Chapter 10 Boiled Chicken (1)_1

By the time Lin Yuan had sharpened the knife, Lin Wei had also boiled the water, and she even prepared the large basin used for slaughtering chickens. However, after these preparations were made, the young girl hid away to one side, not daring to watch. It was Xiao Linshuang who followed her eldest sister closely with wide eyes full of curiosity.

Perhaps the hen was too old, but Lin Yuan didn't have to struggle much to catch it. As she grabbed the chicken's feet, Xiao Linshuang tried to tie them with hemp rope, but after all, she was too young, and in the end, it was Lin Wei who swiftly tied the rope and then ran off again.

Normally, slaughtering a chicken took two people, one to hold the head and body of the chicken to expose its neck, and the other to aim at the neck to kill it. However, seeing how timid Lin Wei was and the only brave one was too small, Lin Yuan didn't want to cast a shadow over Xiao Linshuang's tender heart and firmly refused to let her take part.

Even without help, Lin Yuan could still kill it. She simply put the chicken on the ground, sat on a wooden stump, pressed one foot against the chicken's head, and the other against its body. As she was about to pick up the vegetable knife, she saw Lin Wei supporting their father to the front of the main house.

"Da Ya, since you've never slaughtered a chicken let your father do it."

Lin Yuan responded with a beaming smile, "Dad, slaughtering chickens is something you get used to after the first time. Don't worry, I can do it!" And indeed, she was very experienced.

"Not at all, where does one see an unmarried young girl slaughtering chickens or ducks? If word gets out, who knows what the villagers will say about you."

The hen had been waiting under Lin Yuan's feet for some time and began to fuss. Lin Yuan applied more pressure, straightening the chicken's neck, and then lifted the kitchen knife.

"Don't worry, Dad, it's just slaughtering a chicken. Let whoever wants to talk, talk. What am I afraid of?"

No sooner had the words left her mouth than a flash of light glinted off Lin Yuan's hand and with a crisp snap, the chicken's neck was severed, and fresh red blood spurted out. Xiao Linshuang, who had been holding the basin to catch the blood, was also momentarily stunned until her big sister snatched the basin from her and she came to her senses, looking up at her big sister with red-rimmed eyes full of admiration, "Big sister, you're so awesome!"

Lin Wei had already turned her face away with a yelp, but Lin Jiaxin was dumbstruck. He had slaughtered chickens before and seen many others do so, but he had never seen anyone do it as decisively and cleanly as his eldest daughter. Compared to his own fearful and timid attempt at slaughtering his first chicken, his eldest daughter was like a professional butcher. If not mentioned, many would assume this girl had slaughtered many chickens and ducks before. When had his Da Ya become so bold?

Lin Yuan was too busy to notice their reactions; she was occupied with collecting the chicken blood and plucking the feathers. In her previous life as an apprentice, she had often done rough work like slaughtering chickens and ducks; it was only later, as a head chef, that such tasks were left to junior apprentices. Today she recalled her past life's experiences anew.

This chicken was indeed too old, with only a few small, shriveled eggs in its belly. To call them eggs was an overstatement; they were merely round and plump, and no matter how well-fed, they would never grow larger. After plucking the feathers and chopping the chicken into large pieces, Lin Yuan dumped everything into a big pot. Although the dish was a simple stewed old hen, using the chicken's own fat to flavor the dish, she couldn't cook it without any seasonings. With nothing much available, Lin Yuan could only find salt and half a jar of chili sauce, along with a couple of scallions and a few garlic cloves in the kitchen. Since Lin Jiaxin had an injury on his leg and Lady Liu was pregnant, both couldn't eat spicy food, so Lin Yuan didn't add the chili sauce, only a handful of salt and some chopped scallions.

Lin Wei was in charge of tending the fire, listening to her elder sister who instructed to first make the fire strong, then, once the water in the pot boiled, reduce it to a simmer and let it stew slowly for an hour to get a delicious chicken soup.

While the chicken soup stewed, Lin Yuan washed some sweet potatoes and cut them into chunks. When the chicken soup was nearly done, she poured them into the pot. The old hen really was too tough to eat, so she had no choice but to add some sweet potatoes, ensuring there was something to look forward to when they ate the soup later. Plus, with the sweet potatoes absorbing the umami of the chicken broth, along with their inherent sweetness and soft, glutinous texture, it was bound to be exceptionally tasty.