Chapter 127: Kung Pao Chicken
Shen Lu planned to add shredded potatoes and Kung Pao Chicken.
The potatoes could be shredded in advance and soaked in water, and the chicken could be diced and marinated ahead of time. She could also use this time to have Cai Su practice her knife skills.
Shen Lu again used going into the supply room as a cover, emerging with potatoes and chicken breast she had redeemed.
Wang Daguo was temporarily put in charge of serving the dishes while Shen Lu called Cai Su into the kitchen to teach her how to prepare the chicken breast.
"First, cut them into strips, then into dice," Shen Lu explained as she demonstrated. "Don’t cut them too small, and try to keep them uniform."
Cai Su watched intently from the side, nodding repeatedly.
After dicing a small plateful, Shen Lu let Cai Su try her hand.
She watched from the side at first, correcting a few of Cai Su’s mistakes. Once she felt there were no major problems, she got another cutting board and kitchen knife and began shredding potatoes.
TOK-TOK-TOK. The kitchen knife landed on the cutting board in a light, brisk rhythm. In the blink of an eye, perfectly uniform shreds of potato piled into a small mound.
Cai Su was dumbfounded. Even though it wasn’t the first time she had seen it, she was still filled with a deep sense of admiration.
She was sweating profusely just from dicing chicken, yet Shen Lu’s knife moved so fast it was just a blur. Shen Lu’s expression was relaxed and effortless, as if the knife were an extension of herself, free from any worry of an accidental slip.
Cai Su pressed her lips together and forced herself to refocus.
’I need to work hard too. Maybe one day my knife skills will rival Shen Lu’s!’
Shen Lu recorded the entire ingredient preparation process. This was footage for the promotional video she would edit tomorrow.
After shredding half a basket of potatoes, washing them several times, and leaving them to soak, Shen Lu placed them in the System Warehouse.
Normally, it was best to cut potatoes on the day they were to be eaten, as leaving them overnight was not ideal. But Shen Lu had the System Warehouse, and its perfect preservation function meant she didn’t have to worry about things going bad overnight.
No matter when or where she took it out, the food would be in the exact same state as the moment before she put it in.
As for the diced chicken, Shen Lu seasoned and marinated it before putting it in the refrigerator.
This wasn’t suitable for the System Warehouse; it was better to let it marinate overnight in the refrigerator so the flavors could be thoroughly absorbed.
Wang Daguo poked his head in and announced that all of today’s dishes were sold out.
Shen Lu said, "Then hang up the ’Closed’ sign."
"You got it!"
Wang Daguo happily trotted off to hang the sign, running into a few customers who had just arrived hoping to eat.
"Closing so early? What’s going on? We made a special trip to eat here after work."
"So sorry, but the shop has sold out of everything for today." Following the script Shen Lu had taught him, Wang Daguo turned the group away. Then, he picked up a broom and swept the area in front of the entrance.
Then he went back inside to clean the dining area.
By the time he was almost finished, Cai Su had returned with her son.
Xiao Lang’s condition was steadily improving, though he still couldn’t stand on his own. Doctor Xiao was amazed at his progress, saying he’d never seen a case of such spontaneous recovery.
"It’s just that his Awakening seems to have failed."
Doctor Xiao had said regretfully when she picked up her son.
Cai Su didn’t mind, though. Her son’s health was more important than anything else.
"Doctor Xiao, Xiao Lang has two days of injections left. Should he continue after that?"
"No, that won’t be necessary. After a failed Awakening, he doesn’t need that much energy. His own body can supply what’s required. If he rests and recuperates for a while, he should make a full recovery."
With his hands in his pockets, Doctor Xiao added, "But I am still very curious. What exactly have you been feeding him?"
"Nothing special."
Cai Su had an inkling of the answer, but she wasn’t about to tell Doctor Xiao.
She picked up Xiao Lang and left the clinic.
On the way home, Xiao Lang hugged his mother’s neck and whispered, "It’s Sister Shen’s food, isn’t it?"
Cai Su stroked her son’s head. "Let’s not tell anyone for now, okay?"
A meal from Shen Lu cost about a hundred Star Coins, but eating her food for a while produced effects comparable to a hospital’s enhanced nutritional injection, which cost one hundred thousand Star Coins a dose. It was a staggering thought.
If word got out, business would surely boom, but it would also bring unforeseen trouble.
Cai Su was a cautious person. She decided she had to talk to Shen Lu about this and see what her plans were.
For dinner, Shen Lu didn’t make any extra dishes. They were having the Kung Pao Chicken and Hot and Sour Shredded Potatoes.
Shen Lu didn’t rush upstairs. Instead, she leaned against the long dining table and looked at the others expectantly. "Give them a try. Let me know if you have any feedback so I can make adjustments."
She was mainly concerned about the Kung Pao Chicken. It was a dish she wasn’t as confident in, as she hadn’t made it often and wasn’t sure if she’d gotten the seasoning right.
Wang Daguo was the first to reach out with his chopsticks. After a few tries, he only managed to grab a few small pieces of chicken and peanuts, but he didn’t mind, quickly popping them into his mouth.
The chicken was tender and the peanuts were crisp. The salty, savory, and spicy flavor made it a perfect accompaniment to rice.
"Delicious!" Wang Daguo exclaimed, immediately reaching for more.
The others also dug in. Only Lin Zhou remained unhurried. He produced a spoon from somewhere, calmly took three large scoops, and shoveled it into his mouth with his rice, the picture of pure bliss.
"Lin Zhou, let me borrow that spoon!"
Before he even finished speaking, Ye Fan had already snatched the spoon, eagerly digging out several scoops and wolfing them down with his rice.
"Don’t just focus on eating. Is there anything that needs changing?" Shen Lu asked.
After savoring a bite, Cai Su shook her head. "It’s already delicious."
’If it weren’t for Shen Lu, she wouldn’t even be eating proper meals. To her, anything Shen Lu cooked was incredibly delicious.’
"Yeah, Boss Shen, all your food is delicious. It’s sure to be a big hit," Ye Fan said casually. "Just sell it with confidence. Business will only get better and better."
Shen Lu looked at Ye Fan’s cheeks, puffed up like a squirrel’s, and had to hold back a laugh.
"Alright, you guys eat. I’m going to head up."
Fu Cheng sensed Shen Lu’s approach. Without a second thought for the match he was in the middle of, he decisively quit the game.
Shen Lu set up the bed tray and helped Fu Cheng sit up a little straighter. After she finished feeding him and was wiping his face, she remembered it was time to change his dressing.
"I’ll change your dressing in a bit."
With that, Shen Lu picked up the tray and went downstairs. Fu Cheng was silent for a moment, feeling a little expectant about the dressing change.
’Their living conditions had improved a lot since moving to the new house, but at the same time, the amount of time he got to spend with Shen Lu had also decreased.’
’Shen Lu only came for a little while each day to deliver his meals; the rest of the time, she was busy.’
’It had been several days since he had spent more than an hour alone with her.’
When Shen Lu brought the tray back to the kitchen, Cai Su took it to be washed. Shen Lu checked on the chicken legs she had tossed into the braising liquid before dinner, lowered the heat, and reminded Cai Su to add the dried tofu in another half hour.
Cai Su carefully committed the instruction to memory. Then, just before Shen Lu left, she told her about Doctor Xiao.
Shen Lu replied, "Um... isn’t it normal for food to be nutritious?"
"But Boss Shen, your food is more than just nutritious," Cai Su said cautiously. "Xiao Lang has been eating it for a while, and now he doesn’t even need to go to the hospital for his enhanced nutritional injections."
Shen Lu stroked her chin. ’Could this be the reason I’m able to nurse Fu Cheng back to health, too?’