tonight."
"You don't need to tell me, I won't touch -"
Xia Zhaoyao put down his phone and answered without hesitation.
She just searched online and found that the oil in old hot pots is filtered and solidified repeatedly.
"Well, it's up to you -"
Qin Shuo ignored the resistance on Xia Zhaoyao's face and shouted into the empty shop.
"Is the boss here? Can we still eat now? There are two of us here."
"I'm coming--"
A voice came from the dark inner hall.
An old man in an apron opened the curtain and came out, wiping his hands on his apron.
"Two? You guys sit by the door, we didn't turn on the lights during the day -"
"...Is this place really reliable?"
Xia Zhaoyao looked at the dark shop environment and asked in a low voice.
Although class dinners are decided by the class committee, the environment and this store look really worrying.
It's not so bad at the Fly Restaurant. After all, the floor, tables and chairs are still clean, but...
"Of course, this is an authentic Huaijiang old hotpot restaurant selected by counselor Zhang."
The hand-picked Huaijiang old store?
Xia Zhaoyao looked around at the tables and chairs.
Most of them are old ornaments that have been worn a bit "moisturized".
There was a strange aroma floating in the air, unlike anything she had ever smelled before.
It's always old, but no matter how you look at it, it has nothing to do with delicious food or treasure.
You should know that even at noon, there are many people queuing up at the door of the Pig Guangyu Hotpot on Xi Street.
At first glance, it is different from this place. Compared with some hidden treasure shop, this place is more like a small shabby shop that no one cares about.
"Yeah, what are you two eating from the bottom of the pot?"
Before Xia Zhaoyao could complain, the boss' loud and bold voice came from the table.
Perhaps after hearing the Mandarin spoken by Xia Zhaoyao when communicating with Qin Shuo, his eyes focused more on her.
Well, Xia Zhaoyao has encountered this kind of look a lot recently.
The next sentence is usually...
"Sister, do you want something spicy? Our old hotpot is a bit spicy."
Sure enough, the standard Huaijiang-style polite opening made it seem like the only place in the world where spicy food can be eaten.
Xia Zhaoyao raised his eyebrows, turned to look at Qin Shuo, and replied provocatively.
"Don't be afraid, it's the most authentic taste. Just go ahead and do it, boss -"
Anyway, she made up her mind not to touch a single chopstick today.
At this time, Qin Shuo would definitely be strengthened.
"...Don't listen to her, she can't eat anything spicy."
However, before the boss could agree, Qin Shuo rejected it without hesitation.
He took out his cell phone and looked at it, then turned to his boss and continued.
"Our class wants to have a class dinner here tonight. There are about fifty-five people. Do you have a place here?"
"The time is half past six in the afternoon? The counselor asked me to come over and reserve a table. I can try the dishes and order some in advance for each table."
"Oh, Suo, a freshman at Huaijiang University, has a position."
The boss nodded clearly, looked around the store, and pondered for a few seconds.
"Sixty, so you may have to squeeze in. The big table counts eight, and the small table counts three or four..."
"I'll leave you four large tables and seven small tables, which should be enough - you can just book the table on the second floor."
As he spoke, he pointed to the left side of the shop.
Xia Zhaoyao followed the boss's hand and saw a small alley next to it.
There is a light sign above the alley, with the five big characters "Niushan Old Hotpot" shining brightly there.
Uh--the two sides look like two different houses.
Afterwards, Qin Shuo and his boss started talking at high speed in Huaijiang dialect.
The two quickly agreed on the time, number of people to eat, and basic drinks.
However, the two had differences when it came to discounts and dining standards.
"Hey, let's not talk about money first-"
The boss waved his hand and interrupted Qin Shuo's words.
Xia Zhaoyao, who was in a daze next to him, pricked up his ears and looked curiously at the two people whose negotiations had stalled.
Huaijiang people's communication is like this, sometimes they will suddenly throw some direct shots.
For example, Zhao Huanxi's question earlier was quite direct and fatal.
"Whether it tastes good or not, you have to eat it first - and then we'll talk about the discount. Don't imitate other people's bargaining methods."
The boss pulled out a rag from nowhere and quickly wiped it on the table where Xia Zhaoyao and Qin Shuo were sitting.
Then, without any explanation, he thrust the menu and pen into Xia Zhaoyao's hand and turned to look at Qin Shuo.
"Where's the bottom of the pot? Mildly spicy, medium spicy, extra spicy - which one?"
"Um……"
Qin Shuo thought for a few seconds and suddenly sighed.