IHOEAYSTTTIW Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Who says these chicken feet are weird? These chicken feet are amazing!

Chapter 4: Who says these chicken feet are weird? These chicken feet are amazing!

The forgotten chicken feet were soaked in water overnight, the bloody water completely seeping out, and their color became even more pale and tender.

Lin Yan secretly rejoiced that it had snowed yesterday, that the charcoal brazier in the kitchen had been moved out, and that the fire in the stove had gone out early. The sub-zero temperature maintained the freshness of the chicken feet, and after washing them twice more, he could proceed to the next step.

He took out his Bluetooth Headphones from his pocket, tapped them twice, and started playing the offline songs on his phone.

He poured water into the pot, shredded scallions, and sliced ginger, setting aside half of each. He put the remaining scallions and ginger into the pot with the chicken feet, added cold water, and then poured in yellow wine to remove the fishy smell. The water in the pot quickly boiled, and the chicken feet spun and rolled in the pot, the seeping blood turning into solidified foam. Lin Yan skimmed off the foam and, estimating the time, fished out the pale and tender chicken feet and drained the water.

He added a small amount of oil and rock sugar to the pot over low heat. When the yellow sugar had completely melted and small bubbles were popping, he poured in the chicken feet, scallions, and ginger, stir-frying to coat them with color, then added boiling water.

“It’s a pity there’s no beer, but this is almost the same.” Lin Yan took out the wine he had bought yesterday, opened the lid, and smelled it.

The purity of the Great Zhou’s wine wasn’t high, about the same alcohol content as beer from the brewery.

Thinking of Li Bai singing “When my money is gone, it will come back again” while drinking beer, Lin Yan couldn’t help but laugh.

He added the beer to the chicken feet to remove the fishy smell and enhance the flavor, then added peppercorns, star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon, fennel seeds…

The bulging bag gradually deflated, and Lin Yan began to feel sorry.

This was all money!!!

Lin Yan knew that braised meat sold well. He had originally planned to buy meat with the remaining money after selling the spices, but the price of the spices shattered his dream of getting rich. He circled the market three times and finally… entered the pharmacy.

Those familiar spices from modern times were still considered medicinal herbs in the Great Zhou.

Lin Yan went in with a bulging purse and came out with an empty one. He had bought all the spices, but he had no money left. He turned his purse inside out, finally finding a copper coin in the seams.

Great.

One copper coin was enough to buy three ounces of pork, or half a chicken. This little bit wasn’t even enough for him to eat, let alone get rich. With the principle of “since I’m already here,” Lin Yan circled the market again and finally used that copper coin to buy the chicken feet that the live poultry shop was going to throw away.

So, modern thinking was still useful; at least Lin Yan was adept at handling things that others didn’t know how to eat.

The water in the pot started to bubble, and Lin Yan used a spoon to transfer the chicken feet and spices, along with the broth, little by little into the earthenware pot. The broth was already half-boiling, so it only needed a little heating to boil again.

Lin Yan skimmed off the foam again, added salt, Ancient Method Soy Sauce, and then used Mushroom Dark Soy Sauce to adjust the color, adding a little sugar. He put on the lid, then moved some of the firewood away from under the stove, simmering it over low heat for half an hour. After half an hour, he removed the spices and simmered it for a while longer.

The waiting time was boring, so Lin Yan whimsically made porridge, stuck flatbreads to the side of the pot, stir-fried wild vegetables, and boiled eggs.

As the chicken feet were being taken out, a knock rang on the door, and Yun Qi’s voice came from outside: “Big Brother, White keeps meowing, it seems like he’s hungry.”

Lin Yan hid his headphones, opened the door, and looked at the smooth-furred, smug-looking White in Yun Qi’s arms, whistling: “You gave him a bath.”

“Yeah, White is very obedient.” Yun Qi pushed White forward as if to take credit, and secretly glanced at the kitchen, his nose twitching almost imperceptibly.

So fragrant, it must be delicious.

“You take the porridge and flatbreads out first.” Lin Yan handed two bowls to Yun Qi, turned around and put the minced meat he had prepared earlier into White’s exclusive bowl.

Yun Qi, going into the kitchen, took three steps in two; Yun Qi, leaving the kitchen, split one step into three.

The porridge and flatbreads in his hands were indeed fragrant, but the aroma wafting from the pot was even more soul-stirring. The cat was eating meat, so the pot must have braised meat.

Yun Qi put the porridge and flatbreads on the table and flashed back to the kitchen, only remembering his persona when he reached the doorway. He slowed his pace and entered the kitchen with a limp.

“It seems like I made too many flatbreads.” Lin Yan muttered to himself, holding a plate in each hand, and turned to see the wide-eyed Yun Qi.

Hadn’t he just gone out? How did he come back again? Was this the speed someone who was still recovering from a serious illness should have?

A strange feeling flashed through his mind, and then he was distracted by the rumbling in his stomach. What was he thinking so much for? Eating was the most important thing in the world.

Lin Yan, with a little tail following behind him, carried the bowls into the room. A meat dish and a vegetable dish, flatbreads and white porridge, simple but enough.

“Let’s eat.” Lin Yan ladled two bowls of porridge, placing one in front of himself and one in front of Yun Qi, then opened the small pot holding the braised chicken feet.

A flash of disappointment crossed Yun Qi’s face, and the chopsticks he had reached out with were withdrawn, and he picked up the wild vegetables in front of him, pretending to eat them.

The rice porridge was warm and nourishing, the flatbreads had a crispy crust, and were soft and fluffy inside. The wild vegetables, the most common in the mountains, were not pretty, but they were crisp, refreshing, and especially good with rice.

Yun Qi ate flatbreads, vegetables, and porridge in quick succession.

Delicious, everything was delicious, it would be even better if there was braised meat.

Lin Yan ate three chicken feet in a row, and when he reached out to pick up the fourth, he noticed that there wasn’t a single bone in front of Yun Qi, who was frantically devouring the vegetables.

“Try this, it’s very delicious.” Lin Yan put a chicken foot into Yun Qi’s plate, his eyes full of expectation.

Yun Qi looked at the chicken foot in front of him, wanting to say something but stopping, stopping but wanting to say something, and nodded with great difficulty.

To be honest, the braised chicken feet looked really good, with a thin layer of gelatin covering the surface, presenting an alluring amber sheen. The aroma of the braising sauce slowly wafted out, like a seductive little fairy, striking poses and tempting one to pick it.

If this was a piece of braised meat, Yun Qi would definitely not hesitate and eat one in one bite. But the chicken feet in front of him were mottled and not rounded at all, making it difficult to eat.

Yun Qi turned the chicken feet over and over, unable to find a single part that looked appetizing, and Lin Yan was still whispering like a devil, urging him to take a bite.

Forget it, forget it.

A knife to the neck is still a knife to the neck, and one must bow under the eaves. In times of famine, tree bark and Guanyin clay, as long as it can save one’s life, what can’t be eaten? It’s just a chicken foot, just do it.

Yun Qi hardened his heart, closed his eyes, and bit down hard.

The outer skin of the chicken foot was soft and glutinous with elasticity, the meat was fresh, tender, and crisp, and the aroma of the braising sauce filled the air. The pungent aroma of star anise and cinnamon, the elegant aroma of cloves and dried tangerine peel, and the umami of soy sauce and sugar spread rapidly on the tip of the tongue. The chicken feet were stewed until they were soft and tender, and the bones separated from them with just a slight nip.

“Delicious, right?” Lin Yan’s voice came from above.

Yun Qi nodded frantically, devouring them quickly.

Wuwuwu, it’s really delicious.

Now he just felt regret, very regretful. How could he have thought that this thing was inedible just now, how could he have not tried it, and had even almost missed it? Thinking that if it wasn’t for Lin Yan’s repeated persuasion, he would have missed such delicious food, Yun Qi felt a burst of lingering fear. The specific manifestation of his lingering fear was… picking another chicken foot.

The two people’s chopsticks danced out afterimages, eating like they were competing.

The pot of chicken feet was soon empty, and the porridge was also drunk dry. Lin Yan couldn’t eat any more towards the end, but Yun Qi was still devouring them quickly, eating every last bit of the three servings of flatbreads, and only then did he patted his stomach with satisfaction and burped softly.

“Is Yun Qi full?” Lin Yan’s smiling voice rang out, and Yun Qi belatedly remembered his persona.

He seemed to have just said an hour ago that he ate a lot and was very easy to raise, and now he had single-handedly finished a bowl of porridge, half a bowl of chicken feet, and two servings of flatbreads.

It’s over, it’s over, he’s going to be kicked out.

Yun Qi, who was collapsing his persona, trembled and nodded cautiously, carefully tidying up the dishes, and waiting for his judgment with trepidation.

“I’ll leave the dishwashing to you.” The expected judgment did not come. Lin Yan yawned and walked to the kitchen. “Lin Dazhuang should be coming soon, I agreed with him the day before yesterday to borrow his car to go to town to sell things.”

The hanging heart returned to its original place, and Yun Qi, like a little wife sending her husband out, naggingly exhorted: “Big Brother Lin, be careful, I will obediently watch the house.”

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