When the aroma of the small chili peppers drifted from the pot, Lin Xu added the chopped Shandong Green Onions, garlic, and thin-skinned chili peppers, continuing to stir-fry until their flavors were well released. It was then time to turn off the heat and serve the dish.
With three different kinds of chili peppers, it was no wonder the dish was called spicy chicken.
Smelling the enticing spicy fragrance, Lin Xu suddenly felt a bit hungry.
Hmm, it should go great with rice, right?
Xie Baomin divided the spicy chicken into a large portion and a small one.
The larger portion was scooped into a small basin and sprinkled with some cilantro leaves. Then, the chicken kidneys were neatly arranged on the very top of the chicken. Only then was the Zaozhuang spicy chicken dish considered complete.
"When eating chicken in Southwest Shandong, restaurant owners always arrange the kidneys on top of the meat ," Xie Baomin explained. "Only the most honored guests get to eat them—this is the good stuff." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel-fire.net
Traditional Chinese medicine advocates eating specific organs to benefit corresponding parts of the body. That’s why many men at barbecues went for pork or sheep kidneys, and when eating chicken, they chose chicken kidneys.
There’s no need to be so suggestive, Senior Brother. I don’t eat chicken kidneys—these three pairs are all yours... No, that’s not right, I have to save a pair for my father-in-law. He’s middle-aged too; he probably needs a bit of a boost as well, Lin Xu grumbled inwardly.
Then he took out the to-go containers and started packing food for his father-in-law. He loaded the chicken pieces into the box, topped them with cilantro leaves, and finally placed a pair of plump, evenly-sized chicken kidneys at the very top, hoping his father-in-law would like it.
After he finished packing, Shen Jiayue happened to get off work.
Lin Xu also packed a few other dishes and some rice into a bag and handed it to Shen Jiayue, saying, "Since your parents aren’t coming to eat, you can take this food home. The big box contains the Zaozhuang spicy chicken that Senior Brother made. It tastes super awesome."
Although he hadn’t tasted it yet, it was his Senior Brother’s specialty dish, so the flavor was guaranteed to be excellent,
"Thank you, Senior Brother. I’ll be heading home then!" Shen Jiayue said.
She left Lin Ji’s Food, carrying the bag of food, and the staff of Lin Ji’s Food began their dinner.
"Come on, everyone, try the Zaozhuang spicy chicken I made," Xie Baomin announced. "Even my relatives from Zaozhuang praise my cooking skills."
TSK TSK... Senior Brother, can’t you just be a bit more modest and wait for us to compliment you? Lin Xu mused.
With a bowl of rice in hand, Lin Xu carefully avoided the chicken kidneys arranged on top and picked up a chicken wing, placing it in his bowl.
"Junior Brother, why aren’t you eating the kidneys?" Xie Baomin asked. "You’re the boss; you should have this..."
"You eat them, Senior Brother," Lin Xu replied. "You’ve been working hard all day; you should replenish your strength."
Upon hearing this, Xie Baomin no longer stood on ceremony and popped a chicken kidney into his mouth. "Mmm, delicious!"
Meanwhile, Lin Xu was enjoying the intensely fragrant and spicy chicken wings. The wings were spicy and aromatic. The chicken meat was slightly firm from being stir-fried, yet it was more tender and fell off the bone easily due to the stewing process. It was exceptionally fresh, tender, and its spicy flavor stimulated the appetite.
Lin Xu had originally thought one bowl of rice would be enough for the afternoon. But with such delicious spicy chicken, how could he not have another?
He picked up another piece of chicken to try. After simmering, the spicy flavor had thoroughly infused the meat, which was chewy without losing its tenderness. It was not only perfect with rice but also great with alcohol.
The others were also eating with great enjoyment.
"Master Xie’s cooking skills are truly exceptional."
"The chicken is rich in spicy flavor and yet isn’t dry. It’s much tastier than ordinary Fried Chicken."
"Master Xie makes everything delicious..."
Xie Baomin humbly replied, "Actually, I haven’t even shown my full cooking skills. If I were in Zaozhuang, using local free-range chicken and homegrown chilies, the taste and texture would be even better. The three types of chilies in Zaozhuang spicy chicken need to be locally grown to be truly delicious. And the green onions added at the end should be the slightly sweet Shandong Green Onions to make the spicy chicken genuinely Zaozhuang-style."
"Junior Brother, the renovation starts tomorrow," Xie Baomin said, then asked curiously, "What about all this kitchen equipment? It fits in a small kitchen, but for a professional one, it seems insufficient."
"We’ll keep the refrigerators and freezers and sell the rest second-hand," Lin Xu replied. "Dismantling and reinstalling this equipment tends to cause problems. Besides, the dishwashers and such are too small for a large restaurant; they won’t be enough."
He had actually already contacted a merchant who bought second-hand kitchen equipment, and they were scheduled to come tomorrow to take it away.
Luckily, Lin Xu hadn’t added much to the shop himself—just two jacketed kettles and two steam cabinets. All the other equipment had been arranged by the system, so selling it second-hand would be pure profit.
While they were eating, the customers began to arrive. For this last meal service, they seemed even more excited than the staff.
The team at Lin Ji’s Food had to quickly finish their dinner and get into busy mode.
They were busy until 8:40 p.m. Once again, all the dishes prepared by Lin Ji’s Food sold out, and the restaurant officially entered its closure period for renovation.
Xie Baomin was just about to leave with the chefs from Fishing Platform when Dou Wenjing, who had been working overtime next door, suddenly came in. She was holding a stack of red envelopes and handed them out to the staff in the shop and the chefs from Fishing Platform who had come to help.
"You’ve all worked so hard," Dou Wenjing said. "This is just a small token of appreciation, please accept it."
Lin Xu hadn’t thought of this, but Dou Wenjing, as the general manager, hadn’t forgotten. She had waited until now to come over on behalf of the company to distribute the red envelopes. This gesture not only aimed to bring good luck but would also help make Lin Xu’s efforts to recruit staff from Fishing Platform smoother. Indeed, Lin Xu hadn’t hidden his plan to poach staff from her; after all, it was unrealistic to rely only on the few people in the shop to run a large restaurant. They needed chefs with signature skills.
"Thank you, Manager Dou!"
"Manager Dou, you’re too kind!"
After receiving the red envelopes, everyone helped Lin Xu tidy up the kitchen. They brought the unused cooking oil, seasonings, and other items to the room where Lin Xu was staying. They also moved the refrigerators and freezers to a rented warehouse next door, plugged them in, and put the master brine inside to freeze.
It would be a pity to throw away this old master brine; by freezing it now, they could thaw and reuse it after the new shop was renovated.
Once everything was tidied up, they closed the door and left.
Lin Xu, holding Dundun, quietly watched everyone turn off the lights and lock up.
The moment the roller shutter door came down, a prompt from the system suddenly sounded in his mind: "Host’s revenue during the business period has surpassed one million, completing the Hidden task: [Monthly Income of One Million]. You have earned one Perfect Level soup prize draw. Would you like to draw immediately?"
Soup? Lin Xu thought. It really is time to upgrade the soups in the restaurant.
Lin Xu rubbed Dundun’s head and started the prize draw!