Transmigrated as a Peasant Baby Who is Pampered by All

Chapter 437: Chapter 269: Spicy Hot Pot (Malatang)

With nothing to do and the farm work neatly taken care of by Ling’er, Xiaomi wandered around and simply headed to the warehouse.

The warehouse was filled to the brim with crops, her ultimate source of confidence. As long as she had these, she wouldn’t need to worry about going hungry.

Perhaps the poverty and famine during her childhood had left too deep an impression on her, leading to her greatest wish now for her family to have enough to eat and wear.

As for anything else, those were all secondary once those basic needs were met.

Thinking of this, Xiaomi suddenly recalled something.

”I wonder if Sister Liu still remembers me.”

Previously, she had sneakily gone to the county town, sold a few wild rabbits and a large snake to Sister Liu. She had even promised to deliver good stuff next time to that restaurant.

Who would have thought that nearly half a year would pass, and she hadn’t returned to the city.

After strolling through the warehouse and admiring all the grains, Xiaomi contentedly changed direction.

The various books that had been piled together in disarray were all neatly organized by Ling’er with bookshelves and supermarket racks.

With just a thought, she could bring all the books she wanted right in front of her.

”The latest business models? Useless!”

”Technology and agriculture? Useless!”

”100 ways to get rich? Useless!”

She tossed each book she finished reading, and each one landed securely back in its place without any trouble.

”Franchise store management? Useless!”

”Summer food talks? No, wait, this one is useful!”

Xiaomi’s eyes lit up, and with a wave, the remaining books went back to their places.

It was just a food magazine, featuring many dishes with accompanying illustrations and text. Upon closer inspection, it was all about street food snacks, though undoubtedly most popular in summer.

Things like ice powder, rice wine, crayfish barbecue, pan-fried dishes, mixed spicy soup, and so on.

Seeing crayfish, Xiaomi couldn’t help but gulp a bit as she hadn’t seen crayfish in this world yet.

However, from her understanding over the past few years, many scholars and wealthy people wouldn’t even touch offal, let alone these clawed critters. Nobody was likely to try them.

Of course, the entrails of nourishing animals like deer, tigers, wolves, and bears were exceptions.

”Oh? Spicy hotpot?” Xiaomi’s thoughts quickly shifted away from crayfish.

”As long as you get the seasoning right, it’s quite simple to make. A bowl of noodles and some vegetable skewers, low cost—in this hot weather, it would definitely sell well with a bowl of ice water!”

Just as she was about to take a closer look, she heard some noise from outside, quickly browsed the list of spicy hotpot base ingredients, and then stepped out.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw her second sister up and getting ready to go out. Outside, she heard other people talking, indicating that everyone was well-rested.

Xiaomi mimicked a stretch and got up.

Xiaoxue, who was about to open the door, paused.

”Xiaomi is awake? Did I wake you?”

Normally, Xiaomi was quite the sleeper, especially during this traveling period.

”No, I just happened to wake up too.”

Xiaomi shook her head, got out of bed, put on her shoes, and stretched her legs. She had slept for about an hour and a half.

Sure enough, compared to being jostled on a carriage, lying steadily in bed was much more comfortable.

As soon as the door opened, a wave of heat rushed in, instantly dissipating the slight cool air from the melting ice inside.

”It’s way too hot. Why choose such a hot time for an exam when it would be much better in the pleasant spring or the crisp autumn.”

Xiaomi couldn’t help but complain about the poorly chosen time.

”You shouldn’t say that.”

Just then, Wang Fu walked by and overheard, smiling as he spoke:

”Getting your name on the golden list is like a carp leaping the dragon gate, overcoming harsh weather conditions is part of the test. If the golden list were too easily attained, it might lead one astray in the future.”

Xiaomi had to think for a moment to understand what he meant: ”Oh, so that’s what it means.”

Uncle Wang’s words essentially meant that without going through all these trials, if one were to enter court as an official later, they might not cherish the position, thinking it came too easily, and potentially fall into corruption.

”Xiaomi,” Wei Ziang called from the courtyard.

”Feeling hot? The chef just made an ice drink that tastes like jelly, but it isn’t jelly, and it’s not as cold as ice slushies.”

”Jelly?” Xiaomi was puzzled and quickly ran over.

In front of her parents’ room was a small pavilion that extended out, with a stone table and benches. This area was close to the kitchen and perfect for meals, chatting, and tea.

At this moment, there were three small bowls on the stone table. Liu Ze was handing one to her second sister, while the others were already enjoying theirs.

”It should be called ice jelly, not made from jelly ingredients.”

Wei Ziang handed a bowl to Xiaomi: ”Try it. It’s not too cold, so you can have more.”

At home, we usually had ice shavings, made by freezing boiled water into ice and then crushing it into fine bits, very cold and not suitable for girls to eat a lot.

But this ice jelly was different. Although it was very cool, it only contained a small amount of ice—refreshing but not too chilly.

Xiaomi glanced at everyone else. Only her eldest brother and Jiang Yu hadn’t gotten up yet; even her mother was eating.

She then looked at the ice jelly, which was topped with ingredients similar to those used for ice slushies, but when she stirred it with a spoon, there were jelly-like chunks below.

”It’s truly different from ice slushies!”

Xiaomi’s eyes brightened as she took another bite—it was sweet, with small glutinous rice balls, hawthorn cake, raisins, and some sort of rice flour concoction.

The ice jelly seemed to have been solidified on ice and was cool but not overly icy, smoothly sliding down her throat.

It was almost exactly like the ice jelly she had read about in the book earlier that afternoon!

After finishing half a bowl, Xiaomi looked to Wang Fu beside her: ”Uncle Wang, what’s this ice jelly made from? It’s so delicious!”

During that short time, Jiang Yu and Jiang Wei had also gotten up. Seeing everyone eating ice jelly, Jiang Wei complained about not being called for the treats.

Of course, nobody paid him any mind. Despite his current skinny, malnourished appearance, he had always been a loudmouth since childhood.

Unlike Jiang Yu, who also woke up late but quietly took a bowl to eat without any fussing.

With a smile, Uncle Wang explained: ”It’s made from the seeds of a certain plant. It was discovered inadvertently by a villager from a nearby mountain. When these seeds are rubbed in water, the water solidifies, and they’re non-toxic. Although they don’t fill you up, they’re quite refreshing.”

Xiaomi understood. This was the legendary all-natural handcrafted ice jelly!

After eating the ice jelly, the chef began preparing dinner. With time to spare, Uncle Wang suggested taking them for a walk in the city.

The sun was setting, making it less hot, creating the perfect time for a stroll.

Upon hearing this, Xiaomi eagerly agreed before anyone else could say anything. It was just right, as she wanted to go shopping for some things!