Chapter 38

Chapter 38 This small restaurant... no, this KTV...

Hearing her colleague’s question, An Ji Shan finally sorted out her thoughts.

Anyway, the main point is that she wants to eat; whether it’s a KTV or not doesn’t matter!

“Is this aroma from your snacks? Can it be taken out? How much is one serving? Where to buy it?”

Several waitresses stood up and lined up in the hall. Someone shouted toward the kitchen from the front desk.

“Wang Jinghan, come out quickly!”

The front desk girl, who had just grabbed a chicken leg in the kitchen, rushed out quickly.

She had only just taken a bite!

Although White Swan provided meals and lodging, the previous cook often made plain dishes like cabbage and tofu to get by. Sometimes Wang Jinghan couldn’t help herself and would join the waitresses to order fried chicken takeout for a craving fix.

She had tried almost all the nearby fried chicken takeouts. Whether it was Jet Fighter or several Korean-style fried chickens, the taste felt about the same.

Basically, it was the same old thick batter wrapped around the chicken.

Occasionally ordering Kaifeng cuisine, after eating so much, the taste was just so-so.

She thought she had lost her love for fried chicken.

Until she saw this freshly scooped-out small chicken leg! Among the full basket of chicken legs, Wang Jinghan immediately chose the one in her hand!

Among all the legs, its shape was the most irregular, with some peeling skin and slightly cracked meat. But this slightly flawed small chicken leg was definitely the most flavorful and crispiest in the whole pot!

She blew on it for a while and had just taken a bite when she heard someone calling her outside. A group was shouting, and they seemed quite urgent.

Wang Jinghan didn’t want to spit out the delicious bite already in her mouth, so she blew gently while running out.

After all, this KTV had never had much business. The others on both sides were desperately pulling in customers, so going out like this, Gao Jie probably wouldn’t blame her.

But unfortunately, there were customers outside today!

An Ji Shan watched as the front desk girl ran out holding a chicken leg, a piece just bitten still in her mouth.

Seeing the customers seemed surprised, the front desk girl who had been blowing on the chicken leg took a bite like that.

Crunch!

There are many crispy fried chickens, but fried chicken crispy to this extent is really rare!

The whole store could hear the sound of the chicken skin cracking in the front desk girl’s mouth, along with the fried chicken aroma becoming even more pronounced as she came out.

Two customers’ gazes both turned toward her right hand.

The brown fried chicken showed slightly yellow garlic-clove-like chicken meat inside, clearly not dry or tough at all.

Although the color was darker, it was precisely this deep color that whetted one’s appetite more.

An Ji Shan had eaten quite a bit of fried chicken, but many only had a simple base flavor. This chicken leg clearly promised a richer taste once eaten! Even the innermost chicken meat was marinated with flavor...

“That chicken leg! How much is it!”

Wang Jinghan quickly swallowed the fried chicken in her mouth. She didn’t even know how much the fried chicken was sold for!"This fried chicken... ah no, our private room," at the last moment, she finally remembered her identity as the KTV front desk, not the cashier at a fried chicken shop, "I can show you the group deal! Our store just launched a group-buy price: from 6 pm to midnight on weekdays, unlimited time, two hours only 68 yuan for the room fee!"

An Ji Shan hadn’t planned to sing karaoke today; rushing in was purely due to the aroma and a sudden impulse.

Although the cost wasn’t expensive, however...

Gao Shuxian had already taken out her phone to show the two customers the group deal information, but both customers naturally looked at Wang Jinghan’s hand.

At this moment, Gao Shuxian finally had the awareness expected of a boss: "The fried chicken leg is a new snack we just added, 28 yuan per serving. Would you like one to eat while singing? For drinks or beer, you can choose yourself over there."

Wang Jinghan had already eaten several bites of the small chicken leg, quickly tossed the bone aside, and recalled what Chen Ran had just introduced in the kitchen about the lion’s head meatball: "There’s also braised lion’s head just out of the pot, one per serving, you can choose either."

An Ji Shan loved fried chicken, but her colleague was a loyal pork lover. Just outside the store earlier, she had already smelled the lion’s head aroma.

"One lion’s head, one fried chicken!" She grabbed An Ji Shan’s hand and went to the water bar to choose drinks, "Ah, since we’re already here, might as well bring forward Friday’s event to today. I don’t believe you don’t want to complain about that boss today! Let’s sing a couple of songs first, I’m really upset today, don’t steal the mic from me!"

Indeed, when work is frustrating, yelling out loud is the best vent!

After choosing a private room and sending the two customers in, Gao Shuxian told the waiter to be more enthusiastic and closed the door, then excitedly turned back to ask Wang Jinghan, "How much are those lion’s heads?"

After asking, she realized she might have been a bit unprofessional, paced twice, then boldly priced it: "Let’s say 18 yuan per serving! Hurry and find a marker, add lion’s head and fried chicken to the menu!"

The waiter had already gone to the kitchen to notify Chen Ran: "Chef Chen, one fried chicken leg and one lion’s head."

Chen Ran picked a small plate with four small chicken legs, added a small tomato as garnish, and placed one lion’s head meatball in a small bowl, lightly pouring some broth in.

"Done, take it out."

The waiter couldn’t help but swallow hard.

No wonder people smelled it outside and rushed in — it really was too fragrant!

The aroma of the two dishes wasn’t as strong as just after coming out of the pot but still captivated everyone who smelled it.

While chopping cabbage, Chen Ran noticed the waiter’s gaze and couldn’t help but smile: "Made a lot, there’s some for staff meals too, just take it over!"

"Got it, on the way!"

In the private room, An Ji Shan had already requested a Tang Dynasty version of "The Internationale." Every time she felt hurt by capitalists, she’d come here and shout this song from start to finish.

But today, the lyrics had reached "to create happiness for mankind," yet she still hadn’t gotten into the tune.

"What’s wrong today, no energy?"

Her colleague sprawled across the sofa and said to her, "This place is actually quite clean, and the equipment’s good. Why hasn’t anyone come here before?"

"Seems like every time when we get to the door, someone hands out coupons, and then they leave..."

Before An Ji Shan could finish, someone knocked three times at the door, then opened it and walked in.

A strong fragrance!

Before she could see the waiter’s figure, the aroma of the food had already wafted in.

An Ji Shan dropped the microphone, and her colleague immediately jumped up from the sofa.

"Can I put it here?"

"Yes, yes, just put it here."Both of them held back, neither making a move first. Only after the waiter politely closed the door and left did An Ji Shan finally reach out to grab a fried chicken leg.

Picking up the chicken leg, she suddenly realized with regret that she had forgotten to bring disposable gloves!

But faced with such delicious food, this little worry was quickly forgotten.

Taking a bite, even the sound of "The Internationale" singing couldn’t drown out the crispy crackling of the fried chicken.

Unlike the fried chicken she was used to eating, the outside of this chicken leg was somewhat hard to describe—but this slight hardness actually gave the chicken meat a uniquely different texture when chewing.

“This chicken leg really smells amazing! Baby, you should have one too!”

She patiently chewed, and after the aroma of the chicken leg fully faded in her mouth, she couldn’t help but turn to comment to her colleague, “This fried chicken must have used a lot of spices! I feel like it was first marinated then... huh? You’re done already?”

She immediately saw her colleague holding a chicken bone!

“It really is delicious. Why are you eating so slowly? Don’t you think this chicken leg should be chewed bite after bite to taste it fully? Especially the crispy hard part outside, it feels like eating beef jerky!”

Her colleague passionately grabbed the mic: “I’ve always thought pork, beef, and lamb were tasty, but this chicken is really flavorful!”

Seeing her colleague’s hand reach again toward the plate, An Ji Shan grabbed another chicken leg—two in hand!

“Two each, don’t eat too much!”

“Got it. Just now I called you baby, but you eat chicken legs so fast you turn fierce…”

Her colleague Li Yao withdrew her hand, thought for a moment, then picked up a spoon to taste the lion’s head meatball.

The lion’s head, which had become legendary among the people of Xinhua City, naturally stood up to the test.

Scooping some up, it looked soft and glutinous. When put into the mouth, it gave off a rich fatty aroma, and when really chewed, it was tender and fragrant with a bit of chewiness!

Li Yao had made lion’s head meatballs herself at home—especially during the New Year, she and her mother would make them together.

Having made them herself, she knew how rare it was for a lion’s head to have such layered flavor and texture.

“This lion’s head is definitely hand-chopped! And maybe the fat and lean meat are separately cut…”

She reluctantly swallowed the first bite, then scooped a second with some broth on the spoon before putting it into her mouth again.

Compared to the pure rich aroma without broth, the lion’s head with thick broth was a completely different deliciousness. The thick broth first filled the whole mouth, then a bite of soft lion’s head meatball, followed by the sudden burst of sweet water chestnut pieces…

“Li Yao! Leave me one bite!”

They just couldn’t stop!

Reluctantly, Li Yao extended her spoon again. Under An Ji Shan’s wide-eyed watch, she dipped it in the broth…

“Alright, alright, half of it’s yours. Can’t I keep eating chicken legs?”

Only after saying this did she suddenly realize, “Wait, we can order another serving!”

Though whenever they went singing, the two of them always implicitly shared just one snack, this time was different!

Since the snacks arrived, they hadn’t even started singing yet, but the “must-sing songs” they had rushed to pick were already all played through.

An Ji Shan quickly pressed the call button.

However, the waiter came a bit slowly, still looking a little impatient—outside people had started eating too, and he had just taken a bite of the lion’s head!“One more serving of lion’s head, please.”

“All right, please wait a moment.”

Compared to the delay earlier when Shanshan was called over, the serving—oh no, the snack delivery—was much faster this time.

The waiter was eager to get back to eating!

When had he ever had such a high-standard work meal before?

An Ji Shan had already told Li Yao that the newly arrived lion’s head belonged to her, while the previous serving was for Li Yao alone.

Having just finished two fried chicken legs, she was just in the mood to eat more!

Considering that snacks were sold at the KTV, it was unlikely they would sell lion’s head alongside rice, so Chen Ran thoughtfully reduced the salt in both snacks.

With her A-level seasoning skills, her control over saltiness was quite precise.

When An Ji Shan took her first spoonful, she worried the lion’s head might be too salty or greasy when eaten alone, but from the second bite on, she simply couldn’t stop!

“If only I had eaten more slowly just now. One bite of crispy chicken leg, one bite of tender lion’s head—this texture combination is just perfect…”

Before An Ji Shan finished speaking, she saw Li Yao enjoying it exactly as she had dreamed!

Li Yao even nodded as she ate: “Indeed, this chicken skin is so crispy it flakes off! Watch me eat one bite of lion’s head first, then bite the chicken leg…”

The crispy chicken skin of the leg mixed with the sweet water chestnut pieces in the lion’s head collided in the mouth, elevating both foods to a new level of flavor.

Seeing her satisfied expression, An Ji Shan jealously grabbed her beer and took a big gulp.

Although she really wanted to eat another chicken leg, ordering another serving might be too much to finish.

Wait…

An Ji Shan suddenly realized she had been mistaken. Although this was a KTV, the two of them had only sung half a distracted version of “The Internationale” since coming in. How was this any different from going to a regular restaurant?

If she couldn’t eat more, then just pack it to go!

She quickly ordered another chicken leg, explaining to Li Yao as she ordered: “I’ll eat one more chicken leg, then pack the remaining three. I’ll pay for this portion separately.”

Li Yao was savoring the food in her mouth and didn’t want to interrupt, but reluctantly nodded.

After swallowing her bite, she took a sip of beer and said, “I’ll also order another lion’s head to take away for lunch tomorrow!”

Outside, Gao Shuxian watched the waiter run back and forth. Just the lion’s head alone had been delivered three times, and she suddenly felt a bit relieved.

She began to understand why Chen Ran had initially insisted on opening the doors wide.

Although she had been overly “protected” by her family and never involved in the family business, Gao Shuxian was not dumb.

Since the aroma just now had attracted customers, why not keep trying?

She looked around and picked the server with the best appetite from the store.

“Shunzi, take a chicken leg and eat it while walking. Go to the convenience store over there and buy me a bottle of water.”

Shunzi swallowed his food hard, glanced at the lion’s head left in his bowl to avoid it being stolen on the way out, then picked up a chicken leg and went out to wander around as Gao Shuxian instructed.

Unfortunately, there weren’t many people on the street at that moment, and he only attracted questions from the convenience store clerk.An Ji Shan and Li Yao ate and drank their fill, then sang a bit more, feeling all the work fatigue wash away. When it was time to pay, they saw the poster behind the front desk and couldn’t help but praise the owner a little more.

“I’ve never been to your place before. I’ll come again when I have time!”

“Yeah, these chicken legs are perfect with drinks… and the lion’s head is delicious too…” Li Yao was so happy eating that she couldn’t help but ask, “Do you have delivery service?”

Everyone present fell silent.

Li Yao forced a laugh: “Sorry, I was just too happy eating and got carried away…”

Not only was there no delivery, but KTVs generally didn’t have takeout bags or boxes. Shunzi had rushed to the convenience store at lightning speed and only managed to get a few food bags.

“Next time, next time I’ll definitely get some takeout boxes!”

The whole conversation at the KTV felt a bit strange; everyone inexplicably felt somewhat out of place.

After a brief silence and seeing the two customers off, Gao Shuxian rushed into the back kitchen and gave Chen Ran a big hug.

“Amazing! We haven’t had customers for a long time! This is the first order recently!”

Chen Ran of course knew this. When An Ji Shan and Li Yao paid, the system had popped up a notification:

【Breakthrough of 0 achieved】

【Mission reward: Crispy Fried Crucian Carp】

【Mission Step 3: KTV nightly revenue exceeds 1,000 yuan】

Crispy Fried Crucian Carp?

It had to be said, the snack set the system gave was quite traditional.

Unlike Western fried chicken, the Chinese-style fried chicken and the rarely seen crispy fried crucian carp in today’s snack shops.

As Chen Ran was thinking this, she heard Gao Shuxian ask, “Is there anything else you need help with?”

She had already quickly realized that the revival of business at this small KTV depended on holding onto the chef’s thigh!

Gao Shuxian had just coordinated the roles of two employees—one to follow Chen Ran to buy ingredients, and the auntie was to come by now and then to help check the kitchen cleaning.

“Tomorrow… buy some small crucian carp as well.”

Small crucian carp?

A question mark popped up in Gao Shuxian’s mind. She had to admit, the term “small crucian carp” was still too far removed from the KTV environment. Even though she had just accepted the terms “takeout box” and “delivery,” she still couldn’t imagine customers eating fish and spitting out bones while singing at a KTV.

But she had to hold onto that thigh tightly!

“Okay, tomorrow morning I’ll go with you to restock, and if there’s anything you need help with preparing ingredients, I can join too!”

Thinking about the wonderfully tasty fried chicken legs she just ate, she couldn’t help but look forward to tomorrow’s small crucian carp.

Not only Gao Shuxian and the employees of White Swan were savoring the fried chicken legs.

An Ji Shan happily packed the fried chicken legs to take home and on the way was already planning with Li Yao.

“There are three fried chicken legs left. I’ll eat one for breakfast tomorrow, maybe with tomato noodles. Then I’ll take one to work for lunch, just right to go with the tasteless food from the cafeteria…”

“And the last one?”“There’s definitely no way that last chicken leg will last past tonight! There’s no room in my stomach now. After I go home, watch some videos and take a shower, then there’ll be space, right?”

Li Yao didn’t believe it.

Sure enough, when the two said goodnight before sleep, they both cautiously asked each other:

“Your chicken leg…”

“Your lion’s head…”

Were all eaten!

No way — such delicious food could never be left in the fridge overnight!

“That chicken leg really is something. Not only was the flavor perfect, but the crispiness was top-notch! I packed it all the way home without it going soft. Even after putting it in the fridge and just now taking it out to eat, the skin was still crispy!”

“That lion’s head too… It had been in the fridge for over an hour, and the broth was starting to slowly congeal. I couldn’t resist and microwaved a bowl of rice to mix with it — that taste…”

Both fell silent simultaneously.

Li Yao stared at the “typing…” above the WeChat input box, holding back for a while but couldn’t resist: “How about we go again tomorrow?”

An Ji Shan quickly deleted the same sentence she had typed and promptly replied, “Tomorrow, then!”

Just telling Li Yao wasn’t quite enough for her, so late at night, still reluctant to part, she posted on Moments.

“Tasted my favorite fried chicken of the year recently! No batter, crispy like my fragile heart, flavor marinated deep into the bones!”

The picture attached showed three chicken bones, cleaned down to the cartilage.

An Ji Shan’s friends more or less knew about her obsession with fried chicken. Recommendations from a fried chicken lover were worth trusting. The comments were all asking for the address.

She replied uniformly: “From White Swan KTV!”

This unusual reply caught quite a bit of attention.

“Are you sure? I’m asking about a fried chicken place, is it near a KTV?”

An Ji Shan confidently answered: “Not nearby, it’s at this KTV called White Swan. Their fried chicken and lion’s head are unbeatable!”

Her Moments post really convinced some people.

It had to be said, if it were a restaurant promotion, probably not so many people would be interested.

After all, if a restaurant’s food was bad, going once could mean a total loss.

But the charm of this KTV was that it was still a KTV! Even if the fried chicken wasn’t as amazing as An Ji Shan claimed, at least you could go sing!

Moreover, there weren’t many KTVs in the city offering fried chicken. Most KTV snacks were the same old things: fruits, nuts, maybe some duck snacks, often pre-made dishes of unknown age.

Fried chicken was at least freshly fried that day, right? Even if it was bad, how bad could it be?

So at 10 pm the next day after work, Gao Shuxian was a little surprised to find three or four groups of customers had come!

An Ji Shan said a bit proudly, “I posted on Moments yesterday, and it got over thirty likes!”

Gao Shuxian immediately formatted: “Sending you a serving of our new snack!”

Because most customers specifically asked for fried chicken, Chen Ran was still frying chicken in the back kitchen. To avoid flavor mixing, the oil for frying chicken and for frying fish had to be used separately.An Ji Shan only then noticed that the aroma of fish drifting in the air actually overpowered the familiar smell of fried chicken.

"Alright, it's settled then!"

She happily linked arms with Li Yao and, with practiced ease, headed to the private room they had been to last time. While ordering a few songs, they waited for the snacks they had ordered and the extra dishes the boss had sent.

This small eatery… no, KTV was really nice. After ordering, they leisurely sang while waiting for the waiter to bring the food.

Li Yao thought to herself, feeling a bit of dissonance. But as long as the food was good, that was all that mattered!

Outside the private room, the front desk girl Wang Jinghan was somewhat awkwardly unpacking the takeout boxes, also feeling a bit of dissonance.

However, combined with the strong aroma wafting from the kitchen, that dissonance wasn’t so strong anymore.

The new dish was ready—crispy fried crucian carp!

Crispy fried crucian carp was completely different from traditional fried foods. Generally, fried foods were first fried slowly at low heat, then fried again at high heat to color.

But crispy fried crucian carp was first shaped at high heat, then slowly fried at low heat.

Chen Ran scooped the fried crucian carp out and poured them into a large iron tray prepared in advance. Her movements were a bit rough, causing two small fish to break apart directly on the tray.

Shunzi, waiting to serve the food, was wide-eyed!

Just a drop from about twenty centimeters high was enough to break a fried fish on the plate! He really didn’t dare imagine what it would feel like if this small crucian carp broke apart inside his mouth.

Chen Ran proudly said, "Alright, let’s serve it!"

The second dish of the traditional snack set, crispy fried crucian carp, was out of the kitchen!