Chapter 34 Kung Pao Chicken

Song Man paused for a second before realizing he was referring to spicy fish chunks.

The order was printed out and given to Zhao Nan, who readily paid the money.

The restaurant also offered free soup, so Zhao Nan filled a bowl to the brim and found a seat nearby.

The refreshing mung bean soup is delicious, with the mung beans being smooth and the soup being sweet and refreshing, perfect for cooling off in the summer.

Zhao Nan almost drank it all in one gulp, and even smacked his lips at the end.

Looking around the restaurant, the decor was so-so, with cement walls and floors that looked rather old.

Looking at the boss working in the kitchen, he held the iron wok handle in one hand and placed ingredients in the other. Light blue flames leaped high as he stir-fried the ingredients over high heat.

The boss's technique was skillful and efficient, displaying an air of complete ease.

Zhao Yong smelled a delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen: a strong smell of oil, followed by the aroma of fish-flavored chili peppers. Because the chili pepper flavor was so strong, it was even a bit pungent.

He took a deep breath and stared intently into the kitchen.

The spicy fish pieces were ready quickly, and when they were served, the customers at the next table were all murmuring, "What's that smell? It smells so good!"

The fish pieces looked golden and tempting, accompanied by dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns.

It looked delicious. Zhao Nan felt like he was starving, a deep craving rising in his stomach. As soon as Tang Yiyi turned around, he pounced on his chopsticks like a hungry wolf.

Ignoring the fact that it would burn his mouth, Zhao Nan slightly opened his mouth, picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks, and put it into his mouth.

The fish pieces are fried until very crispy, but the fish meat inside is tender and juicy, with delicate strands that melt in your mouth. The addition of dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns gives it a numbing and spicy flavor, making it rich in taste.

I couldn't help but devour it; simple words cannot describe the taste.

This spicy fish fillet dish is truly wonderful, so delicious! It doesn't have any unpleasant fishy smell, probably because the fish is so fresh and the owner's marinating technique is excellent, removing the fishy odor.

Zhao Nan accidentally ate three bowls of rice and couldn't help but burp. He came in hungry and left the restaurant with a slightly bulging stomach.

When there were no more customers, Tang Yiyi took out the fish skin from the freezer, the basin outside steaming cold.

After slicing the fish skin and blanching it, Tang Yiyi simply seasoned it and poured it over the fish skin, and the cold fish skin salad was ready.

She rushed back to the kitchen and cooked two dishes.

Then Song Man came over to serve the dishes, and Xiao Yu took the bowls and chopsticks.

The thin fish skin is really pretty, slightly curled up, with a little cilantro and white sesame seeds on it, and it doesn't have a pungent fishy smell.

"Let's all eat," Tang Yiyi called out.

"This fish skin tastes amazing when used in a cold salad, would you like to try some?"

She didn't waste the fish skin she removed; she used it to make a delicious dish by blanching the fish skin, adding some seasoning, and cooking it herself.

Xiao Yu chose a piece of fish skin without sesame seeds, carefully put it in his mouth, and found the fish skin to be crispy, fragrant, and spicy—something even a child like him could eat.

Song Man chewed on it; the fish skin was spicy and crispy, very delicious, and suitable as a snack. When mixed with rice, the rice became fragrant and spicy.

Seeing that they all enjoyed the food, Tang Yiyi was quite happy and enjoyed the fruits of her labor.

The sun rises and sets, and the moon's shadow faintly appears in the sky.

Many passersby either rushed home for dinner or started looking for a restaurant to eat at.

The restaurant became busier, and Tang Yiyi and her companions got busy again.

The cycle repeats itself, ordinary yet fulfilling.

The next day, Tang Yiyi arrived at the vegetable market around six o'clock.

She parked her bicycle outside. At this time, there were few young people in the market, and it hadn't yet become lively.

Many stall owners were pleasantly surprised when they saw Tang Yiyi.

She stood in front of the chicken stall, at the simply set-up cutting board. Seeing that the chicken looked good, Tang Yiyi asked, "Boss, how much is your chicken?"

"Seven yuan a pound, I'm not kidding you, beautiful lady, the chicken was killed fresh today."

"I want to buy more, boss, can you give me a discount?"

The stall owner smiled slyly, "That depends on how much you buy, beautiful lady. Is it for opening a shop?"

"Yes, for opening a shop."

Business has been good lately, and we consume a lot of ingredients every day, including at least ten pounds of chicken.

Tang Yiyi bought quite a lot, and the stall owner finally charged her 6.7 yuan per jin.

Chicken is good for dishes like Kung Pao Chicken. Restaurants also have seasonings, so Tang Yiyi went to a dried goods store to buy dried chili peppers, broad bean paste, and peanuts.

She bought water spinach and some pork.

She loaded the bags of ingredients into the front basket of her bicycle and headed back to the restaurant.

Back at the restaurant, just as the ingredients were being put out, Song Man arrived for work.

Still half-asleep and sporting dark circles under her eyes, Song Man asked, "Sister Yi Yi, you get up so early every day, when do you go to sleep?"

After thinking for a moment, Tang Yiyi replied, "Around ten o'clock."

I go to bed at 10 p.m. and wake up at 5 a.m. the next morning. My sleep quality is pretty good. I'm tired during the day and fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow at night.

She took out the chicken and put it all into a large basin, which needed to be washed.

Tang Yiyi didn't wash the ingredients in the kitchen; the kitchen was too small, and it wasn't convenient to do so.

She moved it to the front door, brought over a stool, installed a faucet, and turned it on, letting the water gurgle into the basin.

A little while later, Tang Yiyi turned off the water and washed the chicken.

Passersby pointed and whispered, and she heard someone say, "This restaurant is quite clean. The ingredients are washed twice, unlike the hotel where I work, where the ingredients are washed only once before being served, and some of them are really dirty."

"We haven't tried this restaurant yet, shall we give it a try next time?"

"Can."

"..."

The dumpling shop owner has witnessed the restaurant's business getting better and better, and it would be a lie to say he's not envious.

But who can blame them when Tang Yiyi, the boss, does everything herself and uses genuine ingredients, never cutting corners for customers?

Thinking of this, he could only admire Tang Yiyi.

Cut the chicken into small pieces, add an egg, pepper, and other seasonings, mix well and marinate.

Wang Juan's home.

Wang Juan finally got a break and slept in. Her husband took the child to school, and she didn't get up until around 10 a.m.

Her husband had left some noodles in the pot for her; she appreciated the gesture, but she didn't really want to eat them.

Thinking of the tea eggs, she realized she was hungry and decided to go to a restaurant to eat.

But she didn't want to tell her husband, so she quietly went out.

Liu Xiaobao's father, Liu Gang, went to the restroom and saw his wife acting suspiciously, like a thief.

My doubts grew: Could it be that my wife is having an affair?

Otherwise, why would she be secretly laughing while glued to her phone these past few days?

The more Liu Gang thought about it, the more he felt he had to go and see for himself.

Wang Juan was in a great mood as she drove to the restaurant, with some light and cheerful music playing in the car.

They didn't even notice that a car was following closely behind them.

There were designated parking spaces in front of the restaurant. Wang Juan parked her car and jogged towards the restaurant.

Liu Gang, who was behind, read aloud, "Tang Family Restaurant? The person she wants to meet is at this restaurant? No wonder she's so agitated!"

He grew angrier the more he thought about it, and got out of the car with a frown.

Wang Juan happily held two tea eggs, enjoying them immensely. If she hadn't ordered other dishes, she would have eaten more than just two tea eggs.

The tea eggs were as delicious as ever. Peel off the shell, and you'll see brown streaks on the egg white, glistening with a little sauce.

You'll only know how amazing tea eggs are once you taste them—not dry or bitter, with a rich sauce and an unforgettable aftertaste.

What an amazing tea egg!

As soon as Liu Gang entered, a delicious aroma of food wafted towards him.

The kitchen was already cooking, and Liu Gang, not paying attention, almost bumped into Song Man who was carrying water. "Excuse me!"

Just then, Wang Juan looked up and met Liu Gang's gaze.

Wang Juan: "..." No, what is he doing here?

Liu Gang, looking somewhat guilty, touched his nose and then sat down opposite Wang Juan.

Before Wang Juan could ask anything, Liu Gang said, "I came here for dinner, but I didn't expect to find you here, my wife."

Upon hearing this, Wang Juan was skeptical and even worried that her appetite for dinner might be ruined.

“If you want to eat, I’ll order,” Liu Gang continued, his expression strange. He had misunderstood his wife; it turned out she was eating because of her stutter.

"No need, I'll just order Kung Pao Chicken."

"One Kung Pao Chicken dish isn't enough. I'll go check the menu again."

Liu Gang then ordered stir-fried green peppers with pork and stir-fried water spinach.

I sat down and glanced at the time.

Xiao Bao will pick him up after class and bring him over for dinner.

Many people were looking towards the kitchen, but Tang Yiyi seemed oblivious to their gazes.

She turned on the heat of the wok and poured in oil. Then she tested the oil temperature with her hand before adding the chicken breast. She stir-fried it over high heat until it changed color, then set it aside.

Heat oil in a separate pan, sauté dried chili peppers and fermented bean paste until fragrant, add scallions, ginger, and garlic and stir-fry, then add seasonings, add diced chicken and stir-fry over high heat, then add cucumber and peanuts, stir-fry evenly and remove from heat.

Liu Gang could see into the kitchen and thought the cook was really young, unlike the experienced old cooks.

"Is this the restaurant you and Xiaobao often come to?"

Wang Juan nodded, "Yes."

She had just finished eating tea eggs, and her hungry stomach felt much better.

Liu Gang was skeptical. Could a small restaurant really have good food?

He said to his wife, "I'm going to pick up Xiaoyu. Come over and eat with us."

"good."

A large group of students, like birds leaving their nest, rushed out of the campus.

Liu Xiaobao, carrying his schoolbag, rubbed his eyes in disbelief. His father had come to pick him up.

"Xiao Bao, over here!" Liu Gang waved with a smile.

After picking up her son, he said, "Mom is waiting for you at the restaurant."

"Yay!"

As soon as we arrived at the restaurant, all the dishes were brought over.

The freshly cooked food is steaming hot and glistening with tempting oil, easily whetting one's appetite.

The family ate their meal quietly. The diced chicken was fragrant and chewy, the peanuts were crunchy, and the diced cucumber was very refreshing.

Liu took a bite and couldn't help but exclaim, "It's really good! Honey, you and Xiaobao have such good taste!"

The family sat together for a meal, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

Liu Xiaobao ate with gusto, nodding his head as he savored the delicious chicken, its tender meat and slightly spicy flavor.

Stir-fried water spinach is refreshing and light, and the vegetables help to cut through the richness of the dish. The simple recipe only requires a little minced garlic, which makes the flavor even richer.

Stir-fried green peppers with pork is a perfect dish to eat with rice. The bright green pepper chunks paired with tender pork slices are simply perfect. Scoop a couple of spoonfuls of sauce onto the rice, stir it up, and it's so fragrant and delicious.

The group devoured the food and were very satisfied.

After wiping his mouth, Liu Gang went to pay the bill. It was less than seventy yuan, which was much more worthwhile than spending thousands of yuan to eat at a restaurant!

Satisfied, he left, when Wang Juan asked, "Tell the truth, what brings you here?"

My husband has never eaten at this restaurant before, how could we possibly run into him by chance?

Liu Gang was immediately extremely embarrassed, and laughed it off, saying, "It's really a coincidence! You should believe me."