nucmednet Chapter 237 Hot Pot Tasting (1)
Chapter 237 Hot Pot Tasting (1)
Wu Di rushed into the kitchen like a gust of wind and saw Zhu Qingqing and Yu Bo busy at work. One of them was holding a pair of tongs, carefully placing the glowing charcoal into two small and exquisite stoves, while the other was arranging various ingredients to prepare them for the pot.
"Mom, what are we eating tonight?" Wu Di asked with anticipation, blinking his big eyes.
Zhu Qingqing responded without even looking up: "It's too late tonight, let's just make do with it and have a quick bite..."
Upon hearing this, Wu Di's eyes widened instantly, his mouth opened into a big O shape, and he shouted in disbelief: "Huh? Didn't we agree to make something delicious? I've been thinking about it the whole time!"
At this time, Yu Bo couldn't help but laugh and interjected, "You just ate so much cake and snacks, and you still have room for more food in your stomach?"
Wu Di subconsciously touched her stomach. In fact, she didn't feel hungry at the moment, but she still refused to give in. "Humph, I'm not asking for myself! I'm shouldering an important task and came here specifically to inquire about news for grandpa and grandma. And now you just tell me to eat something casually. How can I report back?"
Zhu Qingqing stopped what she was doing, looked at her daughter with a mixture of laughter and tears, and said, "Oh my, my dear girl, I haven't finished what I want to say yet! I want to say that it's too late now. If I want to make many dishes one by one, it will not only be time-consuming and laborious, but also probably be cold by the time they are all done. It's so cold today, it's better to have hot pot, so I decided to just make a hot pot and eat it."
"Oh my god! Mom, could you please stop breathing so hard next time and express your meaning clearly at once? How can you call eating hotpot casual? It's obviously very rich!" Wu Di jumped three feet high with excitement.
Zhu Qingqing glanced at her sideways and said angrily, "That's right! I haven't even finished speaking yet, and you're already yelling."
Wu Di quickly put on a forced smile, scratching his head and laughing sheepishly, "Hey, it's all my fault. I was too impatient, and all I wanted was to quickly enjoy the delicious food Mom made. Wow, hot pot? That's awesome! But... I can't handle spicy food. Mom, could you make us a separate pot? That way, I can eat with Dingxiang and Qiangwei."
Yu Bo exposed her: "You still can't handle spicy food? You can handle spicier food than any of us, okay?"
Wu Di: "Uncle, do you have any love?"
Zhu Qingqing nodded lovingly and replied, "Okay, I get it. Our Didi is quite good at taking care of his friends."
Wu Di raised his chin proudly and replied with a grin, "Of course not. Besides, there's no chili pepper here. Dingxiang and Qiangwei have definitely never tasted anything this spicy before. It would be bad if they got a stomachache after eating it."
At this moment, Yu Bo pointed to the stove nearby and said with a smile, "Look, Sister Qingqing has thought of everything and even prepared two charcoal stoves! The larger one is for us adults, and the smaller one is naturally reserved for you children."
When Wu Di heard this, he danced with joy and exclaimed, "Oh my, Mom, you're so wonderful! I love you so much!"
Before he could finish his words, Dingxiang and Qiangwei walked in, carrying empty trays. They had just gone to their room, wrapped the cookies and chips in oil paper, and placed them in a covered jar. Upon entering, Dingxiang politely asked, "Master Zhu, Sister Didi, is there anything we can do for you? Just let us know." Qiangwei nodded, indicating she was always available.
Zhu Qingqing looked at the three adorable children with tenderness and said softly, "You've come at the perfect time. I just needed your help. I just took a look and noticed there are a lot of fresh vegetables over there. How about this? You guys take care to wash them carefully. We're definitely going to eat a lot of vegetables tonight."
Lilac and Rose's eyes were wide open, flashing with excitement, and they kept nodding their heads vigorously, their heads moving like chicks pecking at rice, at an astonishingly fast frequency.
Although Zhu Qingqing is fully capable of handling the current busy schedule on her own, she knows that cultivating the children's sense of participation is crucial. Only by allowing Dingxiang and Qiangwei to truly integrate into the work and become familiar with and adapt to her work style and pace can they help them grow better.
If these two lovely little girls were just left standing there stupidly, staring blankly at everyone busying around, they would surely feel extremely restrained and uneasy inside.
Zhu Qingqing suddenly thought of something, turned around and said to Yu Bo, "Hey, Yu Bo, you should go with them and help the little girl fetch some water." Before she finished speaking, she seemed a little uneasy, and hurriedly glanced towards the ancient well in the backyard.
Upon hearing Zhu Qingqing's instructions, Yu Bo responded without hesitation, shouting, "Okay! No problem!" Then, he swiftly turned around, carrying a basket of vegetables and leading the three children, they walked briskly towards the well, chatting and laughing all the way, full of joy. Watching them walk away, their lively figures dancing like a flock of happy little birds, Zhu Qingqing couldn't help but smile with relief and warmth.