Chapter 148: Sour and Spicy Soup

“Hey, wake up. How much did you drink?”

Xu Le shook Lu Yuxi. She looked like she wanted to turn over on the sofa, but she used too much strength and fell onto the rug. She mumbled, “I’m not drinking anymore. I’m not coming.”

“Who made you drink?”

Xu Le squatted down and used the back of his hand to feel her forehead. After ensuring that she did not have a fever, he gave Li Qing a look and said, “Hold her first. I’ll go make some hangover soup.”

The live broadcast on TV was almost coming to an end. The host made an announcement that as long as someone could win against the Master Chef, he would immediately reveal his identity.

Li Qing made a “tsk” sound with a disdainful expression. The camera switched to Shen Hui and Xu Zhexian, who were both expressionless and looked like they couldn’t smile at all.

They were engrossed in their career as a chef and had traveled thousands of miles to France to study. In the end, when they made their first return on a competition, they were easily defeated. No matter who it was, it was hard to accept.

In the kitchen, Xu Le rinsed the dried lemon slices before placing them in a glass cup and adding water.

The hot water was poured in, and the dry lemon slices immediately expanded. The surface of the lemon was soaked with a light yellow liquid that looked like honey and rippled in the water.

After adding a teaspoon of honey, the sweet and sour hangover drink was ready.

Xu Le wasn’t sure about Lu Yuxi’s alcohol tolerance. If she vomited in the middle of the night, her stomach would definitely feel uncomfortable. Hence, he prepared to make another spicy and sour soup. Not only would it satisfy her hunger, but it would also nourish her stomach.

He cut a piece of tofu into thin strips and soaked in warm water. Then, he cut a small piece of pig’s blood, ginger, and ham into thin strips. The main taste of the sour and spicy soup came from the white pepper powder and ginger, so that it would warm the stomach without hurting it.

The vegetable leaves and fungus were sliced into thin strips. Then, three eggs were scattered and salt was added.

He poured some water into the pot and boiled it. When it was boiling, he added a spoonful of salt. Then, he used the ladle to pour the boiling water over the pig’s blood and tofu so that he could remove the fishy smell.

He scooped out some water aside. After adding some water, he turned around and opened the freezer.

“A chef really has everything at home.”

Li Qing leaned against the kitchen door frame and teased, “Why are you so concerned about Lu Yuxi?”

“We are living under the same roof, so it’s only right for us to care for each other. Besides, she often takes care of Tiantian on behalf of me.”

“Didn’t you pay her too?”

Li Qing smiled cheekily. “Can I move in with you too? Renting an apartment is so expensive, boss ~”

“Hmph.” Xu Le rolled his eyes at him and said, “I often watch your videos on the main page. Li Qing, it would be weird if you need money.”

Li Qing was originally a gaming broadcaster. He came from a well-off family and earned more money than Xu Le. Even if he broadcasted all night, his earnings would be higher than Xu Le’s monthly salary.

“I’m not going to talk to you anymore. Let me steal some skills from you.” Li Qing watched as Xu Le added chicken soup into the pot and said, “Aren’t you making Korean-style hangover soup?”

“It’s filled with green peppers, bean sprouts, and Korean spicy sauce. Not only is Lu Yuxi not used to it, it also stimulates her stomach.”

“Oh.”

Li Qing placed the takeaway box on the table and said, “I specially drove for more than an hour just now and went to the restaurant with the highest rating to buy some braised food, pork ribs, beef intestines, duck legs and cold dishes. I originally planned to rush over to watch the live broadcast with you, but I remembered the time wrongly and came late.”

Xu Le boiled the soup and pointed to the microwave. “If it’s cold, go heat it yourself.”

A small amount of white sugar, chicken essence, pepper, and two spoons of salt were added to the boiled soup. Then, he immediately added starch and stirred it until the soup thickened and became sticky. He added fungus, ham sausage, and dried prawn after removing the pot from the stove. After he stirred the bottom with a spoon again, he poured a large spoonful of fragrant vinegar into it.

After adding the egg mixture, processed pig’s blood, and tofu shreds, they were all simmered. Before removing the pot, he added the green vegetables in.

After pouring a few drops of sesame oil into the soup, the soup was ready.

Li Qing kept every step in mind and nitpicked, “Did you add too much salt just now?”

“You need to add a little more salt to the hot and sour soup. Otherwise, the saltiness will be suppressed by the sourness and you won’t be able to taste it.”

“I see.” Li Qing looked like he had been taught a lesson. He then asked, “Does the spicy and sour soup count as a substitute for the Wensi tofu soup?”

“The texture is different and the cooking method is much simpler. You’ll know after you taste it.”

After Xu Le scooped three bowls of soup, he saw that he was still standing in the kitchen. He asked, “Aren’t you leaving? What else do you want to do?”

“I think that it will greasy just eating the braised intestines. Why don’t you process it some more?”

Xu Le said unhappily, “You’re too troublesome. Do it yourself.”

“No, my cooking isn’t as good as yours.”

Li Qing didn’t care about his face anymore. In order to satisfy his appetite, he started to tease Xu Le.

Five minutes later, Xu Le entered the kitchen again.

“The braised pig intestines does not allow me to do much. If the ingredients are not good enough, it’s useless no matter what you do.”

Xu Le cut off a piece of processed fat sausage and chewed it carefully. Most of the fat inside had been removed. It should have been washed with salt and starch. There was a crispness in the chewiness and the five fragrances in the braised sauce was fragrant and flavorful.

He nodded. “Not bad. No wonder the store has such high ratings.”

After saying that, he glanced at the receipt stuck on the box and continued, “It’s so expensive. If it doesn’t taste good, I’m afraid it will be receive complaints until it closes for business.”

“What flavor do you want?”

“Spicy. How about you make some stir-fried pig intestines?”

“Sure.”

He cut peppers, ginger and garlic into shreds and added them. Lastly, he also added the celery stems, then stored them separately.

A small amount of pepper powder, chicken essence, sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce were added to the bowl.

He added 30 grams of vegetable seed oil into the boiling pot, heating it until it was 70% hot and emitting smoke. Then, he added all the condiments into the pot and stir-fried until the fragrance was forced out. After that, he poured the sliced intestines into the pot.

Because it had been braised beforehand, he only needed to cook over a huge fire for a minute. After it was heated up, it would be ready to be served.

Coincidentally, the braised meat in the microwave had also been heated up, so they could be served together.

Xu Tian was extremely tired and went back to her room to sleep. Lu Yuxi was still lying on the coffee table, unconscious.

“Hey, get up and drink the soup. Otherwise, your stomach will feel uncomfortable.”

Xu Le reached out to pat her. Lu Yuxi looked up and Xu Le noticed that her sleeves were wet with his sharp eyes. He immediately realized that she was crying.

“Where did you go today? How were you so drunk at a class reunion?”

“I went to see an old friend.”

Lu Yuxi took a small sip from the bowl. The hot and sour soup was sour and spicy. It was very comfortable to drink, but it did not stimulate her stomach. After taking a few sips, she leaned back and sighed. “It’s so good to be alive.”

Li Qing had scooped a bowl of sausage rice and was mixing it with stir-fried pig intestines. He was stuffing it into his mouth when he heard that. He said in a muffled voice, “Are you turning into a philosopher after drinking?”