Jiang Lu let out a sigh of relief.
"So, it's time to start the fire now," he said.
"I'll do it," offered Hong Lie, who was also surprised by Jiang Lu's knife skills. He thought about how Jiang Lu had pulled out all the stops to curry favor with Madam Han for his sake, while he had stood by, doing nothing, feeling somewhat guilty and wanting to contribute.
But Jiang Lu stopped him.
"This is actually the step where you can't help me," he said.
"What do you mean?"
"Starting the fire is not the goal," Jiang Lu said seriously, "Getting the pot hot is the goal!"
"Of course I know that, there's a pot right here... "
"My xx is the best pot!"
"What did you say?" Hong Lie looked at him in shock, questioning if he had heard wrong.
Jiang Lu then showed him through action that he had not misheard.
"You know the saying, 'Iron roots braised with goose,' but do you know what iron roots are?"
Jiang Lu licked his lips.