But seeing her son eating so delightfully, she couldn’t resist reaching her chopsticks toward the chicken feet.
Gu Guosheng was also tempted, but he didn’t dare try the chicken feet outright, so he first sampled a piece of onion.
The onion was sweet and spicy with a hint of sourness, truly appetizing.
Having a bite on a hot summer day was even more satisfying than a drinking snack!
Gu Guosheng enjoyed himself thoroughly, alternating between the dish and his wine.
Seeing his wife happily gnawing on chicken feet, he finally mustered the courage to try one.
Once he tasted it, he couldn’t stop.
A large plate of chicken feet was soon devoured by the group, leaving the table littered with scattered bones.
“Yanxi, are there any more? Bring a few more, please…”
Gu Guosheng particularly loved the sour and spicy flavor of the chicken feet and hadn’t had his fill yet.
He had completely forgotten his initial fear of chicken feet, tossing it to the winds.
Gu Yu followed suit, “Sis, I want some too… I haven’t had enough.”
Niu Qi watched Gu Yanxi with eager eyes.
Zhao Shi also gave her daughter a look: I want some.
Gu Yanxi: “…”
She had no choice but to bring out all the chicken feet she had prepared to sell the next day.
It wasn’t until the last chicken foot was gone that everyone let out a long sigh and slumped into their chairs.
Gu Yu: “I’m full, and tired.”
Gu Guosheng: “Can’t move, feels like I’m drunk.”
Zhao Shi: “Let’s clean up later.”
Niu Qi: Stuffed!
It took the group two quarters of an hour to recover.
Some tidied up, while others went for a walk.
“Little Niu, there aren’t any extra rooms at home. Tonight, you’ll have to squeeze in with A Yu.”
Gu Guosheng brought out a quilt and shoved it into Niu Qi’s hands.
Gu Yu protested, “I refuse!”
His woodshed was already cramped enough for one person—how could he possibly fit Niu Qi in there too?
“A Yu, stop fooling around,” Gu Guosheng scolded.
Gu Yu pouted, snatched the quilt from Niu Qi’s arms, and said, “Come in.”
The next day, after selling all her potatoes, Gu Yanxi hurried straight to Granny Hao’s to pick up the chicken feet.
When Granny Hao saw she had really come, she tried to charge her less, but Gu Yanxi refused.
She was planning to use the chicken feet for business, and the selling price wasn’t cheap either.
Granny Hao was all alone and found it hard to earn money.
Gu Yanxi thought she should help out as much as she could.
This time, she bought a large quantity of chicken feet and made them all into Pao Jiao Chicken Feet.
Her family wanted to eat them again, but she firmly refused.
The following day, when the chicken feet were displayed at the stall, all the scholars gathered around curiously.
“Gu Boss, why are you selling this today? Is this even edible?”
This person had heard that Gu Boss had a new product and rushed over, but when he saw they were chicken feet, he covered his nose in disgust and backed away a meter.
“Try it—it’s a secret recipe for Pao Jiao Chicken Feet, the only one of its kind in all of Da Shuo. The taste is absolutely amazing!”
Gu Yanxi cut the chicken feet into small pieces and placed them on lotus leaves as samples.
Trusting Gu Yanxi’s skills, the scholar finally pinched his nose and tried a piece.
Huh? This flavor…
His eyes instantly lit up.
“How much are they? Give me ten… no, twenty!”
Gu Yu, standing nearby, quickly replied, “Two coins each, side dishes included for free. That’ll be forty coins total.”
The customer promptly paid and left.
Others who heard the price were too shocked to step forward.
“Even dogs wouldn’t eat chicken feet—I wouldn’t take them for free. How dare they charge two coins each? Isn’t this just daylight robbery?”
“Exactly, these are just things you’d step on in dog shit, how good could they possibly taste?”
“But Boss Gu’s Tieban Tudou and Liangmian are absolutely exceptional. Maybe the chicken feet aren’t bad either? Let me try one.”
After tasting it, this person immediately bought ten.
Seeing this, the others froze for a moment before swarming forward, scrambling to buy some, afraid they’d miss out if they waited too long.
“Little girl! Two portions of Tieban Tudou and two portions of Liangmian!”
“Oh~ New food today?”
Su Taifu noticed a large basin of red and green items on the table and found it quite novel.
But when he saw the chicken feet inside, his smile instantly stiffened. “Little girl, why are you selling chicken feet? They have that layer of skin, tough and smelly, not tasty at all.”
Gu Yanxi gave a faint smile. “Grandpa Su, why not try one?”
Su Taifu picked up a chicken foot, examining it carefully over and over. This chicken foot was clean and white, with a refreshing aroma wafting into his nostrils—completely different from the dirty chicken feet he’d seen before.
Only then did he put the chicken foot into his mouth.
The first sensation was cool, followed by a burst of sour, spicy, sweet, and numbing flavors assaulting his taste buds, making it impossible to resist.
Su Taifu had excellent teeth, and he polished off the chicken foot in just a few bites.
Hmm…
“Delicious, truly delicious! This little thing is even more fragrant than the potatoes and cold noodles!”
“Ah, after eating vegetarian for so long, we finally have some meat dishes now, hahaha!”
“Little girl, pack up half of what’s in this basin for me!”
Gu Yanxi had made quite a lot of chicken feet this time—a large basin holding over ten pounds, more than a hundred chicken feet.
She casually scooped up over fifty chicken feet, adding plenty of side dishes as well.
Unfortunately, since the chicken feet were wrapped in lotus leaves, the essential broth couldn’t be included, for fear it would spill everywhere.
It seemed she needed to upgrade her packaging materials.
“Grandpa Su, each chicken foot costs two coins. There are over fifty here, so one hundred coins will do.”
Su Taifu’s coins were strung together with hemp rope, a hundred coins to a string. He took out one string and handed it to Gu Yanxi.
“This little girl’s skills are as excellent as ever. We’re in for some treats from now on!”
Su Taifu laughed heartily, stroking his beard as he climbed into the carriage and drove away.
Some students recognized him as Academy Head Su. They never expected the academy head to enjoy eating such oddities as chicken feet, but if he was buying them, it couldn’t be wrong.
Most people bought chicken feet along with Tieban Tudou and Liangmian.
For a while, the business at the small stall became even more bustling.
In the Su residence’s carriage.
Su Taifu sniffed the intense aroma wafting from the lotus leaf wrap, swallowing his saliva repeatedly, barely resisting the impulse to open it and eat several times.
But thinking of that even greedier fellow in the palace, he forced himself to hold back.
The carriage stopped at the palace gates. Su Taifu walked at the front, while Su Guanjia followed respectfully behind, carrying the lotus leaf-wrapped package.
At the entrance of the imperial study, they happened to meet Emperor Shuo’s youngest princess, Princess Sile.
“Teacher Su, have you come to see Father again?”
Princess Sile was only fourteen, the youngest daughter of Emperor Shuo and his first wife, Empress Tang.
Sile was fair-skinned and beautiful, with large peach-blossom eyes that sparkled with innocence and charm. Her sweet little mouth always greeted everyone she met, earning her deep affection from Emperor Shuo.
“Greetings, Princess Sile.”
Sile quickly helped him up. “Father has said that Teacher Su is highly virtuous and respected, and need not bow to us princes and princesses.”
“His Majesty is inside.” At this point, Sile glanced at the tightly shut imperial study door, covering her mouth as she whispered, “It’s hot today, His Majesty has no appetite and is venting his anger inside. Be careful, Master Su.”