Chapter 159: Braised Chicken with Scallop Oil

Wooden Qin agreed with this, and immediately nodded heavily.

The other two customers watching the commotion also began to murmur behind them, both feeling that the woman in black had gone much too far.

The woman in black retorted, "Me? Going too far? It is clearly they who deceived me first!"

"I asked them long ago whether they served stir-fried dishes, and they refused to admit it. Now that I have exposed their lies, you turn around and think I am the one going too far! Isn't that ridiculous?" the woman in black said angrily.

Xu Mo knew the young woman was right. Since they did not have an iron wok, they should not have falsely claimed that their establishment served stir-fried dishes.

That being said, smashing someone's shop sign over a minor matter like this was truly an overreaction.

Xu Mo said, "Miss, they were indeed in the wrong, but surely it doesn't warrant something as severe as smashing their sign?"

"Running an establishment without integrity deserves to be smashed, in my view!" the woman in black declared loudly. "The thing this young lady hates most in this world is being lied to!"

"Miss, I offer you my sincere apologies. It was wrong of me to deceive you! But please, for the sake of our humble little business, forgive us this once. We will never dare to do it again," the innkeeper hastily pleaded for forgiveness.

Upon seeing this, the waiter and the chef also joined in, apologizing and pleading for forgiveness with extremely sincere attitudes.

Even the two spectators in the back could not help but chime in and persuade her.

"Miss, calm your anger and forgive them this once. Look, they've already apologized."

"Indeed, Miss. Although what they make isn't stir-fried food, to be honest, the dishes still taste quite good, and the prices are reasonable. You should show mercy where you can and let them off the hook."

Seeing that the innkeeper, waiter, and chef had fairly decent apologizing attitudes, the woman in black gradually began to hesitate.

Upon noticing the reaction of the woman in black, Xu Mo immediately spoke up, "Innkeeper, just apologizing alone lacks sincerity, I feel. Why don't you treat this young lady to this meal on the house, and not charge her a single coin? Consider it a gesture of apology. What do you think?"

"Yes, absolutely!"

The three of them nodded repeatedly, then looked toward the woman in black, hoping she would agree.

The woman in black frowned and asked, "What do you mean by this? Do you think this young lady cannot afford a meal?"

"No, no, Miss. We truly know we were wrong, and we genuinely wish to apologize to you. We meant no disrespect!" the innkeeper explained.

The woman in black thought for a moment and nodded. "Very well, I shall give you a single chance..."

"Thank you, Miss! Thank you, Miss..."

The three of them expressed their gratitude profusely.

The woman in black immediately raised her hand to interrupt. "Do not thank me too soon; I have not finished speaking."

Everyone instantly fell silent again, their hearts filled with anxiety.

The woman in black stated, "First, tell me what dishes you intend to prepare for me. I shall pick one. If the taste satisfies me, I will forgive you! If I am not satisfied, I shall still smash your sign!"

The innkeeper and the other two were rendered speechless upon hearing this. They thought to themselves that if she ate the food and stubbornly claimed it tasted bad, wouldn't she simply be playing games with them?

Xu Mo immediately answered on behalf of the innkeeper and the others, "Miss, it's a deal!"

Following that, Xu Mo whispered a few words into the innkeeper's ear and urged him to quickly name some dishes.

Xu Mo had told the innkeeper that this young woman was likely just looking for a graceful way to back down. Once she tasted the dish they prepared, she probably wouldn't give them a hard time anymore.

Thinking it made sense, the innkeeper immediately listed every dish the chef knew how to make.

To everyone's surprise, the woman in black declared that none of these dishes sounded interesting to her, insisting that the chef make something novel and unprecedented.

However, a rural tavern chef only knew a limited number of dishes, and this demand from the woman in black was genuinely putting them in a difficult position.

Just as the innkeeper and the chef were feeling anxious and troubled, Xu Mo spoke up, "Miss, what do you think of Scallion Oil Braised Chicken?"

Having never heard of this dish before, the woman in black instantly grew a bit curious. "Scallion Oil Braised Chicken?"

Xu Mo smiled and nodded. "Miss, how about I prepare a dish of Scallion Oil Braised Chicken for you to try? If you find the taste acceptable, today's incident will be considered water under the bridge. How does that sound?"

By saying this, Xu Mo could be considered as helping someone all the way through to the end.

"You know how to cook?" The woman in black was somewhat surprised and could not help sizing up Xu Mo.

Before Xu Mo could reply, Wooden Qin became displeased. "Who are you looking down upon? The stir-fried dishes at the Delicacy Pavilion were all learned from our master. How could you say he doesn't know how to cook?"

"Oh?" The woman in black was rather astonished.

The innkeeper, the waiter, and the chef were also greatly surprised, unsure whether Wooden Qin's words were true or false.

Xu Mo hurriedly shot a sidelong glance at Wooden Qin, signaling him to keep quiet.

The next moment, the woman in black nodded and said, "Very well, let us go with Scallion Oil Braised Chicken!"

With that, the woman in black walked into the shop on her own and returned to her original seat.

Without wasting any words, Xu Mo called the chef and headed straight to the back kitchen.

Wooden Qin, the innkeeper, and the waiter hurriedly followed behind.

Upon entering the kitchen, Xu Mo rolled up his sleeves and said in an unquestionative tone:

"Do you have a pre-cleansed chicken? Chop the chicken into small pieces, soak them in saltwater, and then marinate them."

"Bring more scallions and ginger. While it's marinating, we can render the scallion oil."

"Right, and the seasonings... what do you have on hand? Never mind, forget it. Bring everything over, and I'll inspect them myself..."

The chef was instantly intimidated by Xu Mo's aura and hastily bustled about according to his instructions.

Xu Mo had frequently prepared Scallion Oil Braised Chicken before crossing over into this world.

First, because both he and his ex-girlfriend thoroughly enjoyed eating it.

Second, because the preparation was simple, making it ideal for someone like him who was an office worker at the time.

The innkeeper and the waiter stood outside the kitchen doorway watching for a while. Seeing Xu Mo's deft movements and calm demeanor, they gradually began to believe Wooden Qin's words.

The innkeeper could not resist asking Wooden Qin, "Little brother, did the stir-fried dishes at the Delicacy Pavilion truly come from your master?"

Wooden Qin immediately cast a sidelong glance at the innkeeper. "Could this possibly be false?"

On the other side, after waiting for quite some time without seeing the food served, the woman in black grew somewhat impatient.

Consequently, she walked over to the back kitchen to inspect the situation.

Both the innkeeper and the waiter were rather afraid of the woman in black; upon seeing her approach, they immediately stepped aside to clear the way.

Entering the kitchen, the woman in black demanded, "Why is it taking so long?"

Xu Mo was currently rendering the scallion oil; hearing the voice, he replied, "What is the rush? If the chicken isn't thoroughly marinated, the gamey odor will be particularly strong. If you are willing to eat something like that, I can serve it to you right now."

The woman in black seemed to have exceptionally high standards for food. Upon hearing this, she stopped urging them, turned around, and left the back kitchen.

After waiting for nearly half an hour, the Scallion Oil Braised Chicken was finally served.

The moment Xu Mo lifted the pot lid, a rich and enticing aroma of scallions drifted straight into the nostrils of the woman in black...

"Miss, the Scallion Oil Braised Chicken is ready. Please enjoy," Xu Mo smiled.

By this time, the woman in black had already developed a strong interest in the visually appealing and fragrant chicken.

Without a moment's delay, she picked up a piece of chicken and popped it into her mouth.

Seeing this, Xu Mo immediately warned, "Miss, be careful of..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the woman in black was burned by the piping hot chicken.

"...the heat," Xu Mo finished his sentence helplessly.

The woman in black paid no heed to this. She hurriedly blew on the sauce-coated chicken piece and put it back into her mouth.

The instant it touched her tongue, the woman in black was struck with amazement. Her eyes lit up instantly, and she could not help nodding in approval.

Not until she finished the piece of chicken did the woman in black offer her verdict: "The sauce is rich, the aroma overflows, and the chicken is thoroughly flavored while remaining exceptionally tender and savory... Not bad, truly not bad!"