"What's the rush," Murphy said with a smile. "You have to add the ingredients one at a time and let them cook just right. The real flavor comes from the anticipation."
Mo Ling leaned against her father, and the air around them seemed to grow much warmer.
She wrinkled her little nose, watching her mother carefully slide a plate of plump, round fish balls into the boiling broth. The balls soon bobbed up and down in the milky-white soup.
"I know, Father," she whispered, her eyes still glued to the pot. "But... while I'm waiting, my stomach is rumbling so loud it sounds like thunder."
Aurora chuckled at her words.
She took the first slice of beef she had just cooked, dipped it lightly into a small dish of prepared sesame sauce, and placed it in Mo Ling's dipping bowl.
"Here, go ahead and eat," Aurora said gently. "Be careful, it's hot. Blow on it a little."
