"I’ve got sothing going on over here; let’s chat later."
Uncle Yu hurriedly ended the video call. Together with Old Sun, a fisherman who often ca back empty-handed, he followed the aroma towards the entrance of Lin Ji’s Food.
Upon reaching the entrance, they didn’t go in. Instead, drawn by the delicious scent of roast chicken, they continued forward until they reached the corner of Lin Ji’s Food’s outer wall. There, they discovered the fragrance wafting out from an open window.
Through this open window, the two of them saw many roast chickens arranged inside, all emitting a rich aroma.
The skin on the roast chickens was intact, boasting an appetizing date-red color.
Seeing this color, both n couldn’t help but swallow. That was the color of roast chicken from the olden days: fried until red before being simred in a savory braising liquid.
This was unlike modern thods, where the pursuit of a golden hue led to quickly frying the chicken before braising. So braised at shops didn’t even fry the chicken, rely blanching the skin in hot water before braising, resulting in an unappetizing color.
The roast chicken was still quite hot, and the kitchen assistants helping out would occasionally get scalded.
In the Braised Products Section’s preparation area, Lin Xu was busy. When he suddenly looked up and saw two people standing at the window, he was startled.
"Uncle Yu? Old Sun? What brings you two here...?"
Uncle Yu swallowed again.
"Young Boss Lin, this roast chicken... is it for sale?"
Of course, they’re for sale, Lin Xu thought. With this many, if I didn’t sell them, they’d go moldy before we could eat them all.
Lin Xu nodded. "Yes, it’s for sale. They’ve just co out of the pot and aren’t fully ready yet."
As he spoke, he noticed so roast chickens that Xu Xinhua had just separated and set aside to cool. He picked up a bowl with so pieces and extended it out the window.
"You two are here just in ti. Please, help taste test. I haven’t sold roast chicken in Beijing before, so I’m not sure if the seasoning is too light or too strong."
Old Sun, who usually enjoyed fishing, didn’t frequent Lin Ji’s Food often, so he looked a bit sheepish.
But Uncle Yu was different; he had even been eating breakfast at the restaurant frequently of late. Seeing Lin Xu extend the bowl, he imdiately pinched a piece of chicken with skin and popped it into his mouth.
The chicken at was fragrant and incredibly tender, while the skin was soft with a delightful chewiness.
He tasted it, and before he could even speak, he pinched another piece and stuffed it into his mouth. "Delicious, delicious! This is too good! Can I have two? Old Sun, why aren’t you eating? Are you waiting for to get you chopsticks?"
Hearing Old Yu’s praise, Old Sun couldn’t resist pinching a piece and putting it in his mouth as well.
After tasting it, he said, "I’ll take four. The kids are coming ho for dinner tonight. I was thinking of taking the bus to the suburbs to catch a couple of fish, but now I don’t need to make that trip."
Uncle Yu remarked, "When was the last ti you actually caught anything? You always end up buying a couple from to take ho..."
Old Sun’s fishing skills were average. Since he usually fished in small suburban streams, his success was typically three parts fate, seven parts skill, and the remaining ninety parts pure luck.
Occasionally, he would have a huge haul, like the small river fish Lin Xu had once bought from Uncle Yu, which were the fruits of Old Sun’s half-day labor.
More often, however, he’d return from the suburbs with peaches or a few cobs of corn. Failing that, he would at least stop by Uncle Yu’s to buy a couple of Carp to take ho.
He truly lived up to the fisherman’s vow: "Never go Air Force!"
Lin Xu asked, "Should I pack them now?"
"Pack them now! For people like us with bad teeth, this kind of incredibly tender roast chicken is the most delicious."
Lin Xu took out several take-out containers used by the Braised Products Departnt and carefully placed the roast chickens inside. Each container was the perfect size for one roast chicken and had vent holes on the top and sides to allow as much steam as possible to escape, preventing excess moisture from making the chicken skin soggy.
First, he packed the two Uncle Yu wanted, and then Old Sun’s four.
Once they were packed, the two elderly n couldn’t be bothered to go inside the restaurant to pay.
"Young Boss Lin, just show us the paynt QR code on your phone, and we’ll scan it directly. Or better yet, put a QR code sticker here. That way, the old neighbors won’t have to go inside to buy."
Lin Xu’s eyes lit up at the suggestion. Not a bad idea at all.
After collecting paynt from the two elderly n via his phone, Lin Xu imdiately had soone from the front desk put up the restaurant’s paynt QR code outside. They also set up a paynt announcent device. This way, the Braised Products Departnt could operate as a separate point of sale.
"Boss, perhaps you should still assign a cashier here," Xu Xinhua suggested. "We can handle making the braised foods, but when it cos to the accounts, we get a bit muddled."
Xu Xinhua didn’t want to handle the accounts. Braised at, after all, weighed differently raw versus cooked, making it easy for discrepancies to arise in the books.
Therefore, to avoid any argunts, the best solution was not to touch the money or manage the accounts.
Lin Xu didn’t insist. He had a server stationed there to package orders and collect paynts from custors.
But this was only a temporary asure. Later, he would ask Dou Wenjing to find soone to modify this window, turning it into an outward-facing service counter. They would also install a simple stainless-steel worktop inside to make it easier for the cashier. To avoid disrupting dayti operations, the renovation would have to be done at night. It wasn’t a big job and could probably be finished in one night at most.
「anwhile, Uncle Yu returned to his store.」
As Lin Xu had instructed, he placed one roast chicken in the refrigerator’s cold storage compartnt. The other, he opened and set right next to the cash register at his convenience store’s entrance.
Roast chicken was a dish that could be enjoyed hot or cold. Eaten hot, it was tender and richly aromatic. Eaten cold, it beca savory and chewy, making it an even better accompanint for alcohol.
Uncle Yu had it all planned out. The chicken in the fridge was for him to take ho and enjoy with drinks in the evening.
As for the one by the cash register, he planned to carve off a few pieces to enjoy while it was still hot.
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