For some reason, the post that had been trending on the forums suddenly had its ranking suppressed.
'Detective Zhuo streamed everywhere to build a fanbase, not to make enemies. The kind of person who could suppress a post here…'
Sure enough, it wasn't long before a high-ranked account sent him a private message, proposing a business deal.
After the money arrived, he sighed to himself. 'Ah, I was originally hoping to help that young lady who didn't seem too well-off gain some popularity and earn a little money. But now... I guess you could just say she's out of luck.'
Jiang Qiuqiu, at home, was completely oblivious to the storm brewing outside.
After waking up on a bright and sunny morning, she opened her stream on an empty stomach to read the comments. Piles of positive reviews flooded in, and she couldn't help but cup her face in her hands and smile.
After finishing the reviews, she was surprised to find that quite a few people had tipped her after the tasting session. The largest tip was an incredible 1000 Star Coins! In total, her stream yesterday had earned a whopping 3300 Star Coins.
That was so much money.
'I'm so awesome!'
'If this keeps up, someone from the Federation's streaming platform will probably contact me for a contract! I can wait until the end of the month and see if I can get signed. If I get a contract, I'll save a lot on withdrawal fees.'
She hummed a little tune as she went to wash up. In the mirror, a girl with black hair and black eyes stared back, her cheeks slightly flushed and her face radiating vitality.
'When you've mastered a core skill, you can take on the world!'
With money in her hands now, Jiang Qiuqiu splurged and bought a small bag of rice from Taotao Fresh.
'Rice... It's the staple food rooted deep in the soul of all Huaxia people! Only after eating rice can you say you've truly had a meal!'
「8:00 PM」
Jiang Qiuqiu opened her stream right on time.
Though she had only been streaming for two days, she had already gathered a small following of dedicated fans. The moment her stream went live, people who had been waiting flooded in.
"Welcome, everyone, to my cooking stream. Today's menu is: Red-Braised Gugu Meat."
As the live comments scrolled by, Jiang Qiuqiu noticed that there seemed to be some new viewers today.
Viewers with rather poetic usernames, ones that didn't include any animal names.
#Just watching#
"Welcome to everyone watching! The dish I'm making today is a bit more complex. First, let's talk about the ingredients. For Red-Braised Gugu Meat, it's best to use meat from a Gugu Beast that's about one year old."
Jiang Qiuqiu's dedicated fan, Terry, quickly chimed in.
#Terry is a wolf: Aw, aren't you making that delicious fried meat today?#
"The fried meat is delicious, but I've already eaten it for two days," Jiang Qiuqiu said, her voice cheerful. "We should try some new flavors, too."
As she spoke, Jiang Qiuqiu held up the cut of meat she had selected. "The biggest difference between Red-Braised Gugu Meat and fried cutlets is the choice of meat."
"For the cutlets, we used the loin. For Red-Braised Gugu Meat, we need to choose a cut like this, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat." In other words, what was known as a belly cut.
This type of white fat had apparently left a deep trauma on the interstellar people. The moment she held up the fatty meat, the live comments exploded with things like #You can eat that?#, #That fat is gonna kill me#, and #So greasy#.
When someone asked if she could just use lean meat, Jiang Qiuqiu shook her head. "The best ingredient for this dish is this belly cut."
"Don't worry, everyone. Since I've decided to make this dish, you can be sure I have complete confidence in the outcome." Her voice was usually sweet and gentle when she spoke to people, but when it came to cooking—to something she had mastered—it became surprisingly firm and resonant.
She made the Star Network audience believe in her.
And she declared, "There's no need to be nostalgic for the last dish, because here, the most delicious one—is always the next one."
'The fancy talk is over. Now, it's time to show my skills!'
Jiang Qiuqiu picked up her cleaver. With a few swift motions, she quickly diced the long strip of belly into a number of small, uniform cubes, each with a perfect balance of fat and lean meat.