Farming Games are All About Grinding
Chapter 324 - 315: Exploding Flame Bird Leg

Chapter 324: Chapter 315: Exploding Flame Bird Leg

"Alright then, before we head out, let me whip up some meat for you. Fishing takes a lot of energy." Han Qiwu chuckled. "Do you like traditional fried chicken? The really big ones."

"Traditional fried chicken? You mean the flour-coated kind? I love it!" Tang Qingying’s eyes lit up immediately. When she was little, she used to love the fried chicken from a small shop next to her school.

Sadly, after the old man who owned the shop passed away, his son couldn’t recreate the same flavor, and she never went back there again.

"Do you want me to help out?" Tang Qingying rolled up her sleeves, ready to jump into action.

Han Qiwu quickly waved his hands. "No need, no need. You finally have a holiday, so just relax. I’ve got some sugarcane here; maybe you can gnaw on that for a while."

"Fine." Tang Qingying didn’t mind. She leaned back in a chair, lightly swinging her fair, slender legs.

Because it was a hot day, she was dressed in a classic white shirt and a red-and-white checkered skirt, radiating youthful energy.

More dazzling than the spring breeze carrying the scent of flowers.

Of course, she had also considered the fishing trip. Before leaving, she’d thoughtfully packed a pair of long pants.

Han Qiwu walked into the kitchen, chopped a few sections of sugarcane, peeled them one by one, and placed them on a plate to hand to Tang Qingying.

"Eat slowly, don’t hurt your mouth."

After a quick reminder, Han Qiwu returned to the kitchen. He poured out all the peanut oil he had, letting it slowly heat up in the pot.

While waiting for the oil to heat, he took out two Flame Bird legs, carefully prepped them, cut them into appropriate portions, seasoned and coated them in flour, then waited for the oil to reach just the right temperature before frying them.

"Sizzle, sizzle."

Hot oil bubbles eagerly burst to life, releasing the rich aroma of peanut oil while driving out the faint gamey scent of the chicken.

Once the pieces were crispy golden, Han Qiwu continued to fry them for six more minutes before fishing out the two large drumsticks. He reheated the oil and returned the chicken to the pot for a second fry.

While double-frying, Han Qiwu quickly prepared a few dipping sauces.

The fried chicken may be traditional, but the sauces could have variety.

"I was going to make a honey mustard sauce, but we’re out of mustard." Han Qiwu smiled wryly and decided to improvise.

Using wild chili peppers as the base, he chopped up bamboo shoots and pickled peppers to mix in. After lightly heating the mixture, he poured in some honey and a dash of Lightning Milk.

The homemade sweet-and-spicy sauce was done.

As for the taste, Han Qiwu tried a spoonful.

Not bad at all.

When you have good ingredients, you can do whatever you want!

In other words, even if you grilled a brick over a fire, sprinkled some cumin, sesame, and chili powder on top, and brushed it with lamb fat for five minutes...

It’d still smell amazing.

After a few more minutes of double-frying, Han Qiwu scooped up the chicken. He decided to leave one drumstick whole while cutting the other into smaller pieces.

Worried about losing the juices, Han Qiwu carefully sliced the fried Flame Bird leg over the plate.

The finished Flame Bird drumstick was 35 centimeters long and weighed roughly three pounds.

"Crunch, crunch, crunch!"

The knife slicing through the crispy exterior produced a delightful sound.

The fragrant juices, mingling with the oil, pooled on the plate, releasing a unique aroma of chicken in the air.

"It smells amazing!"

Following the irresistible scent, Tang Qingying skipped into the kitchen and immediately spotted the intact giant drumstick. She exclaimed in surprise, "This drumstick is massive! Is it an ostrich leg?"

"Haha, my friend raised them well. Plus, I coated it generously in flour." Han Qiwu chuckled as he continued slicing.

Noticing the beads of sweat on Han Qiwu’s forehead, Tang Qingying acted on instinct. She took out a tissue from her bag and casually dabbed his forehead.

Han Qiwu blinked in surprise at her actions and looked up, meeting Tang Qingying’s gaze as she tilted her head.

One second.

Two seconds.

After three seconds of silent eye contact, both quickly looked away. One focused on slicing chicken, while the other returned to nibbling on sugarcane.

"Try my homemade sweet-and-spicy sauce." Han Qiwu, wearing gloves, picked up a boneless piece of chicken, dipped it in the sauce, and handed it to Tang Qingying.

Tang Qingying naturally opened her mouth, let out an "ah," and took a bite. She chewed happily.

The first thing to hit her palate was the crispy exterior, slightly softened by the chicken juices. The tender Flame Bird meat was delightfully chewy. With every bite, her mouth was filled with an explosion of flavors. The slightly delayed kick from the sweet-and-spicy sauce made it impossible to stop eating.

What stood out even more was the subtle numbing sensation from the Lightning Milk in the sauce.

Exquisite!

"This is so delicious!" Tang Qingying couldn’t help exclaiming. She eagerly grabbed another piece of chicken, dipped it in the sauce, and started eating again.

"If you like it, eat as much as you want." Han Qiwu smiled and continued cutting up the remaining drumstick, then carried two plates out of the kitchen.

After finishing the smaller chicken pieces, Han Qiwu poured some of the chilled frozen tree sap they’d prepared earlier into two cups. "Try out this iced tea."

"Cheers!" Tang Qingying said energetically. She clinked her cup against Han Qiwu’s before taking a big gulp.

The tree sap, brewed to taste like tea, was the perfect remedy for greasy food.

After that refreshing sip, Tang Qingying felt confident she could handle two more drumsticks.

"Let’s split this leg in half." Han Qiwu used a knife to slice the remaining drumstick down the middle, wanting Tang Qingying to experience the joy of eating big bites of meat.

"I can’t eat that much. Cut it into smaller pieces again," Tang Qingying admitted, patting her slightly full belly with a helpless expression.

Every time she visited this place, she always felt like her stomach wasn’t big enough.

"No worries. Just eat as much as you can. Whatever’s left, we’ll grill later for lunch." Han Qiwu smiled, picking up a big chunk of Flame Bird leg and biting into it.

So good.

The peanut oil lent the fried Flame Bird leg a faint peanut aroma, adding a nutty note absent from the dipping sauces. The flavors layered together marvelously.

Once he finished eating, Han Qiwu was full too.

"Let’s walk over later; it’ll help us digest." Tang Qingying suggested.

"Sure, I’ll carry the fishing rods." Han Qiwu smiled, packing their lunch ingredients into a large bag and grabbing two insulated cups filled with assorted shaved ice.

"Let me carry the bag," Tang Qingying said as soon as Han Qiwu was done. She grabbed it over his protests. "I need to burn more energy, or I’ll gain weight when I get back."

"Alright. Just tell me if you get tired." Han Qiwu chuckled. "Don’t push yourself too hard."

"Relax, I know what I’m doing." Tang Qingying patted the bag confidently as she spoke.

Once outside, Tang Qingying happily leaned down to sniff the little yellow flowers by the roadside. "It’s so nice in the village—everything smells so fragrant."

Then, looking up at the sky, she added cheerfully, "It’s great that it’s cloudy today. We don’t even need umbrellas. Perfect!"

In her lighthearted mood, Tang Qingying resembled a lively, enchanting sprite. She chatted animatedly with Han Qiwu about work as they walked along.

Han Qiwu mostly listened and occasionally responded, steadily accompanying her toward the seaside.

Life like this felt truly wonderful.