Lin Xu had originally thought that with Master's acting skills, the leopard-print auntie would definitely be no match.

But who would have known that the mighty Sea King... that's it?

What a pity Master isn't here to enjoy the show.

"Junior Brother, why are you soaking so many duck parts? Planning to make marinated duck heads and necks?"

Lin Xu came back to his senses and nodded. "The customers were saying that the chicken feet weren't spicy enough, so I'm planning to marinate some duck parts for them to try, and also to help boost beer sales."

"You're really multi-talented, Junior Brother!"

Not only skilled in savory dishes, pastries, and steamed items, but now he's even started making marinated snacks. Cooking seems to have no barriers for him at all. I'm so envious!

"If Senior Brother isn't busy, why not stay and help me keep an eye on things?"

Xie Baomin waved his hand. "Some other day. I have to go back for an administrative meeting later, and after that, I still have to deal with an inspection, so I have a lot to do."

After saying that, Senior Brother Xie took his car keys and left.

Lin Xu continued preparing the marinated duck parts.

Today, he was making Black Duck.

Black Duck is not only a brand name but also a type of spicy and slightly sweet flavor profile in marinating duck parts. Compared to a purely spicy flavor, the slightly sweet Black Duck is more popular with a wider range of consumers, boasting many fans throughout the country.

In reality, Black Duck isn't actually black in color but rather so intensely ruddy that it creates a visually dark, almost black, appearance. To achieve this effect, one must not only add caramelized sugar to the marinade but also Dark Soy Sauce and sweet bean paste to enhance the color.

Lin Xu first poured Pork Bone Broth into the stockpot, then began to prepare the marinade for the Black Duck.

He started by soaking over twenty types of spices—including Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon, tsaoko, Angelica dahurica, cloves, and fennel—in warm water to clean off any surface dust and reduce their potent medicinal properties. He then divided them into three spice packets and added them to the marinade. Among these spices, a generous amount of Sichuan peppercorns was required, with a particular emphasis on the more numbing variety, needing almost a large bowlful. Since it was the first time making this marinade, the quantity of spices needed to be doubled or even tripled to ensure the numbing spiciness in the duck parts would stand out.

Next, he soaked a small basket of King Chili, Devil's Pepper, and Lantern Pepper—three types of dried chili—in warm water until soft. He cut half into chili sections and kept the other half whole, adding them directly to the marinade. Whole chilis are slow to release their spiciness, so for the first batch of marinade, chili sections were used to quickly infuse the heat into it.

Finally, he chopped some scallion segments and about three pounds of ginger, then packed them into two large spice bags. For a richer flavor, halved onions and a small handful of knotted scallions were also added to the spice packets. Ingredients like Scallion and Ginger need to be replaced after each use, so they were packed separately. The other spices, however, could be used two or three times before replacement to fully extract their flavors. As for the dried chili, it could be left in the marinade indefinitely, with a little more added each time to maintain the spiciness.

After adding all these ingredients to the marinade, he brought it to a boil over high heat, first drawing out the flavors of the various spices, Scallion and Ginger, and chili. Then, he added a large bowl of caramelized sugar, half a bottle of Dark Soy Sauce, most of a bottle of Light Soy Sauce, a whole packet of sweet bean paste, half a packet of salt, two handfuls of Crystal Sugar, and a ladleful of Maltose. He stirred the marinade with a spoon until it was well mixed. Then, he let it simmer over low heat for more than half an hour, allowing the flavors of the marinade to be thoroughly extracted and the ingredients to meld together, improving the overall taste.

While the marinade was simmering, Lin Xu took out all the soaked duck parts from the water. He removed any fine feathers from the duck heads and wings, chopped off the nails from the duck feet, and tore off excess lymphatic tissue and blood clots from the duck necks, among other things. After cleaning all the ingredients thoroughly, he rinsed them several times with clean water.

Next, he set up a large stockpot for blanching. Duck itself is an ingredient with a particularly strong gamey taste, and since these duck parts are often the less choice cuts, removing the gaminess during blanching is crucial. Lin Xu poured these ingredients into the stockpot. Then he added a small bowl of ginger slices and scallion segments, pouring in just under half a bowl of Liquor. Liquor, as it evaporates, carries away many off-flavors, making it more effective than cooking wine when dealing with ingredients with strong odors.

Before long, the water in the pot boiled. Lin Xu skimmed off the scum with a spoon and continued to boil the parts for several more minutes. Only then did he scoop out all the ingredients and place them on a bamboo basket, using a fan to dry the surface moisture.

For all marinated duck parts, regardless of the cut, a firm and chewy texture was desired. To achieve this, one needed to briefly boil the duck parts and then air-dry them to tighten the surface meat. This way, after marinating, the meat would naturally become firmer.

By the time the fan had dried off all the moisture on the surface of the duck parts, the marinade he'd started in the morning was also nearly done simmering. Lin Xu added these duck parts to the marinade. He turned down the heat. He also poured two large spoonfuls of Seasoning Oil and one large spoonful of lard into the pot, increasing the fat content of the marinade, which would make the marinated ingredients richer and more succulent. He kept the pot at a gentle simmer, just below a rolling boil, for half an hour, then let the parts soak for another hour. After that, these Black Duck pieces would be ready to serve.

Just as he was busy, a black Audi Q7 slowly pulled up to the entrance.

Panda, who hadn't visited the restaurant for several days, stepped out of the car. Different from his previous image of wearing hip-hop clothes and a curly instant-noodle hairstyle, Panda now had a more youthful cropped haircut and wore well-fitting, smart casual attire.

When he pushed open the door and entered the store, Song Tiantian, who was sitting at the cash register tallying the accounts, didn't even recognize him. "Sorry, we haven't opened yet. Please come back after eleven o'clock..."

Panda gave a wry smile. "It's me, Panda!"

"You're Panda? Did you get plastic surgery?"

Panda chuckled. "No, I just changed my hairstyle and clothes. I need to discuss something with Boss Lin inside. We'll chat later."

Having said that, he walked further in.

Song Tiantian gazed at his retreating figure, dumbfounded.

Damn, he actually looked kind of handsome! Now, Anchor Wu surely won't reject him, right?

In the kitchen, Lin Xu glanced at Panda, who had come in from outside, and at first, didn't recognize him either.

It couldn't be helped; Panda's previous image had been too deeply ingrained in people's minds. It was as if, with his new look, he had really undergone plastic surgery.

"Long time no see, Brother Pan. What have you been up to lately? You haven't been to the restaurant for a while."

Panda replied with a smile, "I've converted my studio into an e-commerce company these past few days. I've been busy looking for a location and hiring staff. I finally managed to squeeze out some time today, so I rushed over."

After speaking, he took out a business card and handed it over.

Lin Xu took it and saw that the name of Panda's company was: Yanjing City Xinda Electronics Trading Co., Ltd.

Xinda... Wu Kexin and Panda, huh? You're laying it on a bit thick, bro... If Anchor Wu ends up not accepting you, won't you have to go to the Bureau of Industry and Commerce to change the name?

Lin Xu involuntarily thought of those guys who had tattooed the names of their secret crushes on their bodies, only to undergo the pain of getting them removed shortly after. As intense as the moment of getting the tattoo was, so was the agony of having it removed. He wondered if President Pan would feel the same when the time came to change his company's name.

As he mused, he glanced at the card again and noticed that the title printed after Panda's name was Vice General Manager.

Vice General Manager? Then who's the General Manager?

"It's... Wu Kexin."

Lin Xu: ?????? I get it now, bro. You're just here to flaunt your relationship, aren't you?

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The second update is delivered, thanks to [Xiaohe005] for the 10,000 Book Coins reward! Brothers, I need Monthly Tickets and recommendation tickets!

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