Chapter 64
Fried chicken and spicy hotpot were supposed to be two completely unrelated street food giants, with no competitive connection.
However, due to the intensifying debate about the king of street food in A City, these two foods had now become opposing forces…
Fried chicken fans claimed they would never touch spicy hotpot in their lives, as it would dirty their mouths;
Meanwhile, spicy hotpot fans declared that fried chicken was a foreign, heretical food, and spicy hotpot was the true Chinese street food tradition!
Both sides were eager to distance themselves from the other.
And Jian Yunlan, who had first set up a stall selling spicy hotpot and then started selling fried chicken: “….”
When he registered his new account to kindly remind everyone that the two stall owners might be the same person, he was immediately insulted for three whole pages.
Jian Yunlan shrugged, put his phone down.
An idea suddenly flashed in his mind, and he had a bold thought…
Why not set up two stalls tonight, one on the left selling spicy hotpot and the other on the right selling fried chicken?
Spicy hotpot paired with fried chicken—double the joy.
The more Jian Yunlan thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, and his eyes began to light up. He immediately began packing up his tricycle and asked the butler and others to help with the modifications.
Soon, Jian Yunlan rode his tricycle to the market. He bought bamboo skewers and various ingredients for the spicy hotpot.
Just before he was about to leave the market, he suddenly noticed a strange stall.
At the stall, a blonde, blue-eyed foreigner wearing a chef’s uniform was shouting in plastic Mandarin:
“Come look, come look! I have cheese imported directly from Italy! Mozzarella cheese!”
It was the first time he had ever seen someone selling cheese at a market.
And it was a foreigner.
This odd combination attracted a crowd of people to watch, but no one had bought any cheese yet.
Jian Yunlan, feeling curious, walked over and saw that the mozzarella cheese was packaged in a transparent sealed bag, showing a light, delicate creamy yellow color.
“How much for the cheese?” Jian Yunlan asked.
“Fifty yuan per bag, it’s made from top-quality buffalo milk,” the foreigner smiled, showing his big white teeth, but his expression looked a bit sad.
“I came from the west, planning to open a milk tea shop, specializing in cheese-flavored milk tea, but… it ended up losing money every month, and now I just want to clear out my stock and go home.”
Many people nearby were whispering, not believing the story and thinking he was probably just making up something to sell the cheese.
And the price was so high.
But Jian Yunlan immediately recognized that this was excellent mozzarella cheese with a faint purple sheen. Selling it for fifty yuan per bag was actually a discount.
Jian Yunlan: “I’ll take it all.”
The foreigner’s eyes lit up and handed him a stack of flyers. “Kind person, this is the ad for renting out my milk tea shop. Please help me find someone interested.”
Jian Yunlan took the flyer and looked at it:
[Prime Location for Rent! Previously used for a cheese milk tea shop, featuring premium mozzarella cheese combined with milk tea… but alas…]
Jian Yunlan: “…”
Using mozzarella cheese for milk tea? Who wouldn’t go bankrupt with that?
Mozzarella cheese isn’t suited for desserts. It’s dense, with a slightly salty and creamy flavor, best used for pizza or lasagna.
Looking at the cheese, Jian Yunlan came up with a brilliant plan.
For today’s fried chicken, he would make cheese-filled fried chicken fillets!
As for the spicy hotpot, he could fry some fried dough sticks and make a traditional sticky and thick spicy hotpot.
Yeah, the plan was set.
Back at the Jian family villa, the butler had already modified the tricycle. Since there would be two stalls, the tricycle had nearly doubled in size.
The butler, with a look full of concern, said: “Young master, you’ve worked hard. Is there anything we can help with…”
“Then help me tenderize the chicken fillets!” Jian Yunlan said without hesitation.
Butler: “Of course.”
Making the cheese-filled fried chicken wasn’t complicated. Like the fried chicken from a few days ago, it needed to be marinated first.
However, Jian Yunlan personally preferred big, thin chicken fillets, so he cut the chicken breasts in half and used the back of the knife to pound them, making the fillets both thin and tender.
Soon, with the butler’s help, the villa echoed with rhythmic “thud, thud, thud” pounding sounds.
“Everyone, keep it up! If you do well, the young master will reward you!”
Compared to the fried chicken, preparing the spicy hotpot was a lot more complex, but fortunately, Jian Yunlan’s previous experience and tools for setting up stalls were still available.
Boil the bone broth, then wash and slice all the ingredients, and skewer them onto bamboo sticks.
The only new thing here is frying the fried dough sticks.
To make the youtiao, Jian Yunlan bought enough all-purpose flour, as well as baking powder, baking soda, and other necessary ingredients.
After mixing the flour and baking powder evenly, Jian Yunlan cracked an egg into the mixture. He added cold water little by little while stirring, and soon, the flour turned into a relatively loose batter.
A key step in making crispy, fluffy fried dough sticks is to pound the batter with a fist, but it’s essential not to knead the dough.
Jian Yunlan put on a disposable glove, made a fist with one hand, and started pounding the batter, folding it as he went along.
With each round of pounding, the batter quickly became soft and white, with a fine, delicate texture.
Taotie, standing with arms crossed and watching for a while, sneered and said, “This is so simple, even I could do it.”
By now, Jian Yunlan had become good at reading Taotie’s mood. Today, Taotie seemed to be in a good mood, with his eyes lazily half-closed. Though still rebellious, he wasn’t intentionally looking for trouble.
Jian Yunlan: “You think you can do it? Go ahead.”
“Hmph, you think I won’t?” Taotie said proudly, taking a portion of the batter. After putting on gloves, he stared at it for a moment.
In the next second, sharp light flashed in his golden eyes. He suddenly swung a punch—
Boom!
The batter, the bowl holding it, and even the countertop shattered with a loud crash.
The batter fell into the floor with an astonishing speed, like a meteor, and it was so fast that sparks flew out. The floor even had a crater-like hole from the impact.
Jian Yunlan: “?”
The servants in the Jian household: “???”
Taotie, looking satisfied, said, “This is far better than your pounding, isn’t it?”
Jian Yunlan looked at the wasted ingredients, his face smiling.
But his eyes betrayed a hint of murderous intent.
Jian Yunlan didn’t speak, but silently stared at Taotie.
Normally, anyone would be chilled to the bone under such a gaze, but Taotie was different.
After locking eyes with Jian Yunlan for a moment, Taotie couldn’t help but look away, his ears turning a bit red as he muttered, “…Why do you look at me like that, human?”
Jian Yunlan: “…?”
What did he even say?
“You’re permanently banned from the kitchen,” Jian Yunlan said, expressionless, as he pushed Taotie out of the kitchen.
Taotie immediately became reluctant, clutching the kitchen doorframe in a panic. “I understand, just give me another chance!”
Everyone in the villa was busy, and Jian Yunlan himself was running around in a frenzy.
Taotie genuinely wanted to help, that much was clear.
Jian Yunlan looked at him and sighed.
Half an hour later.
Under Jian Yunlan’s guidance, Taotie had become skilled enough to pound the batter with a moderate, not too exaggerated force. Once he got started, he worked quickly, and batches of snowy white dough appeared.
As a qualified ancient fierce beast, even though he was currently working at a snack stall, Taotie had not neglected his physical training.
In addition to helping at the stall and in the kitchen, Taotie woke up at 5 a.m. every day to work out, doing push-ups, boxing, and standing meditation, always maintaining his peak condition to face any enemy.
—Taotie was dressed in a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showing off his bulging muscles underneath.
His silver hair was tied up, and his focus was sharp. In the hazy morning light, as he pounded the dough, the clear muscles in his arms became visible.
It was truly a pleasing sight.
And not just any pleasing sight—he was handsome without even realizing it.
Many of the young servants watched Taotie dumbfounded, unable to stop drooling. Even Jian Yunlan, the stall fanatic, couldn’t help but appreciate the sight for a moment. Then he suddenly thought:
If I get Taotie to become a fitness influencer, could I make some extra money?
The scheming boss Jian Yunlan stroked his chin.
Under Jian Yunlan’s appreciative (and admiring) gaze, Taotie pounded the dough with increasing enthusiasm, his whole posture proud like a peacock with its tail raised.
Human, look! I really am capable, aren’t I?
Taotie thought to himself, feeling quite smug.
Once the dough was finished pounding, Jian Yunlan coated each piece of dough with oil, wrapped them in plastic wrap, and let them rest.
Once the dough had rested, they could start rolling and cutting the dough. Jian Yunlan stacked two long, thin pieces of dough together, pressing them with chopsticks so that they wouldn’t fall apart when fried.
With the butler’s help, Jian Yunlan heated up a large iron wok and prepared the oil. Once the oil was hot enough, he dropped the dough pieces into the hot oil—
Sizzle!
The sound of crackling oil filled the air, and small bubbles rose from the dough pieces. They quickly turned golden brown in the hot oil, puffing up and floating to the surface.
Soon, the fried dough sticks turned golden all over, with a crispy skin, oily and delicious.
It’s ready to be served.
The tempting aroma of the freshly fried dough sticks and the attention-grabbing sizzling sound of the hot oil brought back memories of the soy milk and fried dough stick breakfast sold on the streets in the early morning. It made everyone sneak glances, their mouths watering.
…It smells so good, I want to eat it!
“The first batch of fried dough sticks is ready, let’s have it for breakfast. I also bought some soy milk from outside,” Jian Yunlan announced, as if he had heard everyone’s thoughts.
“Yay!!!” Everyone cheered.
“Young master, you’re the best young master in the world!” the butler wiped away tears.
Soon, the villa was filled with the sound of admiration. Everyone ate their fried dough stick in their own way: some liked to eat it directly, others preferred to soak it in soy milk until it softened, but no matter how they ate it, it was so delicious!
“This fried dough stick is so crispy! It’s hollow inside, and it’s so refreshing to eat…”
“It’s totally different from the ones sold outside, so fragrant and delicious!”
“You guys don’t understand! You need to dip it in soy milk to eat it, it’s soft with a bit of crispness, and the sweet soy milk makes it even better.”
Taotie and Hu Dangui each got a fried dough stick.
Hu Dangui seemed to be busy with something recently, locking herself in her room every day, and even Jian Yunlan rarely saw her.
But of course, she wouldn’t miss out on this food. She pushed up her round glasses, her big dark eyes turned, and she lightly sniffed the fried dough stick, showing a satisfied expression.
Taotie, on the other hand, immediately stuffed the fried dough stick into his mouth, not caring about the heat. “Crunch, crunch.”
Taotie: “!!”
It’s delicious!
The freshly fried fried dough sticks, hot and with a golden sheen on the surface.
When he bit into it, the crisp sound of “crunch” rang out. The outer skin was crispy, and the inside was hollow. With each chew, the crisp, crunchy texture became even more distinct.
Jian Yunlan’s near-perfect control of the heat made the youtiao crispy without being hard, achieving a wonderful state. The hot oil flowed between the lips and teeth, making it incredibly satisfying.
Soaking it in soy milk gave it a completely different flavor.
The soy milk softened the fried dough stick, and the whole fried dough stick absorbed the fresh, sweet soy milk. The texture was delicate, soft yet with a slight crispness, which balanced out the greasiness of the fried dough stick.
Because everyone only got one fried dough stick, Taotie was worried that he would run out and ate it slowly, taking small bites. Compared to his nearly 1.9-meter-tall muscular physique, this made him look a little pitiful.
He looked a bit helpless.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
A middle-aged man in blue work clothes stood outside the door, smiling sheepishly. “Boss Jian, I’ve brought the chicken you ordered… it smells so good…”
The chicken was neatly packed in separate bags, fresh and light pink, with tender meat.
As the man spoke, his eyes began to light up, and he couldn’t help but sniff the air, glancing inside the house, swallowing his saliva.
“I’ve fried some fried dough sticks, would you like some?” Jian Yunlan asked.
“Ah… I… I don’t have money,” the middle-aged man said, lowering his head in embarrassment and wiping his hands on his clothes. “I’ve spent all my money on a lawsuit, and this month’s salary from Yama hasn’t been paid yet.”
He remembered that the fried dough stick at least cost two to three yuan per serving, which was quite expensive.
Old Niu usually ate grass from the nearby lawn, which served as his dinner.
Upon hearing this, Jian Yunlan was silent for a moment.
Food-giving obsession mode activated!
He packed a big bag full of fried dough sticks for Old Niu and sent the man, who was close to tears, on his way. After that, Jian Yunlan turned back to the busy preparation for the stall.
He was all set to head out at 4 a.m. today.
*
In the time Jian Yunlan was putting down his phone and preparing to head out, the online discussions were intensifying.
The Qinghe Three Building in Lotus Pond Community was the headquarters of the “Guard Jian Boss’s Spicy Hotpot Online Team.”
Here, the two experienced aunties, Song Lanzhen and Xu Lijun, were the commanders. Dozens of mobile phones were lined up, and each phone had someone rapidly typing away.
Apart from the square-dance aunties, Song Jing’an, Lu Ling, and their family of three, as well as Duan Qiongzhi, Wang Dajian from the gym, and even a few police officers who had just finished their shifts, could be spotted. Upon closer inspection, there were even a few police officers who had just clocked off and jumped into the battle.
“My friends, comrades, and family,” Song Lanzhen clenched her fist and shouted passionately, “Is Boss Jian’s spicy hotpot delicious?”
“Delicious!” Everyone shouted in unison.
“Is Boss Jian’s spicy hotpot the best street food in A City?”
“Yes!!!”
“Then, how should we treat that summer camp fried chicken that has been getting popular recently?”
“Heretics! Eliminate them!! Eradicate!!”
Song Lanzhen nodded in satisfaction. “Very good, keep it up.”
Everyone exchanged determined looks before diving back into the online battle.
—Not only did they need to protect Boss Jian in the real world, but even online, they couldn’t let Boss Jian fall behind.
They had to prove to the world that only Boss Jian’s spicy hotpot could truly deserve the title “King”!
However… the fried chicken side was not weak either.
During the day, the residents of Lotus Pond Community had the upper hand. But as night fell, more and more summer camp participants finished their training and grabbed their phones to join the fight, gradually reversing the situation. It wasn’t because of anything else, but because… there were so many photos and videos of fried chicken.
The foodies from Lotus Pond Community were mostly office workers, in their thirties, forties, or fifties. They enjoyed the food but were too busy enjoying it to take photos. Even when they did, it was often with a leadership-style aesthetic, failing to capture the full beauty of Boss Jian’s spicy hotpot.
But on the Longteng Summer Camp side, most of the participants were teenagers, and taking pictures before eating had become second nature. Many of them were also social media influencers, experts at taking photos, editing, and crafting the perfect narrative.
For example, this fried chicken video from the hundred-thousand-follower beauty blogger “Xiaoxiao the Cat” had no complicated filters. It simply captured the beauty of the fried chicken:
The only light in the dead of night, the rising white steam, and the golden, tempting fried chicken. She took a bite, and the clear “crunch” sound was perfectly captured by the camera. She sucked in a mouthful of rich juice, presenting the bitten fried chicken to the camera…
“Can your heretic hotpot compare to our fried chicken? Hmph, no way.”
—”In the quiet late night, who wouldn’t want a hot, fresh fried chicken like this?” A girl in a white dress smiled like a blooming flower. “Crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. Who can resist this? Can you smell it? Mmm, mmm.”
Once this video was posted, the fried chicken side seemed to blow the horn of victory, and many unrelated onlookers began to be drawn in.
…Not to mention the onlookers, even the staunch hotpot fans in Hetang Community were starting to waver after watching the video.
Everyone was struggling to type on the screen, writing things like “It’s just superficial effort, looks good but actually tastes terrible” and “Filters! Retouching! Even the video can be edited.” Their typing was firm, but many people’s eyes began to wander, as if they were stuck to the screen, unable to resist watching the fried chicken video over and over again…
Seeing this scene, Song Lanzhen and Xu Lijun leaned their heads together and anxiously discussed:
“What should we do? Our morale is unstable.”
“We need to think of a way… we can’t let Boss Jian lose.”
“But that video was shot so well, the fried chicken does look pretty good…”
Song Lanzhen’s gaze gradually grew distant, and in her pupils, the shapes of two fried chickens appeared.
“Sister Song?! Even you?” Xu Lijun looked at her in despair.
Could it be… that the battle is lost?
Just as the morale of Lotus Pond Community was about to collapse…
Suddenly, a clear voice rang out: “I have a plan, please listen carefully!”
Everyone turned toward the voice.
It was Yu Ming, who had just finished his evening classes. With his long legs, he took two steps for every one step and entered the room. Recently, he had been growing rapidly, and most people now had to look up to him. His strong muscles were clearly defined under his school uniform.
Seeing Yu Ming come in, Xu Lijun and Song Lanzhen immediately found their pillar of strength.
“Xiao Ming, you’re back from school!” The aunties rushed to greet him. “Xiao Ming, quick, tell us, how should we fight back in this situation?”
Yu Ming smiled, holding his phone in one hand, typing a counterattack against the fried chicken side, and putting down his backpack. “Everyone, don’t panic, just listen to me… Brother Lu, do you know how to edit videos?”
Lu Ling nodded coldly, “I can!”
Yu Ming calmly explained his plan: “Okay, you just need to edit the video a little bit, post it online, and then add my special spicy hotpot video…”
Everyone listened, unable to help but exclaim in admiration: “What a good idea! …But it’s a little sneaky.”
Yu Ming: “…”
Ten minutes later.
Under the video posted by ‘Xiaoxiao the Cat,’ another video appeared.
The new video was exactly the same as the original, but the color… was blue!
The deep blue fried chicken was torn apart, a bite taken, and although the content was unchanged, after the color change, it no longer looked appetizing and even seemed a little unappealing.
[Wow, who came up with this idea, how toxic!]
[There must be someone behind the spicy hotpot side guiding this.]
[Uh… I’ve stopped ordering takeout for a moment.]
At this moment, a new account timely posted a video of spicy hotpot.
The video showed a piece of tripe, larger than a palm, thin and crispy, soaking in a thick red oil broth full of sesame paste. The surface was coated with fragrant, sticky sesame sauce and red oil. When the chopsticks picked it up, the soup was still dripping down. If you took a sip now…
The fried chicken side bit down on a silver tooth in frustration, and the onlookers once again switched their allegiance to the spicy hotpot side.
Under Yu Ming’s leadership, the spicy hotpot side made a brilliant counterattack.
“Sure enough, Xiao Ming is so smart!”
“Yeah, yeah, looks like we’ll have to rely on Xiao Ming to protect Boss Jian!”
“Do you think… if we win, will Boss Jian be moved and come back to set up a stall?” Someone imagined hopefully.
This idea created a huge stir.
Thinking about this possibility, everyone became energized, typing so fast that their hands almost left afterimages.
Meanwhile, Yu Ming, the true mastermind, sighed and put down his phone.
He walked over to the terrace.
Yu Ming leaned his hands on the railing, gazing at the stars in the night sky. Yet, in his sharp, dark pupils, there was a layer of wistful fog.
Although Qi Qi had rallied the spicy hotpot side online and helped win back a battle from the fried chicken side, Yu Ming wasn’t as happy as expected.
In fact, he felt a bit sad.
In his retina, there was a warm hue.
The golden, crisp outer skin that crumbled at a touch, and the tender, juicy chicken. Especially that rich, savory aroma that swept into his nostrils like an unstoppable force…
Ever since his visit to the Longteng Summer Camp to see Fu Changfeng, that warm hue had lingered in his heart.
“I can’t betray Boss Jian, I can’t betray spicy hotpot.” Yu Ming clenched his fists, his eyes darkening as he murmured, “Spicy hotpot is my only light.”
But… fried chicken, hot and crispy fried chicken…
Yu Ming’s soul was torn in two. There was struggle, confusion, and pain in his eyes.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated.
— Like countless other members of the spicy hotpot side, Yu Ming opened his phone and saw a challenge.
[At 4 AM tonight, outside Longteng Summer Camp, fried chicken side and spicy hotpot side offline PK, are you daring enough to join?]
