On the other side, Wang Dazhu and Brother Liu Fugui also walked to the entrance of the courtyard. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they were spotted by Yan Bugui, whose eyes lit up as he stared at the things in their hands.

Then, with a smile, he said, "Hello, I'm the old man from this courtyard house. What brings you here?"

"Hello, sir, we're here to see Ma Hua." Wang Dazhu quickly replied when he heard that it was an old man from the courtyard house. In his mind, old men from the courtyard house were all respectable figures.

Yan Bugui ignored Wang Dazhu and instead hurriedly walked to Liu Fugui's side, looking at Liu Fugui with a fawning expression: "Manager Liu, what brings you to our compound today? Is there some kind of event going on at Laodaokou?"

Liu Fugui glanced at Yan Bugui, suppressing his disgust, and said calmly, "No, I was with him."

Good heavens, how come this Yan Laoxi is in the same compound as Ma Hua? This Yan Laoxi is notorious in the supply and marketing cooperative for being petty and calculating, and nobody wants to talk to him.

"Oh, Manager Liu, I didn't expect you to know Ma Hua from our institute. Come, come, I'll take you there," Yan Bugui frowned slightly upon hearing this. Goodness, Ma Hua has this connection? I underestimated him before.

But could he perhaps make an appearance before Manager Liu? After all, he was the only senior member of the household in the courtyard, and since Ma Hua had guests, shouldn't he keep them company?

Otherwise, it would be embarrassing for MCA members, who are so young, to be impolite and become a laughingstock.

Thinking of this, Yan Bugui secretly swallowed his saliva. He still remembered how many good things Ma Hua had bought earlier.

Knock, knock, knock. Inside, Ma Hua was still focused on preparing the ingredients when she suddenly heard a knock at the door. She immediately called out, "Who is it?"

"Ma Hua, it's your grandpa here!" Yan Bugui called out enthusiastically into the house.

"Damn it!" Upon hearing this, Ma Hua immediately cursed towards the door. Damn it, is Yan Bugui looking for death? Huh, he even dares to come to my door and curse.

Ma Hua opened the door and saw Liu Fugui and Wang Dazhu behind Yan Bugui. His previously stern face immediately broke into a smile.

"Brother Liu, Brother Zhuang is here! Come in, come in quickly!" Ma Hua said, calling the two men into the house.

Upon seeing this, Yan Bugui immediately said obsequiously, "Ma Hua, I've brought the person over to you, so I..."

Yan Bugui deliberately drew out the syllable "I," expecting Ma Hua to call his name. However, Ma Hua simply crossed his arms and looked at him with a half-smile.

Ma Hua found Yan Bugui's expression amusing. "What's wrong? You brought him here? What, you want me to invite you in for dinner? Dream on!"

“Alright, I still have guests, so I won’t invite Teacher Yan in,” Ma Hua said, and then slammed the door shut from the inside.

Upon seeing this, Brother Liu burst into laughter. Wang Dazhu, standing nearby, was completely bewildered. Looking at the two of them with a blank expression, he asked in a low voice, "Isn't this the old man from your compound? It's not very nice of you to treat him like this."

"What nonsense! Brother Liu, judging from your appearance, you know him too? Why don't you tell Brother Zhu about him?" Ma Hua chuckled dismissively.

"Alright, then I'll tell Dazhu about it, but your courtyard is quite chaotic." Brother Liu gave Ma Hua a meaningful look.

"Alright, you tell him then, I'll continue cooking," Ma Hua shook her head helplessly, then turned and went back to cooking.

The groceries I bought from the market had long been replaced by food from the system's small courtyard by Ma Hua. Brother Liu and Brother Zhu came, and I'm happy to make them stir-fried chicken today.

It's a good opportunity for me to try the chicken from the system's courtyard.

Ma Hua cut the freshly killed rooster into small pieces and set them aside. He then prepared green bell pepper slices, scallions, garlic, large pieces of ginger, Sichuan angelica root, Sichuan peppercorns, red Sichuan peppercorns, dried chili peppers, and other seasonings.

After completing the preparations, Ma Hua stood directly in front of the stove and heated the oil in a wok. Once the oil was hot, she added Sichuan angelica root. Then she added large chunks of ginger.

After stir-frying the ginger until fragrant, immediately add Sichuan peppercorns, red Sichuan peppercorns, and dried chilies to the pan. Then add the chopped chicken pieces.

Ma Hua stared intently at the chicken in the pot, feeling incredibly pleased. The aroma of the chicken was already wafting out even before it had been cooked much. It truly lived up to its reputation as a chicken raised on grains and spring water.

The most important thing when making this dish is to never stir the chicken pieces in the pan with a spatula after adding them. Instead, you should hold the handle of the pan firmly with your hand.

Place the wok on the stove and shake it back and forth. This rooster, which eats grain, is really fat. With the continuous heat of the stove, the fat inside the chicken pieces is quickly rendered out.

The aroma of chicken, released with the rendered fat, filled the entire house. Liu Fugui and Wang Dazhu looked at each other, both swallowing their saliva in a frenzy. Goodness, this smelled amazing!

Wang Dazhu was fine, but Liu Fugui couldn't sit still. He was, after all, the manager of the supply and marketing cooperative, and he was never short of food. Why did Xiaohua's chicken smell so good?

Ma Hua saw that the chicken in the pan was almost cooked. With a quick push of his left hand, he spun the chicken 180 degrees in the air until both sides were golden brown.

This way, all the moisture in the chicken will be rendered out during the stir-frying process. When you hear a sizzling sound coming from the pan, add your secret-recipe stir-fry sauce.

After the aroma of the sauce is released, add a spoonful of dark soy sauce. The chicken, which was previously pale and unappetizing, will instantly turn a bright red color. Then add boiling water and simmer briefly.

Once the broth has thickened, add salt, garlic, scallions, and green bell pepper slices, then stir-fry a few more times. This delicious stir-fried chicken is now ready!

Ma Hua watched the two of them secretly swallowing their saliva. He chuckled and scolded, "Don't rush, it'll be ready soon."

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