Chapter 131 - More importantly, he didn't even get a bite of it. (!)
Tong Xuelu was taken aback a little. “You are back so soon?”
Back.
That word had never sounded more melodious to Wen Rugui . “Yes, I returned immediately after I’ve returned the car.”
As he talked, he took the stuff from her naturally.
Men do need to be trained.
Tong Xuelu was very pleased that he voluntarily took the stuff from her.
She closed the door and asked as she walked inside. “Oh right. What was that I heard about feeding chicken from the outside?”
Wen Rugui’s eyelids quivered and he said, “I bought a couple chickens from a friend for your housewarming.”
Tong Xuelu looked in Tong Jiaxin’s direction. She saw a hen cowered in the corner, looking traumatized.
Tong Mianmian looked at the old hen with her limpid eyes widened, looking shocked.
The compound where they had stayed previously was very crowded and chickens were smelly to be around. As such, nobody there kept any chicken. This was Tong Mianmian’s first time seeing a chicken live.
Tong Xuelu looked away from Tong Mianmian “Thank you. You didn’t have to. But did you just say two chickens? Where’s the other one?”
Wen Rugui, “I killed it. It’s inside the kitchen.”
Tong Xuelu’s eyes beamed. “That’s great. I was just worried about not being able to cook a nice meal to thank you! Now I can make a braised chestnut and chicken, a garlic cabbage, and a tomato and egg drop soup and that would be perfect.”
Wen Rugui couldn't help but gulped when he heard that. “Okay.”
After all the stuff was dropped off in the kitchen, Tong Xuelu called Tong Jiaming over to help out.
Wen Rugui expressed that he, too, could help out but Tong Xuelu refused to let him do that.
She had Tong Mianmian brought him over to the living room.
***
There were a few bundles of dried woods and straws inside the kitchen and they would tie them over for a few days.
Tong Xuelu had Tong Jiaming rinsed the vegetables and peeled the garlic as she started to clean up the hen.
Luckily the hen was already killed; she would not otherwise be brave enough to kill it.
But this hen looked to be very delicious. Unlike the ones that were raised on feed in the future time, this one look meaty and tender, and its meat dense.
The thought of braised chestnut and chicken made her mouth water.
She removed the chicken’s neck and the butt and diced up its meat. She cleaned it and blanch it to get rid of the blood taste.
She started with cold oil and, when the oil was heated up, added spices like green onion, ginger, garlic, and anise and fried until aromatic before adding the chicken. She sauteed them until they changed color before adding in soy sauce and rock sugar. She then added water and cooked with cover in high heat. Once the water was boiling, she added in the chestnuts.
The aroma of the chestnut mixed very well with chicken’s taste during the stewing process. Along with the spices, when the sauce thickened, both the chestnuts and the chicken turned into a delectable brownish red color.
The aroma could be smelled throughout the house.
Tong Xuelu sprinkled green onion over the braised chestnut and chicken and the bright green colored green onion perfectly adorned the chestnut chicken.
It was a perfect combination of look, smell and taste!
She handed the plate of chestnut chicken to Tong Jiaming and said to him, “Carry this over to the living room and put a plate over it”
The tempting smell continued to come from the chicken, making Tong Jiaming gulp.
Tong Jiaxin, who was bonding with the hen in the backyard, immediately came running over when he smelled the dish. “That smells so good, Second Brother! Can I have a taste first?”
Tong Jiaxin gulped as he spoke. He didn’t think that he was hungry but, after smelling the dish, he now thought that he could eat two head of cows!
Tong Jiaming denied him, “No!”
Tong Jiaxin whimpered and followed the aroma into the living room.