Food Stall: Customers Chase Me across the Country

Chapter 437 - 435: Seizing the First Gold

Zhuo Qianqian was enjoying dubbing, but suddenly she noticed Qin Haiyang stopped.

Surprised, she glanced at the scoreboard, the bold 16-12 told her that the Huaxia Team had already won the first gold medal!

A huge wave of sound erupted instantly, and the bright red flag was raised high. A hint of a smile appeared on the formerly calm faces of Fang Zixin and Qin Haiyang.

The two of them reached out and waved towards the stands, welcoming the glory that belonged to Huaxia and also to themselves.

Wang Fan and Zhuo Qianqian were so excited that they jumped up, unable to contain their excitement.

Before coming to Paris, the two specifically went to Beijing to watch the national flag being raised.

The flag raising in Beijing is naturally thrilling, but the flag raising ceremony on the Olympic stage provides a different kind of emotion.

It’s where the world’s greatest athletes compete for a championship, and only the winning country gets its national anthem played on this stage.

The rousing national anthem plays, the bright red flag rises slowly, and the whole world seems to be frozen, with only the red flag and the stirring melody resonating in their hearts.

After watching the flag-raising ceremony, they returned to the restaurant, where as competitors, they always have the option to order meals.

Two hours before a competition, athletes usually don’t eat due to pressure and lack of appetite, as well as the fact that eating can thicken the blood and affect their performance, so post-competition meals are common.

The restaurant’s policy is that competitors can order food, but those who haven’t won prefer the Olympic Village cafeteria to avoid the embarrassment of ordering here.

As the winners of the first gold medal, Fang Zixin and Qin Haiyang were justified in ordering a meal to treat themselves.

The two still had to give interviews, they couldn’t spare the time, but Wang Fan had already begun preparations.

Fang Zixin only ordered a serving of Linhai Wheat Shrimp, a snack that doesn’t take much effort, while Qin Haiyang was eager to try Boss Wang’s beggar chicken to see if it stood out.

Wang Fan now had to marinate the chicken.

Chicken was no stranger to Wang Fan, who mastered hundreds of chicken recipes, but it was truly his first time making beggar chicken.

He had the recipe, but current conditions didn’t meet those requirements, so he had to adjust on the spot.

For instance, he planned to use flour in place of the yellow clay typically used to coat the chicken.

Usually, yellow clay for beggar chicken is mixed with high-proof alcohol, but that obviously doesn’t suit these athletes.

Especially as Qin Haiyang still had the individual 10-meter air rifle competition, alcohol was naturally excluded.

Though beggar chicken sounds down-to-earth, the preparation method is not simple.

While Qin Haiyang was giving interviews, Wang Fan seized the chance to marinate the chicken.

Ginger, green onions, salt, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and some substitute spices are all evenly smeared on the chicken skin.

Bacon, sausages, shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, chestnuts, dates, longan, and goji berries were stuffed into the chicken’s cavity.

After the prep work, he put the chicken into the refrigerator to chill before starting to prepare the Linhai Wheat Shrimp ingredients.

Despite its name featuring shrimp, its main ingredient is actually noodles.

It’s called Wheat Shrimp because the "shrimp" is made from wheat flour.

To make it, wheat flour is mixed into a paste, then cut into the pot with a knife over the edge of the bowl, where it turns into thick noodles resembling shrimp as they roll around the boiling water in the pot.

Wheat flour, eggs, shredded white radish, sliced beef, shiitake mushrooms, and a bit of dried shrimp and clams go in for added freshness.

Linhai Wheat Shrimp is faster to make, while beggar chicken took more time, so Wang Fan decided to start baking the beggar chicken right away.

Flour mixed with eggs, salt, and a bit of olive oil was used to make a thick dough which he planned to use instead of clay to wrap the beggar chicken.

Lotus leaves had been softened in salt water; he wrapped the marinated chicken in the lotus leaves and sealed them with dough before placing it in the oven, waiting for the champions to return.

As the first gold medalists, they were high profile and in demand, though mainstream media at the Olympics asked mostly regular questions, allowing the two to respond calmly.

They also understood that the champions needed to rest after their tough fight and didn’t press them further; real interviews would take place after the Olympics when back in their homeland.

Fang Zixin and Qin Haiyang breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed in their respective rooms to rest.

The air rifle event may not appear as physically demanding as sprinting or wrestling, but it requires a high level of concentration, making it mentally exhausting; mental fatigue proves more unbearable than physical fatigue.

Both were so tired they forgot about ordering food, but luckily Coach Yao remembered and promptly called Wang Fan at the restaurant.

By this time, the beggar chicken had baked in the oven for 100 minutes.

Noting the time and the aroma drifting out, Wang Fan decisively turned off the oven but didn’t immediately take the beggar chicken out.

Such food surprises when left to moulder.

One pound of flour mixed with 350 grams of water, one egg, and half a teaspoon of salt, blended and kissed with a touch of olive oil before being placed in a bowl.

Heating oil in the pot, shiitake mushrooms, dried shrimp, and clams were sautéed, followed by shredded radish stir-fried briefly before adding boiling broth, the milky soup bubbled, and with a knife, he cut the batter into the pot.

Watching the wheat shrimp bobbing up and down in the hot soup, indeed, they looked exactly like shrimp startled into wriggling.

Beef strips are cut very fine; to avoid becoming tough, Wang Fan added them just 30 seconds before serving.

The stock made from these delicious ingredients required only a pinch of salt and sugar to highlight its flavor, adding excessive spices would be wasteful.

The athletes never had agents, and in the dining hall, people were occupied with other tasks, leaving errands to the coaches.

White-haired Coach Yao arrived as soon as Wang Fan’s call came through, just as Wang Fan’s Linhai Wheat Shrimp was freshly out of the pot.

Entering with a slight embarrassment, Coach Yao said to Wang Fan, "I’m really sorry for troubling you."

Wang Fan packed the meal, replying, "It’s what we’re supposed to do, not a trouble at all."

With the Olympic Village just nearby, the packed meals took only minutes, which wouldn’t significantly affect the taste.

Wang Fan had seen Coach Yao a few times before, whose face typically displayed stress; Qin Haiyang would say he was anxious day in and day out.

However, his disciple’s win today brought the first gold medal, finally letting a smile show on his anxious face.

"Thank you! But you may face more trouble later; that kid might win another gold, hahaha."

Wang Fan chuckled, "That would be great. More of this kind of trouble is always welcome."