Put all the necessary seasonings into small saucers, arranging them neatly one by one. This way, the shot will look good.
Ye Xiaomo wasn't idle either, he ran and got the DSLR camera, skillfully switched to video mode.
Obviously, this wasn't his first time doing it.
Once Ye Fei was ready, she came over to fix the camera on the tripod.
Ye Xiaomo went to fetch his little step stool.
Because he's short, he can't reach the height of the set camera.
But he insisted on being part of Ye Fei's view.
So Ye Fei specially ordered a little step stool for him.
The stool has built-in steps, wide like a little platform, so there's no worry of Ye Xiaomo accidentally falling off.
The material of the stool is very light, even Ye Xiaomo can easily carry it over.
Once everything was ready, Ye Xiaomo struck a professional pose standing behind the DSLR.
Ye Fei reminded him, "Remember not to film my face, just film my hands."
She was afraid that Xu Huizhen and Ye Ning would see the video once uploaded online.
Therefore, ever since she started uploading videos, she insisted on not showing her face, not even speaking, relying solely on adding subtitles afterward, always cautious.
However, this actually made the videos look quite refreshing, and the subtitles made it easier for fans to record.
This way, fans liked her style even more.
"Got it, I remember." Ye Xiaomo skillfully adjusted the camera lens angle.
Just right to capture Ye Fei's hand movements and the cutting board.
Ye Fei put the thawed chicken wings onto the cutting board, slashing two or three cuts on the skin side for better flavor.
Then she placed the chicken wings in a small basin, adding salt, cooking wine, dark soy sauce, and white pepper powder.
Ye Xiaomo reminded from behind the camera, "Chili powder, I want it spicy."
"Got it." Ye Fei replied, sprinkling a bit of chili powder.
Not sure what's up with Ye Xiaomo, other kids his age usually can't handle spicy, but Ye Xiaomo takes all flavors — sour, sweet, bitter, spicy.
Then Ye Fei added chopped scallions and ginger slices to the chicken wings to remove the fishy smell.
After marinating the chicken wings for 10 minutes, she squeezed some lemon juice, then put them in the frying pan, cooking both sides until golden.
But Ye Fei added another step, focusing on frying the edges until golden and crispy, enhancing the texture.
Afterward, she added a bit of salt and light soy sauce, and finally a small can of cola.
Adding three to four pieces of rock sugar to make the chicken wings more visually appealing.
Then, she started to simmer on low heat, waiting for the sauce to become thick, enticingly wrapping the chicken wings.
Ye Fei then placed the chicken wings nicely on a plate.
Ye Xiaomo immediately grabbed the camera, professionally taking close-ups of the chicken wings.
Watching Ye Xiaomo's adept movements, Ye Fei couldn't help but think, her fans would probably never guess those videos praised for being high-end were all created by Ye Xiaomo.
"Ye Xiaofei, come on, shred a chicken wing!" Ye Xiaomo urged.
Ye Fei picked up a hot chicken wing, tearing it open from the middle.
The crispy skin enveloped in a tantalizing caramel-colored sauce slowly separated, revealing the tender chicken inside, shredding into strands.
Ye Fei heard Ye Xiaomo swallowing and said, "I'll serve the rice, fry a vegetable, and then we can eat."
Ye Xiaomo tidied up the camera and stool.
By the time he returned, Ye Fei had already stir-fried the vegetables and taken out the pre-mixed small side dishes from the fridge.
Their dinner was just this simple.
Ye Xiaomo couldn't wait, grabbing a chicken wing and taking a big bite, sauce staining his mouth.
"So delicious! I love the crispy edges of the fried chicken wings!" Ye Xiaomo exclaimed, suddenly pausing.
Looking at Ye Fei with surprise, "It has a lemon flavor inside! It's tangy and aromatic, really refreshing!"
Ye Fei laughed, "It's a secret recipe! Others don't do it this way. Because with cola and rock sugar, the wings are on the sweet side, adding lemon juice makes them more refreshing."
Ye Xiaomo shook his head and sighed, "Such a pity, others won't get to taste it."
"I filmed it, right? Follow my method, and they'll be able to make it." Ye Fei smiled.
"It's not the same; it definitely won't taste like yours." Ye Xiaomo said regretfully.
He wanted more people to know how delicious Ye Fei's cooking was.
After finishing dinner, Ye Fei put the frying pan and bowls into the dishwasher.
Ye Xiaomo snuggled on the sofa to watch his favorite cartoons, while Ye Fei sat beside him with a laptop, editing the video shot today.
Just as she was turning off the original audio of her chat with Ye Xiaomo, the doorbell rang.
Ye Fei quickly got up to answer the door, finding her friend Li Xiaoyun standing at the entrance.
Li Xiaoyun, two years older, used to be Ye Fei's customer, loved Ye Fei's cooking, always placing orders.
Over time, they became closer and ended up friends.
Ye Fei was raising Ye Xiaomo alone in B City, Li Xiaoyun helped a lot.
When Ye Fei was about to give birth, Li Xiaoyun was there for her.
It was also Li Xiaoyun who pulled some strings for Ye Xiaomo's registration.
Seeing her, Li Xiaoyun angrily said, "Ye Fei, this time you must confront Shi Jiumei head-on!"
"What happened?" Ye Fei asked curiously, what did Shi Jiumei do this time?
Shi Jiumei, like her, was also a food blogger.
"Aunt!" Ye Xiaomo ran over to greet.
"My darling!" Upon seeing Ye Xiaomo, Li Xiaoyun's heart melted.
She picked up Ye Xiaomo and kissed his little face heavily.
Holding Ye Xiaomo, she walked into the living room, telling Ye Fei, "That Shi Jiumei started later than you, imitating you everywhere. Her videos resemble yours, responding to a recipe you posted well, she insists on posting a so-called advanced version, making it seem more sophisticated than yours."
"Today, suddenly, someone said your method from the video doesn't taste good at all." Li Xiaoyun said angrily, "And it's not just one person saying this. One person started, and suddenly lots of people chimed in, saying it just looked good but wasn't edible."
"Xiao Fei's cooking is really delicious!" Ye Xiaomo defended Ye Xiaofei.
"Of course, I often eat them, would I not know?" Li Xiaoyun agreed, "Those people must be Shi Jiumei's hired promoters because they also said that following Shi Jiumei's version tasted way better."
Li Xiaoyun fumed, "Shi Jiumei learned from your method, and now they claim her version tastes better? Ridiculous! The most disgusting part is Shi Jiumei replied to them, thanked them, said she'd put more effort into researching recipes to teach everyone. What research is she doing! She's just researching your recipes!"