Chapter 259 It's really here?

8:30.

A long queue had already formed outside the door.

Su Xiaoxiao walked to the door, opened the glass door, and held the number plate in her hand.

"Good morning, everyone. Please enter in order of your number and do not crowd."

Chairman Chen and Li Dayong and a few others walked at the front, received their number plates, and strode into the hall.

Li Dayong habitually walked towards the bar, ready to order his ever-present clear broth beef brisket noodles.

His gaze swept over the blackboard on the wall, and he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

"Old Chen, look!" Li Dayong pointed at the blackboard, his face full of surprise. "Boss Lin has a new dish! Mushroom and Chicken Rice Bowl? Eighty-eight yuan?"

Chairman Chen looked in the direction he was pointing and also showed a surprised expression.

"Is Boss Lin doing charity work?" Li Dayong asked casually, touching the gold chain around his neck.

"Miss Su, give me one of these chicken rice bowls! I had a few drinks last night, and my stomach is a bit empty this morning. I was just thinking of having something with meat and rice."

Chairman Chen thought for a moment and said, "I'd also like a rice bowl and a serving of scrambled eggs with tomatoes."

The hall quickly became lively, and other regular customers who came in saw the affordable new dish on the blackboard and ordered it without prior arrangement.

Lin Fan washed his hands, tied on a white apron, and walked into the open kitchen.

The stove was lit. Blue flames leaped up.

When making rice bowls, the heat and speed are the most crucial factors.

Lin Fan took out the three-yellow chicken thigh meat that had been cut in advance and coated with a thin layer of batter.

Black mountain pork fat was added to the pot, melting and emitting wisps of blue smoke. Scallions and ginger were sautéed until fragrant, then Lin Fan directly poured the chicken thigh meat into the hot oil.

"Sizzle—"

The chicken skin, exposed to the high temperature, quickly shrank and turned yellow. Lin Fan tossed the wok with one hand, his movements clean and efficient. The chicken pieces tumbled in the wok, locking in the moisture.

Next, add the thick slices of Lingshan shiitake mushrooms to the pot.

The rich, wild aroma of shiitake mushrooms is instantly released when it comes into contact with hot oil, mixing with the fatty aroma of chicken and wafting into the living room from the semi-open kitchen.

Li Dayong was drinking water when he smelled this aroma and unconsciously swallowed.

"This mushroom flavor... is really strong."

Lin Fan poured in the system-brewed soy sauce and oyster sauce, stir-fried them until they were colored, and then added warm spiritual spring water. He covered the pot and simmered it over medium-low heat.

During the few minutes of simmering, he turned around, opened the large insulated wooden bucket next to him, scooped out the distinct grains of Xiangshui Gong rice, and spread it on the bottom of a wide-mouthed white porcelain bowl.

When the time is up, lift the lid.

Reduce the sauce over high heat. The sauce will become thick and glossy red, coating the chicken and shiitake mushrooms, and bubbling enticingly at the bottom of the pot.

Lin Fan picked up the spatula, scooped up a full spoonful of topping, meat and broth, and steadily placed it on top of the white rice.

The reddish-brown sauce slowly seeped into the gaps between the rice grains, turning the originally snow-white rice into a glossy amber color.

"Serve the food." Lin Fan pressed the bell.

Su Xiaoxiao carried a tray and delivered two bowls of rice to Li Dayong and Chairman Chen.

Li Dayong looked down at the bowl of rice in front of him.

There's no fancy plating, just solid meat, mushrooms, and rice. Steam rises from the plate, carrying a rich and comforting aroma of savory sauce.

He picked up the spoon and forcefully turned the rice at the bottom up, making sure every grain was coated with the broth.

Scoop up a large spoonful, along with a piece of chicken leg and a slice of shiitake mushroom, and stuff it directly into your mouth.

Li Dayong's eyes lit up the moment he tasted it.

The chicken is incredibly tender; it doesn't require much chewing and falls apart at the slightest touch of the teeth, bursting with sweet and savory juices.

The shiitake mushrooms are thick and fleshy, absorbing the essence of chicken oil and sauce, giving you the illusion of eating abalone when you bite into them.

The best part was that bowl of rice.

Xiangshui tribute rice is already chewy and springy, and when coated with a rich, savory, and slightly sweet sauce, the satisfaction of carbohydrates reaches its peak.

"Phew..." Li Dayong exhaled a breath of hot air, not even bothering to say a word, and began frantically shoveling rice into his mouth.

For a rough man like him, who came from a coal mine in Shanxi Province, only this way of eating, where he ate meat and rice in large mouthfuls, was true enjoyment.

In less than five minutes, the large bowl of rice was emptied.

Li Dayong took a spoon, scraped the last grains of rice with sauce from the bottom of the bowl, and put them in his mouth.

"Old Chen, this dish is practically robbery! But we're the ones robbing Boss Lin! Hahaha!" Li Dayong rubbed his belly and let out a burp full of the aroma of soy sauce.

After swallowing this hot meal, the coldness and lingering pain in my stomach, left by years of drinking and socializing, were slowly soothed by a warm force.

The system's recipes immediately demonstrated their spleen-strengthening and stomach-nourishing effects.

Mr. Chen, sitting across from me, also put down his spoon. He ate more politely, but he finished his food completely.

"The mushrooms in this braised chicken with mushrooms are definitely not the ordinary kind you find in the market; they have such a strong wild flavor. Even a simple home-cooked meal like this, which costs only a few dozen yuan, is made with such depth and skill."

Chairman Chen wiped his mouth with a napkin.

Behind the bar, Su Xiaoxiao's phone vibrated several times in a row.

She glanced down and saw that her roommates' WeChat group had exploded.

Li Na: "Holy crap! 88 yuan! Really?!"

Wang Jia: "Skip class! I have to get a number this time!"

Chen Min: "Xiaoxiao, could you secretly save three numbers for us? I want to eat hot meat, waaaaah..."

Su Xiaoxiao looked at the messages in the group chat and couldn't help but laugh. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she typed a reply:

"Leaving your number is definitely not allowed; we can't break the store's rules. If you come and line up now, you should be able to make it!"

……

11:30 a.m.

The lunch break saw a second peak in customer traffic.

Outside the lobby, three young girls wearing long down jackets were standing in the middle of the queue.

Li Na, Wang Jia, and Chen Min.

The three of them saw Su Xiaoxiao's message in the group chat early this morning, and even skipped the last half of their elective class in the morning, directly hailed a shared bicycle and headed straight to Phoenix Golden Street.

"I'm freezing! Luckily I arrived early today and made it in time." Chen Min put her hands in her pockets and stomped her feet.

"You've tasted Boss Lin's cooking before; you ate two bowls of rice with that free plate of Mapo Tofu last time."

Li Na swallowed hard. "We earned a commission by helping Xiaoxiao sell plum juice before, so let's treat ourselves to this meal today."

The line moved forward slowly.

Twenty minutes later, the three of them entered the store.

A warm breeze wafted through the hall, filling the air with the rich aroma of soy sauce and the wild fragrance of shiitake mushrooms.

Su Xiaoxiao walked over with her tablet, and seeing the three of them, couldn't help but laugh: "You really skipped class and came here?"

"I'll go all out for this food." Li Na took out her phone and scanned the QR code on the corner of the table. "Xiao Xiao, we'll have three servings of mushroom and chicken rice. Payment's made."

Lin Fan saw the three female college students in the open kitchen.

He didn't say anything, but his movements remained steady and decisive.

After reducing the sauce over high heat, the thick, glossy red topping is steadily placed over three large bowls of rice.

"Serve the food."