Chapter 240: Chapter 241 Hobo Chicken
Chapter 240: Chapter 241 Hobo Chicken
Gu Fuying was instantly disheartened, indeed she still hadn’t done well.
But luckily, Gu Fuying tended to be carefree and thick-skinned, so her sorrow came and went quickly.
Soon, she was attracted to Xu Ying’s Hobo Chicken. She saw Xu Ying pick up a wild chicken and rinse it clean with water.
Xu Ying then stuffed the prepared ingredients from the opening at the tail end of the chicken, and then evenly smeared the chicken skin with salt and a suitable amount of soy sauce.
The highlight was next. Who knew where she got the large leaves from, but she wrapped the wild chicken in the leaves and then covered the leaves in mud.
“Yingying, can we eat this? You’re not going to cook the mud, are you?” Gu Fuying’s face was a picture of shock, her complex expression beyond description.
“How could we? We’re going to roast it,” said Xu Ying as she proceeded in this manner, wrapping another Hobo Chicken in mud and preparing it. Then she brought over some wire and several sticks.
She inserted the sticks into the big pit she had dug earlier, tying the wire onto the sticks and placing the mud-wrapped Hobo Chicken on the wire.
She then lit a fire in the pit and began roasting. It should be done in about half an hour.
With the crackling flames burning, the mud gradually cracked, and the fragrance of the chicken inside drifted on the air.
The aroma was so enticing that it made one’s mouth water.
“Yingying, can we eat it now?” Gu Fuying sat, unable to contain her craving, and tugged at Xu Ying’s arm to ask.
Not only Hobo Chicken was being roasted over the fire, but also fish. The mingling scents were too much to resist, prompting drooling.
“The roasted fish should be ready, you can try that first. The Hobo Chicken needs a little more time,” said Xu Ying as she just finished getting the ingredients ready for stir-frying rabbit meat, the hot oil sizzling.
A bunch of seasonings went into the pan, instantly spreading the aroma. Then the rabbit meat was added, and a strong fragrance of meat wafted through the air.
Everyone present had their taste buds ignited instantaneously, swallowing salivably, “Yingying, why did you even quit the State-owned Restaurant? We all crave your cooking.”
Xu Ying chuckled, “Isn’t that what you’re having now?”
What a joke, cooking so much damages a woman’s skin. She liked to cook, sure, but only occasionally. She couldn’t stand being tied to the stove all her life.
It was all for the goodwill value, anyway. Once she accumulated enough, unlocked the space completely, completed the tasks, and earned enough money, she planned to retire.
“The Hobo Chicken is ready, why don’t you take it down? But be careful, it’s hot,” reminded Xu Ying.
Upon hearing it was ready, Gu Fuying’s previously sorrowful expression vanished.
She eagerly watched the Hobo Chicken with chopsticks in hand, knocking off the thick layer of mud and carefully peeling away the leaves to reveal the golden, lusciously colored chicken meat.
The irresistible aroma suddenly wafted over, prompting Gu Fuying to swallow her saliva.
Wu Qingsong, seeing her craving, couldn’t help but chuckle and, disregarding the heat, tore off a chicken leg for her, “Don’t burn yourself.”
Onlookers exchanged knowing looks, amused by the duo’s unspoken affection.
Gu Fuying bit into the chicken leg heartily, the delicious taste permeating her mouth. The tender and juicy meat almost melted at the bite, leaving a lingering exquisiteness.
“Delicious, it’s so delicious,” exclaimed Gu Fuying, caring not for the heat as she took another bite.
Gu Fuzhu also swallowed hard on the side but was too shy to come forth and ask, yearningly watching Gu Fuying.
“Here, you try too,” offered Xu the Third, tearing off a piece of meat for her.
Gu Fuzhu’s cheeks flushed slightly, and with everyone else not having eaten yet, she felt embarrassed, “Everybody hasn’t had any yet, eating now seems improper!”
Xu the Third laughed, “No worries, there are no adults here, just us few, no need for so much concern.”
Xu Laoer added with a smile, “Thinking too much is tiring. It’s just us here, with no formalities. Whatever you want to eat, just grab it.”
Hearing this, a smile appeared on Gu Fuzhu’s face, as if she truly became part of the group, “Then I’ll have this chicken wing, I love gnawing on wings.”
“I want the duck feet, I like eating those,” Lu Daya was unapologetic.
Shitou and Hu Zi were even less polite, “Give the big chicken leg to my little aunt, she’s been cooking and working the hardest.”
When he finished, Huo Chen handed a chicken wing to Xu Ying and turned to Shitou, saying, “Your little aunt likes wings.”
Shitou didn’t believe it, “How do you know? You must be lying. There’s more meat on the chicken legs; my little aunt definitely likes meat more.”
He was actually wrong; Xu Ying did like gnawing on bones, those flavorful parts with the skin.
Although the chicken meat was fragrant, it lacked something.
Xu Ying looked up at Shitou, “The little aunt likes to gnaw on bones.”
“That’s like a little dog!” Hu Zi said foolishly, inadvertently insulting his own little aunt.
Xu Laoer tapped his little head, “Dummy, bones taste great, they have flavor when you eat them.”
He liked them too; his little sister was similar to him in this regard.
“The spicy potatoes and the five-spice chicken platter are ready,” Xu Ying called out, and everyone moved aside.
Wu Qingsong and Huo Chen carried two big pots and placed them on the stone slab.
“It would be delicious with some steamed buns.”
“Nonsense, it would be aromatic with rice; with all this sauce, it must taste great mixed with rice.”
“I think slicing some noodles and tossing them in the pot would be tasty.”
Everyone gathered together, eating and chatting with smiling faces.
Until the afternoon, when the sun set behind the mountains, it was time for Gu Fuzhu and the others to leave; they couldn’t stay any longer. They packed up the trash, extinguished the fire, and started descending the mountain.
As Shitou and Hu Zi came down the mountain, they were like joyous fools, hopping and skipping back home.
Everyone scattered at the foot of the mountain, returning to their own homes, looking for their own mothers.
As soon as Xu Ying and her family arrived home, they found visitors; the little aunt from the Xu Family had unexpectedly come over.
When Xu Ying walked into the house, she immediately felt the atmosphere was off, oppressively heavy, and hard to breathe in; Mr. Xu’s face was particularly grim, and he only glanced at his daughter when she entered.
Mrs. Xu, upon seeing her daughter, smiled and asked, “Have you had lunch?”
“We’ve eaten. Little aunt, when did you get back?” Xu Ying was curious.
The little aunt usually came back the latest, and there had never been a time she returned this early.
“I got back around noon,” Xu Xiaogu’s smile was obviously strained, and her eyes were red as if she had just been crying.
Mrs. Xu gave her daughter a look, telling her not to butt in.
Xu Xiaogu looked at Mr. Xu with a plea in her eyes.
Xu Ying’s gossip instincts flared, and she sat beside her little aunt, watching her.
“Why isn’t my little aunt’s husband back?” Xu Ying looked around and realized that only her little aunt and the children had returned.
Mrs. Xu glared at her daughter; that girl really knew how to bring up the worst subjects.
“He’s not coming back, I want a divorce,” Xu Xiaogu said, seething.
This announcement left Xu Ying utterly shocked; her little aunt and her husband had always seemed harmonious, and as people who had fallen in love freely and were well-educated, they paid special attention to romance.