The spicy chicken dish is a fairly common stir-fry, especially for college students who frequently visit [Chengdu Cuisine] because they're not very well-off. It's far from unfamiliar to them.
A 15-yuan serving of spicy chicken over rice is not only delicious but also goes great with rice. Skillfully stir-fried by the chef, it's crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and has a strong flavor, which LuLu loves.
The spicy chicken dish in front of her is a bit different from what LuLu had at Chengdu Cuisine.
Every time she had the dish, she would pick out many dried chili segments. In a serving of spicy chicken, the chilies and chicken pieces were almost equal in proportion.
Out of habit, LuLu picked up a fingertip-sized piece of chicken but hadn't yet brought it to her mouth when she noticed something different. She leaned in to take a closer look while her grip intensified slightly.
"This..."
She hardly exerted any force, yet the chicken piece dripped juice on its own. With a slight squeeze, even more juice dripped out!
Impatiently, LuLu took a bite.
"Hmm..." Just one bite, and LuLu felt a soul-touching sensation, involuntarily letting out a strange sound, which drew gazes from the people around her.
Liu Ping was standing by the food cart, inhaling deeply. Hearing the peculiar sound, he turned his head to see Shanshui Hall's part-time cashier blushing, covering her mouth with her hand.
LuLu was also dumbfounded.
She only realized the sound after making it, feeling the heat of many eyes on her, as if sensing it with the back of her head, she had to bow her head and pretend nothing had happened.
"It wasn't me, it wasn't me, it wasn't me just now..."
Damn!
What's up with this chicken?
The chicken she remembered was crispy outside and chewy inside, so she bit into it hard.
However... she exerted too much force, and the chicken's insides exploded in her mouth as if it was full of juice or sauce!
With a strong pickled chili aroma and a comfortable warmth, its tender texture exploded in her mouth like a bomb.
The wonderful flavors exploded instantaneously, making LuLu unable to hold back, as if someone sneakily attacked her soul with a snatcher from behind.
The taste is something only those who have experienced it can understand.
After convincing herself for a while, LuLu, still blushing, lowered her head and silently took another piece of chicken into her mouth, not daring to bite it too hard this time.
The tender texture was apparent, as if the chicken had lost its fibers and became whole, with a bit of juice oozing out with each bite.
It had the flavor of pickled chili, the taste of chicken, and an extremely fresh flavor.
Finishing it in one bite left her savoring the taste in her mouth.
"Were the spicy chicken dishes I had before fake?"
This was completely different from the spicy, salty chicken dishes she had before!
After finishing a piece of chicken, LuLu felt lingering flavors in her mouth, immediately scooping up a sip of the pork offal porridge. The muted flavors of the porridge with pork offal were so fresh and sweet, the crispy pork offal and the dense porridge complemented each other, diluting the previous chicken's excitement a lot.
Then, she took a dumpling, the vinegar, egg, and meat aromas all overwhelming the senses.
"Oh my, this is too exhilarating?" LuLu couldn't help but talk to herself, even having a thought she never had before.
It turns out that eating could be such a happy thing, and stopping when faced with such delicacies would truly be desecrating the taste!
No more words needed, munching away~~~
Egg dumplings, pork offal porridge, and spicy chicken alternated non-stop, her mouth never idle, and different tastes brought her equally delightful experiences, LuLu enjoyed her meal to the fullest, arousing envy from those around her.
Even the customers waiting in line began to grow impatient.
"What's going on here? Do you people buy an entire batch, not letting those of us at the back have a taste?"
"Exactly, who eats fast food and leaves nothing for others, at least save some for the rest!"
The customers at the front paid no attention, thinking that this stuff was first-come, first-served. Whoever was at the front was the boss!
The technicians from Shanshui Hall almost all left with their dumplings packed away, LuLu enjoying her meal while Chen Mo struggled to pack everything up.
"Can you carry these forty bowls of porridge?"
LuLu looked at the heap on the food cart: 40 bowls of pork offal porridge, 100 fried egg dumplings, and 5 servings of spicy chicken.
The spicy chicken was something LuLu packed additionally because she found it delicious, believing it would be popular when taken back!
Seeing LuLu struggling, Liu Ping came over, "Xiao Lu, let me help you take them back."
Liu Ping waved to the other two foot massage shop owners, "The three of us will help you carry these back. When we get to your shop, let Old He know, and set aside a portion for us at the same price to taste."
Seeing that they couldn't even get it despite waiting in line, Liu Ping decided to target the food items in LuLu's hands instead.
His curiosity wasn't really about the snack but rather understanding why He Chunming's technicians waited in line, leading to such good business at their shop!
LuLu thought about it.
Now, all the sisters in the shop are busy, and no one could come to help her, leaving no choice but to accept Liu Ping's help.
"Alright! But it's agreed that you must tell my boss that I didn't promise to give you any."
Liu Ping grinned, sharing a knowing look with the other two, and immediately helped carry the items away from there.
Chen Mo watched as the four left. He had noticed LuLu earlier, and based on her previous words, she seemed different from other technicians, thorough in both speech and action.
Without overthinking, Chen Mo quickly returned to his food cart.
The spicy chicken's price was 20 yuan per serving.
LuLu just took away five servings, marking a good start.
Unfortunately, the pork offal porridge was sold out, but there were still about three or four batches of egg dumplings, and Chen Mo was going all out, diligently preparing the spicy chicken!
Unlike other dishes, the spicy chicken was a stir-fry requiring more actions during preparation, each action having a progress bar with light balls. Even tossing it once might cause a flash of light.
Thus, the queueing audience began to notice something strange.
Why does this boss keep shaking while stir-frying?
...
Tongfu District.
Guo Aiping sat alone on the sofa in the living room. Not turning on the lights, she looked at the payment information on her phone in the dark.
[Shanshui Hall Foot Massage: Payment Amount 288 Yuan]
An indescribable bitterness welled up inside her.
She'd never been to a foot massage shop, thinking a wash would cost three or four dozen yuan, at most fifty or sixty, but she was shocked to see Old Zhao's payment of 288 on her WeChat just now!
To be honest, Guo Aiping and Old Zhao's family wasn't bad. Her man going out for a midnight snack with friends, having a bit of drinks, even playing some mahjong, or getting a foot massage.
These are things Guo Aiping never meddled with. Without such basic trust between a couple, how could they live together?
But not meddling didn't mean Guo Aiping wasn't concerned.
She usually didn't mind Old Zhao going out for drinks and meals. After all, men his age have fewer hobbies, and that's normal.
But spending 288 yuan in one go at a foot massage shop?
Guo Aiping couldn't help it but didn't want to directly ask Old Zhao.
After much thought, Guo Aiping opened a software she often browsed recently—Zhihu.
[May I ask, what services cost 288 yuan at a foot massage shop? Is it legitimate?]