This small piece of tripe had been carefully selected by Li Qingfeng.
He had genuinely been terrified by the hot pot broth; he had never encountered anything so intense.
He felt that after finishing this hot pot meal, he would likely be spending the entire night in the bathroom, and indeed, things unfolded as he predicted.
"My heavens!"
After taking a bite of tripe, he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
Hearing his cry, Zong Shuyun, whose face was obscured by the steam from the hot pot, couldn't help but show a hint of a pleased smile.
She seemed to be gloating, no matter how one looked at it!
By this point, Li Qingfeng understood the situation completely.
The root of it all was that Zong Shuyun intended to prank him today.
"I say, senior sister, isn't it spicy for you?"
Looking at Zong Shuyun before him, he finally couldn't help but ask.
"Spicy? What's spicy?"
"It's just a normal hot pot! What's wrong, are you feeling the heat?"
To be honest, Zong Shuyun's words left Li Qingfeng speechless for his next sentence.
Looking at Zong Shuyun opposite him, who still appeared unfazed, he steeled himself.
"Waiter?"
"Coming right up, sir. What can I do for you?"
The service at this hot pot restaurant was indeed exceptionally good; the waiter arrived as soon as he called.
Li Qingfeng pointed to the hot pot in front of him and said, "This broth isn't spicy enough. Add some more red oil and chili for me!"
"What! Sir, are you sure? It's already at the super spicy level. Perhaps you'd like to try it again?"
Looking at Li Qingfeng, the waiter couldn't help but quietly advise him.
After all, making hot pot too spicy could be detrimental to one's health, and the waiter dared not add chili arbitrarily.
"Don't worry, see, we're both perfectly fine. To be honest, we're here to do a review and want to test how spicy your offerings can get."
"May we?"
"If it's inconvenient, then we'll skip the review."
Li Qingfeng said regretfully, looking at the waiter before him.
To be honest, this tactic of deflecting the blame completely rendered the waiter speechless.
Reviewers were definitely not people to be offended. It wasn't just him; even the boss would have to be polite.
Unless you didn't want to run a business here anymore, a reviewer's opinion was almost a death sentence, comparable to food safety standards!
"So, like this? Sir, I'll add chili and red oil for you. If you really can't handle it, just let us know, and we'll change the broth base for you."
The waiter reminded him again, then left to fetch the red oil and chili.
At this moment, Zong Shuyun's complexion also changed slightly.
Although she could handle spice, the current super spicy level was already her limit. If it got any hotter, she probably wouldn't be able to bear it.
She directly asked Li Qingfeng, "Are you sure you still want to add red oil and chili? You're already so affected by the spice; shouldn't you stop adding it? Or should I ask them to change it to a clear broth base for you?"
"No, no, it's fine!"
Feeling that Zong Shuyun opposite him was finally showing signs of fear, Li Qingfeng's energy instantly doubled.
"Senior sister, do you not eat spicy food often at home?"
"No, my family isn't very good with spicy food. I usually only order it when I go out by myself or with others."
At this moment, Zong Shuyun, who was diligently eating stewed tripe, replied, her tone seeming to carry an undeniable certainty.
"Since you're willing to eat it, eat more. I'll give you all this tripe!"
Li Qingfeng cooked the remaining tripe and placed it into Zong Shuyun's bowl opposite him.
"Chili's here!"
Just then, a man's voice suddenly rang out.
Turning his head, he saw it was indeed that waiter, now carrying half a plate of chili and two large lumps of beef tallow.
Standing beside them, the waiter earnestly asked again, "Sir, are you sure you want to add more chili?"
"Yes, yes, thank you!"
Before Li Qingfeng could even speak, Zong Shuyun opposite him had already snatched the words, signaling the waiter to proceed.
"All right, I'll add the spice for you."
The waiter nodded and first placed the beef tallow in his hands into the hot pot. As the tallow melted, the broth instantly turned a vibrant red.
A fragrant, spicy aroma wafted upwards.
Seeing the chili like this, even Li Qingfeng couldn't help but feel a sense of resignation, thinking he might be sacrificing his 'nighttime lifespan' today.
"All set, sir! The spice has been added."
"If you need anything else, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll be going back now..."
After adding the spice, the waiter turned and left, leaving the two of them staring at each other.
"Eat up, senior sister! Why aren't you eating?"
Li Qingfeng looked at Zong Shuyun opposite him, who seemed hesitant, and couldn't help but ask.
Indeed, as soon as he spoke, Zong Shuyun opposite him seemed to gather her courage and directly picked up a piece of lamb and ate it.
"Hiss!"
Immediately, she let out a sigh.
Her tone was quite serious, indicating she, too, was overwhelmed by the spice.
"Why aren't you eating either?"
As the saying goes, it's better to share joy than to enjoy it alone. Zong Shuyun immediately pulled her junior into the fray, and they began to engage in a back-and-forth over the incredibly spicy broth.
The diners at the neighboring tables looked over, observing the lively scene at their table and contrasting it with their own quiet meals.
Even the person celebrating their birthday nearby seemed a little sad.
With so many friends, he still wasn't as lively as the two people at that other table.
"Brother, brother, let's eat too!"
Well, since no one else was being lively, he took it upon himself to liven up the atmosphere.
However, Li Qingfeng paid no attention to the situation at the other tables.
After a good ten minutes of battling it out with his senior sister, he was the first to surrender.
In fact, even if he hadn't, Zong Shuyun opposite him couldn't have held on much longer. But in this situation, it was better to save her a little face!
"Let's go, senior sister. We'll settle the bill!"
After a hurried payment at the counter, Li Qingfeng pulled Zong Shuyun, who was slumped in her chair, out of the hot pot restaurant.
He felt an overwhelming sense of urgency!