A university dormitory.

Zhuo Qianqian had a look of success on her face.

Ignorant boss, you know nothing of my abilities!

No problem if you don't reply, but if you dare to respond, I'll track your IP address, hahaha!

Sitting in front of the computer, Zhuo Qianqian's fair and slender fingers quickly tapped on the keyboard. Lines of code flashed across the screen so fast that ordinary people couldn't even see them clearly.

"Bam!"

After hitting the final enter key, Zhuo Qianqian looked at the line of text that appeared on the computer and flashed a satisfied smile.

"Xishuangbanna Man Ting Park, Yunnan. Oh? Boss, not bad, are you there for the Water Splashing Festival?"

"You can run, but never underestimate the power of a foodie!"

Zhuo Qianqian pumped her little fists, pulled out her phone, and directly dialed her teacher's number: "Professor Liu, may I take a week off? Could you please inform our advisor?"

"Hmm? The semester just started, why do you need time off?"

Zhuo Qianqian replied directly: "Actually, I think a graduate course at Beijing University would better suit me..."

"Approved! Is a week enough? If not, I can give you two more days!"

"That's enough, thank you. I'll leave right away."

"Stay safe, and about that graduate program..."

"We'll discuss it later, goodnight, Professor."

With a click, Zhuo Qianqian started booking her tickets: "My employee meal, get in my belly!"

...

After a brief moment of confusion, Wang Fan quickly dismissed it.

No one knew he came to Yunnan, no way the little foodie Zhuo Qianqian could find him.

The new ingredients had arrived, and he began processing them.

To retain the freshest taste of chicken, you definitely can't parboil it. If you don't parboil to remove the rawness, soak it in cold water to draw out the blood before stir-frying, then there's no odor.

Unlike the tender chicken thigh of Yellow Stew Chicken, Linyi Stir-Fried Chicken must use an old rooster, preferably a free-range chicken reared for at least a year and a half.

The flavor of such chicken is richer, but its price is certainly more beautiful too.

Even searching throughout the System Mall, you won't find it for less than 20 bucks a pound.

The cost of a chicken exceeds 60 bucks, and considering the labor and other materials, the dish is priced at over 200 in local restaurants in Linyi, only a bit cheaper at specialty markets.

The dishes priced at 40 or 50 bucks in smaller eateries likely use Sanhuang chicken, which costs under 7 bucks a pound, still profitable.

Wang Fan ordered not only chicken but also 10 pots. Although Linyi Stir-Fried Chicken is named as "stir-fried," the free-range chicken must be simmered, requiring over 45 minutes unless using a pressure cooker. With fewer pots, diners would have to wait longer.

By 3 o'clock, Wang Fan began preparing the chicken.

The first batch could come out after 4.

But he underestimated the resentment of those who missed out on Yellow Stew Chicken, as they were already waiting outside by 3.

Seeing the 300-buck price tag, some felt they might be ripped off.

Chen Shuo pointed at the sign and asked, "Boss, are you serious about this price?"

Wang Fan nodded: "The chicken used is one-and-a-half years old free-range rooster, the ingredients are quite expensive. Each chicken weighs around 3 pounds, using authentic materials and labor-intensive processes. This isn't actually expensive; feel free to look it up online."

"Not expensive at all. I purposefully went to Linyi to try it before, and it was 280 bucks a plate. Here, in a tourist spot, the boss is probably just covering costs,"

just as Wang Fan finished, someone spoke up to verify for him.

The familiarity of the voice made Wang Fan look up and realize he had indeed seen this person before.

Di Renjie greeted Wang Fan with a smile: "Long time no see, Boss Wang, didn't expect to run into you here."

Wang Fan only had a vague impression of Di Renjie and didn't know his name, so he smiled back: "Hello."

Chen Shuo was surprised to see him and happily said, "Di Renjie? I regularly watch your videos."

Di Renjie smiled and shook hands with him: "Thanks for your support."

This guy is quite famous online; all the early patrons in the shop recognized him.

"I thought Boss Wang only made braised meat, I didn't know you could make stir-fried chicken too?"

He also came for the Water Splashing Festival and was sightseeing when he heard the bustling, and, out of curiosity, came in to check. Unexpectedly, he saw Wang Fan here.

Wang Fan replied: "I stayed in Lu Dong for a while recently and took the opportunity to learn."

Di Renjie laughed: "That's great. I haven't eaten chicken in a while; today I'll indulge at young Boss Wang's."

Wang Fan said: "You might have to wait a bit longer since I'm just starting out. It'll be ready by 4."

Di Renjie and his companions didn't intend to leave. With his endorsement, the diners accepted the 300 price. Some with smaller appetites even shared meals. At 150 each, it wasn't as hard to swallow.

Pots were lined up impressively on the stoves.

He heated the oil, first warming the pot with soybean oil, then added a scoop of lard.

The creamy lard quickly melted. Wang Fan removed the pot from heat and added star anise, angelica, and cinnamon.

As the aroma of the spices emerged, he added ginger slices and, once fragrant, poured in whole chicken pieces chopped into three-finger widths.

The diners watched Wang Fan stir-fry, not bored at all but engrossed, feeling his actions had a practiced elegance.

With flames roaring below, Wang Fan's wok kept moving. At this rate, Di Renjie was sure the stir-fried chicken would turn out great.

He began explaining to the crowd: "Linyi Stir-Fried Chicken must be cooked with high heat to quickly dry the moisture inside the meat, giving a dry, flavorful result."

Everyone seemed to have an epiphany, whether they really understood was another matter.

Once his hands touched the wok, Wang Fan's entire focus shifted to it, ignoring anything else, working at his own pace.

He added chilies for aroma, followed by yellow bean paste for flavor and base, oyster sauce for umami, seafood sauce for color, and dark soy sauce last to set the color, continuing to stir-fry on high heat.

By now, the chicken's fragrance was fully aroused, unmatched by any Sanhuang chicken.

Chen Shuo took a deep breath, the rich aroma confirming to him that the 300 bucks was worth it.

Di Renjie, smelling the aroma, couldn't help but hold Wang Fan in higher esteem. Switching from braised meat to stir-fried chicken is a leap akin to a civil engineer turning to law; pulling off this aroma proves genuine skill!

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