Chapter 414: Four People, One Pot
When someone waits alone, time always seems to crawl. But when you're chatting with others, it passes much more quickly.
While chatting with Tang Zi and Zhou Long, Mu Liufeng suddenly noticed that the doors of Han Shi opened.
Lunch service had begun.
"Brother Mu, let's sit together later," Tang Zi said. Having traveled across the continent to visit various Tang Sect branches, he found that he got along quite well with the knowledgeable Mu Liufeng. Now that it was their turn to enter, he spoke with some reluctance to end their conversation.
"Sure." Compared to eating alone, sharing a meal with these two newly acquainted Tang Sect disciples sounded like a fine idea, so Mu Liufeng readily agreed.
Soon, the three of them sat down at a table and each opened the menu before them.
"Whoa!" Tang Zi was the first to exclaim. "There are four new Purple Card dishes, and two other new ones too!"
His spontaneous outburst caused the atmosphere in the dining hall to pause briefly. Soon after, the sound of flipping menus filled the room.
Some diners who hadn't yet noticed the new dishes quickly started searching for them, excitement written on their faces.
Before long, the room was filled with hushed whispers.
"Brother Tang, were these six new dishes added today?" Mu Liufeng asked. Having not visited for two months, he wasn't fully up to date on things.
"Yeah, they weren't here yesterday," Tang Zi replied with a grin. "You came at just the right time, Brother Mu."
Mu Liufeng smiled and nodded, a hint of delight showing on his face.
Perfect timing indeed, he had arrived just as new dishes were launched. A fine opportunity to try something new.
Tang Zi eagerly scanned the menu, and before long, his eyes locked onto a dish named Jixi Yipin Pot.
And the reason was simple—it cost two thousand gold coins, making it the most expensive of all the new dishes.
When he turned to the detailed description and saw the accompanying picture, he couldn't help but let out a surprised "Whoa."
This was the first time Han Shi had ever offered something on such a grand scale. Just from the picture alone—a massive pot brimming with an abundance of delicious ingredients—Tang Zi couldn't help but swallow hard.
He really wanted to eat it!
But then he noticed the small note beside it: Recommended for 4–8 people. Total serving size equivalent to ten small portions of fried rice.
Glancing around at their table of three, Tang Zi's excitement dimmed slightly.
He could eat the equivalent of three small portions himself, Zhou Long could also handle three, and as for Mu Liufeng…
"Brother Mu, how's your appetite?"
"Me?" Mu Liufeng didn't quite understand why Tang Zi was asking, but he still replied, "One small portion of fried rice is about enough for me."
That made seven portions total…
Still short by three.
Tang Zi glanced around the restaurant—and then his eyes lit up. "Tai An! Hey, come here!"
A well-built young man dressed in a yellow Tang Sect disciple uniform with black trimmings looked over reluctantly and walked toward them. "What is it?"
"No manners—call me Martial Uncle!" Tang Zi snapped.
The young man's expression darkened further, and he muttered under his breath, "Martial Uncle…"
His name was Tai An, eldest grandson of Tai Lei. Since Tang Zi was a disciple of Tai Lei's senior brother, that technically made him Tai An's martial uncle. But because they were about the same age, Tai An had always been unwilling to use the title, often going out of his way to avoid Tang Zi just to escape having to say it. Unfortunately, this time he hadn't managed to slip away, so he had to accept his bad luck.
"Good!" Tang Zi grinned. "If I remember right, you can eat about three small portions of fried rice, can't you?"
"More or less. Why?"
"Hehe~" Tang Zi waved toward Zhou Long and Mu Liufeng, who were still studying the menu, and made his proposal decisively:
"How about the four of us share a Jixi Yipin Pot?"
"Oh?" Mu Liufeng blinked. "Hold on a moment—let me take a look at what kind of dish this is first."
He had just been reading the description of Yanjing Roast Duck, but now he flipped over to the section about Jixi Yipin Pot and began to read carefully.
Meanwhile, Zhou Long gave a low chuckle. "So that's why you suddenly asked about our appetites. If we include little An, that makes four people—it actually works out perfectly. I don't mind sharing a pot at all."
He glanced down at his own menu, which happened to be open to the same page, clearly also looking at the Jixi Yipin Pot.
Only Tai An looked puzzled. "What are you all talking about?"
"Sit down first." Tang Zi grabbed him by the arm, pulled him over, and made him sit beside him. Then he handed him the open menu.
"Look, right here, this one—" Tang Zi began muttering an explanation to him.
As he spoke, Tai An's eyes grew brighter and brighter until he finally gave a vigorous nod. "Alright!"
Just looking at that picture made him hungry—the pot was filled to the brim with thick slices of pork belly and all kinds of other delicious foods, a feast all in one pot.
Marvelous! He hadn't expected Han Shi to offer something like this.
On the other side, Mu Liufeng closed the menu with a smile. "I don't mind either."
He had just finished reading through the description himself. The Jixi Yipin Pot truly sounded intriguing—such a massive pot simmering with so many different ingredients at once; who knew what kind of flavor it would produce? But since Boss Qi had chosen to serve it, the taste certainly wouldn't disappoint. He was quite looking forward to it now.
After all, he intended to try every dish he hadn't eaten before, no matter the order. Since this one required multiple diners to share, and they happened to have just enough people now, it was the perfect opportunity.
As an outsider, it wasn't easy for him to find others to share a hotpot with.
"However…" Mu Liufeng raised an eyebrow. "How shall we handle the bill?"
Judging by the three men's sturdy builds, it was clear they could all eat a lot more than him. If they simply split the cost evenly, he'd definitely be paying more than his fair share.
"Don't worry, Brother Mu—we're not going to take advantage of you." Tang Zi grinned, clearly already having thought it through. "Since you eat less, you can pay two hundred gold coins, and the three of us will each pay six hundred. How about that?"
That way, the split matched everyone's appetite—perfectly fair.
"Alright," Mu Liufeng agreed readily. The arrangement suited him just fine.
With that settled, the four of them called Fu Ya over to place their order.
With a Jixi Yipin Pot on the table, there was no need for any other dishes—this single pot would be more than enough to fill all four of them.
Before long, under the expectant gazes of the group, Fu Ya carefully came out carrying a large pot in her hands.
Her frame was much smaller than Qi Han's, so seeing her carry out such a massive pot made the sight all the more impressive.
The moment she appeared, several gasps of surprise rippled through the dining hall.
Though only a four-ring Spirit Ancestor, and not a strength-type spirit master, Fu Ya still had no problem lifting the pot. She placed it steadily at the center of their table.
As soon as the pot was set down, a rich aroma spread instantly through the restaurant. At the same time, the surrounding spiritual energy surged toward it, and above the pot appeared the magnificent vision of a great sun slowly rising before quietly fading away.
Only after the phenomenon vanished did Pururu hop onto the table, balancing four bowls stacked atop his head.
Fu Ya took the bowls from him, set them before the four diners, and said softly, "Here's your Jixi Yipin Pot, please enjoy."
"Thank you."
The four of them stared silently at the steaming pot before them, each swallowing hard.
Even though they had mentally prepared themselves, seeing this feast in person was still overwhelmingly tempting.
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