Quick mission: We don't make trouble

After the children left the kitchen, Zhu Qingqing clapped her hands and said, "It's time to get down to business." After a moment of silent meditation, a bag of hot pot base and a variety of mouth-watering ingredients appeared on the table in the blink of an eye.

Although the kitchen did store some food ingredients, they were mostly pickled meats and fish, along with common cabbage, radishes, and other vegetables. The variety was really limited. And for a hearty hot pot meal, these were clearly far from enough.

"Hey, if I'm going to enjoy a delicious meal, I've got to eat to my heart's content," Zhu Qingqing muttered to herself. With that in mind, she unhesitatingly selected various delicious ingredients from her family's reserves, ready to show off her skills. After all, Shifeng and Jingyuan had meticulously prepared plenty of food for the family, so why not now?

After selecting the ingredients, Zhu Qingqing, like a seasoned chef, skillfully prepared a hot pot base tailored to the adults' tastes. With expert ease, she poured the bag of fragrant hot pot base into a large clay pot. Without hesitation, she tossed handfuls of red dried chilies, crisp Sichuan peppercorns, yellow ginger slices, and white scallions into the pot. Then, she turned on the stove and let them all simmer together in the pot.

Considering the children's delicate stomachs, Zhu Qingqing thoughtfully prepared a light and delicious clear soup base for them. She carefully selected a few fresh, plump chicken carcasses as the base, then chopped bright red tomatoes into small pieces and added a variety of colorful mushrooms. These ingredients were neatly arranged in a small, exquisite clay pot. As the temperature gradually increased, wisps of white mist gradually rose from the pot, emitting waves of enticing fragrance.

While Zhu Qingqing was concentrating on preparing the dishes, the children finished washing the vegetables and returned to the kitchen. As soon as they entered, they were captivated by the two casseroles that were bubbling, steaming, and fragrant.

"Oh my god, this smells so good!" Wu Di was the first one who couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. She stared at the big casserole that kept spewing out hot steam and fragrance with wide eyes, as if her saliva was about to flow out.

Dingxiang and Qiangwei were equally excited. Like two cute puppies, they kept twitching their noses, desperately sniffing the wonderful aroma that filled the air. For them, this unique smell was an unprecedented and novel experience!

Only Yu Bo remained calm, but he was also attracted by the dishes in front of him. Is this just a casual meal?

On the large chopping board in front of Zhu Qingqing, plates and bowls of meticulously cut meat dishes were neatly arranged. Among them were the alluringly colorful luncheon meat, the distinctly textured beef rolls, the juicy and tender beef slices, the lean and fat pork slices, the crispy and crunchy tripe, the silky shreds of horse tripe, the chewy liver, and so on. The variety was mouth-watering.

At this moment, Zhu Qingqing was like a master immersed in artistic creation, completely devoted to the delicate work of filleting the fish. Her bright eyes were fixed on the fish in front of her, and her hands were firmly holding the sharp kitchen knife, as if the knife had become a part of her body.

With a flick of her wrist, the knife danced nimbly, darting up and down like a fluttering butterfly. Each stroke was precise, slicing the fish into perfectly thin slices. In the blink of an eye, slices so thin they were almost transparent, as light as a cicada's wing, emerged from her hands. These slices resembled meticulously crafted works of art, their shapes regular and uniform in size, their surfaces smooth and delicate, radiating an alluring sheen.

As time went by, more and more fish fillets piled up together, but they were still neatly laid out on the jade-white plate, without the slightest sense of disorder or chaos. From a distance, this plate of fish fillets was simply a beautiful painting, pleasing to the eyes and making one's mouth water.