Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

"Your fried chicken."

Soon, the fried chicken was ready, golden and fragrant. Wrapped in oil paper, it was served to Li Xiao'er.

Li Xiaoer took the fried chicken and took a deep breath.

"It smells so good, it's amazing!"

Li Xiaoer took a bite and praised it, unable to stop eating.

As he was eating, he suddenly seemed to remember something and stopped.

"Oh no, I was so focused on smelling the fragrance that I wasted time and I'm going to be late again."

He's been late more than ten times this month, and the foreman gave him a strict order yesterday: if he's late again today, he won't get paid for the month.

Good heavens, a serving of fried chicken costs fifty coins. If he loses his wages, how will he afford to eat fried chicken?

So he ran with the half-eaten fried chicken in his hand, heading straight towards the county government office.

As soon as he entered the gate, he heard an angry shout.

"Li Xiaoer, you're late again. What did I tell you yesterday?"

The angry shout came from Xie Bantou, Li Xiaoer's superior.

He was burly and strong, with dark skin, a cold face, his hands behind his back, and full of anger.

Behind him stood two rows of yamen runners, standing in neat rows, not daring to breathe loudly.

Li Xiao'er shuddered involuntarily. He hid the fried chicken behind his back, jogged over to Xie Bantou, and pleaded cautiously:

"Class monitor, just this once, this is the last time. I promise I won't be late this month."

"If I'm late again, I'll leave the county office on my own."

"Please don't be angry. Can we let it go for today? Don't deduct my wages. I was thinking of going to buy something..."

I'm buying crispy fried chicken.

Xie, the foreman, was about to reprimand someone with a cold face when he suddenly paused, "...What's that smell?"

Li Xiaoer: "..."

The headman's nose is far too sharp.

I have this inexplicable feeling that my fried chicken business is in jeopardy.

or......

Li Xiaoer suddenly had an idea.

"Boss, I came across some really unusual food on the way here, and I thought I'd bring it to you to try, which is why I was delayed for a while." Li Xiao'er took out the fried chicken from behind his back.

There are only four pieces left.

But the power of four pieces of fried chicken should not be underestimated.

"That Li Xiao'er! Not only is he late, but he even brought food with him!"

"This is the county government office, not your dinner table!!"

Xie Bantou was visibly angrier.

Although he found the smell pleasant, he was the head of the group of constables and could not afford to lose his authority.

If everyone were like Li Xiaoer, what kind of order would that be?!

"Boss, it smells amazing, it's incredible! Why don't you try some?" Li Xiaoer tore open the oil paper package containing the fried chicken and presented it to Boss Xie with both hands.

Xie Bantou wanted to continue scolding, but his eyes kept glancing at the fried chicken in Li Xiao'er's hand.

It's golden, and you can vaguely see specks of seasoning.

It seems to taste pretty good.

But with so many people, it would be so embarrassing to be bribed with a meal.

He swallowed hard, forcing himself to turn his head away: "What nonsense are you talking about? Take it away now, or you'll be late..."

At this point, Xie Bantou suddenly stopped, not because of anything else, but because Li Xiaoer directly held the crispy fried chicken to his mouth.

An even richer aroma wafted into his nostrils, the richness of the fat mixed with the savory aroma of the chicken and the smoky scent of the spices, like an invisible punch that landed directly on his face.

Saliva kept flowing from his mouth and his throat was churning; he couldn't help but swallow twice more.

Li Xiao'er's cheeky voice rang in his ears: "Boss, it smells really good and tastes delicious, don't you want to try some?"

"Yeah, boss, you should try it. It smells really good."

"Boss, Li Xiaoer didn't arrive late on purpose, so please don't hold it against him."

The constables all started praising Li Xiaoer, not because they had a good relationship with him, but because the fried chicken smelled so good.

If the foreman doesn't eat, they definitely won't get anything to eat.

Being able to smell it but not eat it is such a torment!

Now that Xie Ban Tou had a way out, he put on a reluctant expression and said, "Then I'll just try a little."

Then, without waiting, he picked up a piece and stuffed it directly into his mouth.

It's crisp and crunchy upon first bite, followed by tender meat that melts in your mouth, leaving a lingering and delightful aftertaste.

So delicious.

At this moment, Xie Ban Tou didn't care about saving face anymore. He reached out and stuffed another piece into his mouth, his eyes slightly narrowed, looking quite pleased.

The yamen runners nearby were drooling with envy, their eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Li Xiaoer chuckled to himself as he saw this; sure enough, no one could resist this crispy fried chicken.

"Delicious, so delicious, how can something be so delicious?"

Xie Bantou ate until his cheeks were bulging, and the four pieces of fried chicken were gone in no time. He even licked the oil off his hands.

The yamen runners standing nearby watched in disbelief, their mouths watering.

No, even if the foreman eats, they won't get anything to eat.

My life is so hard; I can only watch others eat. I feel like crying.

"Where did you buy this unusual food?"

"Ahhh, I want to eat it too!"

"I can't possibly wipe all this drool away..."

Upon seeing this, Li Xiaoer felt a strange sense of pleasure, even a touch of smugness.

He was the first customer of the crispy fried chicken.

I feel a little proud!