Jiang Feng took out premium chicken thigh meat and sliced it. He diced the red and green bell peppers and cut the potatoes and mushrooms into chunks. He then took a small bowl, adding light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and yellow bean paste to make a sauce. When stir-frying the chicken thighs, he would add this sauce and toss them a few times, allowing the chicken to immediately absorb the flavors.
He blanched the chicken thigh meat to remove any impurities. He heated oil in a wok, added rock sugar to caramelize it, then added the chicken thighs to brown them before pouring in the prepared sauce for seasoning. When it was almost done stir-frying, he added some water and seasonings, then covered the wok to let it braise. Halfway through, he added the mushrooms and potatoes, and finally the diced bell peppers.
The secret to delicious braised chicken lies in how well it’s braised. Under high heat, bubbles continuously emerged in the pot, making a GURGLE GURGLE sound. The chicken pieces were "massaged" by the bubbles, allowing the various flavors to penetrate the chicken’s texture and seep deep inside. The braised chicken, cooked this way, would be exceptionally tender and flavorful.
While this was cooking, hungry university students streamed out of the lecture buildings, heading towards the cafeteria. There were also students who had skipped morning classes and had slept in, now ready for lunch. Jiang Feng quickly pushed the carts with the prepared dishes out and set them up. An attendant stood at the window, responsible for serving food to the students.
Rice was provided by the cafeteria at a standard price of one yuan per serving. Egg drop soup was available for free from a large tureen in the middle of the dining hall, though it was quite watery.
The earliest arrivals were students who had skipped class. Having slept all morning, they came for a meal, managing to avoid the after-class rush. These individuals were few and far between; they typically ate a few quick bites and hurried back to their dorms to play games. Before long, the main wave of students arrived at the cafeteria. In just two or three minutes, queues had formed at every window.
The students chattered among themselves:
"There’s a new window open over there selling meat dishes!"
"Let’s go try it! I wonder how it tastes."
"Ugh, don’t even get me started on the food in Cafeteria Two. If it wasn’t so close to our lecture building, who would even eat here?"
The University of Science and Technology had two cafeterias. Cafeteria One was large with a wide variety of food, spread over three floors, each offering different cuisines. Cafeteria Two had two floors and was smaller, with fewer dishes available. However, given the number of students, such cafeterias never lacked customers.
Ji Mingming and her roommates, Xiao Yu and Lin Fang, arrived at Cafeteria Two to eat. University girls are in their prime, each one prettier than the last, especially with that enchanting blend of youthful innocence and burgeoning maturity. Ji Mingming had fair skin, was beautiful, and came from a well-off family. Her father, Ji Weiguo, was a leader in the provincial public security system, a fact known only to her and the school administration. After all, it was best to keep such a status confidential to avoid trouble. Ji Mingming acted just like any other university student from an average family.
"Let’s eat over there; there’s a new window that just opened," Xiao Yu suggested. "There aren’t many people right now; we should go try it out."
"Sure," Ji Mingming agreed.
"Yeah, let’s have rice today," Lin Fang added.
The other two immediately concurred.
The three of them joined the queue for food. The sign read: Meat Dishes 6 Yuan, Vegetarian Dishes 4 Yuan. At this point, they had no idea about the quality of the hot dishes behind the window, simply seeing it as a routine trip to the cafeteria. The hot dishes at the school cafeteria were usually mediocre; they were good enough to fill your stomach, and that was about it. Many students preferred to eat spicy hot pot or noodles instead.
It wasn’t long before the three of them reached the front of the queue. They immediately looked through the clear glass of the window. This allowed them to see the hot dishes arranged in the serving trays.
But at first glance, they all let out a collective "Wow!"
"The presentation looks really good!"
"The sauce on this Sweet and Sour Pork Fillet looks piping hot, and it hasn’t congealed at all!"
"The Yu Xiang Pork Strips are loaded with meat and no carrots—that’s rare!"
Just then, Ji Mingming noticed a line of writing at the bottom of the sign:
Today’s Special: Braised Chicken.
The phrase "Today’s Special" reminded Ji Mingming of a braised meat stall she had visited at Shuize Resort. The handsome young vendor there would introduce a special dish every day. Having eaten there twice, Ji Mingming had a very vivid memory of that stall. Later, Ji Mingming had also stumbled upon several videos of the stall owner online; netizens called him "Executive Chef Jiang," and it all seemed quite interesting.
"I’ll have one Yu Xiang Pork Strips and one braised eggplant," Ji Mingming told the attendant.
The attendant glanced at Ji Mingming, saw she was a pretty girl, and her serving hand didn’t even tremble. She picked up a sectioned plate and scooped a spoonful of Yu Xiang Pork Strips into one compartment and a spoonful of braised eggplant into another.
Jiang Feng’s dishes were characterized by their rich sauces and exceptional freshness. They were perfect to eat right then.
Then, the other two also got two dishes each.
The three of them, holding their plates, went to the rice window and got a serving of rice. The school served rice in small bowls. Girls usually had one bowl, while boys typically needed two. Those with big appetites might even eat three or four. Afterward, they found a place to sit, placed their plates on the table, and then went to the middle of the cafeteria to get a small ceramic bowl of soup. This was their lunch for the day.
As Ji Mingming inhaled the aroma of the meat dishes, she felt a pang of hunger. Both dishes looked incredibly appealing. The shredded pork in the Yu Xiang Pork Strips was enveloped in sauce, radiating a rosy sheen. The braised eggplant was similarly glossy, and she could already imagine how delicious it would be mixed with rice.
Ji Mingming used her chopsticks to pick up two pieces of braised eggplant, dabbed them on her rice, then lifted the rice and eggplant together to her mouth. With just one bite, she immediately looked up, her eyes widening slightly as a hint of surprise emerged in their depths.
The eggplant was fragrant. Its flesh was soft, tender, and full of flavor, having soaked up the rich sauce. When she bit into it, the sauce burst out. Mixed with a mouthful of rice, it was incredibly appetizing. Her mouth was full of the flavor of eggplant—delicious and not the slightest bit greasy. Simply perfect!
"This eggplant is so tasty!" Ji Mingming exclaimed.
She looked up and saw Xiao Yu and Lin Fang both had expressions of pure enjoyment.
Xiao Yu, slightly excited, replied, "My Sweet and Sour Pork Fillet is delicious too! The texture is amazing!"
"How can this new stall be so delicious!"
"Cafeteria Two finally has good food!"
Ji Mingming continued to eat the braised eggplant. This dish was perfect with rice. She mixed the eggplant with her rice, letting the rich sauce coat every grain, and then ate them together. It was sheer enjoyment, an ultimate pleasure to savor.
Of course, this braised eggplant was delicious. Jiang Feng had peeled the eggplant and, when cutting it into pieces, had used his knife skills to score each piece lightly. He used less oil, relying more on the sauce to build the eggplant’s flavor, so it wasn’t greasy at all. He was, after all, meticulous. The braised eggplant he made with such care was naturally exceptional.
Ji Mingming then picked up a mouthful of Yu Xiang Pork Strips. Each strip of pork was exceptionally tender yet springy, and every mouthful was bursting with savory flavor. So satisfying!
Girls always care more about the texture of the food they eat; they have more of a "foodie" nature. For most boys, as long as the food was edible, tasty, and filling, that was enough; they weren’t as concerned about texture. For girls, however, the actual sensation of the food in their mouths was more important. Such delicacies held an incomparable allure for them.
"This new stall is a real hidden gem!"
"Has Cafeteria Two finally seen the light?"
"We’re in for a treat from now on!"
Their faces lit up with excitement.
And it wasn’t just them. Everyone who got food from Jiang Feng’s window was amazed.
Soon, news about a new, delicious food stall in Cafeteria Two began to spread among the students.