The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 104 What...what is this smell?!

The party food area is located in the very center of the amusement park and can be reached directly through the food tunnel.

Xu Zhu led Song Xiaoyu closer and soon saw the first stall right in front of them.

"It really is a Spirit Chef setting up a stall." Song Xiaoyu glanced at the food spirits flying around the stall owner with great interest.

Generally speaking, chefs who can become Imperial Chefs are the best in their field, with more reliable culinary skills and more delicious food.

“It’s not just the Spirit Chefs,” Xu Zhu added casually, “all the food sold at the stalls is the origin food corresponding to the food spirits.”

"Really?" Song Xiaoyu's eyes widened.

Then she really went ahead and tried it.

"You'll know once you've tried it."

Xu Zhu chuckled, his mouth watering at the familiar, rich aroma filling the air, and immediately stepped forward.

"Uncle Zhang, give me two servings of your crispy chicken drumsticks." While ordering, he turned to Song Xiaoyu beside him and introduced the dish. "I always have to eat these crispy chicken drumsticks whenever I go to the food street."

"The chicken drumstick skin is exceptionally crispy, and the meat is so tender it bursts with juice, and it's not fishy at all. You can eat as much as you want later!"

Song Xiaoyu, who was already a little hungry, became even hungrier after hearing Xu Zhu's description. She glared at Xu Zhu with annoyance and stared longingly at the chicken legs that had just been put into the oil.

The stall owner, surnamed Zhang, also recognized Xu Zhu, a regular customer. A smile immediately appeared on his face. He quickly fried two crispy chicken drumsticks until they were golden brown and handed them to Xu Zhu, saying, "Here, eat them while they're hot."

"Okay!" Xu Zhu accepted it with a smile.

"Still twenty-one?"

"No, I'm thirty now."

The stall owner, surnamed Zhang, pointed to a sign on the side, and Xu Zhu then noticed that the price list that had been used for several years had been replaced with a new one.

The prices listed above have all increased.

"Hiss..." Xu Zhu's expression changed instantly. "Uncle Zhang, I've been your customer for several years. Twenty yuan for a fried chicken leg is actually a bit expensive. But because you're so good at cooking, I've never had any objections."

"But now, just moving to a different location and raising prices by 50% seems a bit unreasonable, doesn't it?"

"Brother Xu, don't get excited." Upon hearing Xu Zhu's words, the stall owner surnamed Zhang not only wasn't angry, but instead revealed a mysterious smile.

"How about this, you try it first."

"If you don't think it's worth 30 yuan, I can refuse to charge you?"

"Really?" Xu Zhu looked at the other person with some doubt, then opened a chicken leg and took a bite.

“Crack—”

With each crisp sound, Xu Zhu chewed the chicken leg meat slower and slower, his eyes growing increasingly vacant.

this smell...

This taste?!

Xu Zhu eats the chicken legs sold by the stall owner surnamed Zhang every few days. He can say with great confidence that he is extremely familiar with that taste.

But at this moment, the crispiness of the chicken leg skin was exactly the same as before, yet he felt an unprecedented sense of unfamiliarity in the taste of the chicken leg meat.

With a unique flavor that has a slight numbing sensation, the rich and delicious taste of the chicken thigh meat is brought out to the maximum extent, elevating the flavor to a whole new level.

After swallowing it in one gulp, Xu Zhu silently took another bite, followed by a second and a third bite... Just as Xu Zhu finished his fried chicken leg and was about to open his mouth to attack hers, Song Xiaoyu couldn't hold back any longer. She snatched the chicken leg away and glared at Xu Zhu.

"Just one more bite, and I'll have another!" Xu Zhu couldn't help but say.

"Go buy it yourself!" Song Xiaoyu snorted, then took a big bite of the chicken leg she had been eyeing for so long.

The crispy skin and tender, juicy chicken thigh meat invigorated her, and the lingering delicious flavor on her lips and teeth shocked Song Xiaoyu.

What...what is this smell?!

This was the first time she had ever eaten such delicious chicken drumsticks!
The thought that Xu Zhu had almost stolen such a delicious chicken leg made Song Xiaoyu glare at Xu Zhu fiercely, and then she took another big bite.

Seeing that it was impossible to take another bite, Xu Zhu sighed regretfully and turned her gaze to the Zhang family boss standing to the side.

"Boss, another chicken leg, please!"

"Don't rush the chicken legs." The owner, surnamed Zhang, chuckled as he observed their reactions. "Tell me first, is this price worth it?"

Is it worth it?
Xu Zhu took a deep breath, "It's totally worth it!"

These delicious chicken drumsticks are so reasonably priced at 31!
Upon hearing Xu Zhu's reply, the shop owner surnamed Zhang nodded in satisfaction, "Wait here, I'll fry you a chicken leg right away!"
-
"Hiccup~"

"It's so delicious!"

Xu Zhu, having finished showing off her second chicken leg, patted her belly with satisfaction, revealing a contented expression.

Although the chicken drumsticks sold by the owner surnamed Zhang are not pistol drumsticks, they certainly live up to the "big" in "crispy chicken drumstick".

After eating two chicken drumsticks, Xu Zhu, whose stomach had been empty, now felt quite full.

Seeing Song Xiaoyu finish her first chicken leg with equal satisfaction, Xu Zhu couldn't help but suggest, "Xiaoyu, why don't you have another one?"

"No, thank you." Song Xiaoyu shook her head slightly and pointed to the stalls ahead. "There are still so many stalls ahead!"

Although the chicken leg was incredibly delicious, and Song Xiaoyu wanted to eat her fill, if the first stall was this good, what about the others?
She didn't want to be clutching her stomach, craving other delicious food but unable to eat it—that would be so painful…

"Hmph!" Xu Zhu waved his hand, "The others aren't as good as this!"

In the past, Xu Zhu would have said that the cooking skills of these spirit chef stall owners were all about the same, and that they were pretty much the same no matter where they went.

But after eating the brand-new crispy chicken leg from the Zhang family boss, Xu Zhu was certain that all the other food stalls' offerings paled in comparison!
He announced that today's MVP must be a crispy chicken leg!

"I don't believe you." Song Xiaoyu wrinkled her nose and strode towards the second stall. "Boss, what do you sell here?"

"Would you like some mixed-flavor pancakes?" the stall owner asked cheerfully. "They taste really good!"

"One order, please!" Song Xiaoyu sniffed the lingering aroma in the air, her face showing obvious interest.

While the owner started preparing the food, Song Xiaoyu couldn't help but ask curiously, "Boss, I don't see much business here, but why does every stall smell so good, like it's just been cooked?"

The Mr. Zhang boss just now was like that, and so is this boss now.

"This..." The stall owner smiled mysteriously.

Just last night, Qin Lang handed over all the recipes to those who had signed contracts. These stall owners worked through the night to improve them, and the food they made now looked the same as before, but it was completely different.

So the first thing the stall owners did after meeting today was to taste each other's food and see how it was different from before.

The fragrance naturally lingered there.

(End of this chapter)