Upon hearing Madam Huang’s words, everyone was overjoyed, immediately beginning to discuss how they would celebrate in their own homes.

Since it was a celebration, wine was a must, which wasn't difficult; the few of them could simply go and buy it. Then, they moved on to discussing what dishes they each wanted, planning how many courses they should prepare.

Wang Qingchen listened as the group enthusiastically debated their preferred dishes, and as he listened, a frown began to crease his brow. A simple celebration would suffice; if they truly prepared everything they suggested, the sheer amount of food would be staggering. Only Madam Huang could cook, and it would be unfair to burden her with preparing so much. It would be too much trouble for her. However, everyone was in high spirits at the moment, and he couldn't dash their enthusiasm. So, he sat there pondering how to subtly steer the conversation, perhaps by offering a better suggestion himself.

Wang Qingchen considered what he would do to celebrate with friends in his previous life. A bar? Karaoke? None of those seemed suitable here. What else? Right, they could have hot pot! That wouldn't take long to prepare; they just needed to get the ingredients ready. There was no need to cook each dish separately, which would save a lot of effort. Moreover, since arriving here, Wang Qingchen hadn't seen anyone eat hot pot. If he suggested it, they would likely be eager to try something new.

With this thought, Wang Qingchen voiced his idea. When he finished speaking, the others stared at him, utterly bewildered. Clearly, they had never heard of it, and they couldn't quite grasp his concept of cooking while eating. After all, wasn't eating always about consuming food that was already prepared? How could Wang Qingchen suggest something where they cooked as they ate?

Seeing their confusion, Wang Qingchen offered a further explanation, but it seemed to have little effect. It was Madam Huang who began to understand; as expected of someone who dealt with the kitchen, her comprehension was quick.

Wang Qingchen, seeing that Madam Huang grasped the idea, stopped worrying about whether the others understood. They would eat it eventually, which was what mattered. The less understanding members, seeing Wang Qingchen’s confident demeanor, ceased their questioning. As long as they could eat, it was fine, and besides, the way Wang Qingchen described eating was certainly novel, wasn't it? None of them were rigid traditionalists, so they were quite willing to give it a try.

Once hot pot was finally decided upon, Wang Qingchen received a grateful glance from Zhao Cheng. Zhao Cheng was mainly thankful for Wang Qingchen’s hot pot suggestion. Earlier, after listening to everyone’s suggestions, Zhao Cheng had worried that his mother would tire herself out cooking so many dishes alone. But everyone present were friends, and they were all excited, making it hard for him to say anything that would dampen the mood. Furthermore, if he had spoken up, it would have put his mother in a difficult position, as she had already agreed to help organize things.

Although Zhao Cheng didn’t fully grasp Wang Qingchen’s proposal, he did recognize one crucial thing: eating hot pot meant his mother wouldn't have to be so busy; it would save her considerable effort. It was for this reason that Zhao Cheng shot Wang Qingchen a look of gratitude.

Since Wang Qingchen mentioned that hot pot didn't require many preparations, everyone unanimously decided to have it that very evening. So, some went to buy wine, others to buy ingredients, and Madam Huang took charge of preparing the broth base.

Madam Huang concocted the hot pot base according to Wang Qingchen’s description. However, as it was her first time attempting such a thing and she had never seen it before, she felt quite anxious, fearing she might mess it up and spoil everyone’s celebration. Fortunately, Wang Qingchen tasted it himself afterward and praised the broth highly, which finally brought a measure of relief to Madam Huang.

With the broth ready, Madam Huang began preparing the purchased ingredients. The others also pitched in, curious to see how this novel way of eating was executed.

When Wang Qingchen announced that everything was ready, the others looked at him with doubt. Everything was ready? They only saw a pot of vigorously boiling soup on the stove and some raw ingredients! How were they supposed to start eating?

Seeing their expressions, Wang Qingchen, with a touch of smugness, was the first to lean forward, snatch a few items, and dip them into the pot to swish them around. Before long, he pulled the cooked items out, put them in his mouth, and ate...

The others watched Wang Qingchen’s movements, momentarily stunned, before they heard him call out, “Why are you just staring? Come and eat!”

Only then did the group seem to snap back to reality, swiftly gathering around the pot. They began to imitate Wang Qingchen’s actions, swishing their food before eating it.

It was a novel experience for all of them to eat this way, and coupled with the celebratory atmosphere of the day, the mood became even better. They would eat for a while, pour some wine, and praise how excellent this method was—dip whatever you crave when you’re hungry, so convenient. Plus, doing it yourself made the entire experience feel different.

Wang Qingchen was relieved to see everyone enjoying the meal; he had been worried that they might not find it satisfactory, but now he realized he had worried unnecessarily.

They ate and dipped continuously, interspersed with sips of wine, so the meal naturally stretched on. As a result, the gathering lasted late into the night, with even Zhao Jing and the others showing clear signs of intoxication. Wang Qingchen’s tolerance for alcohol was quite good, and having experienced a terrible hangover before, he had been carefully controlling his intake, so by the end, he remained relatively sober.

Wang Qingchen, along with the sober Li Yuntai and Zhao Cheng, helped the three somewhat inebriated men back to their rooms to rest, and then they assisted Madam Huang with the cleanup.

After finishing the tidying, Wang Qingchen caught a scent on himself—a residual smell that always lingered after eating hot pot in his previous life, a subconscious habit he replicated this time. When he realized what he was doing, he paused for a moment, then calmly thought that there was still a slight scent on him.

Because of the lingering smell, despite the late hour, Wang Qingchen decided to take a bath before sleeping.

Hearing of Wang Qingchen’s intention to bathe, Madam Huang offered to boil some hot water for him, but Wang Qingchen refused. He didn't want to trouble her further late at night, so he urged Madam Huang to rest first. After she reluctantly retired, Wang Qingchen started the fire to heat the water himself.

By the time Wang Qingchen had finished boiling the water and bathing, it was very late. As he lay in bed, he found himself less sleepy and rather awake.

After closing his eyes for a considerable time without drifting off, Wang Qingchen decided to stop forcing himself to sleep and began to let his thoughts wander.

Wang Qingchen actually had many things to contemplate: his past life, his current existence, his spatial dimension, his family from before, and his family in this life, and so on. Finally, Wang Qingchen focused on his recent provincial examination and how he should navigate his future path.

Truthfully, Wang Qingchen subconsciously preferred to avoid officialdom. In his view, the bureaucratic circles were full of cunning schemers, and engaging in constant conflict with them would be exhausting. Moreover, having been granted a second chance at life, he naturally desired a life that was easygoing and peaceful; he had no desire for such complications. Another factor was the lack of human rights during this era; mistakes could lead to dire consequences. Therefore, Wang Qingchen wished to avoid any significant entanglement with the government.

But if he didn't enter officialdom, what else could he do? Wang Qingchen pondered this, and before he could formulate a plan that satisfied him, he had already fallen asleep.

While Wang Qingchen and his group were planning this celebration—or rather, a chance to relax—the examinees in the Capital naturally had similar thoughts.

After most of them had rested sufficiently, someone sent an invitation card asking Xia Wentao to join a celebratory gathering at a tavern in the Capital.

Xia Wentao saw the invitation came from a close friend who had also participated in the provincial examination, so he did not decline, arriving punctually for the appointment.

Upon reaching the designated tavern, Xia Wentao found quite a number of acquaintances already present. Initially, seeing so many familiar faces put him in a good mood. However, the moment he spotted Fu Lan among the attendees, his spirits plummeted, to the point of feeling distinctly repulsed.

The person who had invited Xia Wentao naturally noticed the shift in his expression and felt deeply apologetic. Since they were close friends, they were aware of some of the history between Xia Wentao and Fu Lan. Thus, he had specifically refrained from sending an invitation to Fu Lan. Unexpectedly, Fu Lan had somehow heard about the gathering and followed along. Yet, it was awkward for the host to turn someone away, especially since they were all acquainted and there were no outright feuds. This situation was the result.

After hearing his friend’s hushed explanation, Xia Wentao said no more, moving instead to find a spot as far from Fu Lan as possible and sitting down.

Some at the table were privy to the details of the friction between Xia Wentao and Fu Lan and paid close attention to the situation as conversation unfolded. But others were unaware. They remembered that the Xia and Fu families were set to intermarry, meaning Xia Wentao and Fu Lan would soon be relatives. Consequently, they spoke without reservation, even teasing the two about their future kinship, which caused Xia Wentao’s face to darken considerably.