Chapter Seventy-Nine: Soy Sauce Chicken Leg Rice
The next morning, Yu Miaoyin crossed out "Pork Ribs Claypot Rice" and wrote "Soy Sauce Chicken Leg Rice" instead.
Aunt Zheng wiped her hands. "Are you making soy sauce chicken drumsticks today?"
"Yes, I've already talked to the chicken stall owner and asked her to send over a lot of chicken legs. We won't be making pork rib claypot rice today."
After she finished speaking, the chicken stall owner came over with a large chicken leg. The stall owners in the market all knew each other, and Yu Miaoyin asked the pork stall owner if he knew any chicken stall owners. The pork stall owner enthusiastically recommended this stall to her. Everyone knew that Boss Yu was a good cook, and if Boss Yu could make delicious food using her own ingredients, they could all benefit from it.
Yu Miaoyin inspected the chicken leg and found it to be quite good. "It's pretty good."
The boss helped carry the chicken legs inside, and Aunt Zheng and Yu Miaoyin processed the chicken legs together.
On the other hand, when Zhou Ningxiang first rebelled and refuted the lie of "it's for your own good," Zhou's mother's first reaction was, "Have you grown too big for your britches?"
So Zhou Ningxiang stayed at Xu Yuejia's house for another day. Xu Yuejia knew about Zhou Ningxiang's family situation, and whenever these things were mentioned, she would fall into endless sadness.
Fortunately, Xu Yuejia had been with her these past few days. When it was time to eat, the two of them would leave Xu Yuejia's room and go to a small restaurant together.
Meanwhile, Yu Miaoyin was preparing delicious food for the guests who were about to arrive. The chicken leg was simmering slowly over a low flame, and the dark brown sauce bubbled and simmered, turning the whole chicken leg a rich, deep brown color.
"It smells so good! I've made it at home before, but it's not as fragrant as yours," said Aunt Zheng. "Working here is great! The pay is good, the boss is nice, the meals are delicious, and I even get treated to food by the boss sometimes. It's wonderful."
Just like the other diners, she looked forward to what delicious food the boss would make every day. Now that he's making soy sauce chicken legs, how far away will it be before he makes poached chicken, salt-baked chicken, and scallion and ginger chicken?
Yu Miaoyin asked Aunt Zheng how she made it, and Aunt Zheng explained her method.
Aunt Zheng's method is so simple. She also uses star anise, cinnamon, licorice root, sand ginger, and fennel seeds, which she stir-fries with scallions and ginger to release their aroma. Then she pours in a special ratio of light and dark soy sauce mixed with water and simmers it slowly. Using these spices enhances the aroma and flavor, giving the soy sauce chicken an extra layer of taste, making it rich in flavor without overpowering any other flavors.
Yu Miaoyin told Aunt Zheng what she had done, and Aunt Zheng wrote it down on her phone, saying she would try it when she got home.
The first guests to arrive today were Zhou Ningxiang and Xu Yuejia. Xiao Tangbao greeted them with great surprise, saying, "Sisters, you're here!"
"Yes, yes, because we missed you so much, that's why we came," Xu Yuejia said sweetly, making Xiao Tangbao blush.
"My sister made big chicken drumsticks with soy sauce today. Sisters, please sit down first. Would you like some?"
Zhou Ningxiang smiled and said, "Yes, thank you, Xiaotangbao."
After the two of them ordered food with Xiao Tangbao, Xiao Tangbao nodded and went to tell her older sister, "Okay, I remember."
After she finished speaking, she opened the pot lid, and after reducing the sauce over high heat, the sauce became even thicker. "Should we cut it?"
"want."
"I want one too."
Yu Miaoyin took out a plate with rice nestled on the left and chicken legs cut into pieces next to it. The two girls asked for sauce, so Yu Miaoyin poured it around the rice. The sauce slowly seeped into the rice, and some dripped down the chicken legs, forming a small puddle of sauce at the bottom of the plate, which looked particularly appealing.
"Just as I imagined, thank you, Sister Yin." Xu Yuejia also liked calling her that now.
"You're welcome." Yu Miaoyin then asked Xiao Tangbao, "Do you want some?"
"Yes!" Although she had already eaten breakfast, she was hungry now. Her older sister said that it was normal for a child to still be growing.
At the invitation of Xu Yuejia and Zhou Ningxiang, Xiao Tangbao sat next to Xu Yuejia. After Xiao Tangbao's meal was served, the three of them began to eat.
The chicken skin is coated with a translucent amber color, and the rich, complex aroma of soy sauce and spices, slowly simmered, is irresistible. The base is the strong aroma of soy sauce, but you can also detect a faint hint of spices.
"Sister Ayin's chicken drumsticks are always so fragrant." Xu Yuejia picked up a piece and started eating. Her teeth bit through the soft, chewy, and crispy chicken skin. The first taste was soft and sticky, but it was still bouncy. The more she chewed, the more fragrant it became. After being braised, the salty and savory aroma of spices and soy sauce blended into the chicken skin, making it incredibly fragrant.
"I feel like this is relatively easy to make. I saw online that it's made with soy sauce and just simmered. I plan to try making it at home," Xu Yuejia said. She added that once she saw the tutorial, she thought, "Isn't this something anyone can do?"
Zhou Ningxiang teased her casually, "You can even burn a fried egg..."
Xu Yuejia had to admit that she couldn't even cook some very simple dishes well. Even when making mung bean soup, while others could make a smooth and creamy mung bean soup, she could only make a pot of mung bean and sugar water.
Why is there such a huge difference between people?
Xu Yuejia temporarily put aside this thought and began to focus on eating the chicken leg rice. The chicken skin was fragrant, and the chicken leg meat inside was also very fragrant. The meat was tender and fell off the bone, not dry at all. It could be easily torn off with a gentle bite. It was smooth, tender, and fragrant, and even had a hint of the sweetness of chicken.
Yu Miaoyin also poured a spoonful of sauce over the rice. The sauce was fragrant with meat, not fishy at all, and purely fragrant. It tasted great after being mixed. A big mouthful of rice mixed with sauce was put into her mouth, and it tasted especially blissful.
When they were half full, Xu Yuejia looked at the four big characters of Yuncheng No.1 Middle School and struck up a conversation with Zhou Ningxiang: "Have you heard that a film crew is shooting at No.1 Middle School?"
"I heard about it, it seems to be Lin Xiangwan and Xiang Huai," Zhou Ningxiang said. They also saw Lin Xiangwan and Xiang Huai trending on social media, saying that the two are dating.
This is truly a big juicy story, and the two of them ate it for a while. Netizens even gave this couple a nickname: "Two-Way Run."
Actually, even before the rumors of their collaboration surfaced, some people were already shipping this extremely niche couple. Now that the relationship has been confirmed, those fans are screaming that the world has changed. But... Lin Xiangwan and Xiang Huai's fans aren't having it, and the two fan groups are practically tearing each other apart.
After all, the kind of love that everyone blesses in novels simply doesn't exist!
After the company found out, they immediately issued a statement to refute the rumors. The agent made many calls to Lin Xiangwan, and Xiang Huai's side was also working hard to deal with the matter. Not long after the so-called revelation was released, Lin Xiangwan, who was still half asleep, thought she had seen a ghost. How could she be in love?
She, along with her company and Xiang Huai's team, issued a statement denying the rumors, saying there was no romantic relationship and asking people to look forward to the actress's work. But no one believed it, since such denials from companies are as common as drinking water.
[Lin Xiangwan's smile is so exaggerated; I really don't believe this denial statement. Isn't she just like a girl in the throes of new love?]
[I really can't think of any other reason why Wanwan is so happy except that she likes Xiang Huai... I'm a little disappointed, but if you're happy, then I have nothing more to say.]
As the production team wished, the show has aired and there's no need to rely on the on-screen couple anymore; this is a real on-screen couple performing for us.
Lin Xiangwan watched the video herself, and it seemed that she was indeed laughing too happily. Her eyes were curved and she couldn't hide her smile, which was indeed misleading.
But she wasn't smiling at Xiang Huai, she was smiling at the fried rice noodles, okay? It's so unfair!
And this paparazzi is so unprofessional! They cut out the beginning and end; why didn't they take a more complete picture?
Chen Yufei feels betrayed; her best friend is in a relationship, and she only found out through a trending topic?!
Chen Yufei: Lin Xiangwan, I was the last one to know?
Lin Xiangwan: After watching the video, do you also think we look like a couple?
That being said, pairing up with Xiang Huai would be terrifying. After all, they're colleagues, and the thought of getting together with a colleague is just chilling.
Chen Yufei: What do you think? You were smiling like a flower in the video, anyone would think that your relationship is more than just friendship...
Lin Xiangwan: ...
Lin Xiangwan: Do you believe me if I said I was actually laughing at fried kway teow?
Chen Yufei: ? ? ?
Lin Xiangwan explained the whole story to her, and Chen Yufei couldn't stop laughing. If Lin Xiangwan used this reason to refute the rumor, everyone would definitely laugh themselves to death.
However, Lin Xiangwan actually used this reason to refute the rumor—
Lin Xiangwan's studio: Thank you for your concern for our artist. However, the rumors circulating online that Lin Xiangwan and Xiang Huai are dating are false. The two artists are only colleagues. The video circulating online is also incomplete…
The studio also released the full video and explained why Lin Xiangwan was laughing so happily: Xiang Huai shared the stir-fried rice noodles with Lin Xiangwan.
A bunch of question marks immediately floated across the square.
【？？？？？】
This reason is so outrageous that I actually believe it.
[This has been debunked. Please do not spread false information. Looking forward to Wanwan's new drama~ By the way, how hungry was Wanwan to be so happy eating fried kway teow?]
Having followed so many dating rumors and debunked stories, this is the first time I've seen such a reason. It's so outrageous, I believe it.
[Whose fried kway teow is this? It smells so good! This is the first time I've seen someone so happy about food. It reminds me of the first time I ate instant noodles as a kid—it was amazing!]
The morning's filming was over, and Lin Xiangwan sat reading the comments. She silently retorted in her heart that anyone who said such a thing must have never eaten at a small restaurant.
Orange brought four servings of soy sauce chicken rice to Lin Xiangwan, and Lin Xiangwan gave one serving to Xiang Huai and Xiao Bai, saying, "Consider it returning a favor."
Xiao Bai opened the chopsticks, watching the two of them hesitate, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back. Finally, she couldn't help but ask, "Brother, are you and Sister Xiang Wan together? The denial is just a lie, right?"
Xiang Huai almost spat out his water. "They're really not together."
Lin Xiangwan sighed, "We're really not together. I just like to eat, what's wrong with that?"
Xiao Bai was surprised and stammered, "It really is for fried rice noodles? Is it from Yu Ji Restaurant?"
As he spoke, he opened the lunchbox. The soy sauce chicken glistened with oil, and the large chunks of chicken leg meat looked particularly tempting.
"Yes, you've never tried it before?" Lin Xiangwan asked.
If it's fried kueh teow from Yu Ji Restaurant, then it makes sense, because their food is really delicious and makes you feel great after eating it.
"I've never eaten it before, Sister Xiangwan. Now I understand why you're so happy. If it were me, I'd be even happier than you," Xiaobai said.
Finally, someone understood her. Lin Xiangwan took a picture of her meal and posted it on her Weibo account, with the caption: "Enjoying a good meal today too. Soy sauce chicken leg rice from my favorite restaurant while filming in Yuncheng~"
Lin Xiangwan didn't specify which restaurant it was, but netizens had already guessed, especially since Yunhe was live-streaming herself eating soy sauce chicken leg rice...
I also want to go to Yuncheng to eat; this restaurant is so popular lately!
【Wanwan, I'm starving too! This chicken leg rice smells so good!】
...
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