Chapter 35: Plain Braised Chicken
Li Ji turned around and saw Liu Xiu in the same posture as before.
Girl, are you talking in your sleep?
Li Ji was just about to push the door open when Liu Xiu suddenly coughed.
Her little face turned red.
He quickly reached out and took a cold towel and placed it on her pillow.
"Xiu Xiu! Are you feeling very uncomfortable?"
Li Ji shouted.
Liu Xiu opened her eyes, looked at Li Ji's concerned eyes, and said softly:
"My Lord, didn't you go to bed for a while?"
Li Ji said quickly: "No! How do you feel now?"
Liu Xiu was a little embarrassed, "Sir, I feel uncomfortable in my stomach."
"Come, drink some water."
Li Ji helped Liu Xiu sit up and handed her the cup of water.
He advised tactfully:
"This wine is a good thing, but there is one thing. If you drink too much, you will become a bad guy."
When Liu Xiu heard this, he glanced and wondered what Lord Li said.
"Are you talking about me or the wine?"
Li Ji looked at Liu Xiu with a bitter face and was stunned.
"I mean, drinking too much alcohol can cause trouble. Girls should drink less, as it can make your stomach uncomfortable."
Liu Xiu said angrily: "Master Li, I was inspired by you, wasn't I? That scene was like going to the battlefield, so exciting."
"Yes, after drinking that bowl of wine from you, everyone admires you. Women are just as good as men!"
Liu Xiu finished drinking the water in the cup and whispered:
"I realized afterwards that the alcohol made me feel uncomfortable in my stomach. But I feel much better now."
She put the cup on the table and said, "Master Li, go get some sleep. You are too tired after almost no sleep all night."
"How can I leave when you're like this?"
Li Ji walked out, poured another glass of water and placed it on the table.
He brought a chair and sat down beside Liu Xiu's bed.
"Xiu Xiu, go to sleep. I'll leave later."
Seeing Li Ji's stubbornness, Liu Xiu smiled and said:
"Oh, I'm not a child. Fine, then it's up to you."
After a while, Liu Xiu fell into a deep sleep.
Li Ji's eyelids felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, and he fell down beside Liu Xiu's bed several times.
The next day.
Liu Xiu woke up from her dream and saw Li Ji still lying on the edge of his bed. She felt apologetic.
"Master Li, please go to bed in the room. You will catch a cold if you stay like this."
She reached out and touched Li Ji's forehead, muttering with heartache:
"You, how can I put it, are just stubborn."
Li Ji stretched and yawned.
"Xiu Xiu, are you okay?"
"Well, it's fine. Look at how much I drank. I made you watch all night."
Liu Xiu turned over and got up.
Li Ji walked back to his room, fell on the bed, and soon began to snore.
It was not until the sun was shining directly into the house that Liu Xiu woke Li Ji up.
Li Ji said: "Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"
"You're so tired, I want you to sleep a little longer. Ye Fan came here, and I told you that you drank too much."
Li Ji rubbed his eyes, got dressed and got out of bed.
"Ah, it's still more comfortable to sleep on a bed."
He said to Liu Xiu, "Xiu Xiu, what do you want to eat for lunch? Have you ever had plain braised chicken?"
"Roast chicken?"
Xiuxiu shook her head.
When Li Ji saw Liu Xiu shaking his head, he was delighted.
"You've never eaten it, so I'll make one for you to try. Anyway, you don't know whether it's good or bad."
Li Ji thought that the chickens had grown up. There was a famous dish in Pingyuan called Pingyuan Braised Chicken.
Liu Xiu didn’t know what “braised chicken” was, so I used the knowledge I had accumulated to try to make one.
He asked Ye Fan to catch a rooster from the mountains.
This chicken weighs more than two kilograms.
Based on some of his experiences from his previous life, he wrote a list of ingredients and asked Ye Fan to go to the market to purchase them.
Ye Fan took a look at the list and saw:
1500g peanut oil, 25g salt, 150g soy sauce;
5g ginger, 5g mushroom, 1g clove, 1g amomum;
1 gram of Amomum villosum, 1 gram of Angelica dahurica, and 1 gram of Fennel.
Ye Fan was shocked. How could a chicken not taste good if it required so many ingredients?
After he left, Li Ji tied on an apron, took a sharp cow-ear knife and went to kill the chicken.
He grasped the chicken's two wings with his left hand, pulled the chicken's head back with his right hand, and pressed it down with his left thumb.
He took the knife in his right hand and cut the chicken's throat with a "swish".
A stream of bright red chicken blood flowed into the basin in a line.
Then pluck the chicken, remove the internal organs, and wash it in clean water.
He inserted the chicken's left wing through the incision under the neck, so that the tip of the wing protruded from the inside of the mouth and pinned it on the chicken's back.
Then pin the chicken's right wing on its back.
Liu Xiu was fascinated as he watched from the side. My God, there are so many fancy ways to make roast chicken.
Li Ji used the back of a knife to gently break the chicken's leg bones and crossed them, then stuffed the two claws into the chicken's belly to dry them .
Mix maltose with 50 grams of water and spread it evenly on the chicken.
Heat the pan, add peanut oil, wait until the oil is 80% hot, then fry the chicken.
Fry until golden brown, then remove from the chicken and drain the oil.
Add clean water to the pot and put the fried chicken into the pot.
Add the five-spice powder to the cloth bag, and add ginger, refined salt, shiitake mushrooms and soy sauce as seasonings.
Li Ji was very skilled in the operation. He brought the food to a boil over high heat, skimmed off the foam, and then simmered it slowly.
Liu Xiu thought, how can Lord Li, who is so young, cook our local specialties? Is he a local?
That’s not right, he just came three months ago!
An hour later, Li Ji calmed down and fished out the chicken. He took the chicken out carefully, trying his best to keep the skin intact and the chicken whole.
Li Ji had just put the roast chicken in place when suddenly a shout came from outside the door:
"Go in!"
Ye Fan came in with two people.
"Report, I suspect these two men are spies of the bandits."
"Ye Fan, who are they?"
Li Ji didn't even raise his head.
"These two people have been walking around the barracks for several times and were discovered by the patrolling guards."
"Xiaoxian, why are you here?"
Li Ji was startled. Who is it with such a long mouth?
Damn it, you came without me inviting you.
Ye Fan hurriedly said: "They keep saying that they are your old acquaintances."
"Old acquaintance?"
Li Ji looked up and exclaimed, "Ouch!"
Lao Yang and Lao Yu were already standing in front of him.
Li Ji wanted to hide, but it was too late.
So be it, if it is a blessing, it is not a disaster, if it is a disaster, it cannot be avoided. Since people have come in, let it go.
He looked carefully behind Lao Yu and asked hurriedly:
"You two didn't bring any officers or soldiers with you this time?"
Lao Yu smiled and joked:
"Once bitten by a snake, you will be afraid of ropes for ten years. No, you misunderstood last time."
Li Ji thought to himself, I am still paranoid!
I misunderstood and I almost lost my life. And your mother misunderstood. Do you think you can comfort a three-year-old child?
Lao Yang felt a little embarrassed because he was the one who lost his temper first last time.
He apologized hastily and said:
"Xiaoxian, don't mind it. I scared you a little at that time. We came here today to apologize."
Li Ji smiled and said, "It's okay to apologize, but don't believe everything you hear in the future."
He reached out and tore off a piece of chicken, put it in his mouth, and chewed it with a slurping sound, his mouth making constant noises.
He went on to say, "Tell me, I'm a poor kid, who can I rebel against? Who would be willing to follow me?"
Lao Yu and Lao Yang were drooling with envy.
Since Li Ji didn't give in, it would be difficult for him to take action.
Lao Yu then said: "I heard that you are training new troops."
Li Ji was shocked. How could something happen again?
