Chapter 78 Faced with He Zhao's angry outburst, "System, you tricked me!", the system stepped forward and whispered...
Faced with He Zhao's angry outburst, "System, you tricked me!", the system stepped forward and quietly explained to He Zhao: "Host, the system didn't trick you; the steps are just like this. Think about it, to make chicken soup, fresh chicken is definitely better. And the first step is to learn how to choose one. It's worth mentioning that free-range hens are the most suitable for making soup. Free-range meat is firm, and older hens have a higher fat content. This ensures the soup is clear and not greasy, and the meat is tender and not dry."
[The chicken the host chose at the supermarket wasn't a free-range chicken or an old hen; it was a frozen chicken. This chicken won't make a good soup. This is because the host doesn't understand these things and doesn't know how to choose a good old hen, which is why these consequences occurred.]
The system kept chattering away, and He Zhao's anger gradually rose. She took a deep breath and pointed at the group of chickens that were still leisurely strolling around, clucking as they went: "You can't just dump a bunch of live chickens in front of me! Huh? What am I supposed to do? Is there anyone here to kill chickens for me?! What am I supposed to do with a bunch of live chickens? Say something!"
Amidst He Zhao's furious roar, the system fell silent. He Zhao nearly choked for a moment; she wasn't stupid. The system's evasive manner seemed to say: "Of course, you have to handle this chicken yourself."
In the silence of the system, a huge virtual screen appeared in the system space at some point, and began to play a clip of a girl with a ponytail, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, carefully selecting chickens.
The girl was quick and decisive in choosing chickens, while someone nearby read aloud: "A good hen's feathers are thicker than those of other chicks; a good hen has smooth feathers without too many loose or stray feathers; a healthy hen has bright, alert eyes and is very energetic..."
"Don't stay silent! What's the meaning of showing me a tutorial video now?! I told you to teach me now! And you've been sitting there without saying a word! System! Don't think I'll let you off the hook!"
Although He Zhao kept cursing the system, it was playing dumb, and there was really nothing He Zhao could do about it. She crossed her arms, pouting, and could only obediently start picking out hens. Amidst the clucking of a bunch of free-range chickens, He Zhao found it quite difficult to catch them.
He started with the simplest judgment from the system's teaching: look at the feathers, look at the eyes, look at the comb. After selecting his favorite chicken, He Zhao was about to pick it up to look at other parts, such as the feet and the chicken's rear end, when the chicken suddenly flapped its wings and actually flew up a little.
In an instant, all the chickens in the area erupted in a frenzy. Under these circumstances, He Zhao had no chance of catching a chicken. At that moment, a chicken feather landed on He Zhao's nose. She angrily snorted and blew the feather away.
Just as He Zhao was about to give up, the system spoke up: [Host... Qiao Yanyu...]
"Ugh! You just use her to manipulate me!"
Being love-struck was He Zhao's destiny. Frustrated, she continued selecting chickens. But she hadn't expected that even the simplest step—selection—would take her a whole week. And this was without any strict system requirements; only the most basic ones were followed.
When it came time to kill the chicken and pluck its feathers, He Zhao was so clumsy that she accidentally cut her own hand while doing so. She immediately raised her hand, but it was smooth as ever, without a single cut, as if the sharp pain she had just felt was merely her imagination.
He Zhao sighed. Luckily, this was in the system space, otherwise his finger would definitely be bleeding profusely right now.
At first, when she scratched his hand, He Zhao would scream in pain. Sometimes, the pain was so intense that a small pearl or two would fall off. Later, she gradually mastered the technique and scratched him less often. She got used to it and gradually became an expressionless killer. She had killed at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, chickens.
He Zhao thought that if he couldn't even keep running his own stall one day, he could go to the supermarket to butcher chickens. Although, perhaps, they would need someone to butcher fish more.
After becoming a cold-blooded chicken killer, things actually became simpler. Even so, it took He Zhao three months to emerge from the system space. This was only after the system relaxed its requirements; if things had really turned out like the girl in the system's demonstration clip, He Zhao felt he might not have been able to get out even before he died.
However, after He Zhao came out, she didn't rush to the market to buy a chicken. Instead, she went straight to the frozen chicken in front of her. After all, she had already bought it, so she couldn't just leave it there unattended, could she? The supermarket had lied to her; it wasn't a free-range chicken at all, but the price was still there.
If it were the old He Zhao, he wouldn't have even glanced at it and would have just thrown it in the trash. But now, still using a sluggish phone, He Zhao could only swallow his anger and cook the chicken first. He'd go to the market to choose a better one next time.
Faced with this whole chicken, He Zhao's first step should have been to remove the subcutaneous fat, which would make the chicken soup clearer. However, He Zhao could skip this step, because the chicken's subcutaneous fat is mainly in the tail area, and the tail of this crippled chicken... had already been chopped off by He Zhao.
Next, the chicken needs to be blanched. Since this is frozen chicken, this step is even more crucial; otherwise, the chicken will have a very noticeable gamey smell. For most people, this gamey smell is negligible, but to make a good chicken soup, you must pay attention to this.
Add ginger slices and cooking wine when blanching the meat to remove blood and impurities. After that, the real highlight begins.
Heat oil in a wok, add the whole chicken and scald it until the skin wrinkles slightly. Add mineral water and bring to a boil over high heat. After that, reduce the heat to low.
Making chicken soup requires the most patience. It needs to be simmered slowly over a low flame, with the lid opened occasionally to stir and prevent sticking. Watching the pot is far too much trouble for He Zhao; she's never been a patient person. Fortunately, the system can help her with this step.
The system took over the task of tending the fire for He Zhao, which lightened his workload a bit. Only after the final step of simmering was the lid opened should the seasonings be added. Salt must be added last; only then can the chicken broth's flavor be locked in.
When He Zhao sprinkled the seasonings, she used a classic anime pose, practically infusing the soup with its essence. Then she stirred it slightly to disperse the salt, ladled a bowlful, blew on it to cool it down, and drank it down. The chicken soup was very hot, but He Zhao didn't mind, because she genuinely thought—this chicken soup was incredibly delicious!
It really is delicious, not just He Zhao bragging. Compared to this chicken soup, the farmhouse restaurant he and his sisters found in the mountains was much worse. Even though it's frozen chicken, it tastes just so good.
When it comes to making soup, the most important things are seasoning and heat control, with heat control being the most crucial. He Zhao now has a very precise grasp of heat control, whether it's bringing it to a boil over high heat or simmering it over low heat, she has already mastered it; she also has a system, whose control over heat control is unmatched by ordinary people.
The chicken soup made under these conditions was delicious, but not overly so. The perfect balance of salty and savory flavors awakened He Zhao's taste buds. At that moment, she truly felt like she was in an anime, experiencing the idyllic scene of someone savoring delicious food, as if she were in a country cottage, with children pecking at rice beside her.
Wow—a golden legend!
He Zhao felt lightheaded after drinking the soup, finishing it in no time. She only drank the broth, without eating any chicken, and couldn't imagine how delicious the chicken must be. She also couldn't imagine how delicious the chicken soup would be if it were made with fresh chicken and she truly succeeded in her apprenticeship!
Slurp, He Zhao swallowed hard, suppressing the urge to drink another bowl. This was for Qiao Yanyu; how could she possibly drink it all herself!
He Zhao picked up the insulated lunchbox beside her. She had bought it at the supermarket that day and washed it thoroughly and soaked it in hot water to disinfect it after getting home. Now that she had finished making chicken soup, it would come in handy. Fortunately, the chicken she bought wasn't very big, but the lunchbox was quite large, so the whole chicken could be successfully stuffed inside.
Besides that, there's a small compartment upstairs where you can hold rice. He Zhao's white rice isn't just bragging; she learned it properly, graduated from the system's extremely strict training, so this rice is definitely better than chicken soup.
I can't imagine how delicious this rice would be if it were soaked in chicken broth and turned into chicken broth rice.
He Zhao wiped her drool. She could eat it at home, but she had to hurry and deliver it to Qiao Yanyu. Otherwise, Qiao Yanyu would have already eaten the hospital's meals and wouldn't be able to eat hers. Putting everything else aside, the hospital's meals were really awful. He Zhao had spent a whole day there, and she knew how it tasted.
Although Qiao Yanyu didn't have any dietary restrictions, the hospital's patient meals emphasized low salt and low food intake. The portions were neither too much nor too little, and there was hardly any seasoning. They were even reluctant to add salt. He Zhao found the food utterly tasteless.
It's bland, but does anyone actually like to eat it?
It was precisely because of this that He Zhao felt even more sorry for Qiao Yanyu. She was already seriously injured, and the doctor hadn't mentioned any dietary restrictions, yet she was forced to eat such bland food every day—he couldn't stand it. He should at least give Qiao Yanyu some better treatment, but when the topic came up, Wang Yu would only say, "Then let's order takeout for Senior Qiao."
—I ordered your dead body as takeout!
Upon hearing this, He Zhao nearly devoured Wang Yu alive. Seeing He Zhao's reaction, Wang Yu quickly changed his tune; he hadn't been happy to push the food cart for He Zhao before, but now he was willing.
Before leaving, He Zhao sent Qiao Yanyu a text message, telling her to eat slowly, that he would be there soon, and that he had even brought her some groceries. Qiao Yanyu quickly replied with a message: Okay.
He Zhao happily carried his insulated lunchbox, changed his clothes, and went downstairs to ride his electric scooter.
On her way to the hospital, she kept humming a song: "Riding my beloved little electric scooter, it will never get stuck in traffic~" He Zhao's voice was quite pleasant; anyone skilled in tea ceremony would have a pleasant voice. The system was also a little dazed, feeling as if humans were happy and liked to sing like that.
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