Chapter 77: Lunch

Xu Le said, “Skin the radish and cut it into pieces. Then cut it into circular shapes.”

“Alright!”

Lu Yuxi agreed readily. As she put them on the skewers, she said, “Someone came to apply for a cleaning job at the shop. It’s hard to care about the hygiene when you’re busy, so it’s not a bad idea to get someone to help.”

“It’s fine. You decide.”

Lu Yuxi’s eyes lit up. “So you’re giving me the chance to be the HR?”

“It’s just one employee, what are you thinking?”

Lu Yuxi said proudly and excitedly, “Hello, CEO! I announce that I’m the vice president now.”

“You self-proclaimed it, right? It’s just a store, and there’s even a CEO… Tsk tsk.”

After Xu Le finished complaining, he couldn’t help but laugh.

The atmosphere in the kitchen was joyous. The two of them worked together and quickly finished preparing the oden soup. They only cooked a small portion of it to try the taste while the rest were brought to school.

However, Xu Le still soaked the radish in the soup in advance.

Lu Yuxi saw that and asked curiously, “Won’t it become too soft after soaking too long in this?”

“Carrots are root-type vegetables. You can only taste the flavour after soaking them for some time.”

Without a main dish, they would definitely not be full after a whole afternoon of labour. Xu Le said, “You and Tiantian wait for another half an hour, then take the chicken feet out to eat first. I’ll make something else.”

“How can I do that? I’ll stay and help you…”

Before Lu Yuxi could finish speaking, he lifted the lid of the pot. The fragrance of the tiger skin chicken feet wafted into her nostrils, causing her to forget what she wanted to say.

She stared eagerly at the bright red and perfectly patterned tiger skin on the chicken feet. There was gravy hanging from the chicken feet. She wondered what it would taste like if she took a bite.

“Yes. I made it for you. You don’t have to hold it in anymore. Take it.”

Xu Le passed the plate over and Lu Yuxi reached out to take it. He retracted his hand and reminded, “Place something underneath it!”

“Oh, right.”

Lu Yuxi found a clean cloth to cover the edge of the plate before bringing it to the dining table. She picked up a chicken foot anxiously and chewed on the bone.

The moment it entered her mouth, the bones were immediately separated. The sweet taste of the sauce mixed with the chewiness of the chicken tendon. It was so chewy that it was really satisfying to eat.

Xu Tian reached out to pick one of them, but as a child, her skin was soft and tender. She frowned from the heat and immediately retracted her fingers.

Xu Le, who had just come out of the kitchen, happened to see this scene. He coaxed her, “Tian Tian, there’s something cold to eat. Did you get scalded?”

Xu Tian pouted. “Yeah, it hurts.”

Lu Yuxi, who had finished eating one chicken foot quickly, had her cheeks puffed up. She was sucking the last bit of flavour from the bone. When she heard this, she quickly grabbed Xu Tian’s hand and examined it.

She found that Xu Tian’s hand was fair and tender, without a single red mark left on it. She smiled and said, “Oh my, this is incredible. We have to go to the hospital quickly. Otherwise, we won’t be able to find the wound if we’re late.”

Xu Tian blushed and pushed her away angrily. “I’m not friends with Sister Lu anymore, you baddie!”

“Hahahaha ~” Lu Yuxi laughed loudly as she carried her up and said, “It’s just a small matter. Come, eat something cold. This is sour and spicy, and it doesn’t have any bones, so it’s easier to chew.”

The two of them continued to coax her. Xu Tian, who was pouting and sulking, finally took a bite.

The meat of the chicken feet was mixed with the sour and refreshing sauce. After putting it into her mouth, it constantly stimulated her taste buds and released a trace of spiciness.

The sourness was divided into several levels. The lemon fragrance, the sourness of the vinegar, and the sweetness of the passionfruit burst forth layer by layer and lingered in her mouth.

“Delicious!”

Xu Tian had the temperament of a child. When she ate something delicious, she became bright and cheerful. She waved her hand happily and said, “It’s delicious. Brother is so awesome. I want more!”

“Okay, there’s a big plate here. There’s more inside after you finish eating. Just come over and fill more.”

As he said that, he turned around and went into the kitchen. Xu Le had woken up early and kneaded the dough until it was smooth without bubbles. Then, he made a few lotus leaf pancakes and placed them on the steamer.

When he couldn’t sleep last night, he had learned how to cook steamed meat.

The pork belly was cut into thin and even slices. After putting in some chopped green onions and ginger slices, he then poured in oyster sauce, soy sauce, seasoning wine, fermented bean curd sauce, and a suitable amount of fine sugar. After putting on gloves and mixing them evenly, the marination was complete.

Xu Tian, who was in the dining room, was particularly fond of the sour and spicy chicken feet. She usually ate very little, but that day, she had already eaten half a plate. She was even jumping around happily around the floor.

Xu Le said, “Does Tiantian like pumpkin or potato?”

“…Neither.”

“You have to eat some carbohydrates, you must choose one.”

Xu Tian pouted and threw the question to Lu Yuxi.

Lu Yuxi was still eating chicken feet with her head lowered. She looked up blankly and said, “Pumpkin then.”

“Okay.”

Xu Le nodded and walked back into the kitchen.

The dried lotus leaves were soaked in warm water and had spread out at the bottom of the steamer.

The soft and squishy pumpkin was washed and sliced into thick slices. He layered them on the lotus leaves, forming a circle.

The marinated meat was covered with a layer of vermicelli and the pumpkin. Then, it was ready for steaming.

Half an hour later, the lotus leaf pancake and steamed meat were served together. It was convenient and simple.

When he brought it out, Xu Tian was already half full from eating chicken feet. When she smelled the fragrance, she sniffed hard and said, “What’s this? It smells so good.”

Xu Le put down two plates. One was filled with lotus leaf pancakes and the other was filled with steamed meat. He said, “Try it, the taste is definitely not bad. The cooking method of this dish is simple and the only ingredient required is pork belly. The pork belly happens to be imported into the restaurant daily, so if the taste is alright, I can add it to the menu.”

“Let me try!”

Initially, Lu Yuxi did not like to eat fatty meat, but she had high expectations for Xu Le’s cooking. She knew that the child’s culinary skills were superb and would not disappoint her.

The wrap of vermicelli and golden-brown steamed meat did not even reach her mouth when the doorbell suddenly rang.

“I’ll go take a look.”

Xu Le stood up and looked through the peephole. Then, he turned around and looked at Lu Yuxi with a slightly conflicted expression.

“What’s wrong?”

Lu Yuxi put down her chopsticks and walked over. Xu Le said with a hushed voice, “I don’t know if you want to see her.”

The person outside was Ms. Li. After all, they had a huge fight last night. Lu Yuxi pursed her lips and said, “It doesn’t matter. Let her in.”

As soon as Ms. Li entered, she was mesmerized by the fragrance in the room. She stared at the things on the table and swallowed her saliva. “Are you guys done with the preparation so soon?”

“This is our lunch. As for the school’s charity sale, I’ve prepared oden.”

After Xu Le finished explaining, he carefully sized up Lu Yuxi and Teacher Li. After realizing that there was no tension between them, he was relieved.

Ms. Li looked at the enticing appearance of the dishes on the table and her eyes were fixed. Ever since she tasted Xu Le’s cooking, she could never forget it.

Even after a long time, Xu Le still did not invite her to try, so she could only say softly with a thick skin, “I haven’t had lunch either. Can I try it as well?”

“Of course, you’re welcome to try.”

Ms. Li sat down and eagerly picked up her chopsticks..