that Cao Er's pupils were already dilated and there was no heartbeat left. That is to say, Cao Er had died!The doctors finished examining Cao Er, looked at Cao Jingmin as if wanting to say something,...Chapter 217: Home-Style Delicacies

Zhang Dahan's large pot dish was basically the same as what his grandfather had made, except that it lacked two medicinal herbs and wasn't as fragrant. However, the taste was still quite similar.

Upon hearing Xiao Yu's words, Xiao Yu's wife and mother-in-law picked up their chopsticks with a puzzled look on their faces, putting a piece of meat into their mouths.

"Mmm..."

Their expressions froze when they put the meat in their mouths, and they let out an involuntary exclamation.

Although the meat melted in their mouths as soon as it was inside, neither of them paid any attention. They hastily swallowed the meat and picked up another mouthful of vegetables.

"Snap..."

The moment they put the vegetables into their mouths, their eyes widened dramatically, leaving them dazed and sitting there in a trance as if they didn't even notice that their chopsticks had fallen to the ground. They were just staring at the pot of stewed meat large pot dish.

Everyone else, except for Xiao Yu, was left baffled by their behavior. Wasn't it just a bowl of large pot dish There's no need to react like this!

Zhang Dahan looked at them with confusion as well, thinking to himself that there shouldn't be such an extraordinary reaction from his large pot dish. Based on their previous reactions, it didn’t seem like his simple meal could have caused such a response.

Liu Jianhong noticed the strange behavior of his wife and mother-in-law and picked up the chopsticks from the table to taste the food himself.

After Liu Jianhong put the dish into his mouth, his facial expression froze as he turned towards Xiao Yu.

Since he had eaten Zhang Dahan's large pot dishes at his wife’s home when Xiao Yu came back from work and prepared them, Liu Jianhong assumed that Zhang Dahan must have learned this skill from Xiao Yu.

"Brother-in-law, how come the large pot dish is..."

Xiao Yu's wife regained her senses and looked at Xiao Yu with shock in her eyes.

At this point, Xiao Jianying also came back to herself and waited for an explanation from Xiao Yu.

You guys don't look at me. I have no idea why it's so good either. All I know is that after eating the same dish in Beijing last time, I realized how similar it was to what my grandfather made. However, you should notice that there are some differences between this stewed meat large pot dish and what he used to make.

"Oh"

The two of them, upon hearing this, picked up another pair of chopsticks and put a bite of the dish in their mouths, chewing it slowly.

"There's no difference!" Xiao Yu put down her chopsticks and said to Xiao Yue with a puzzled look in her eyes.

"Sis, I can't believe you've loved eating Grandpa’s braised meat hotpot since childhood yet still can’t tell the difference between it and this one!" Xiao Yue couldn't help but roll his eyes when he heard what his sister said.

Xiao Yu was different from her brother. Although Xiao Yue also enjoyed grandpa's big pot dishes, he wouldn't nag grandpa to make them for him for days after eating just once. On the other hand, Xiao Yu would pester her grandpa to cook for her every day as soon as she got off school, and no matter how many times she ate it, she never grew tired of it. When grandpa taught her how to make it when she was older, however, she could never replicate his unique flavor.

Essentially, this braised meat hotpot was very similar to medicinal cuisine. The difference was that a few herbs were added in, but the taste was much better than regular medicine dishes due to the particular ratio of ingredients and proportions of meat and vegetables in the dish.

Xiao Yue had always disliked studying medicine since childhood, yet he was quite gifted at it. After being taught only a couple of times by grandpa, he mastered the herb ratios used in the dishes.

After hearing what her brother said, Xiao Yu looked unimpressed and put another piece of meat into her mouth with chopsticks.

"There's no difference!" After swallowing the meat, she looked at Xiao Yue innocently.

"This should be missing two herbs compared to grandpa’s version. That's why it doesn't smell as strong and rich,"

Xi Jian Ying put down his chopsticks and said to them. Xi Jian Ying had been a doctor for many years, so he was much more sensitive to the herbs used in the dish than Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yue nodded upon hearing his mother's words, "The main ingredients are basically the same, but it’s missing two auxiliary herbs. That's why this hotpot isn't as fragrant and delicious as grandpa’s."

Hearing their conversation, Jin Xianglin and Zhang Shaohua were all at a loss, unable to understand what was going on.

Chu Guoqing nodded thoughtfully after hearing them but then looked shocked. Could it be that... do they know each other But is this possible Xiao Yue's grandpa was probably in his seventies while the old man was nearly a hundred years old...

The more Chu Guoqing thought about it, the less likely he believed it to be true. The two of them had absolutely no chance of knowing each other, so Chu Guoqing shook his head and thought, why am I being so sensitive

"Dahai, tell me, who did you learn this braised meat hotpot from"

Xi Jian Ying calmed himself down a bit after getting somewhat excited and asked Zhang Dahai standing by the table.

"Oh... uh... Aunt, what did you say" Zhang Dahan was stunned and looked at Xiao Jianying with a blank expression.

Hearing Xiao Yu's conversation just now made Zhang Dahan lose focus. Despite his years of honing his will in life-and-death situations, he had been distracted, indicating how shocking Xiao Yu's words were to him.

Zhang Dahan learned this stew cooking technique from his master, the boss of a restaurant in Beijing. His master told him that besides himself, there was only one other person who knew this skill, but his master didn't know if that person was alive or dead; Zhang Dahan had also learned it from that person.

The specific name of that person wasn't mentioned by his master, but every time the master talked about him, he showed great respect.

That's why when Xiao Yu and his family discussed this earlier, Zhang Dahan was so shocked. Although they said there were two different herbs used in the recipe, who could guarantee that it had no relation He thought to himself that he needed to contact his master afterwards.

"Brother, my mom asks if you learned how to make this stew from someone!"

Xiao Yu looked at Zhang Dahan, who was stunned, and asked on behalf of Xiao Jianying. At the time, Xiao Yu had a similar doubt when he ate in the canteen last time but didn't think much about it because there were many chefs with similar cooking styles.

Later, due to being busy, he forgot about this matter until Zhang Dahan invited him to dinner today and reminded him of it again.

"This dish was taught to me by my master. But I can't disclose my master's name without his permission. Please forgive me, Aunt!"

Upon hearing the question, Zhang Dahan explained to Xiao Jianying that he couldn’t speak out of turn without his master’s consent.

"Hmm... Everyone, let's start eating! This dish is a specialty in our northern region!"

Xiao Jianying nodded and didn't press further; instead, she turned to Yun Xi and Jin Xianglin and urged them to eat.

After speaking, Xiao Jianying began eating without waiting for others. Yun Xi glanced at Xiao Yu who gave her a nod, so she also picked up her bowl to start eating.

Yun Xi could say that she felt very complicated now. She worked in the Health Bureau as a civil servant and had a good understanding of the hierarchy within officialdom.

Her male colleagues often boasted about their extensive networks, talking about how they dined with various bureau chiefs or department heads to impress her.

But now, her boyfriend who was just an ordinary clinic doctor was dining with the deputy minister-level city secretary of a famous city. The one cooking was also a military officer in charge of the violent system here. She found it hard to believe.

However, she felt sweet inside because no trace of disgust towards Xiao Yu had ever occurred to her; instead, she felt increasingly happy and contented.

Jin Xianglin, Zhang Shaohua, and Chu Guoqiang's driver all picked up the pot dishes on the table and took a bite upon hearing Xiao Jianying's words.

The moment they tasted it for the first time, their bodies trembled involuntarily. After savoring it carefully, they began to eat heartily, not forgetting to grab a steamed bun as well.

Considering what Jin Xianglin and Zhang Shaohua had never lacked in life—wild delicacies, exotic seafood, local specialties, or rare foods worth tens of thousands—such an ordinary pot dish was surprisingly delicious compared to those expensive items.

If they knew that this dish could only be enjoyed by generals in Beijing with a strict monthly ration, one wonders how they would react.

Zhang Dahai also joined them in eating. Although he was anxious and wanted to ask his master something, he didn't want to speak up while others were around.

No one at the table touched any other dishes; everyone ate steamed buns and pot dishes instead, despite their simplicity, relishing every bite.

After dinner, with so much happening today, everyone was exhausted. So, Xiao Yu's family proposed to take their leave, confident they would eventually learn about the reason behind this delicious stewed meat pot dish.

Zhang Dahai knew that Xiao Yu's family had been greatly startled by what happened and didn't try to stop them as they left. As for Chu Guoqiang, his goal had been accomplished, so there was no need for him to stay any longer; moreover, as the secretary of this enormous underwater metropolis, he had many duties to attend to.

"Captain... Captain... Something terrible happened! Wang Kai from the guard unit fell off a crane during training!"

As Zhang Dahai was escorting Xiao Yu and his family out, a soldier ran up to him urgently and shouted.

Hearing this, Zhang Dahai's face changed dramatically. "How serious is it Have you called the ambulance"

"Yes... The ambulance from the armed police hospital will arrive in ten minutes, but Wang Kai is vomiting blood profusely right now! Our medical team can't do anything!"

The soldier panted as he reported.

"Brother Xiao, Auntie, I'm really sorry. I need to go check on this situation and won't be able to see you off."

Zhang Dahai said seriously to Xiao Yu and Xiao Jianying.

"You hurry over there! Don't worry about us!" Xiao Jianying understood the severity of the matter and reassured Zhang Dahai. the fortune-teller clearly had a human spirit inside her.Xiao Yu didn't sense any fluctuation in heaven and earth energy on the fortune-teller's body, indicating that she too used an earthbound metho...