Chapter 62: Carrot Bunny p1
Where was her sweet, adorable little goddess?
She didn’t recognize this person carrying three plucked chickens… and smiling… walking towards her!
This was a sight that could shatter one’s worldview with a single glance. Mi Hongdou closed her eyes and turned away. She must be seeing things.
She stared at the blanched beef in the plate, her ears, however, picking up the sound of cheerful footsteps approaching. Then, Ji Junxin’s voice, close and slightly excited: “Chef Zhao finished cleaning the chickens, where should I put them?”
What had happened while she was blanching the beef! It seemed that in a moment of inattention, her idol had been snatched away by another fan… and she was already calling him “Chef Zhao.” Hmph, who cared about his name! Mi Hongdou didn’t dare to look at the image of her goddess and the chickens again, her gaze fixed on the beef. She grabbed an empty plate and pushed it towards Ji Junxin. “Where’s Chef Zhao? Why are you bringing the chickens?”
Thump, thump, thump. Three plucked chickens were placed on the plate. Ji Junxin then hurried to wash her hands. “He’s calling someone in the back, the other chef isn’t doing anything, so I went to check. Then I found out someone was looking for him, he had finished killing the chickens, but hadn’t plucked them yet, and he wanted to ask the other chef for help.”
Mi Hongdou glanced at the three naked chickens on the plate. So, she wasn’t going to tell her that she was the one who finished plucking them, right? … That couldn’t be, the carcasses were still intact. Shouldn’t each chicken be missing half its skin? …
“Then, since he couldn’t get any help, he finished plucking them himself. But the person who was looking for him kept urging him, so I brought the chickens in.” Ji Junxin returned to Mi Hongdou’s side, her tone slightly proud as she explained.
Coupled with the sparkling eyes she only showed when encountering delicious food, she looked like a puppy who had brought the newspaper from outside and was waiting for praise… For some reason, Mi Hongdou’s recent fantasies all involved kittens or puppies. It was all because of Ji Junxin’s accidental licks… Mi Hongdou squeezed her still tingling index finger and, smiling, picked up a chicken from the plate. “I was just about to use the chicken, perfect timing!” She gave Ji Junxin several grateful looks.
Ji Junxin smiled shyly, her eyes shining even brighter.
Mi Hongdou’s heart melted. Although their interaction seemed to have shifted somehow, she wanted to drop the chicken and ruffle Ji Junxin’s hair!
Mi Hongdou forced herself to focus on the food she needed to prepare. One chicken in her hand, two more on the plate… plus the three already diced ones. If she made all of them into spicy chicken, just the frying alone would take a long time. And making four or five large portions seemed a bit low-class. She didn’t know how Jiang Lingling’s people bought the chickens… all three were hens. Mi Hongdou thought for a moment and decided to make chicken soup with all three. Since Jiang Lingling and Ji Junxin couldn’t eat spicy food, chicken soup would be good for their cold and stomach.
She looked around the kitchen, couldn’t find a large pressure cooker, and took a stainless steel stockpot instead. Although clay pots were better for making soup, there were too many chickens. Mi Hongdou didn’t want Jiang Lingling to suddenly barge in, see the remaining three chickens, and force her to make them all into spicy chicken. Even if she was willing to make it, Jiang Lingling couldn’t eat it.
The more Mi Hongdou thought about it, the more she felt that making chicken soup with all three chickens was a brilliant idea. So, thump, thump, thump, the three chickens were thrown into the pot. Ginger, scallions, rehydrated dried mushrooms… Mi Hongdou added the ingredients one by one, then she noticed Ji Junxin’s slightly pitiful expression.
Eh? Mi Hongdou had just glanced at Ji Junxin out of habit and was about to continue working when she realized something was off. She looked at Ji Junxin again, that pitiful expression wasn’t her imagination.
Weren’t her eyes sparkling just a minute ago? Mi Hongdou put the washed mushrooms into the pot, wiped her hands with a tissue, and walked over to Ji Junxin. “What’s wrong?”
Ji Junxin hesitated and didn’t speak. After Mi Hongdou softened her voice and asked again, she finally mumbled something.
Her voice was soft, and her face was red. But Mi Hongdou, whose attention was completely on Ji Junxin, still heard it clearly.
“All for soup… no spicy chicken?”
So that was why Ji Junxin’s expression had changed. In the end, what could make a foodie change her expression was only food! Although she wasn’t being compared to anything, Mi Hongdou still felt like she had lost.
“Look, there are still chicken legs here, these are for the spicy chicken. The ones in the pot are for the soup.” Mi Hongdou thought Ji Junxin had misunderstood and thought there would be no spicy chicken since she was using all three chickens for soup. She even pulled over the plate of chicken legs to show Ji Junxin the abundance of ingredients.
Who knew that Ji Junxin’s already pitiful expression would become even more so. “Didn’t we agree on six chickens for spicy chicken? These…” Ji Junxin pointed at the three whole chickens in the pot, then at the bowl of diced chicken. “And these, they’re not for spicy chicken?”
Yes… that was exactly what she thought. Looking at Ji Junxin’s pitiful eyes, Mi Hongdou couldn’t bring herself to say it. How much did she want spicy chicken? She had just had diarrhea two days ago, and they had agreed on a bland diet recently, had she already forgotten?
“You… can’t eat spicy food.” Mi Hongdou, barely withstanding the attack of Ji Junxin’s pitiful, adorable eyes, told the truth.
As soon as she said it, she regretted it. Because Ji Junxin’s eyes instantly dimmed. Where were those sparkling, adorable eyes! What kind of world did foodies live in!
The diarrhea was two days ago, it should be okay to eat a little, this thought popped into Mi Hongdou’s mind, slapping her earlier resolution of not letting Ji Junxin eat spicy food. Just as she was about to give in and let Ji Junxin have some, even if it meant going back on her word,
Ji Junxin held up her right hand, her thumb and index finger forming a small circle, the other fingers curled into a fist, and said weakly, “I’ll just have a little, just this much…”
That small, white hand looked so cute, almost edible. Was that… acting cute? Although their dynamic seemed to have shifted somehow, Mi Hongdou had to admit, she loved it! Looking at that small, soft hand, Mi Hongdou’s mind wandered.
Mi Hongdou, lost in thought, didn’t realize that Ji Junxin had misinterpreted her silence as a refusal. Ji Junxin moved her thumb further up her index finger, only the tip of her finger now visible. “Then… just this much, is this much okay?” Her voice was even softer.
So soft… so adorable. She never knew Ji Junxin had this side to her! Her goddess image was gone, but this cute little foodie was also adorable! Ji Junxin’s childish gesture melted Mi Hongdou’s heart, and she couldn’t refuse such a pitiful request. She immediately gave in.
With Mi Hongdou’s agreement, Ji Junxin instantly cheered up. It was as if the dark clouds had parted, and sunlight streamed down, filling the world with warmth and light. The contrast was so stark that Mi Hongdou almost started questioning whether she had been too cruel earlier.
She had only been concerned about Ji Junxin’s health, but why, after seeing this change in her mood, did she feel like she had made a mistake? Mi Hongdou pressed her wrist against her slightly feverish forehead. She must be poisoned.
A foodie’s world was bright and sunny because of food. And a foodie’s world was always filled with three scrolling words: “Not,” “Enough,” and “More.”
Seeing that Mi Hongdou had agreed to let her eat spicy chicken, Ji Junxin instantly forgot her earlier promise of “just a little” and tugged at Mi Hongdou’s sleeve, pointing at the plate of diced chicken. “How about making these into spicy chicken too?”
Climbing up the offered branch quite quickly, wasn’t she?
“Didn’t you say you only wanted this much?” Mi Hongdou imitated Ji Junxin’s earlier gesture, then pointed at the tiny space between her thumb and index finger with her other hand and said with a smile, “You only want this much, why should I make so much? Just a sliver of meat from a chicken leg is more than what you’re showing.”
That was just a gesture to represent “a little”! Not literally the size of her fingertip! The little foodie was devastated. So, her earlier agreement was only for that tiny amount? Not even enough to taste! Ji Junxin’s face flushed. If she explained now, would Mi Hongdou think she was going back on her word? But the “a little” she meant wasn’t the “a little” Mi Hongdou thought she meant!
Only that tiny bit of spicy chicken, just thinking about it made her want to cry! Ji Junxin’s face was red, and she was on the verge of tears when she saw Mi Hongdou secretly smiling.
Ji Junxin wasn’t stupid. Seeing this, she knew that Mi Hongdou had been teasing her. Hmph, Mi Hongdou was the worst! Thinking about how anxious she had been earlier, while Mi Hongdou was secretly laughing, the little foodie was angry!
Mi Hongdou, who had unconsciously activated her unique skill of constantly observing Ji Junxin’s expressions, immediately realized that she had gone too far.
“Oh, are you angry?”
Ji Junxin didn’t answer, looking away, her lips slightly pouting.
She was so cute even when she was angry… when did she develop this bad habit of teasing her? Mi Hongdou mentally criticized herself and quickly tried to make amends. “Those chicken pieces are too big for spicy chicken. How about braised chicken with chestnuts?” When looking for the stockpot earlier, Mi Hongdou had seen many ingredients already available in the restaurant. Since Jiang Lingling had booked the entire place, a few chestnuts wouldn’t make much difference to the bill.
“Chestnuts are perfect for this season. Braised with chicken and a little sugar, they’re as good as candied chestnuts. And the chicken, infused with the aroma of chestnuts, braised until tender, it’s as delicious as spicy chicken.” Mi Hongdou coaxed her. “This way, you can have two different dishes at once. How about it, want to try?”
The little foodie’s eyes darted around, and she happily agreed.
Mi Hongdou breathed a sigh of relief. To make Ji Junxin happy while also limiting her spice intake, she had really put in a lot of effort. Although it meant making another dish, she had to praise her own quick thinking!
“Then, use some of the chicken there for spicy chicken…” Ji Junxin pointed at the three chickens in the pot. “Don’t try to fool me and say you need three whole chickens for the soup.”
Why was she so sharp when she needed her to play dumb? And why was she so obsessed with spicy chicken? … Was it because after helping her unpack the two suitcases and finding her medicine the other day, she now felt emboldened? Mi Hongdou, having gone too far with her teasing earlier, could only complain inwardly. Facing Ji Junxin’s insistent request for more spicy chicken, Mi Hongdou surrendered.
So, six chicken legs were added to the plate, neatly arranged, waiting to be cut. And the three chickens in the pot were now legless, bobbing in the broth.
Chicken soup simmering, the amount of spicy chicken increased, and a new dish, braised chicken with chestnuts… so what had just happened? Why, after her goddess brought back three chickens, had she increased the amount of spicy chicken and added two new dishes? Mi Hongdou found a box of curry powder among the seasonings. Since she was making braised chicken with chestnuts, she would change the braised beef with potatoes to beef brisket curry. After the appearance of the three chickens, half the menu had been changed, what a strange development…
But Ji Junxin hadn’t left the kitchen. Although she hadn’t helped with anything besides bringing back the three chickens, just occasionally glancing at the little foodie made Mi Hongdou feel energized!
She deboned the chicken legs, diced them, and marinated them. She minced the chicken breast and seasoned it… Mi Hongdou calculated the time needed for each ingredient, her hands constantly moving. There was no other way, she had to make the entire meal by herself. The two who were supposed to be helping, one was still sulking in the corner like a statue, and the other had disappeared after killing the chickens. As for Ji Junxin… hehe, as long as she didn’t bring back any more chickens, Mi Hongdou would be grateful.
The simmering chicken soup, the braising chicken, the stewing beef brisket, as time passed, the aroma of cooking filled the kitchen. The fish and chicken had already been fried once when the thin chef finally returned.
Unlike his earlier cheerful demeanor after meeting his idol, getting her autograph, and going off to kill chickens, the thin chef now looked gloomy, even more unhappy than when Mi Hongdou first saw him.
He returned to the kitchen with a dejected expression, then, seeing Ji Junxin sitting by the counter, rolling small radishes around like marbles, his eyes brightened.
“Bored in the kitchen, aren’t you? Here, I’ll carve you a little bunny.” The thin chef said, grabbing a small knife and a carrot, and started carving.
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