Thinking about their meeting the next day, Sile’s mood improved considerably.
The aroma of chicken feet kept wafting into her nose, and she simply couldn’t resist picking one up to nibble on.
Cuilü stamped her foot anxiously, leaning close to her mistress’s ear to whisper, “Your Highness, there are too many people here. Perhaps we should return to the palace first.”
For the esteemed Da Shuo Gongzhu to be seen gnawing on chicken feet in public – if this were to spread, the princess’s dignity would be completely lost.
“No one recognizes me here, don’t worry,” Sile said, her cravings getting the better of her as she threw caution to the wind.
As the chicken foot entered her mouth, the sour-spicy flavor of pickled peppers was intensely rich, stimulating her taste buds. The skin and tendons of the chicken foot had absorbed the broth thoroughly, making them fragrant and crispy. By the final bite, there was even a subtle lingering sweetness.
It was absolutely delicious!
One chicken foot wasn’t enough to satisfy her craving – she wanted another.
Within moments, all five chicken feet had been devoured.
“Beautiful sister, not only are you gorgeous, but your cooking skills are absolutely exceptional! I really love the taste of these chicken feet!”
“Beautiful sister, will you be setting up your stall here every day from now on?”
“Beautiful sister, who did you learn your culinary skills from?”
Sile kept addressing her as “beautiful sister,” making Gu Yanxi feel quite embarrassed.
She smiled and nodded, “As long as there are no special circumstances, I’ll be here every day.”
“Oh, and my surname is Gu.”
In her previous life, Gu Yanxi had been an orphan, always keeping to herself. People around her said she was aloof and unwilling to make friends. But this girl before her gave her a particularly special feeling.
“Then I’ll call you Sister Gu from now on! You can call me Lele.”
Sile really liked this beauty before her. When the beauty spoke to her, she looked directly into her eyes, making Sile feel particularly sincere.
She was nothing like those people in the palace, where every word spoken to her was meant to curry favor.
She hated it most when people told lies!
“Sister Gu, could you save some chicken feet for me tomorrow? I’ll come by to pick them up.”
“Of course, how many would you like?”
Sile held up two fingers, “Twenty!”
With the help of the Pao Jiao Chicken Feet, Gu Yanxi’s business was exceptionally good.
By 10:00 in the morning, all five hundred portions of Tieban Tudou Liangmian and over one hundred chicken feet had sold out.
Many customers who came later were disappointed they couldn’t buy any.
“Gu Boss, you prepared so little ingredients – it’s simply not enough to meet demand. Next time prepare more, so you can earn more money too.”
“We really love the food you make. The flavor is truly top-notch – I don’t even like going to Juwei Restaurant anymore.”
“Do you only sell breakfast? Why not sell lunch and dinner too? That way we could buy your food whenever we want to eat it.”
Gu Yanxi did her best to appease the customers, “Please understand, we’re short-handed at home. Only my younger brother and I can come out to run the stall. We’ll try to make more in the future.”
“I’ll consider adding lunch and dinner service. If we do start selling then, I’ll let everyone know in advance.”
“Customers who enjoy our chicken feet can place advance orders. We accept orders of ten chicken feet or more, with numbered tickets for pickup the next day.”
Gu Yanxi had originally considered taking advance orders for Tieban Tudou and Liangmian too, but with just her and her younger brother, they couldn’t handle the workload, so for now they would continue with limited quantities.
When everyone heard they could place advance orders, they became excited, “That’s wonderful! This way I won’t have to rush here early. I live far away and have to get up earlier than the roosters every day, and still might not be able to buy any.”
“I want to order chicken feet – thirty for me!”
Customers, fearing that even reservations would run out if they delayed, hurriedly paid and collected their number tags, placing orders for ten or twenty pieces each. Soon, three hundred and forty portions were reserved.
After all the customers had left, Gu Yanxi and Gu Yu began packing up their stall.
Old Man Zhou, who sold porridge nearby, came over. “Gu Girl, I have something to tell you.”
She invited Old Man Zhou to sit aside and poured him a bowl of homemade herbal tea. “Grandpa Zhou, please go ahead.”
Gu Yanxi had a favorable impression of Old Man Zhou. Since she started setting up her stall, he had shown her much kindness, teaching her many tips about street vending.
To express her gratitude, she often treated Old Man Zhou and his wife to potatoes, while he would frequently bring two bowls of porridge for her and her younger brother.
Gradually, the two families became good neighbors at the market.
Old Man Zhou glanced around to ensure no one was nearby before continuing, “Yesterday, when I went to buy groceries, I ran into that Zhu couple who sell steamed buns. They bought two large sacks of potatoes. You should be careful—don’t let them steal your business.”
“Thank you for the warning, Grandpa Zhou.”
Gu Yanxi wasn’t worried at all. She had tasted the couple’s cooking before, and it was… indescribable.
Moreover, her Tieban Tudou required her secret seasoning blend to achieve its unique flavor. Without it, there was no way they could compete.
On the way back, Gu Yanxi stopped by Granny Hao’s stall to pick up the day’s chicken feet. Today’s batch was much smaller, only about a hundred pieces.
She had no choice but to go to other shops, where she bought five hundred chicken feet and picked up two dressed rabbits. She also visited a dried goods store to buy one jin of dried chili peppers and string peppers.
“Sis, why are you buying so many dried chilies? Our family can’t possibly eat this much, and dried chilies can only be used as seasoning—you can’t even eat them directly.”
Gu Yu’s heart ached as if bleeding—these chilies cost fifty copper coins, an exorbitant price!
Gu Yanxi smiled mysteriously. “I have a big use for them. In fact, this amount might not even be enough later.”
Gu Yu didn’t understand and pestered her to explain, but Gu Yanxi kept him in suspense.
The two siblings bickered and joked all the way home.
After a simple lunch, Gu Yanxi slept until late afternoon. Upon waking, she headed straight to the kitchen.
The sound of chopping meat echoed from the kitchen. Zhao Shi, knowing her daughter was preparing food again, went in to help.
“A-Yan, what do you need me to do?”
While dicing the rabbit meat, Gu Yanxi replied, “Bring me the salt and the chicken essence I made.”
She added the seasonings to the rabbit meat and mixed them evenly.
While waiting for the rabbit to marinate, she first fried the dried chilies separately. These chilies, fried this way, could be eaten directly later.
Half an hour later, the rabbit meat was marinated.
“Mother, turn up the heat.”
Gu Yanxi poured oil into the wok. When the oil was hot enough, she added the spices. Once all the spices were fragrant, she removed them and added the diced rabbit meat, stir-frying continuously.
The diced rabbit meat had to be stir-fried until the moisture evaporated and the surface turned golden brown. This method ensured the meat was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, making it most flavorful.
Next, she added the seasonings, stir-fried evenly, then tossed in the previously fried chilies and some sliced string peppers. Finally, she sprinkled sesame seeds, stir-fried once more, and the dish was ready.
This was Cold-Eaten Rabbit.
The plate was a vibrant mix of red and green, and just its appearance was enough to make one’s mouth water.
Carrying the plate out of the kitchen, Gu Yanxi spotted Niu Qi in the courtyard. “Is everything done?”
Niu Qi was unloading bamboo bowls from the cart. “Yes. The bamboo bowls cost one coin for two. There are three hundred here in total.”
“The chicken feet have also been ordered, split among five suppliers. Three provide a hundred pieces daily, and two provide three hundred pieces each. Combined with Granny Hao’s supply, we can get over a thousand pieces daily. We’ll start collecting the goods tomorrow.”
After unloading the items, Niu Qi approached Gu Yanxi and took out fifty copper coins. “This is the change left from buying the bamboo bowls.”