Chapter 142 When Jiu Qing asked that question, Wang Yu instinctively wanted to shower her with praise, no matter what…
When Jiuqing asked that question, Wang Yu instinctively wanted to lavish praise on the dish, feeling that no amount of exaggerated adjectives would be too much. However, the person asking the question was Jiuqing, and even a human-machine like her couldn't help but ask, so Wang Yu subconsciously sensed something was amiss.
Wang Yu, contrary to her usual self, shook her head vigorously and denied it: "No, it's not tasty at all, it's just takeout. You know, investigator Jiuqing, these days, nine out of ten takeout meals are pre-packaged meals, selling to us forty or fifty yuan a serving, maybe the original price of a pre-packaged meal is only four yuan and fifty cents. And there's no cooking skill involved at all, just a quick microwave. And the chicken used is probably from who-knows-how-long chicken, it's like zombie meat from the freezer, its shelf life is longer than my grandma's lifespan, it's completely inedible."
"The texture is like wood; biting into it can break your teeth. It's really tough, old, and unpalatable. And the chili peppers, despite looking oily and juicy, are actually very dry and tasteless. The flavor on the chicken relies entirely on technology and ruthless cooking; it's all industrial chili flavor, nothing but spiciness. It even makes my tongue feel numb."
Wang Yu tried her best to describe what she considered the worst spicy chicken, which was no easy feat for her, especially since the spicy chicken in front of her, even in a takeout box, didn't look nearly as appealing as the pre-cooked dishes in restaurants. It was as if Wang Yu was blatantly lying.
Her words were really hard to convince Jiu Qing. Putting aside the fact that her eyes looked somewhat strange, making it difficult to lie to her, her happy expression just now didn't seem like she had eaten anything bad.
So Jiuqing also pointed this out: "But your expression just now didn't seem to say that."
Wang Yu gritted her teeth and continued, "That's because I've been hungry for too long. In this situation, I'd say anything tastes good." Wang Yu was really going all out in this matter: "Even if I ate shit, I'd still think it tasted good."
Even in the midst of a tender moment, Wang Yu mentioning such words at the dinner table would inevitably draw the attention of He Zhao and Qiao Yanyu. He Zhao also didn't want Jiu Qing to become interested in the food she cooked. He Zhao was a very straightforward person, and as a former rich girl, she didn't hide her likes and dislikes towards others.
She disliked Jiu Qing because the way Jiu Qing looked at her at first glance was something no one would like.
He Zhao disliked Jiu Qing and didn't want her to eat the food he cooked. However, Jiu Qing didn't express any desire to eat, only asking a question, so He Zhao didn't know what to say. But Wang Yu's reaction surprised He Zhao; she hadn't expected such a strong reaction.
She was even less willing than He Zhao himself to make Jiu Qing interested in the meal.
He Zhao was completely baffled and had no idea what Wang Yu was thinking. But to Wang Yu, his reasons were perfectly justified.
Wang Yu knew perfectly well that He Zhao wasn't the kind of person who would generously share her cooking with others. The fact that she was able to eat there today and last time was entirely thanks to Qiao Yanyu. If she hadn't been working in the same group as Qiao Yanyu, Wang Yu would never have been able to get a free meal in her entire life.
The conditions for getting a free meal were already quite strict, and Wang Yu had also seen He Zhao avoid Jiu Qing like the plague. Under these circumstances, if Jiu Qing got a free meal, He Zhao might not bring them meals anymore, and would definitely secretly bring meals only for Qiao Yanyu, and only for Qiao Yanyu to eat.
Wang Yu didn't know before, but now she knows all too well. Everything else is easy to talk about; she wouldn't even blink if Qiao Yanyu treated her to a meal costing a thousand yuan per person. But getting He Zhao to cook for her is harder than climbing to heaven.
Wang Yu understood perfectly whether it was a single meal or every meal, so he gritted his teeth and wouldn't let Jiu Qing, the head of the special investigation team from above, eat a single bite of He Zhao's cooking.
In this situation, it's absolutely forbidden to even get Jiuqing to have the slightest interest in the food He Zhao cooks! To have interest would be the beginning of her downfall!
Qiao Yanyu was not happy about it. How could the food that He Zhao had worked so hard to make be compared to "shit"? She couldn't believe it. It was a complete insult to He Zhao's food!
Sometimes, Qiao Yanyu is just too straightforward. She opened her mouth, ready to retort. Fortunately, He Zhao was sitting next to Qiao Yanyu, and she quickly covered Qiao Yanyu's mouth, whispering, "Sister Qiao, ignore them, let's eat our own."
"..." Qiao Yanyu nodded, indicating that she was okay.
Their interaction didn't escape Jiu Qing's notice. She wasn't someone who could be easily fooled; her position as head of the special investigation team proved she was truly capable. This was especially evident in her case-solving abilities; she wouldn't miss a single detail.
So she quickly retorted to Wang Yu: "But Qiao Yanyu just said that this was a boxed lunch made by someone named He Zhao, not the pre-made dishes you mentioned."
This time, it was Wang Yu who remained silent. Knowing she couldn't fool them anymore, she decided to throw caution to the wind: "I don't care, it just doesn't taste good, it's really awful!"
After she said that, Qiao Yanyu started eating. She was more patient than Wang Yu because she could eat delicious food made by He Zhao every day, so she was more at ease than Wang Yu.
Qiao Yanyu didn't directly touch the spicy chicken, but instead opened the lids of each lunchbox. Today's meal consisted of four dishes and a soup. The spicy chicken had the strongest flavor and was easily recognizable to Wang Yu. The other meat dish was scrambled eggs with shrimp, which didn't smell particularly strong, but the yellow eggs and pale pink shrimp stacked together were visually appealing enough to make one's mouth water.
The other two vegetarian dishes were placed in a box: stir-fried pickled vegetables with bamboo shoots and stir-fried pea sprouts, both seasonal vegetables.
The last small round bowl contained a refreshing and simple soup: tomato and egg soup. Because there were many dishes today, the soup was clear, containing only a small amount of broth. Taking a sip would surely wash away any lingering taste from the food.
This boxed meal, no matter when you look at it, makes you want to eat it and subconsciously think it's a good meal.
These days, ready-made meals don't put that much effort into preparing these dishes. You're probably thinking about eating fresh vegetables; they're probably just serving up older, more familiar faces.
After looking at the boxed lunch, Qiao Yanyu also picked up her chopsticks and started eating in silence. Like Wang Yu, she started with spicy chicken. The spicy chicken looked just as Wang Yu had described; the bright red dried chilies clearly indicated that it had been deep-fried. It didn't look dry at all; it was oily, tender, and smooth. However, it was crispy when you ate it, and it even made a "crunch" sound when you ate it.
As for the chicken, it tasted even better. It wasn't tough or dry; the outside was crispy and stained red with chili peppers, looking a little shriveled. But with one bite, the chicken burst open in your mouth. Just one bite was enough to taste the tenderness and juiciness of the chicken.
Such delicious chicken can only be found in fresh chicken. The kind of "zombie meat" that's kept in the freezer has long been dehydrated and will only taste dry and shriveled without any elasticity. It simply cannot compare to this plate of spicy chicken.
I took several bites, and the spicy and fragrant flavor instantly awakened my taste buds, making me want to eat more. It was truly an amazing appetizer. After eating a few pieces of chicken, it was time for the scrambled eggs and shrimp.
Scrambled eggs with shrimp is a classic Cantonese home-style stir-fry dish, and also a favorite of He Zhao, a native of Guangzhou. Eggs are fried in oil until half-cooked, then pre-cleaned shrimp are added and stir-fried together until cooked through. The eggs and shrimp are intertwined, inseparable, with the golden eggs and pink shrimp complemented by a touch of green onion, making it visually appealing.
The most crucial element of this dish is its tenderness.
The eggs and shrimp must be tender. The eggs should be golden in color and smooth. When you pick up a shrimp with your chopsticks, the egg should also stick to it. When you put it in your mouth, you should first taste the smoothness of the egg, then the bouncy texture of the shrimp, and finally the freshness of the shrimp. Only in this way can it be considered a qualified scrambled egg and shrimp dish.
He Zhao had eaten it at home as soon as she made it. This scrambled eggs with shrimp dish passed the test perfectly for her, a native of Guangdong. When she ate it, she would think to herself: How could my cooking be so delicious!
As for the other two vegetarian dishes, they are quite different in style, but they are indeed representative of spring in March. The bamboo shoots have just broken through the soil and are at their freshest. They don't need much seasoning; cooked with naturally salty pickled vegetables, as long as the heat is just right, they are delicious.
Pea shoots, of course, need no introduction. They can't be stir-fried for too long; they burn easily if the heat is too high. If you're having hot pot, how can you not have some pea shoots this season? Just blanch them briefly in a clear broth and take them out immediately—they're delicious.
With a bowl of clear tomato and egg soup, Qiao Yanyu quickly finished the whole bowl of rice.
She even felt a little unsatisfied, thinking she had eaten too quickly and hadn't properly savored the meal. After finishing her food, Qiao Yanyu felt somewhat lost, but quickly remembered that there was still one boxed meal left, a hidden gem that Li Xia hadn't had the chance to taste.
This way, she might actually benefit.
But He Zhao refused. Even though Qiao Yanyu didn't say anything, He Zhao could tell from her expression that Qiao Yanyu wanted another serving. But they had lived together for so long, how could He Zhao not know how big Qiao Yanyu's appetite was?
She was catering to Qiao Yanyu's appetite; eating too much would make her feel bloated, and for someone who had only recently recovered from her injuries, eating too much would be a burden on her body. Besides, after eating, she might have to attend a meeting or go out to investigate, in which case it was even more inappropriate for her to overeat.
So He Zhao spoke up directly: "Sister Qiao, don't eat too much, it'll hurt your health."
"...Alright." Qiao Yanyu sighed, having no choice but to agree. But with such delicious food before her, resisting was indeed a huge challenge. Ah, food can be a curse.
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