Starting from a Bankrupt Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant

"No problem," Zheng Qiang agreed with a nod.

Zhou Yan clearly explained to the two how many dishes to prepare, then followed Luo outside and saw two chickens tied to the back of a scooter.

[Two high-quality, young, free-range chickens]

The Identification result popped up in his vision.

Luo was quite skilled at picking chickens; the quality of both young birds was excellent.

"Will these chickens do?" Luo asked as he stepped forward and untied them.

"They’ll do. Young, free-range chickens. Any older and they wouldn’t have worked," Zhou Yan said with a smiling nod. "Master Luo really knows how to pick ’em."

"My old man started by teaching me how to pick chickens. He passed away before I had the chance to learn more, so this is the only skill I have left." Luo sighed, then held up the two chickens and asked, "Where’s a convenient place to slaughter them?"

"Under the third tree by the riverbank. My old man usually slaughters chickens there. You take the chickens over, and I’ll go get a kettle of hot water and a bucket," Zhou Yan said, pointing in the direction before turning back into the restaurant.

"Why are there so many people here today?" Mrs. Zhao whispered curiously, while tending to the Kneeling Beef.

"It’s a sect-internal ’sparring and study session.’ Our restaurant is a convenient spot, so they chose to have it here. We’re all learning from each other and improving together," Zhou Yan explained with a smile.

"Learning is good! You have to keep learning. Just let me know if you need anything," Mrs. Zhao nodded in deep agreement.

"It’s nothing, you all just carry on with your own work," Zhou Yan said, waving his hand dismissively. He then picked up two thermoses and a bucket and headed toward the riverbank.

"Zhou Yan is so ambitious. His cooking is already amazing, but he never stops learning and improving. No wonder he’s always coming up with new dishes and has so many new ideas every day," Zhao Hong remarked admiringly, watching his retreating back.

"Exactly. He’s much more motivated to study cooking than he ever was with books. He’s willing to really dig in, willing to learn, and isn’t afraid of hard work," Mrs. Zhao agreed with a beaming smile, her face filled with pride.

There wasn’t much to say about slaughtering the chickens. Although Zhou Yan had learned from Comrade Zhou for two days, his skills were far inferior to Luo’s.

The two young chickens were defeathered in a flash, then drawn and gutted, cleaned up impeccably.

Luo collected the blood from both chickens in a small bowl, sprinkling some salt into it. He deftly cleaned the giblets, even splitting and washing the intestines until they were spotless. He placed them in a separate bowl and said with a smile, "Later, we can make a spicy stir-fry with the giblets and blood. It’s fantastic. Let the master handle the cooking; it’s his specialty."

"Sounds good," Zhou Yan said with a smile and a nod, approving of the arrangement.

The two returned to the restaurant’s back kitchen, carrying the prepped chicken.

Xiao Lei’s eyes lit up when he saw the prepared giblets and the bowl of chicken blood in Zhou Yan’s hands. "These giblets and blood look great. I’ll whip up a spicy stir-fry with them for you all to try."

Luo smiled and explained to Zhou Yan, "He went to Guiyang a few years ago and had spicy stir-fried chicken blood there. Ever since he got back, whenever we slaughter a chicken, he insists on making this dish. The flavor is absolutely spot-on, even better than chicken blood in spicy sauce."

"Sounds good. I’ll definitely have to try Master Xiao’s specialty," Zhou Yan said with a smile. He hadn’t eaten much Guizhou cuisine.

"The chicken breast is for the Snowflake Chicken Porridge, so what should we do with the remaining carcass and legs?" Luo placed the two chickens on the cutting board, sliced off the breasts first, and looked at the remaining carcasses and legs. He then turned to Xiao Lei. "Master Xiao, you got any ideas?"

Xiao Lei said, "Braised chicken with taro would be good. We can go get some taro and braise it. This young rooster will be tender and flavorful. It’d be perfect, and nothing goes to waste."

"Braised chicken with taro... now that you mention it, I’m really craving it. Let’s do that," Luo nodded, his gaze shifting to Zheng Qiang. "Master Zheng, this is Yunliang’s specialty. How about you make it?"

"You bet! To be honest, I’ve already mastered the essence of my master’s taro chicken recipe. I guarantee it’ll be no problem," Zheng Qiang said with a grin. He put down the cabbage he was holding and headed for the door. "I’ll go get a couple pounds of taro."

"Looks like we’re in for a treat this afternoon," Zhou Yan smiled.

When a bunch of chefs get together, the kitchen immediately comes to life. It was actually quite interesting.

"Alright, Master Luo. Four chicken breasts means we can practice four times. Let’s try to learn as much as possible." Zhou Yan set three of the chicken breasts aside, leaving only one on the cutting board. He looked at Luo and said, "The mincing part shouldn’t be a problem, right?"

"I’ve practiced a lot over the years, but it’s all been my own guesswork, so I’m not very confident. Master Zhou, please take a look, and if I do anything wrong, don’t hesitate to criticize me," Luo said with a sincere expression. "Today, you’re the master. There’s no ’Master Luo’ here. You can even just call me Luo."

"Oh, Master Luo, you’re making me blush. We’re here to learn from and discuss with each other today," Zhou Yan said with a humble expression.

「Three minutes later.」

"What kind of mincing is that? A hit here, a hit there—you call that a mince? Pound it bit by bit toward the center, keeping the gaps as small as possible!"

"Control your strength! You’re using too much force with the back of the knife; you’ll break the fibers just the same, and the sinew won’t separate! It’s all over then! The whole point is the delicate texture. If it’s full of bits and pieces, what kind of damn Snowflake Chicken Porridge do you call that?!"

"Luo, it’s not that I’m trying to pick on you, but..."

Zhou Yan stood to the side, pointing and criticizing, his expression stern and his tone harsh.

But Luo was working with intense focus, correcting whatever he was told.

Xiao Lei, who was slicing pig liver nearby, was about to die from laughter.

Ever since their master passed away, no one had ever berated Luo like that.

And yet, Luo was taking it like a champ, not showing the slightest bit of anger at being scolded.

The dish, Snowflake Chicken Porridge, had long been a sore spot in Luo’s heart. This was probably his best chance to finally learn how to make it.

He had arrived at Xiao Lei’s house at eight o’clock that morning, and they had even discussed whether or not to bring Zhou Yan a gift.