Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

Yelü Gan was able to buy a place so easily because many people in the Liao Dynasty had never tasted Shenqing's cuisine, let alone knew the rule that everyone was equal before Shenqing's food.

Therefore, twenty coins were enough to make them happy.

But after today, I'm afraid it will be impossible to buy a spot in front of Zhiwei Restaurant for twenty coins again.

Soon, the two brothers each brought another dish to the table.

Yelü Gan stared longingly at his own portion.

Father and Mother have already eaten one bowl. Mother has a small appetite, so the two of them can only eat one more bowl at most. After they finish Yelü Qi's portion, is it his turn to eat this one?

Just as he was thinking this, a hand took the bowl of spicy hot pot from in front of him.

"Gan'er, if you want to eat, go and queue up. These two bowls are just right, one for your father and one for me."

Yelü Gan: "...Mother, can you really eat that much?"

"Yes, yes, this mala tang is both numbing and spicy, and incredibly fragrant!"

Empress Xiao ignored her son and grabbed her chopsticks, stuffing large mouthfuls of food into her mouth.

The emperor didn't even look up, just kept eating with a satisfied expression.

"Let's go, second brother, let's go queue up again. I'll eat half a bowl and leave the other half for you."

Yelü Qi looked as if he had known this all along. He was also tempted, but he couldn't eat another serving, at most he could eat half a serving.

In this way, Yelü Gan can buy another bowl, which will be enough for him to eat one and a half bowls.

Yelü Gan sighed and could only get up again to buy a seat.

Two more lucky people received twenty coins each.

This time, Yelü Gan finally got his own bowl of spicy hot pot.

"Let's add some sesame paste. I heard Madam Shen say that we can add it ourselves, but I was too hasty in my mouth just now," Yelü Qi said from the side.

He was curious about the taste of the added sesame paste.

Yelü Gan nodded and walked to the dipping sauce area.

Sesame paste, sesame oil, chili oil, vinegar, minced garlic, chopped green onions, and cilantro were arranged in a row.

Without saying a word, Yelü Gan scooped a spoonful of sesame paste into his bowl, stirred it with chopsticks, and the sesame paste quickly spread in the boiling red soup.

I scooped a spoonful of soup into my mouth.

The first bite is spicy, but not overpowering. The oil from the sesame paste coats the spiciness, making it mellow and smooth. The nutty aroma of the sesame paste blends with the savory flavor of the bone broth, making this soup incredibly rich and flavorful.

Take another bite of lamb slices. The meat is still tender, but it's coated with a light layer of sesame sauce, giving it a rich meaty and sesame flavor.

"My goodness, no wonder Mother ate so much, the spicy hot pot is so delicious!!"

"How can there be such delicious food in the world?!"

"Madam Shen is the most beautiful woman in the whole world!!"

Yelü Gan ate and shouted, becoming increasingly obsessed.

Yelü Qi watched from the sidelines, not finding it strange at all. After all, he had seen even more outrageous things at the palace banquet in Da'an.

The aroma of mala tang (a spicy hot pot dish) enveloped the Zhiwei Restaurant, growing stronger and stronger.

The people in line were all filled with anticipation, and the line grew longer and longer.

It wasn't just because it tasted good, but also because the spicy hot pot was free today, and all the money was paid by the Second Prince Yelü Gan.

"Sister, can I take this spicy hot pot with me?" a cautious voice asked.

Looking in the direction of the sound, there was a little boy with delicate features, but he was a bit thin. His clothes were obviously made of good material, but his eyes were darting around, and he seemed a little cautious.

Shen Qing thought the child was shy, so she smiled gently and said, "Of course you can take it. Go and choose your vegetables, and I'll cook them and pack them in a food box for you."

"Thank you, sister!"

The little boy gave a shy smile, picked up the plate, and ran off to choose his food.

"Meat, meat, my little sister loves meat the most."

"I'll have a few pieces of tofu too."

"And potatoes, I like to eat potatoes."

"I'll have a little more noodles, so I can feel fuller."

"..."

The little boy muttered to himself as he picked up food, but the anticipation in his eyes was impossible to hide.

After picking up the food, he ran back with a plate of vegetables.

"Sister, please put less chili in it~"

"Okay, no problem." Shen Qing smiled and started cooking the spicy hot pot.

"Great! The food my sister made smells so good, my mouth is watering!"

The little boy's eyes sparkled as he spoke, wiping his drool as he watched Shen Qing cook the spicy hot pot with longing eyes.

Before long, a steaming bowl of spicy hot pot was ready.

Shen Qing thoughtfully used an extra-large bowl to minimize the risk of soup overflowing.

She put the bowl of spicy hot pot into a food box, along with two small bowls and two pairs of chopsticks, before handing the food box over.

"Be careful not to spill the soup."

"Thank you, sister, I'll walk slowly!" The little boy was a bit bolder, his tone rising, and you could hear the joy in his voice.

He carried the food box, walking forward little by little, as if he were carrying some rare treasure.

This smells so good, my little sister will definitely love it.

My sister is too thin; she should eat more meat. He picked up a lot of meat this time.

The spicy hot pot smells amazing! I can finally eat my fill!

The little boy was very happy, and even unconsciously started humming a little tune.

Just then, several untimely voices rang out:

"Hey, look! Why is he carrying something?"

"Being so careful, it must be something good!"

"I saw him coming from the direction of Zhiwei Restaurant. Is he eating at Zhiwei Restaurant?"

"Let's go take a look!"

Six or seven little boys rushed forward, their clothes even more gorgeous, each one chubby and with eyes full of joy and excitement.

"You, you guys, don't come any closer..." The little boy instinctively protected the food box, a hint of panic showing in his eyes.

"What is this? Let us see."

"Hey, what are you holding? Is it food from Zhiwei Restaurant? Tell me!"

"Sheep handler, why are you running around like that instead of herding the sheep properly? Do you want a beating? Hand over the food box right now!"

"..."

The eyes of those six or seven little boys were full of malice, the kind of wickedness unique to children.

The little boy, called the sheep slave, shuddered involuntarily, but still stubbornly said, "Don't take mine, this is for my sister—"

"If you want to eat, you can go yourself. Today, you don't need to pay for the spicy hot pot at Zhiwei Restaurant..."