CHAPTER 56: CHAPTER 56: CHICKEN WINGS WITH RICE

"Shi’er, you came? Why not go back to rest?" Lin Qing asked with concern.

Chen Muxue felt uneasy as soon as she heard him address the girl in front of him. Shi’er, of the Liuyun Sect? Isn’t she the first female lead in the original work, Liu Lingshi?

Why is she here? According to the original storyline, before the Qian Ding Sect’s destruction, she shouldn’t have left the sect.

But then again, the original text never mentioned any major events happening in Qingshan County at this time. Now, with so many cultivators gathering here, this might be an event not included in the original story.

Chen Muxue quietly took a step back. Under the halo of the first female lead, it’s best to stay low-key.

The original character was the ultimate villain, and she felt confident facing malicious supporting characters, but confronting the male and female leads made her somewhat timid.

"Didn’t I have enough rest?" Liu Lingshi’s tone was full of self-mockery. "I just got poisoned, it’s not like I’m missing an arm or a leg."

Seeing them chatting incessantly, Chen Muxue lightly coughed, "Excuse me, I need to take the kids to eat now, please make way."

The two stopped talking, silently watching Chen Muxue lead a chain of kids between them.

Lin Qing maintained a smile towards Liu Lingshi, but inside he was screaming, we could have moved aside to continue talking! We look so foolish now!

"Shopkeeper, what do you have to eat here?" Chen Muxue eagerly asked after coming downstairs.

"Look at her, she immediately asks about food, has she never been full?"

"Shh! You saw how arrogant she was towards Shen Yao just now. Are you more formidable than Shen Yao?"

"I’m not from the Liuyun Sect, can’t I say something? Hmph, being a cultivator but doing such disgraceful things!"

"Sect Leader!" Chen Changgui looked indignant. Their whispers were too loud and blatant!

This can hardly be considered gossiping behind someone’s back; it was like they were performing it upfront!

Chen Muxue patted his head, "Don’t bother with those noble people, speaking ill of others with such righteousness, ordinary people can’t learn that."

"Pfft..." Xiao Hu quickly covered his mouth.

"Her!"

"Miss, we have these, take a look." The shopkeeper reluctantly handed a rather shabby piece of parchment to Chen Muxue under the watchful eyes of the cultivators.

The dishes listed were sparse, and they were hardly appetizing.

Chen Muxue looked up, her face full of indescribable expressions, "Shopkeeper, honestly, is your food... tasty?"

"Tasty? Well, it’s just like that." The shopkeeper was clearly asked this kind of question for the first time.

After all, it was an inn; you couldn’t expect much.

"A cultivator asking if food is tasty, what a joke."

"Miss, aren’t you carrying a pot? If you’re traveling with a pot, your cooking skills must be good, why not cook for yourself?"

Though the speaker’s tone was somewhat sarcastic, the words hit Chen Muxue’s thoughts exactly.

"Shopkeeper, may I borrow your kitchen? Any related costs can be added to my bill."

The shopkeeper paused for a moment, "That shouldn’t be a problem, no extra charges, just settle the cost of the ingredients."

This is a good shopkeeper. Chen Muxue approvingly patted his shoulder, like some kind of elder or leader.

But the problem is, looking at appearances, my age looks like it could be her father’s! Oh well, one shouldn’t speculate on the age of a cultivator.

So the shopkeeper quietly accepted Chen Muxue’s approval as if he were her grandson.

"Really? She’s actually going to cook?"

"Hah, she’s already carrying a pot, what’s cooking a meal?"

"I get it, Lin Qing is the Sixth Elder of the Liuyun Sect’s disciple. It’s well-known that the Sixth Elder loves to eat. I heard Lin Qing also follows the Sixth Elder, so maybe this girl won Lin Qing over with her cooking!"

"Eww! A proper cultivator stooping so low just to hook up with the Liuyun Sect?"

"I want to see what she can cook. There’s only that much to food, can she make something extraordinary?"

"So unseemly!" An elderly-looking cultivator chided, "With such an unstable Dao heart, no wonder she’s stuck at the Foundation Establishment Stage!"

Ignoring everyone’s chatter, Chen Muxue went to the kitchen. Since it was for her own people, she took down the iron pot from her back.

This kitchen didn’t have nearly as many ingredients as the Qian Ding Sect, but Chen Muxue saw some chicken wings in a corner and immediately knew what to make.

It wasn’t too late for a meal, and the inn had some white rice prepared, saving some time.

Chen Muxue halved the chicken wings, placed them in cold water, added scallions, ginger, garlic, and cooking wine to remove the odor, and threw in a pinch of Sichuan peppercorns for extra flavor.

Three minutes later, the chicken wings were slightly discolored, and she fished them out to drain.

Chicken wings are easier to cook than expected. Given today’s heavy seasoning, this dish would be considered a quick dish, but under normal circumstances, it’s best to marinate chicken wings for half an hour to fully remove the gaminess.

She added a bit of oil to the pan, and once it was hot, she put in the chicken wings, frying them over low heat until both sides were golden. Despite their small size, the wings released quite a bit of fat.

She drained the excess fat and moved the chicken wings aside, revealing parts of the pan’s bottom. In the empty section, she placed some ginger slices and added a spoonful of cooking wine from the side of the hot pan, continuing to de-odorize the un-marinated wings.

The alcohol’s aroma quickly evaporated, and she added a spoonful of light soy sauce and half a spoon of dark soy sauce. With just the dark soy sauce, the wings turned an enticing brown color.

She added half a spoonful of oyster sauce, which partly replaced monosodium glutamate while adding more savory richness.

Finding it almost ready, Chen Muxue added a handful of chili flakes, which, unlike chili powder, are coarser and give a more aromatic flavor without sticking to the pan, though they are slightly less spicy.

Chopped green peppers provided some garnish to the brown chicken wings. She added a bit of water and stir-fried for another thirty seconds, finishing with a little sugar to simultaneously enhance the taste and soften the spiciness. A dish perfect for pairing with rice was ready.

This chicken wing recipe was one Chen Muxue typically made for herself, not sold at any restaurant, because it was mainly for eating with rice, unlike the style of her main chef’s trendy restaurant.

The spicy sauce aroma wafted through the air, the scent of oil-fried meat went without saying, and the children, long hungry and seeing Chen Muxue wash the pan, instinctively went to serve the rice.

In the main hall, the enticing fragrance spread unknowingly, and who knows whose stomach was the first to rumble...