Chapter 65 (Hot Pot Chicken)
The food street is called a street, and it really is a street.
The Xiao family's carriage stopped a few dozen meters away from the street intersection because there were already crowds of people there.
Just like before, it will be open for trial operation for three days before officially opening on the fourth day. Today is the fourth day, and the whole street is filled with many invited acrobats, and it is as lively as the Lantern Festival.
But it was daytime now.
Yan Qiushu took Wan'er's hand and walked all the way inside. The outermost area was a shop selling candied fruits, dried fruits, biscuits, cakes, etc.
Further in is the tea shop.
If you go further in and reach the middle area, you will see various snacks, such as those specializing in breakfast, which have added new fried dough sticks and steamed buns.
Next came various noodles, including steamed buns, steamed buns, steamed rolls, clear soup noodles, knife-cut noodles, and the beef noodles we had eaten before, etc.
Yan Qiushu likes to eat these noodles. She was too tired to walk after walking here. She and Wan'er each bought a noodle nest and fried dough sticks, and shared them. Wan'er was reluctant at first. How could she eat on the street?
Haven't her teeth been seen by others?
But when Yan Qiushu was eating with gusto, and she couldn't put the food down, she had to open her mouth and eat. As she ate, she found that this feeling was actually quite good. Passers-by on the street did the same, and no one would deliberately look at anyone.
After finishing the meal, Yan Qiushu went to buy some buns.
We passed several shops along the way, including a milk tea shop, a barbecue restaurant, and a place where you can buy cold noodles snacks. They were all our own shops, but there were also many that were not ours. Then we arrived at... the barbecue place!
There is no unspoken rule here that you can only eat barbecue at night.
Because Yan Qiushu didn't say anything, and the first time she took the Xiao family to have barbecue was at noon, so the skewers restaurant opened in the morning. The grill was put on and the skewers were put on. The skewers of meat were sprinkled with seasonings and exuded an enticing aroma, so that even diners who had never eaten these things would unconsciously go there after smelling the aroma.
Yan Qiushu suddenly realized that the strong-smelling skewers, as well as the braised food and fried chicken shops were all placed at the innermost part.
In this way, customers will come along, smell the food, and may buy something else to eat halfway, so they won't eat their fill at the outermost part and then find it difficult to go inside.
After all, it’s hard not to be tempted by the smell of barbecue, but this may not be the case for things with lighter flavors.
Yan Qiushu couldn't walk anymore.
There are so many delicious foods!
But she also remembered that she came here not just to watch the fun. For a food shop like this, she had to see what changes needed to be made.
Xiao Huaiqi has actually done a pretty good job. The decoration here is basically of the same style and design. The staff's clothes are similar, but with slight modifications based on the style of each store.
I guess they adopted her suggestion, made the same arrangements, and managed it together.
But there may not be enough shops, and some shops are separated by an empty shop.
This should be the next store to open.
Even so, there were already enough guests. Attracted by the bustle and early publicity, they were already lingering in this paradise-like place and were reluctant to leave. It was just like some of the commercial streets with huge customer traffic that Yan Qiushu had seen in her previous life.
Many people came out of the barbecue restaurant, holding a handful of skewers in their hands, eating and laughing: "Oh, this is so delicious!"
"Finally, I can enjoy my meal to my heart's content. When I came here yesterday, they said that each person could only buy ten skewers. Did you mean that I was short of this little money?"
"I thought the food here was just pig offal, but I didn't expect the braised pig's trotters to be so delicious!"
"Let's go find a place to sit down and eat."
Yan Qiushu was standing on the side of the road watching passers-by walking by. Some were eating while chatting with their friends. They all looked satisfied in their words, which made her feel satisfied as well.
She has a share in this food street!
Feeling satisfied, Yan Qiushu was also observing. She always felt that the street looked very rich, but it seemed like something was missing.
What's missing?
She sniffed, and the aroma of various barbecue spices, the aroma of roasted meat, and the sweet milky aroma of cake all gathered at the tip of her nose, but there was still something missing -
In a flash of inspiration, Yan Qiushu thought of the overbearing spiciness of hot pot and the spicy flavor of grilled fish!
It was not the clear soup base of the present world. The hot pot she had in mind was the spicy hot pot of later generations, so spicy that it made people love and fear it at the same time. After eating it, their mouths became red and swollen, and their heads were covered in sweat, but they were still reluctant to stop.
But this kind of hot pot cannot be made for the time being.
There is not enough chili pepper. Nowadays, she gave too much chili pepper, but even a child like Dongdong can bear it. It shows that the spiciness is still far from enough. I just hope that Xiao Huaiting can find something good when he comes back this time.
But it seems that grilled fish can be made?
The grilled fish doesn’t need to be too spicy, make it light in flavor, and then make other flavors when you have other flavors?
Yan Qiushu felt itchy when she thought of this.
But at this moment, the biggest worry is...
"Sister Shu, what are we going to eat for lunch today?" Wan'er looked at the roadside delicacies for a long time, but still couldn't decide what to eat.
This one is delicious, and that one is delicious too!
Choosing either one seems like a loss.
Yan Qiushu glanced around and was also hesitant.
Shui Yu pointed to a shop across the street and said with a smile, "Miss, we haven't eaten here yet. How about this?"
Yan Qiushu took a look and saw the signboard read: Hot Pot Chicken
"Okay!" Yan Qiushu nodded in confirmation and walked over. Wan'er hurried to follow, but as they walked, Yan Qiushu suddenly turned around and walked in another direction.
Wan'er shouted anxiously, "Sister Shu, this is the place! You've gone the wrong way!"
After she finished speaking, she noticed a passerby looking at her, her face suddenly turned red, and she quickly covered her mouth with both hands.
Passersby smiled kindly: "The little girl has changed her teeth, so cute."
Wan'er was stunned for a moment, and the blush on her face deepened, but it was no longer the embarrassment of showing her missing teeth, but the shyness of being praised.
Yan Qiushu happened to see it too, waved at her, smiled, and said timidly, "How is it? Isn't it cute? Normal people won't laugh at you. If someone does, tell Brother Pingsong and let him beat them up."
Wan'er trotted over and happily snuggled into her arms.
She was really afraid of being laughed at, but she didn't expect others to praise her.
Yan Qiushu took her to the entrance of the milk tea shop, pointed at the order sign above, and asked, "What flavor would you like to drink? This shop may not have drinks. You can drink while eating later."
Wan'er glanced at the words above and made a tangled choice: "Strawberry."
Yan Qiushu also said: "Then I want strawberries too."
The two of them bought strawberry-flavored milk tea, and asked Shui Xuan and the others to buy their favorite flavors as well, and then went into the store.
This time Yan Qiushu came out a little late, and there were already quite a few customers in the store. There was a big iron pot on each table, but it was not embedded in the table, but on top of the table. There was also an iron plate at the bottom of the pot, which contained some charcoal stoves. It didn't look like much, but it could keep the pot warm.
The iron pot was filled with half a pot of roast chicken, cucumber, taro and other ingredients, and it looked like a very large portion.
Seeing them coming, the waiter immediately stepped forward to greet them with a big smile on his face, which made people feel happy. "There are quite a few guests. Do you need to share a table? If we put two tables together, you can order two different flavors of hot pot."
"No need, let's have two tables." Yan Qiushu shook her head. She naturally did not come out alone, and she was accompanied by two tall and strong male guards, so she asked these two to dress, and she, Wan'er and Shui Yu sat at one table.
"What would you like to eat? We have everything on the wall, and I can even recommend some small dishes." The waiter pointed to the dish signs hanging on the wall and said, "When you come to our restaurant, the must-order dishes are the hot pot roast chicken and hot pot duck. For the three of you, you don't need to order any other side dishes, but we also have some dim sum. If you can't finish it, you can take it away."
Yan Qiushu listened and used her good eyesight in this life to look over and found that there was milk tea on it. She asked in surprise: "Your shop also serves milk tea?"
The clerk shook his head and said, "No, but there's a milk tea shop two shops away. If you order, I'll go over and get it for you."
Yan Qiushu silently glanced at the milk tea on the table. Oh no, it was her habitual thinking!
She thought about how there was no takeout in this era, and how the drinks in ordinary restaurants were generally expensive and tasted bad. She didn't expect that they would be willing to run errands directly. She asked in surprise, "Is this a service that your restaurant has always provided?"
The clerk smiled and said, "It was requested by the trainers after we moved here, but the customers seem to like it very much."
If nothing unexpected happens, it should be a request thought of by Xiao Huaiqi or his subordinate Shui.
Yan Qiushu admired him in her heart. She had forgotten this point, mainly because she had never done business and didn't know much.
She followed the waiter's recommendation and ordered hot pot chicken. She didn't order anything else and asked them to serve the food directly. The food came very quickly, as if it had been prepared long ago. The two of them had just taken a sip of milk tea. Yan Qiushu was just delighted by the delicious strawberry meat in it when the food came.
The hot pot chicken is reddish-brown in color, with chunks of chicken of similar size interwoven with strips of cucumber and taro, and generous amounts of garlic and ginger. The aroma of soy sauce and meat combined together makes it incredibly delicious! It goes really well with rice!
Yan Qiushu decisively put down the milk tea and reminded: "Eat quickly."
"Hmm!" Wan'er pursed her lips and smiled, picked up the chopsticks and started eating.
The first thing that went into my mouth was a piece of chicken thigh.
I don’t know how the owner did it, but the chicken leg looks soft, but when you bite it, it is actually very elastic. The fat on the chicken skin has disappeared, leaving only a layer of tight chicken skin, which shrinks quickly when you bite it.
The chicken thigh meat was no longer covered by skin, revealing smooth meat that did not look old. Instead, it was soft and elastic. Her teeth were not good at biting, and the first bite was a bit difficult, as she did not get anything.
So she deliberately shifted her position for the second bite and used her teeth next to her to bite. The tip of her canine teeth bit into the meat smoothly. With a little force, a large piece of meat was bitten off. It was a little tough, but still tender and smooth when eaten. Before she knew it, the meat slid down her throat.
After taking a bite, Wan'er looked at the place on the chicken leg where her teeth had bitten off, smiled happily, and continued to gnaw on another piece of meat.
Yan Qiushu picked up the cucumber first.
It’s not anything else, but the tender green color, which has been stained with a light brown color after being cooked for too long. It looks a little soft and inexplicably appetizing.
When she put it in her mouth, her eyes lit up.
Most of the time, cucumbers she ate were crisp and sweet, but the cucumber she ate this time was soft, with a hint of sweetness, but more of it was tainted with the salty fragrance of the juice.
It’s not spicy at all, but the salty and fragrant soup is full of meaty flavor. With every bite, you feel like you’re eating meat even though you’re eating cucumber!
Yan Qiushu was satisfied with the meal, but she felt that if the dish was modified a little bit, it might taste even better, that is... adding potatoes!
She suddenly missed potatoes very much.
Roast chicken with potatoes, French fries, mashed potatoes...all delicious!
Despite such longing, Yan Qiushu still worked hard with Shui Yu and Wan'er to finish half a pot of food and half a cup of milk tea.
"Burp~" Wan'er burped.
After the fight, she covered her mouth embarrassedly and rubbed her stomach with her other hand.
As if infected, Shui Yu next to him also burped, followed by Yan Qiushu. Even the two big male guards next to him rubbed their stomachs with satisfaction. There was no big burp, but it was almost time.
The portions at this restaurant are really generous, and the prices are quite affordable, a whole meal costs only eighty cents!
Every time Yan Qiushu looked at the prices, she always felt that the money she had saved now was enough for her to live a life of luxury in this era, as long as nothing unexpected happened.
"Girl, do you want to go shopping again?" Shui Yu asked.
Yan Qiushu looked at Wan'er, not wanting to say anything, just asking with her eyes.
Fortunately, the two of them had been together for a long time, and Wan'er understood what she meant at the first time and shook her head.
Yan Qiushu looked at Shui Yu again.
Shui Yu also understood and took her out.
It's time to go back.
As the group stepped out of the carriage, a hurried yet familiar voice suddenly rang out: "Miss Xiao!"
Yan Qiushu didn't realize at first that the voice was calling her. When the voice shouted in her direction again, she suddenly remembered something and looked back.
She saw the handsome young man coming towards her, looking at her nervously.
Yan Qiushu narrowed her eyes slightly and simply stood there, waiting for him to come over.
Xue Jiahe was delighted, his heart becoming more and more excited. He tried to speed up his pace and finally came in front of her. He showed a slightly silly smile: "Miss Xiao, it's been a long time since I saw you."
Yan Qiushu still looked at him coldly.
Wan'er was confused. She looked at Sister A'shu beside her, and then at the boy who looked familiar but unfamiliar. Did she know him?
She was obedient and didn't say a word.
Xue Jiahe suddenly felt a little nervous and subconsciously touched his hair. After finding that there was nothing wrong, he asked in confusion: "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Yan Qiushu said coldly, "Did you ask your mother to go to the Xiao Mansion to propose marriage?"
Xue Jiahe was stunned, his face flushed instantly. His first reaction was to think that he was being asked to propose marriage. Just as he was about to nod, his mind understood what he was saying and he said in confusion, "No, my mother proposed marriage? Why didn't she tell me?"
The coldness in Yan Qiushu's eyes faded slightly, and she said calmly, "Maybe it's because I refused."
The redness on Xue Jiahe's face faded, and he said dejectedly: "Ah? Miss, you can think about it again. The results will be announced in two days. I think I did quite well in the exam, so I should be able to get a good ranking..."
Yan Qiushu said word by word: "Your mother proposed marriage for you so that you could take me as your concubine."
Xue Jiahe paused, looking at her in astonishment. The blush on his face completely disappeared, and his face turned pale.
Seeing this, Yan Qiushu said, "I thought you knew about this and wanted to scold you. I helped you out when I saw injustice, but you turned your kindness against me. But now it seems you didn't know anything. So forget it. We weren't familiar with each other to begin with, and we don't need to be familiar with each other in the future. If we meet again in the future, please just say that you don't recognize me, Master Xue."
After saying that, she pulled Wan'er, turned around and quickly got into the carriage.
Behind her, Xue Jiahe watched in confusion as her figure disappeared on the carriage. Soon the carriage started moving away.
He is still there.
Until his good friend Zhao Qi came over and slapped him on the back with a smile, scaring him so much that he staggered two steps.
Zhao Qi was so frightened that he quickly supported him, fearing that he would fall again. With his other hand, he stuffed the pile of cakes he had just held for him into his hand and asked with a smile, "Hey, everyone has left, why are you still standing here?"
Xue Jiahe finally came back to his senses, forced a smile at his friend, and holding a pile of cakes, he bowed with difficulty and said, "Sorry, I have something else to do. I'll leave first. Brother Zhao, enjoy your meal and drink. Just put it on my bill."
After saying that, he ran quickly towards the mansion.
He had to go back and ask clearly what it meant to take a concubine for him?
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