Gourmet: Midnight Vending

Actually, the small portion of bang-bang chicken is somewhat different from the one Wen Zhiliang packed.

The small portion feels like shredded chicken marinated in a strange-flavored sauce, whereas Wen Zhiliang's seems to be shredded chicken mixed cold with that sauce.

The three big bosses curiously watched the items Wen Zhiliang took out.

Foot massage President Zhao couldn't help but find it amusing, "You're already quite old and still enjoy eating this stuff?"

At their age, it's all about health preservation.

When eating out, they refuse anything that isn't aphrodisiac or nourishing; no matter what they eat, it has to boost the body!

Seeing Old Wen's red-oil drenched shredded meat, apart from President Lin from the arcade, the other two found it quite humorous.

This stuff looks spicy, and you can immediately tell it's chicken.

What's so good about chicken? It's tough and tasteless. If it were lamb, they might show some interest since lamb is indeed nourishing; if eaten for three or four days consecutively, one can noticeably feel more energetic at night.

President Xiao Lin, just over thirty, had some interest in this spicy stuff, "Let me try this, what's with all the chili?"

Wen Zhiliang generously opened the food bag, took out the disposable chopsticks inside, and handed them to President Xiao Lin, "You better not finish it all, I packed this especially to take back."

"Tsk, is it that good?" President Xiao Lin merely picked a single shred of meat.

But this shred looked more like the meat near a chicken wing, without obvious meat fibers, somewhat resembling the texture of garlic clove meat.

President Xiao Lin nonchalantly put it in his mouth, while President Zhao and President Qin beside him were getting a bit impatient.

"Eh?" Lin Bin bit into it; the shred was too small to even get stuck between his teeth, but the taste was unexpectedly good.

Just this small shred of meat filled his mouth with a spicy, numbing, delicious flavor, and there was even a hint of sweetness on the tip of the tongue, "Interesting, let me try more."

This time, President Xiao Lin picked a lot more, putting a mouthful of shredded meat into his mouth.

He chewed subconsciously, yet almost as soon as he bit down.

"Boom!"

Lin Bin's mind felt like it had been hit by a missile; one shred was imperceptible, but a pile was very evident.

The instant his teeth came together, the shredded meat was compressed, instantly bursting with a full-bodied juice.

With the strange-flavored sauce already carrying a spicy aroma, mixing with the bursting juice made it hard to distinguish whether it was sauce or meat juice.

Most importantly, Lin Bin realized, this thing wasn't a hot dish; it was a cold dish!

If you just looked, you'd notice a red layer of oil at the bottom of the container, but it didn't taste greasy at all.

Not only was that red oil not greasy, but the chicken wasn't greasy either; in fact, because it was cool, it was rather appetizing.

"Something's up." Lin Bin finished this bite of meat, smacking his lips, "There's something about this chicken, let me try again."

This time he dug in with more force than before.

Wen Zhiliang felt his heart ache watching.

I specifically went to the hot spring food area to pack a whole chicken, and Lin Bin ate half of it with just three chopsticks?

Foot massage President Zhao, already in his fifties, watching Lin Bin eat endlessly, felt his gambling urge kick in, "Is it really that good? Hurry up and finish it, I'll help you with a bite or two."

He naturally picked up a spare pair of disposable chopsticks nearby, snapping them open with a "snap."

He leaned forward, picked up some meat, and put it into his mouth.

Zhao Jianzhong had built his fortune from a small foot massage shop and traversed the bathhouse world for twenty years; he's the most experienced in business receptions.

You could say he's seen all kinds of girls and tasted all sorts of dishes. Due to indulging when he was younger, counting on his good health, his taste buds had somewhat deteriorated by his age.

So he particularly disliked food from outside restaurants.

For Zhao Jianzhong, the best meal is a hot bowl of noodles at home, or a pot of braised pork and green beans with noodles. Of course, his favorites are corn porridge and pickled vegetables.

It's all about a comfortable belly!

But when that bite of chicken entered his mouth.

"Hiss..." Zhao Jianzhong immediately stood up straight, taking a sharp breath, "Quite interesting, where did this cold dish from Sichuan Cuisine come from? How come I've never had it before?"

In the process of repeated chewing, Zhao Jianzhong felt... as if his taste buds had come alive again!

The spicy, numbing taste wasn't the point.

The truly important thing was that Zhao Jianzhong hadn't tasted chicken this flavorful in years.

Every bite released juices bursting with chicken flavor, creating a special feeling.

"This isn't from a restaurant..."

Show-hosting President Qin interjected between the other two, picking up a pair of chopsticks with a speechless smile, "Look at you, overreacting over cold shredded chicken."

Then, he snapped the chopsticks open, picked out some shredded meat, and put it in his mouth.

"Tsk tsk..."

President Qin chewed twice, instantly feeling like electricity coursing through his skin, making his whole body tingle; that bite of chicken was firm yet not tough, with juices spilling out and mixing entirely with the strange-flavored sauce before flowing down his throat.

Just one bite, no words needed, the sensation was spine-tingling!

The initial disdain transformed into shock.

When men gather, there's a noticeable phenomenon: when everyone's interested in the same item, they naturally start discussing and analyzing it.

Qin Fei: "It is quite interesting; do you guys feel that this chicken seems very pure in flavor?"

Lin Bin: "Yeah, but the key is I don't know how they managed to... Do you feel like the meat envelopes the chicken broth inside?"

Zhao Jianzhong thought back to the sensation earlier, unable to articulate it well, but that's the gist.

Chicken, when cooked, becomes chicken and chicken broth.

Some people love drinking chicken broth because it's fresh; not only is the broth fresh, but the chicken flavor in the broth is strong.

But these shredded pieces were different; the eating experience is like the meat never let its chicken flavor and aroma seep out into the broth during cooking; instead, it was all wrapped inside the chicken, making the experience magical.

Zhao Jianzhong joined the analysis, "Not only the chicken, but don't you think this sauce is interesting too? It has a spicy flavor but doesn't feel like it; if anything, it feels like a unique flavor. There's a hint of sweetness, quite subtle, with a savory tang that matches perfectly with the chicken!"

The three did their analysis while staring at the nearly finished bang-bang chicken, suddenly realizing something.

Swipe swipe swipe!

Three pairs of chopsticks darted into the bowl.

Wen Zhiliang's raised hand was so weak.

Wait... that's my chicken...