Part 5
Because there was a little meow cub at home, Ning Yunyi’s Cumin Squid mainly focused on sauce flavor. The squid tentacles were blanched in cold water and removed.
Oil was heated in the wok again. Green onion, ginger, garlic, and onion were added to explode the fragrance, then bean paste was added to fry out red oil. The squid tentacles were put in and stir-fried to absorb the flavor, finally adding light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and oyster sauce for color and seasoning.
When the squid tentacles were stir-fried to a bright red color and every tentacle was coated in sauce, before taking them out of the pot, cumin powder and white sesame seeds were sprinkled and stir-fried evenly.
Almost as soon as the cumin powder was sprinkled, that domineering smell permeated the surroundings.
When the big cat rushed out from the backyard garden carrying the little meow cub, who had turned into a small ball, they smelled such a rich aroma. The two immediately drooled with greed.
However, knowing this was livestream time, the big one and the small one could only hide behind the screen and inhale desperately. Fragrant, today is also a fragrant day.
But it was different from usual, seemingly fresher than usual. The air was filled with a very special smell, something they hadn’t smelled much before.
These two dishes had already numbed the crowd in the livestream room. Following were Garlic Crayfish, Razor Clams in Sauce, and finally a pot of Seafood Soup.
The livestream room was left with only the sound of swallowing saliva. They asked for nothing else, only to be able to snatch a taste.
If they couldn’t snatch it this time, the streamer might not make seafood next time, so it was time to fight for luck.
The unlucky guy had already broken the jar (given up hope). Although there was an extra portion of taste for each dish today, it still wasn’t enough to snatch.
He subconsciously clicked grab, but the next moment, the livestream interface flashed, and a [1] appeared in the background.
He stared wide-eyed desperately. Wocao, is this extreme misfortune turning into good luck? Was the bad luck of the past for this moment!
In the livestream room, some were happy and some were sad. Ning Yunyi finished uploading the tastes and quit the livestream.
Looking back, sure enough, he saw the big cat and small cat poking their heads out in unison. The little meow cub was curled up on the big cat’s head. Because it was too fragrant, he forgot to change back and put on clothes.
With Ning Yunyi’s announcement that the meal was starting, the little meow cub quickly rolled, tumbling all the way from the big cat’s forehead to its tail, then darted out to change back quickly.
Ning Yunyi looked at the big cat, whose fur was sleek just a moment ago but was now messy from head to tail. The fur color had darkened, perhaps due to molting, looking… very scribbly.
Ning Yunyi couldn’t help laughing out loud. He walked over, reaching out to smooth its fur.
But suddenly remembering something, he silently withdrew his hand.
The big cat gave him a resentful look. Kisses, hugs, and lifting high when not shedding; now that I’m shedding… are you already starting to dislike me?
Ning Yunyi coughed lightly to cover up. “Eh, why hasn’t the cub come down yet? I’ll go check if the food is getting cold.”
Ning Yunyi agreed to convert the other five shops starting tomorrow, but he planned to change only three more into barbecue shops. He had other arrangements for the last two but didn’t say what they were, only asking for five hundred catties of exotic beast meat to be delivered in the afternoon.
The Food District Head naturally had no objections. Having witnessed the popularity of the barbecue skewers, he wouldn’t doubt any decision of the new City Lord.
However, Ning Yunyi sent over the image of the plaque to be replaced in advance.
The Food District Head took a look, thinking it was still related to barbecue skewers, but froze when the picture came through: ??
W-What is this? It looks like exotic beast meat, but it feels different from what I imagined.
There were still only two words on the picture: [Braised Meat]. Next to it was a picture of a square-cut piece of exotic beast meat.
But that visibly jiggly, soft-rotten meat, coated in sauce, with an exceptionally rich and bright color—just looking at it made him swallow saliva desperately.
The other two shops Ning Yunyi wanted to change were indeed for Braised Meat. After all, a large pot of old stock, once the exotic beast meat was put in, stewed, and soaked overnight, would be soft enough to melt in the mouth. One bite… it would be incredibly fragrant.
Ning Yunyi hadn’t planned to serve Braised Meat directly at first, but while rummaging through the seafood in the space, he remembered that thinking he wouldn’t be able to eat braised meat made with century-old traditional methods in the apocalypse, he had bought a lot of old stock and ready-made soup base packs.
Now these old stocks were ready-made. It just so happened… he could let Young Master Bai try it out tonight.
In the afternoon, Ning Yunyi put four large pots on the stove, added the old stock and new spice packs, and began to boil them.
The big cat and small cat squatted curiously at the door. At first, they were curious about what he was doing with pots of black liquid.
But as it slowly heated and boiled, the thick herbal scent diffused and was gradually covered and merged by the spices inside, emitting a unique and astonishing smell together.
Just smelling it made them feel like they were being marinated into flavor.
Not to mention four buckets of old stock boiling together. If this castle hadn’t been specially treated, the smell would probably travel ten miles.
When it was about time, Ning Yunyi began to add the exotic beast meat cut into large chunks.
He covered the pot and started simmering on low heat. When it was done, he would turn off the heat and let it soak overnight. Tomorrow, they could just carry it to the shop, cut it into small pieces, and start selling.
He had already arranged for the Food District Head, Hanna, to have exquisite small boxes made, just a bit larger than a piece of braised meat. It would be perfect to serve in these, with a little soup poured over each piece.
Wouldn’t this be more fragrant and delicious than a plate of solid nutrient solution?
Young Master Bai spent the afternoon training the clerks on skewer-flipping techniques. Knowing his uncle had saved dinner for him, he ran back as fast as he could.
After all, although barbecue was good—he touched his bulging belly—he had eaten it all morning and quite a bit in the afternoon. His true love was still canned food.
But as the robot opened the door, Young Master Bai’s lifted foot froze in the air. He sniffed hard. What smell? Holy crap, what is this smell?
It was a bit like barbecue, but not quite the same. That rich aroma, seemingly capable of penetrating the bone marrow, mixed with a very fragrant meat smell, made Young Master Bai unable to move his legs for a moment.
Belatedly realizing it was coming from inside the castle, he darted out like a sharp sword, howling as he clung to the doorframe. “Uncle!”
Ning Yunyi was turning off the fire. Hearing this enthusiastic and unrestrained shout, he couldn’t help looking back, his gaze falling on Bai’s bulging belly. “You… can you still eat?”
He hesitated. Good heavens, don’t let him really become the first half-beast to die from overeating, right?
Young Master Bai grinned, patting his belly. “It’s fine. I’ll hop around a few more times tonight.”
Ning Yunyi thought about the special constitution of half-beasts, but after hesitating, he still took out a basin. He spread a layer of rice, then used a hook to lift a large piece of braised meat, cut it into small pieces, and laid them on the white rice.
Pouring some sauce over it, the color, smell, and taste instantly made Young Master Bai’s scalp tingle with hunger.
He held the big basin with trembling hands. “T-This is?”
Ning Yunyi: “Exotic beast meat. To be sold in the other two shops tomorrow. You can only eat this much today. If you want to eat more, you can have it tomorrow.”
His gaze landed on Bai’s stomach, looking like he wanted to say something but stopped.
Young Master Bai was completely immersed in the meat fragrance at this moment. He nodded in a trance, floating out holding the braised meat rice. He couldn’t even wait to get to the table before picking up the spoon and scooping a piece of braised meat.
The moment the braised meat entered his mouth, Young Master Bai froze, his eyes widening into circles.
A texture completely different from roasted meat—soft and melting in the mouth, the meat chunk soaked in rich meat broth. He just stood there, desperately shoveling meat into his mouth.
Accidentally wrapping a bit of rice mixed with soup into his mouth, the next moment, that special taste he had never experienced before made him completely dumbfounded.
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