Chapter 63: Spicy Chicken p2
If everyone’s heart was a small world, then Mi Hongdou’s heart at this moment must be a sunlit field of blooming flowers, with kittens frolicking and playing, sharpening their claws. She felt like she was melting from cuteness.
Okay, a new problem arose. Not even paying her a hundred yuan… Ji Junxin, did she even know the origin of that meme? Could she please not use internet slang randomly? …
“We… still have to cook for her.” Mi Hongdou nudged the slightly unhappy Ji Junxin. “It’s okay, we’re all friends now. Besides, even if she doesn’t appreciate it, you do.” She seemed to have acquired a new skill of sweet-talking.
As expected, Ji Junxin’s expression brightened after hearing the last sentence.
After appeasing the little foodie, Mi Hongdou, remembering the chicken roll Ji Junxin mentioned earlier, turned to the thin chef and asked, “You said your apprentice, the one who made the chicken roll last night, was it good?”
“A chicken roll is just a tortilla with cucumber, scallions, bean sauce, and a fried chicken strip, rolled up.” The thin chef thought for a moment. “He used to prepare the condiments for our Peking duck, frying chicken strips is basic, he should be able to handle it.”
Tsk, such an unprofessional answer for a chef… how could she even make a guess?
Seeing her displeased expression, the thin chef was startled. “What, is the new boss going to fire him if it wasn’t good?” Poor, naive apprentice.
Mi Hongdou shook her head: “I don’t know if she’ll fire him or not if it wasn’t good. But if it was good, his future is bright.” She had heard that Jiang Lingling’s scene last night went late, and she was in the rain for a long time. So, going out for food and not even finding KFC must have been frustrating. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have ordered this at a hotel. If it was delicious, Jiang Lingling, who was easily pleased… Mi Hongdou suddenly had a thought. Perhaps all that talk about rules and new management was nonsense, perhaps it was the apprentice who would be promoted.
Of course, this thought was a bit far-fetched, and Mi Hongdou didn’t share it with the thin chef. But when dealing with someone like Jiang Lingling, no thought was too wild… Mi Hongdou decided to ask about it later during lunch.
The priority now was… to finish cooking! It was past one o’clock!
After being deep-fried a second time, the chicken and fish, stir-fried and braised in their respective sauces, were the first dishes ready. Then came the braised chicken with chestnuts, beef brisket curry with potatoes, chicken and sweet corn soup, and silver carp and tofu soup, all simmering in clay pots. And the chicken soup, without any chicken meat, just the clear, oil-skimmed broth, was served in a clean clay pot.
Mi Hongdou was stir-frying the egg fried rice, and the thin chef was carrying the dishes out one by one. The chubby chef remained silent and motionless in the corner, as if he had been frozen. As for Ji Junxin, her fan club naturally wouldn’t let her help.
Carrying the dishes, the thin chef got a close look at Mi Hongdou’s cooking, the aroma making his mouth water… he suddenly believed that she was indeed a very skilled chef. Just the smell and the presentation… He gulped and quickly took the dishes out, afraid that he would steal a bite if he stayed any longer.
The dishes, each divided into two portions, one large, one small, were all delivered. Mi Hongdou finished the egg fried rice, also dividing it into two plates, but she didn’t let the thin chef take them out.
“I left some food in the pots for you… if you don’t mind, you can have some.” Mi Hongdou said, carrying the fried rice and leading Ji Junxin out.
She was a little embarrassed and quickly left, afraid of being rejected. Although they might not want to eat it, she couldn’t just leave them with nothing at this hour.
As Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin hurried out, the thin chef opened the lids of the pots and saw that she had indeed left some food. Besides the large pot of chicken soup, there were two servings of each dish, including the fried rice. Did they have enough to eat? … He had just had this compassionate thought when the aroma of the food captivated him.
The first bite had to be the spicy chicken! He had been tormented by the smell all this time. Although he had three steamed buns and two youtiao for breakfast, he felt like his stomach was growling. Especially the spicy chicken, the fragrance of the stir-fried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, he almost, almost snuck a few bites in the corridor. Fortunately, he was still rational, and fortunately, good deeds were rewarded! Now he could finally eat!
So many chicken pieces! The thin chef’s chopsticks darted out, expertly picking out a piece of chicken from the pile of chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns. He popped it into his mouth. The chicken was still slightly warm, spicy and numbing, and so fragrant! The outer layer was crispy but not hard, his teeth easily breaking through to the tender meat inside. The chicken leg meat, fried twice, wasn’t dry at all, the outside crispy and fragrant, the inside tender and juicy, the flavors of chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and various spices enhancing the chicken’s natural aroma. One bite, and he couldn’t stop!
Numbing… spicy… numbing… spicy… spicy… spicy… but so fragrant, so delicious! He wanted to eat like this forever, even drinking water seemed like a waste of time! His chopsticks flew between the chili peppers and peppercorns, picking out chicken pieces and popping them into his mouth, his cheeks bulging because he couldn’t chew fast enough. This girl, with such culinary skills, why did she want to be an actress? What a waste of talent!
The chubby chef, tormented by the aroma, waited for a long time, but the thin chef didn’t call him over to eat. He only heard the sounds of the thin chef munching and crunching. If you’re not sharing, can you at least not eat so loudly! He endured for a while longer, then couldn’t take it anymore. He slowly stood up, took a pair of chopsticks with a pretense of composure, and shuffled over to the thin chef. “What are you eating? Let me try some.”
He reached out with his chopsticks and then… saw a mountain of chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns. Where was the chicken!
The thin chef quickly popped the last piece of chicken, which he had been saving, into his own mouth and, after chewing a few times, replied, “Um, finished, try something else…” It was so delicious, he could eat another plate. So, if this little girl was their new boss, it wouldn’t be so bad. Her cooking was… well, definitely better than his and Old Zhang’s, the thin chef thought, a mix of conflict, resentment, and anticipation in his heart.
Can you finish chewing before answering me! The chubby chef understood, but he still… rummaged through the chili peppers and peppercorns with his chopsticks.
“Really, finished…” The thin chef didn’t regret not leaving a single piece for the chubby chef. That little girl, like his idol, was an actress. This might be the only time he got to eat her cooking. Such delicious spicy chicken, even friends couldn’t share!
The chubby chef continued searching and finally found… a small piece of chicken skin. He looked at the tiny piece, about half the size of his thumbnail, with disdain, then popped it into his mouth. Hmph, he wasn’t eating it because it smelled good, he was just unwilling to admit defeat. Just a little girl, and she wanted them to be her assistants? What could she possibly make?
He chewed with a look of disdain… then licked his lips and continued searching through the chili peppers and peppercorns.
“Really gone… all gone.” The thin chef felt a little embarrassed. Seeing him searching so desperately was a bit pitiful.
Hmph, it really was all gone. The chubby chef angrily picked up a chili pepper and ate it. “Couldn’t you have left some for me?”
“You pointed a knife at the little girl, and you still have the nerve to eat her food?”
The chubby chef blushed: “As if you didn’t give her a hard time too!”
The thin chef retorted: “But I helped kill the chickens! What did you do!”
“…” The chubby chef fell silent, opened a clay pot with his chopsticks, and sniffed. Hmm, braised chicken with chestnuts, it looked good!
Tsk! The thin chef quickly followed.
Mi Hongdou, carrying the egg fried rice and leading Ji Junxin out, had no idea that the food she left behind would almost cause a fight in the kitchen. She had finally finished cooking, and Ji Junxin had stayed with her the whole time, not wandering off. Just glancing at the little foodie made her feel that life was beautiful!
Mi Hongdou thought this, until they reached the private room on the second floor.
Although the entire restaurant had been cleared out, they were used to privacy, so the meal was in a private room called the Rose Room on the second floor. When Mi Hongdou arrived, the door was open, and she could see… a table full of people.
Dong Yuannan, the assistant, these two were expected. Director Pan and his wife, well, after he dismissed them so easily this morning and gave them several hours off, she should have guessed they would be here… and Pan Xiang, weren’t you supposed to be studying at school? Why were you always on set?
And… from her previous life to this one, Qiao Rubai, were you and your professional meal-crashing trio planning to freeload for three hundred years? In her previous life, many of her opportunities to be alone with Ji Junxin had been ruined by Qiao Rubai, Yang Lianyi, and Yang Miemie, the professional meal-crashing trio! She had thought that after being reborn, she could change this tragic fate, but it seemed she was too naive! Mi Hongdou lamented.
So, the question now was, from her previous life to this one, from a trio to a whole group of freeloaders, the light bulbs seemed to be multiplying… what should she do! Help! Urgent! Waiting online!
Mi Hongdou, her mind full of dark thoughts, didn’t slow down, simply because the fried rice in her hands was heavy. Although facing a group of freeloaders was stressful, the weight of the fried rice was a more pressing matter.
Mi Hongdou had thought that although there were many dishes today, since Jiang Lingling had pestered her for so long about the egg fried rice, she should make more. So, she made a huge pot of it, one large plate and one small plate, piled high, almost overflowing. While carrying it, she had even thought it was too heavy, that she had made too much. But placing the plates on the table, looking at the crowd, there were only seven dishes and one serving of rice, and two of the dishes were soups, one clear broth…
She should have made at least three times the amount of rice!
Why didn’t anyone tell her she had to feed so many people!
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