Chapter 46 Braised Chicken with Chestnuts + Stir-fried Clams + Chives...

After finishing their meal, Xiao Tangbao volunteered to help clear the table and wash the dishes. The two of them spent the afternoon idly watching cartoons together in the living room. Although cartoons are for children, Yu Miaoyin also enjoyed watching them; the cartoons were colorful, and the characters were kind and good.

But as she watched, she got sleepy, so she leaned back on the sofa and dozed off for a while. Xiao Tangbao also turned the volume down to the lowest setting. Xiao Tangbao looked at her older sister and thought she was so pretty; she really liked her.

When I woke up, it was already past 5 p.m. Little Tangbao was still watching cartoons, but without the sound on.

Yu Miaoyin helped turn on the sound, "I'm awake, you can watch TV now."

"Xiaoyin." Grandma knocked on the door not long after she woke up.

Yu Miaoyin opened the door. "What's wrong?"

Actually, there were two other people standing outside, Yi Ling's parents. When they saw Yu Miaoyin come out, they greeted her warmly: "Xiaoyin, it's been a long time."

Hello, Uncle and Aunt.

"We brought you some good food, including mooncakes." Wen's mother emphasized the mooncakes. She explained, "My mom said your mooncakes are even better. The ones we buy outside can't compare to yours, but we still wanted to give them to you. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Thank you for taking care of Grandma and Yiling."

The mooncake packaging was exquisite, and it came from a well-known brand. How could Yu Miaoyin possibly look down on it? "Thank you, Uncle and Auntie, I really like it."

Looking down, Wen's mother saw Xiao Tangbao and exclaimed, "We've only been apart for a few months, how come Xiao Tangbao seems to have grown so much taller?"

"Hello Auntie, I've grown three centimeters taller!" Little Tangbao said proudly. She had measured herself, and she really had grown taller!

"It seems Xiaoyin is being raised well," Wen's mother continued, perhaps because she couldn't resist gently pinching Xiaotangbao's round face, "So cute."

"My older sister makes me lots and lots of delicious food every day, so I've grown taller and gained weight."

Both of them knew that Xiaoyin had opened a shop. Before leaving, they even said, "We'll come and try it if we have the chance."

Grandma Chen kept saying, "What a pity, what a pity, Xiaoyin has to rest during the Mid-Autumn Festival, otherwise I really wanted you to try what Xiaoyin makes."

“Didn’t Xiaoyin bring mooncakes? Why don’t we have some?” said Father Wen.

Grandma Chen quickly said, "No, Xiaoyin's mooncakes are so delicious, let's save them for tonight when we're admiring the moon."

The two nodded, thinking to themselves that they didn't like eating mooncakes, and that buying all kinds of expensive mooncakes was just a way of giving them as a gift.

-

They brought quite a lot of things. A big box of grapes and pomelos, as well as mooncakes, chestnuts, and so on.

"You can have a little bit if you want, but don't eat too much since it's dinner time later."

Little Tangbao nodded, very restrainedly taking only a little bit of food, saving her stomach for the delicious food her older sister would make!

There was also a butchered chicken in the refrigerator, brought over by Grandma Chen. Although Yu Miaoyin could cook, she wasn't really good at butchering and plucking chickens. This chicken was brought over by her grandmother's old friend from the countryside; the meat was glossy and shiny, and her grandmother had plucked the feathers very cleanly, so Yu Miaoyin didn't do much with it.

She quickly chopped the chicken into pieces, and looking at the chestnuts, her original intention to make poached chicken changed again; she wanted to make braised chicken with chestnuts instead.

"Little Tangbao, help your older sister cook some chestnuts."

Xiao Tangbao took some chestnuts, washed them, and put them in the rice cooker. The moment she pressed the cook button, Xiao Tangbao felt extremely proud.

The clicking sounds echoed in the kitchen. Little Tangbao watched Yu Miaoyin's movements from a distance and raised her hand to imitate them. Her older sister looked like a swordsman from a novel or TV series!

For Yu Miaoyin, chopping chicken was easy; she did it in no time.

The chestnuts were still cooking, so Yu Miaoyin went to check on the clams. They had already purged the sand, so she poured out the water and put them in a colander. Thinking that eating just a lot of vegetables would be monotonous, Yu Miaoyin then washed some greens with Xiao Tangbao. Then she prepared the shrimp…

Once all the dishes were prepared and the chestnuts were cooked, the two of them peeled the shells together. The chestnuts smelled delicious, and they couldn't resist eating a few while peeling them.

Once the chestnuts were ready, Yu Miaoyin opened the pot, added a few pieces of rock sugar to caramelize them, then added the blanched chicken. After coating the chicken with caramel, she added enough boiling water to cover the chicken, along with appropriate amounts of light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and oyster sauce. Finally, she added the chestnuts and began to simmer.

While waiting for the braised chicken with chestnuts to cook, Yu Miaoyin started another pot and sautéed minced scallions, ginger, garlic, and chili peppers until fragrant. The combined aroma of the ingredients and oil was incredibly rich and pleasant. Then she added the clams and stir-fried them for two or three minutes until they opened, allowing the flavors of the ingredients to infuse into them. Finally, she poured the prepared sauce around the edge of the pot.

"I'm already hungry from the smell, it smells so good!" Little Tangbao looked up, she still remembered the taste of the crispy pork and vermicelli casserole she had for lunch, she loved that taste, but today her older sister made braised chicken with chestnuts, it would definitely be even more delicious.

"Sister is hungry too. It's Mid-Autumn Festival today. What would you like to drink, little Tangbao? Do you want some milk tea?" Yu Miaoyin asked. When she was little, she loved holidays the most because her family didn't allow her to drink too many beverages. But on holidays, there would always be a bottle of orange juice or coconut juice on the table.

"I don't want to drink any of them. I still want to drink the one from lunch today. I like osmanthus, it's so delicious," said Xiaotangbao.

There was still plenty of osmanthus honey at home, so Yu Miaoyin nodded. "Okay, I'll make you another cup later."

Next, she stir-fried the shrimp and also stir-fried some bok choy. The bok choy was Shanghai bok choy, which she simply made into garlic-flavored Shanghai bok choy. Although it was simple, it was exceptionally delicious.

"Dinner's ready, Xiao Tangbao." Yu Miaoyin turned off the stove. She cooks quickly, and even with so many dishes, it didn't take her long. The dishes were still steaming hot, and the aroma was even more tempting than when they were cold.

"Okay." Xiao Tangbao ran to the kitchen to help serve the dishes and rice, and then steadily put the things down without spilling a drop.

"Great." Yu Miaoyin put the prepared osmanthus oolong tea into the pot, so that she could have a cup to cleanse her palate when eating mooncakes later.

Little Tangbao stared intently at the braised chicken with chestnuts. The dish was glistening with an amber color, coated in a thick broth, and inside the chicken were peeled, golden, and round chestnuts.

Yu Miaoyin poured a cup of osmanthus oolong tea for the two of them. "Come on, cheers! Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!"

"Cheers, Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Thank you, sister, you've worked so hard!" After saying that, Xiao Tangbao couldn't wait to eat the braised chicken with chestnuts. It was the first time she had ever eaten this dish.

The chestnut flavor is infused with a hint of savory sauce. Upon biting into it, the powdery flesh melts instantly in your mouth. The outermost chestnut is infused with the salty aroma of the sauce and the savory flavor of the chicken, while the innermost flesh is soft, sweet, and fragrant. Every bite offers the natural sweetness of the flesh and the richness of the broth, adding a unique touch to the chestnut experience.

Soft and fluffy, delicious! Little Tangbao gave a thumbs up, "Delicious!"

Yu Miaoyin picked some more for her, and then picked up a piece of chicken for herself. The chicken was stewed until it wasn't dry at all, but exceptionally tender and smooth. The flavor of chestnuts seemed to have permeated the chicken as well. Taking a small bite, the aroma of the meat spread in her mouth. The chicken that Grandma gave her tasted very good; she could still taste that delicate freshness. Even the parts near the bone were full of flavor, and the chicken skin had a unique chewy and tender texture.

Little Tangbao ate a bite of chicken, a bite of chestnut, a bite of rice, and then drank a sip of cool, sweet osmanthus oolong tea. This meal made Little Tangbao look happy.

She also really likes to eat clams.

The spiciness of the bird's eye chili blends with the flavors of scallions, ginger, and garlic, while the natural sweetness of the clams is preserved. The opened clams absorb the savory aroma of the sauce, their shells glistening with oil, revealing the flavors within. The umami of the soy sauce and the spiciness of the stir-fried bird's eye chili coat the clam meat, allowing the clam's natural seafood flavor to burst forth on the palate.

"Delicious, delicious!" Little Tangbao continued. She really thought it was delicious, and couldn't say another word besides "delicious." Because she was still a child and hadn't started primary school, she didn't know much. But when she grew up and learned many words, she would be able to praise her older sister in all sorts of ways!

She wants to write an essay praising her older sister's cooking, saying it's delicious, especially delicious, and incredibly delicious!

My sister's stir-fried vegetables with garlic are so fragrant, and they're incredibly refreshing. There's no water in them; the sweet, savory moisture is locked inside every single leaf. The aroma is even stronger after the garlic is sautéed. With only a little salt and oil for seasoning, there's absolutely no other off-flavor, and the sweet, savory taste is exceptionally prominent.

Little Tangbao ate her fill and was very satisfied. The two of them had made several dishes that were definitely too much to finish, so Yu Miaoyin put them in the refrigerator to finish tomorrow.

Little Tangbao rubbed her belly, then got up. "I'll wash the dishes. I can wash dishes now!"

Little Tangbao kept thinking that when she grew up a little bit more, she would be able to do so many things for her older sister. She wanted to help her older sister wash the dishes and mop the floor. Unfortunately, she knew that her cooking skills were not as good as her older sister's. If she could have her older sister's cooking skills, she would definitely cook many, many delicious things for her older sister.

After finishing her meal, Yu Miaoyin found a small table. The moon outside was big and round on the Mid-Autumn Festival night, shining brightly on the ground. There was no need to turn on the lights. The wind was also exceptionally gentle and comfortable. It was very pleasant to go outside and enjoy the breeze after washing up.

"Come on, let's look at the moon together." Moon gazing during the Mid-Autumn Festival is a beautiful tradition, and she wants to carry it forward.

"Okay." Xiao Tangbao put down the mooncake, and Grandma Chen's family also prepared to admire the moon. Actually, it was more like a family chat than admiring the moon. Yiling saw Xiao Tangbao and Sister Ayin and called out, "Sister Ayin, Xiao Tangbao, do you want to join us?"

Grandma Chen came out of the house. "Yes, Xiaoyin."

Wen's parents also extended a warm invitation, and Yu Miaoyin felt that it would be more lively with more people, so she agreed.

The two families sat together and had a lot to talk about. Yi Ling was busy teasing Xiao Tang Bao, who liked playing with Yi Ling. Yi Ling would tell her a lot about high school, some of which were very funny, and Xiao Tang Bao would laugh out loud.

"Come and eat mooncakes, let's eat the ones Xiaoyin made." Grandma Chen was especially looking forward to it. Moon gazing was not important, this was the main event.

She took out four mooncakes, cut them into equal-sized pieces, and distributed them to everyone. Yiling took a piece with a fork, took a picture, and sent it to Xu Jiajia.

There were quite a few people chatting in the class group. There was no teacher in the group, so everyone was having a great time. Many people posted pictures of Blue Moon laundry detergent that they had photoshopped themselves, saying they wanted to enjoy the moon together.

Jiajia: Did Sister Ayin make it?

Yi Ling: Mm.

Jiajia: Get out of my way! Let me be Sister Ayin's neighbor!!!

Yiling patted Xiaotangbao again and said that the cute Xiaotangbao was sitting next to her. Xiaotangbao even sweetly called out in the voice message, "Good evening, Jiajia sister, happy Mid-Autumn Festival."

Xu Jiajia listened from the side, feeling extremely envious and amazed. How could there be such an adorable child as Xiao Tangbao in this world?! How could there be such a child! She's so cute!

Wen's mother took a bite of the mooncake, and suddenly her eyes lit up, "Did Xiaoyin make this herself?"

"Yes." Grandma Chen could tell from her reaction that she must think it was too delicious.

Father Wen nodded in agreement: "Delicious! Xiao Yin's cooking is really amazing!"

"I also made osmanthus oolong tea, which is perfect for cutting through the richness." Yu Miaoyin poured everyone another cup of osmanthus oolong tea. The delicate fragrance of osmanthus and oolong tea lingered on their lips and teeth, and everyone exclaimed, "Delicious, so delicious!"

On the other side, the Liang family.

Although not many relatives and friends came, and everyone was busy with their own families, there were still quite a few people in the Liang family. Liang Hekang took out the mooncakes to share with everyone, saying, "Mooncakes, everyone come and have a taste."

Everyone knew it was produced by Yu's Little Restaurant, so they were especially looking forward to it, and even looked down on the mooncakes that relatives and friends sent over, which cost hundreds or thousands of yuan a box.

After cutting it open, the mooncake released a subtle aroma of oil and the wheat fragrance of the crust. Because it contained two egg yolks, the yolks inside were exceptionally plump and tempting. The yolks were embedded in the lotus seed paste; with each bite, the smooth, delicate lotus seed paste combined with the oily, slightly grainy egg yolk. Moreover, the mooncake wasn't sweet at all. Grandma Liang repeatedly praised it, saying, "Delicious!"

It's truly remarkable that they could make mooncakes that aren't too sweet yet still taste so delicious. Liang Hekang doesn't usually like mooncakes, but he ate this small piece with exceptional care.

Because there were so many people, each person only got a small piece of mooncake, and once it was gone, there wasn't any left. No one wanted to take a big bite. After everyone finished eating, they were still reminiscing about the taste of the mooncakes. Grandma Liang said, "Let's open another box, the most expensive one. The most expensive one shouldn't taste bad, right?"

Liang and Kang responded, "Okay."

The mooncakes were beautifully packaged, from a well-known brand, making them a perfect gift. Liang and Kang counted the heads and cut them out; perhaps because they had previously tasted the mooncakes made by the owner of Yu's Little Restaurant, everyone had some expectations for these new ones, especially considering how expensive they were!

Everyone took a bite with anticipation...

"This mooncake tastes pretty average," Feng Yuan said.

Liang Hekang wholeheartedly agreed: "Yes, it can't even compare to Yu's Little Restaurant in the slightest!"

My uncle and aunt agreed. My uncle said, "I never thought it tasted this bad before."

My aunt shook her head and said, "There's no harm without comparison, but it's a pity the boss has a purchase limit!"

Grandma Liang is a bit of a picky eater. In her words, it's not that she's picky, but that she's looking for better food. Ever since she started eating at the small restaurant, she's become even less interested in other places. She thinks that the food at those big restaurants can't compare to what the owner of Yu's restaurant makes.

If she could, Grandma Liang would really like Yu Miaoyin to come to her house and cook delicious food for her. She could afford to pay Boss Yu a monthly salary of 100,000 yuan!

...

On the second day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Yu Miaoyin still woke up at the same time as her biological clock, even though Xiao Tangbao had been exceptionally excited and chatted with her for a long time the day before, telling her many stories he had made up.

Thinking that Xiaotangbao was still asleep, she started making breakfast herself. She was going to eat leftovers from last night for lunch, so she decided to have a good breakfast. She couldn't just eat whatever was available; she had to open her shop this afternoon, and a delicious breakfast would start her day well.

Thinking that the chives were growing well and would keep growing after each harvest, enough for her to harvest many times, Yu Miaoyin cut some chives and chopped some minced meat. She added some hot oil to bring out the aroma of the chives, mixed them together, and then added some flavoring ingredients.

Take a fermented dough ball, flatten it into a disc shape, wrap the filling inside, and then fry it in oil.

The oil crackled and popped, turning the dough a golden brown. First, the aroma of the browned dough wafted out, followed by the combined fragrance of the chives and pork inside. Once fried until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, it was ready to be taken out.

Yu Miaoyin especially loves freshly baked pies, hot steamed buns, mantou, and pastries, and it's even better with a cup of soy milk—this is her source of energy. It's even more wonderful in winter.

She soaked the beans yesterday and is now putting them directly into the soy milk maker to make soy milk.

Just as I was wondering whether to wake Xiaotangbao up to enjoy this delicious food, Xiaotangbao woke up from the smell.

After washing up, she felt exceptionally refreshed and energetic, and said with a smile, "I just smelled something so delicious. I thought I was dreaming, and there was lots of delicious food in my dreams. Turns out it was my sister making something delicious."

After Xiaotangbao finished speaking, she quickly walked down the stairs.

Yu Miaoyin poured her a cup of soy milk. Xiao Tangbao picked it up and took a sip. The smooth soy milk slid down her throat, and the light sweetness enhanced the rich aroma of the soy milk. There were no off-flavors, and it felt slightly warm in her mouth. Xiao Tangbao left a ring of marks on her mouth after drinking, which made Yu Miaoyin laugh out loud.

Xiao Tangbao stared at Yu Miaoyin with puzzled eyes. She blinked, then blinked again before realizing what she was doing. She wiped her mouth, lowered her head, and smiled shyly.

They each took a bite of a chive and pork patty. The chives were grown by Yu Miaoyin herself. Chives are easy to grow and yield a lot; a styrofoam box or plastic box can grow a huge amount of chives—they're exceptionally easy to grow!

Bright green chopped chives and tender pink minced pork are mixed together, glistening with a few drops of oil. The vibrant green of the chives and the pale pink of the pork stand out against the golden crust. The chive and pork pie is slightly puffed up; you can even feel its bulging outer layer when you hold it.

The chive and pork patties made by my sister have an exceptionally generous amount of filling. If you buy them outside, you have to take three big bites to see even a tiny bit of chives and pork. But with my sister's patties, you can taste the tender pork mixed with the crisp and sweet chives with just a small bite. The aroma of the oil blends with the fragrance of the chives, and the outer layer is exceptionally crispy. You can even hear a crunch when you bite into it.

Although it's pan-fried, it's not oily at all. The outer crust is crispy, while the inside is slightly moist, soaked in pork juices. It's not greasy at all, soft yet chewy, and the more you chew, the more fragrant it becomes. Every bite offers the aroma of the crispy crust, the fresh fragrance of chives, and the savory richness of pork. After eating, your mouth isn't greasy; only a subtle aftertaste of vegetables and meat remains.

Because her older sister gave her plenty of filling, she only ate one and drank a cup of soy milk before she was full.

After breakfast, Yu Miaoyin watered the chives. Once they grew a bit more, she could make other delicious dishes, like chive pancakes, chive and egg dumplings, and chive and pork dumplings. She couldn't let such delicious and easy-to-grow chives go to waste.

"Do you want to go have some fun?" Yu Miaoyin asked her. Yuncheng is a small tourist city with many fun things to do, and some amusement parks have very complete entertainment facilities, enough for two people to have fun.

Even though the shop has to open in the afternoon, we can still have a chance to play around and come back!

Little Tangbao nodded excitedly and said, "I want to go play!"

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, many people who work away from home went back to be with their children. Everyone took their kids out to play, and the children were more excited than anyone else, holding their parents' hands with great enthusiasm. They skipped their usual late sleep and got up early to play. So even in the morning, the kindergarten was still quite crowded.

They enjoyed some simple rides, like the carousel and bumper cars, and had a wonderful time. Little Tangbao's face was always beaming with smiles, and when she laughed, her eyes jingled like little bells. Yu Miaoyin took many photos and recorded many videos of her.

She thought that when she had time, she would print out the photos, bind them into an album, and show them to her when she grew up how cute she was as a child.

Since they had to open the shop in the afternoon, and Xiaotangbao had had enough fun, the two of them went for a stroll in the market and then went home.

Yu Miaoyin opened the roller shutter door. Her decision to open the shop was rather hasty, and she didn't know how many customers would come, since no one knew she had opened the shop.

She first quickly cleaned the things in the small restaurant, then checked the ingredients, and then took a piece of cardboard and wrote: Mid-Autumn Festival holiday business hours, 5 pm to 7 pm.

Grandpa Xu happened to be taking a walk and saw that the small restaurant was open and had a piece of cardboard hanging on it. He was a little puzzled because he wasn't wearing his glasses, so he got a little closer and then a little closer and finally saw the words on it!

The little restaurant is reopening! The little restaurant he's been longing for, the little restaurant he's been dreaming about, is finally reopening!

Grandpa Xu quickly called his son, who had already gone to buy groceries, and said, "Hey, Xu Changxing, don't go grocery shopping. Xiaoyin is open today. Let's eat at a small restaurant."

Upon hearing this, Xu Changxing smiled on the main road, then quickly turned his electric scooter around and happily replied, "Okay, okay!"

It was already 5 PM, and thinking that Xiao Tangbao might be hungry, Yu Miaoyin re-fried the remaining chive and pork patties for her. Xiao Tangbao ate the patties while swinging her legs; they were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, warm and delicious. Moreover, the small restaurant still had the chili oil made by her older sister, so she brushed a little bit on it, making the crispy outer layer even more delicious with its numbing and spicy flavor.

The two girls from the night before last arrived exceptionally early, after all, they were really looking forward to the delicious food at the small restaurant.

Seeing the boss's sister enjoying the delicious chive and pork pie, the two of them were also drooling and looked forward to today's meal even more.

"You're here." Yu Miaoyin remembered them and said to them with a smile.

"Hehe, thank you for opening the door, boss! I've been craving your food these past few days and can't wait to come and try it! I've been looking at pictures of it every day, just longing for it!"

"I hope I won't disappoint you," Yu Miaoyin said, returning to the kitchen to get busy.

The two girls glanced around the small restaurant, then checked the time. It was almost lunchtime. Even the worst restaurants would have one or two customers already. Why were they the only ones there? They hoped the owner would open, but they also hoped he would make a lot of money!

She was a little worried that the boss would lose money and time if he opened the shop, but their worries were obviously unnecessary.

Before they could even worry for a few minutes, a group of people suddenly appeared outside. Grandpa Xu and Grandma Chen, with their families in tow, walked this way. Looking to the right, they saw several other customers who, having somehow gotten wind of the situation, were also heading this way. The whole group was walking in one direction, like a zombie apocalypse... no, a zombie apocalypse surrounding the restaurant!

...