I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 776 - 342: Ren Jie, You’ve Made a Great Achievement! The Fish is Half-cooked, Literary Gathering! [Seeking Monthly Ticket]_2
"Why are you so listless today?"
Dundun yawned, its small mouth gaping wide. It then stood up from the cardboard box, first arching its body forward in a stretch, then bending backward, sticking its little butt out to complete it. After these activities, it jumped onto the cat tree to start sharpening its claws.
"Move around a bit; I’m going to wash up. We’ll go to the store together later. It’s time for egg yolk today; I’ll prepare two for you."
Upon hearing this, Dundun immediately rubbed its head against Lin Xu. Clearly, it was very satisfied with this arrangement.
After Lin Xu washed up, the little fellow had returned to its usual liveliness.
Lin Xu returned to the bedroom, kissed Shen Baobao’s tender cheek, then put on a fleece-lined knit jacket. He zipped it halfway, picked up Dundun, wrapped the cat in the jacket, and then pulled the zipper up all the way. Holding Dundun like that, he left the house and strolled towards the store.
Along the way, Dundun poked its round head out from the zipper opening, like a joey being carried by its kangaroo mother, finding the experience quite novel.
「Arriving at the store.」
Dundun crawled into its little den at the service counter to continue its nap, while Lin Xu washed his hands at the entrance of the braised goods section and began preparing the roast chickens.
Thanks to the neighborhood’s support during National Day, the Trial Task of selling 2,000 chickens in seven days was successfully completed. Now, Lin Ji Roast Chicken had made a name for itself, and the 300 to 400 chickens prepared each morning would be sold out before eight in the evening.
He placed the deep-fried chickens into the pot, added the braising liquid, and poured in the braising oil. The day’s batch of roast chickens officially began to simmer.
After finishing these tasks, he went upstairs where breakfast was already prepared.
Today’s morning meal at the store included vegetable and lean meat congee, served with fried vegetable turnovers, fried sugar cakes, and fried dough cakes, accompanied by crisp small pickles and tossed blanched cabbage hearts.
The so-called tossed blanched cabbage hearts involved peeling the tender hearts of cabbage and slicing them into strips. These were placed in a bowl with salt, sugar, vinegar, and other seasonings, with a handful of dried chili segments scattered on top. Hot oil was poured over it, then the bowl was covered to let the spicy aroma of the chilis permeate the cabbage. Afterward, it was mixed thoroughly, completing the tart, spicy, and refreshing appetizer.
Lin Xu looked around and asked Ma Zhiqiang, who was on the morning shift:
"Do you have boiled eggs?"
"Yes, how many do you want me to get for you?"
"Two... no, bring three."
He took three plain boiled eggs outside. He then got himself a large bowl of vegetable and lean meat congee, two fried vegetable turnovers, one sugar cake, one fried dough cake, and filled a small dish with pickles and the tossed cabbage hearts. Lin Xu sat at a booth and began eating his breakfast.
He peeled the eggs, ate the whites, and placed the yolks on a plate to cool down a bit to feed Dundun later. He had initially planned to prepare two for Dundun, but the little guy seemed a bit weary this morning, so he prepared an extra one. Dundun could eat as much as it wanted.
After finishing the egg whites, Lin Xu tasted the vegetable and lean meat congee. The vegetables must have been added after turning off the heat, maintaining their fresh, crisp texture. The lean meat is also perfectly cooked—very tender and tasty.
A couple of spoonfuls of congee warmed him considerably, dispelling much of the morning chill. He felt warmth spread through his body.
Lin Xu took a bite of a freshly fried vegetable turnover. Its crispy shell encased a savory filling of eggs, chives, dried shrimp, and mung bean noodles.
"Tasty, Master Ma, your fried vegetable turnovers are really good."
While eating, Lin Xu saw Ma Zhiqiang come out of the kitchen and couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up.
Ma Zhiqiang smiled and said, "This is pretty simple, nothing difficult. If you like it, we can make more tomorrow."
"Eating the same thing every day can get boring. You guys can just decide what to make for breakfast."
Lin Xu ate a few bites of the fried vegetable turnover, scooping up hot congee from his bowl to eat with it. Surprisingly, the two dishes pair really well, he thought.
After finishing the vegetable turnovers, he tried the fried dough cake. Crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, it paired well with the pickles and tossed cabbage hearts.
After finishing breakfast, he felt warm and cozy. The egg yolks on the plate had also cooled down sufficiently.
Lin Xu transferred the egg yolks into Dundun’s feeding dish, crushed them with a pet food spoon, and then carried the dish downstairs.
Before he even reached the service counter, Dundun dashed out of its little den, eyes eagerly fixed on the dish in Lin Xu’s hands, clearly famished.
He took out the little food table and placed it on the service counter. As soon as he set down the dish, the little fellow excitedly pounced, burying its head in the dish and began to feast, licking with its tongue. It hummed contentedly while eating, its tail wagging slightly. Clearly, it loved the egg yolks.
Lin Xu rubbed the little guy’s large head, "Sweetie, eat slowly. I’m going to wake up your mom."
He went upstairs, grabbed a few freshly fried sugar cakes, and ate one as he walked towards the store entrance. There, he bumped into Old Mr. Zhou, Granny Liang, and the long-unseen Professor Xu and Auntie Liang.
"Little Lin, we’ve come for breakfast again."
"Are we interrupting?"
"Old Zhou here kept saying how tasty your breakfasts are, so we came especially to try them."
Lin Xu smiled and said, "Not at all! Please, go on up and help yourselves. Today we have vegetable and lean meat congee, fried vegetable turnovers, fried dough cakes, and sugar cakes. Just ask the kitchen for whatever you’d like. Don’t be shy."
"All right!"
Upon entering the store and seeing Dundun eating, the group decided against going upstairs for their meal. Instead, they walked straight to the service counter and gathered around, watching the little fellow eat.
Lin Xu bit into a fried sugar cake. The rich, brown, sweet, sticky syrup inside immediately gushed out.
