Soon, it was time to prepare lunch. Lin Feng decided to have hotpot. Although the heating was on in the house, it still felt chilly. After all, winter in the south dealt magical damage that was hard to withstand. The colder the weather, the more one craved hotpot to warm up.

He used everything in the house that could go into the hotpot. The pot they bought was a divided one: clear broth for the babies and spicy broth for Lin Feng and Zhang Yuxi. The babies' side was tomato-based, with a sour and sweet flavor they loved.

They were busy all morning. The babies helped by picking vegetables, washing them, and peeling garlic. The whole family working together was a heartwarming sight.

To keep the babies safe during their hotpot meals, Lin Feng had previously made a special table. He set the divided pot into a recess, so the wooden tabletop was slightly higher than the pot's edge. As long as the children didn't go looking for trouble, they wouldn't get hurt.

Lin Feng went to prepare the dipping sauces, leaving Zhang Yuxi to watch the pot with the babies.

The fourth baby, taking the matter very seriously, said to Zhang Yuxi, "Baby, this is very hot, you mustn't touch it!"

The third baby nodded. "You could get hurt, and then you'd have to go to the hospital for shots and medicine."

The fourth baby pinched his earlobe and added, "If you accidentally burn yourself, touching your earlobe will make it better. Last time, when I ate an egg, it was so hot, but doing this made my hand not feel hot anymore."

Zhang Yuxi nodded. "Alright, I'll be careful."

While Lin Feng was mixing the sauces, the first and second babies brought them to the table one by one.

"Okay, it's starting to boil," Zhang Yuxi announced. "Tell Mom what you want to eat, and I'll cook it for you."

The second baby stressed, "We're the moms now, you're the baby!"

Zhang Yuxi paused for a moment, then laughed. "I'll remember that for next time."

The family blissfully enjoyed the warm hotpot and drank soy milk. The third baby offered Zhang Yuxi a quail egg. "Here, baby, eat the eggy!"

"Thank you!" Zhang Yuxi said, pleasantly surprised.

The second baby, sitting beside Lin Feng, mimicked the gesture with great seriousness, offering him a piece of crispy fried pork. "Here baby, eat the meaty!"

Lin Feng smiled. "Thank you!"

After enjoying the hotpot, Lin Feng and Zhang Yuxi cleaned up. The babies were in the play area, having a video call with Jiang Chenchen. A relative was getting married, so Jiang Ming and his son had gone back to their hometown and only got home around noon. They would be stopping by soon.

Someone in Jiang Ming's hometown raised sheep. Since winter had arrived, he had bought two. He kept one for himself and was bringing the other over for Lin Feng.

No sooner had Lin Feng finished cleaning the kitchen than Jiang Ming and his son arrived with a whole sheep, which Lin Feng could cook however he liked.

"How much was it?" Lin Feng asked.

"We're all from the same town. It didn't cost much, you don't need to pay," Jiang Ming said with a smile.

Lin Feng transferred four thousand to Jiang Ming.

Jiang Ming chuckled. "I won't accept it. It will be automatically refunded in twenty-four hours."

Lin Feng frowned. "We can't just take a sheep for free."

"I'm giving it to you as a gift," Jiang Ming laughed. "A single sheep isn't worth much."

To Lin Feng, the price of a sheep was less than a drop in the bucket. What Jiang Ming was offering was a kind gesture, not a commodity.

He stood up. "I should get going. I have to prepare my sheep tonight."

Lin Feng invited him to stay for dinner.

"No, no, I've still got things to do at home, and the kid has school tomorrow."

Lin Feng didn't insist. "Alright, bring him over to play when he's on holiday!"

"No problem!" Jiang Ming grinned.

Little Jiang Chenchen was reluctant to leave, but he promised to come back during the holidays and made a pact with the quadruplets to play together.

Da Bai and Fei Fei were already circling the sheep carcass. Lin Feng used his Beast Tamer skill to command the two little ones not to eat it.

"I'll call Liu Bo and An Lan and invite them over for some lamb."

An Lan was ecstatic when she heard the news. "I'll be right there! I want grilled lamb! The kind on skewers! And grilled lamb ribs, too! You have to make them for me!"

Lin Feng had Liu Bo take the phone. "Liu Bo, it's a whole sheep. I don't know how to butcher it, do you?"

Liu Bo hesitated for a moment. "No problem, Bro. Leave it to me! I'll go buy a butcher knife and some other tools. I'll have it carved up in no time."

Lin Feng was skeptical. "Are you sure you can handle it?"

"Bro, trust me!" Liu Bo swore confidently.

Lin Feng started getting out the barbecue grill and pans, then began preparing seasonings and other ingredients. Meanwhile, Zhang Yuxi took the babies for their afternoon nap.

The fourth baby was worried and repeatedly reminded her, "I want to eat grilled lamb skewers! Mom, you have to call me when they're ready!"

Zhang Yuxi chuckled. "It'll be a while! Don't worry, I'll definitely wake you all up to eat together!"

Only then did the fourth baby reluctantly lie down.

Now everything was ready; they were just waiting for Liu Bo and An Lan.

The pregnant An Lan had gained a fair bit of weight, but she had a healthy glow. As soon as she entered the house, she flopped onto the sofa and drawled, "Call me when it's ready!" She then started watching a mindless drama while cracking sunflower seeds and eating fruit.

Lin Feng, Zhang Yuxi, and Liu Bo began to process the whole sheep.

"Honey," Lin Feng said, calling Zhang Yuxi over. "The sheep has a strong gamy smell. You should go back inside."

Zhang Yuxi really couldn't stand the smell. "Alright, call me when you're done!" She went into the living room to chat with her best friend.

Liu Bo had all his tools ready. "Bro, what's the plan? How should we handle this sheep?"

Lin Feng, possessing the skills of a master chef, told Liu Bo how to butcher the animal.

Liu Bo had put on some weight over the past few years and even had a small belly. Compared to Lin Feng, they were like night and day. And yet, he also worked hard every day, from dawn till dusk. Since getting together with An Lan, he had been trying to balance taking care of their home with his career. After all, his best friend's husband was so outstanding; he had to do his best to give An Lan the finest things in life. He was afraid that if they were compared, An Lan might get angry enough to want a divorce. Hmm, that's right... his wife was already having thoughts of divorce. An Lan's thoughts were fickle and hard to grasp; Liu Bo still hadn't figured her out.

Lin Feng put on an apron and held out his hand. "Give me the axe!"

Liu Bo handed it to him, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

With a few swift chops, Lin Feng had the sheep's head and hooves off.

Liu Bo couldn't help but admire him. "Bro, you've got some serious strength!"

"I work out occasionally," Lin Feng replied nonchalantly. Whenever he had free time, he would go to the gym for an hour. A man with high energy always needs an outlet.

Liu Bo grew envious again, rubbing his own little belly. "I'll start exercising too!"

Lin Feng wielded the tools while Liu Bo assisted. The two of them worked for over half an hour before they finally had the sheep processed. They trimmed the ribs, separated the shanks, and more.

Lin Feng packed up a shank and several ribs for Liu Bo. "Take these with you when you leave for An Lan to cook. If you don't know how, take them to the shop and let Xiao Long prepare them."

Liu Bo didn't refuse. "Thanks, Bro!"

In the living room, An Lan's mouth had been watering for a long time. She leaned over and asked, "Is it ready yet? How much longer? My stomach is growling!"

"We're about to start grilling!" Liu Bo called back.

An Lan stopped asking and went back to her show.

Zhang Yuxi was folding clothes nearby, her eyes glancing at the screen. "Aren't you cold dressed so lightly?"

An Lan shook her head. "I'm actually hot!"

Zhang Yuxi then remembered that a pregnant woman's body temperature is higher than normal. She did a quick mental calculation of An Lan's due date and asked casually, "Do you want a boy or a girl?"

"Either is fine," An Lan said indifferently. "I have no preference. By the way, where are you guys spending the New Year?"

"I don't know yet," Zhang Yuxi said, shaking her head. "We probably won't be going back to Modu, since my parents are busy this New Year."

An Lan smiled. "Then just celebrate in Yangcheng. My parents are coming over, and they're planning on staying."

An Lan's mother had been taking care of her recently but had to return to Modu for some business. Worried about her daughter, she had planned to hire a housekeeper. But the once-delicate An Lan wasn't so fragile anymore. She said she would just stay at the shop, where Xiong Xiaolong could make nutritious meals and she could eat whatever she wanted. Liu Bo would also be with her, which she thought was perfectly fine. Most importantly, she wanted to build a stronger connection with Liu Bo, as she'd always felt something was missing between them.

Zhang Yuxi thought for a moment. "We'll see. We're thinking of taking the kids traveling."

An Lan pouted unhappily. "Oh, okay then!"

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