Chapter 142 Braised Chicken Rice

Next, add the soaked shiitake mushroom slices and potato chunks to the pot and stir-fry them evenly with the chicken.

Then, add appropriate amounts of cooking wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and a little oyster sauce for seasoning and color, and stir-fry until each piece of food is evenly coated with the sauce.

The most crucial step is to pour in that bowl of precious shiitake mushroom water, and then add an appropriate amount of water, just enough to cover all the ingredients.

Add a small piece of rock sugar to enhance the flavor.

After bringing it to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, cover the pot, and let it cook slowly.

While the rice was simmering, Su Xiaonuan didn't stop working. She took out another small pot and started rinsing and cooking rice.

The premium fragrant rice produced by the system has plump grains, a bright white color, and even the raw rice emits a faint fragrance.

After simmering for about fifteen minutes, the kitchen began to fill with the rich aroma of braised chicken.

Su Xiaonuan lifted the pot lid, and a more domineering steam, a mixture of the rich aroma of chicken, the unique mushroom fragrance, and the savory flavor of the sauce, wafted out!

The broth in the pot had thickened considerably, turning an enticing dark reddish-brown. The chicken and potatoes had absorbed the broth, glistening with oil and looking incredibly appetizing.

She sprinkled in the sliced ​​green peppers, then covered the pot and simmered for a minute, using the residual heat to cook the peppers until just done, maintaining their crisp texture and fragrant color.

Meanwhile, the rice was also cooked.

The moment the rice cooker lid is lifted, the aroma of rice fills the air, each grain distinct and translucent.

Su Xiaonuan scooped the fragrant rice into a large bowl, pressed it down, and then scooped up a large spoonful of braised chicken with broth and sauce, and poured it evenly over the rice.

The scalding, thick sauce instantly seeped into the snow-white rice, making a soft sizzling sound. The golden chicken, brown mushrooms, soft and sticky potatoes, and bright green peppers... were colorful and had an enticing aroma.

She also used the leftover chicken and broth to make a nutritious cat meal without too many seasonings, and put it into Yantai's special little bowl.

The little guy had been waiting nearby. When he smelled the aroma, he couldn't wait to meow and rub his little head against Su Xiaonuan's ankle.

Just as Su Xiaonuan sat down at the dining table with her own bowl of braised chicken rice, and had only taken a few bites, closing her eyes in satisfaction, the door to the guest room was gently pushed open.

Fu Lilian, who had already woken up, stood timidly at the doorway, leaning against the door frame.

She shed the glamorous wigs and heavy makeup from the stage, simply wearing a low ponytail and clean, loose-fitting loungewear that Su Xiaonuan had found for her.

Her small face, barely the size of a palm, was deathly pale, her eyes sunken, her lips cracked. She looked like a flower ravaged by a storm, on the verge of withering, carrying a sense of lingering fragility and an inescapable weariness. Her eyes were listless, and she looked utterly pitiful.

Su Xiaonuan was surprised for a moment, then quickly put down her chopsticks, got up and went over, asking with concern, "You're awake? Are you feeling better? How did you faint on the roadside?"

Fu Lilian did not answer Su Xiaonuan's question immediately.

Her gaze, as if drawn by a magnet, fell fixedly on the steaming, fragrant bowl of braised chicken rice on the table, and she unconsciously swallowed.

Prolonged hunger caused her stomach to cramp, and her craving for food overwhelmed everything else.

She looked up at Su Xiaonuan, her voice unusually hoarse from weakness and thirst, carrying an almost instinctive plea: "I...I want to eat too..."

Seeing her like that, Su Xiaonuan's heart softened, and she instantly understood.

Fu Lilian has been hiding and running away for a while now, and she probably hasn't had a decent meal. She's already at her limit to hold on until now.

"Okay, just a moment, it'll be ready soon." Without any hesitation, Su Xiaonuan immediately turned around and went back to the kitchen, quickly restarting the stove and making another hot and generous serving of braised chicken rice.

When she carried the freshly made braised chicken rice out of the kitchen, she saw a heartwarming scene in the living room—Yantai had somehow jumped onto the sofa and was now obediently lying on Fu Lilian's lap, squinting its eyes and making a satisfied "purring" sound.

Fu Lilian, with her head bowed, had an unprecedentedly gentle and serene expression as her slender fingers gently stroked the smooth, black fur on the inkstone.

The soft midnight light bathed them, creating a beautiful scene of relief and peace after a near-death experience.

Not wanting to break the silence, Su Xiaonuan coughed softly before saying, "Dinner is ready, come and eat."

Fu Lilian looked up when she heard the sound, and her eyes lit up slightly when she saw the food in Su Xiaonuan's hands.

She carefully carried the inkstone from her lap to the sofa next to her, then stood up and, like an obedient schoolchild, walked to the dining table and sat down opposite Su Xiaonuan.

Su Xiaonuan handed the bowl and chopsticks to her.

Fu Lilian hesitated for a moment before tentatively scooping up a small mouthful of rice soaked in broth, mixing it with a small piece of chicken, and carefully putting it into her mouth.

When the savory, rich, and flavorful sauce and tender, juicy chicken melted in her mouth, mixed with the sweetness of the rice, an unbelievable light instantly shone in her previously listless eyes!

She hadn't eaten such normal, even incredibly delicious, food in such a long time!

After confirming that there was nothing wrong with the food and that it was unexpectedly delicious, she could no longer control herself and didn't care about her image anymore. Her hands started moving almost instinctively, and she ate the food quickly and hurriedly, even wolfing it down, as if she was afraid that someone would take it from her.

Su Xiaonuan didn't disturb her, but sat quietly opposite her, patiently waiting for her to finish eating. During this time, she thoughtfully poured her a glass of warm lemon water.

Only after Fu Lilian finished the last bite of food and soup, and reluctantly put down her spoon, did Su Xiaonuan push the glass of lemonade in front of her and speak again in a gentle voice: "Now, can you tell me why you collapsed on the roadside? What exactly happened to you during this time?"

After eating and drinking her fill, her body warmed up, and she was in a relatively safe environment, Fu Lilian's tense nerves finally seemed to relax a little.

Looking into Su Xiaonuan's clear and sincere eyes, her last line of defense crumbled.

She gave a wry smile, held the warm glass of lemonade, and began to slowly and fearfully recount her days of escape and hiding.

Her voice was still a little hoarse, but it was stronger than before:

“At first… after being kidnapped in Maple Forest Park, I actually… got in touch with the rescue team sent by the police…” she recalled, a hint of fear on her face, “But… on the way, someone disguised themselves as a policeman and stopped our car… I almost… almost fell from one den of wolves into another…”