Chapter 60: Full of Praise

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Full of Praise

Not even ten minutes had passed, and the pan-fried fish had turned into a pot of soup. The fans who had been waiting for her to burn the pot were left disappointed.

One fan offered a serious, relatively neutral comment:

[I’ll admit, it smells amazing. But by doing this, the entire pot of fish is basically ruined!]

Another fan immediately chimed in:

[The streamer has completely missed the point of these small white fish. This chaotic mess makes it impossible to understand what she’s even trying to do!]

[I bet as soon as she boils it on high heat, the fish will just fall apart into mush! How are you supposed to eat that?]

Shu Yao ignored the controversy in her stream, washed some spinach, and juiced it to get 200ml.

She used the spinach juice to mix a vibrant green dough, which she then cut into hand-rolled noodles and set aside.

Although mixing the dough and cutting the noodles took nearly fifteen minutes, very few fans left the stream. Everyone was captivated by her skillful technique.

Experienced fans could tell that based on her knife skills alone, this new streamer was among the best in the entire food vlogging community.

Once the noodles were cut, the fish soup was also done.

Shu Yao lifted the lid, and the fresh, savory aroma of the soup instantly filled the stream. When the hot steam cleared, a pot of milky-white fish soup was revealed.

[AHHH! Did she add milk to her fish soup?!] a fan who had just joined the stream exclaimed.

Shu Yao strained the green onion, ginger, and broken bits of fish from the broth. She set aside one bowl of the pure soup, then added the spinach noodles to the remaining strained broth to cook.

"Let me have a little taste for you all," Shu Yao said, lifting the bowl of soup for a small sip. She let out a sigh of admiration. "Wow, that’s so rich and savory!"

A horde of fans in the chat urged her to put the fish soup up in the tasting slots.

But Shu Yao was in no rush.

She used her last free promotional push, bringing another wave of viewers into her stream.

At this point, her stream had over ten thousand concurrent viewers!

Shu Yao picked the green onion and ginger out of the strained fish meat, then heated up some oil in another pan, again over low heat.

Once the oil was hot, she poured all the fish flakes into the pan, pressing them down firmly with a spatula.

The white fish meat was slowly pan-fried until it turned into golden fish crisps.

All the while, she kept an eye on the pot where the noodles were cooking.

Once the noodles were cooked, she served three bowls, sprinkling some chopped green onions over each.

After the fish crisps were done, she tossed them with a little chili powder, creating a tasty snack.

She also poured the fish soup she had set aside earlier into three small bowls.

Spinach noodles in fish broth, pan-fried fish crisps, and a small, appetizing bowl of fish soup. Three identical sets were placed in front of the camera.

"Alright, time for everyone to have a taste."

The moment Shu Yao opened the tasting slots, all three spots were instantly claimed.

Chief Dan, who had already reserved a designated tasting slot: "..."

’It seems the streamer has completely forgotten about me!’

Just as he was drowning in his tears, he received a private message.

Mommy SY: [Hey dear, I’m so sorry. They were too fast and snatched up all the tasting slots in an instant. It’s my first time doing this, so I’m still not used to all the controls. I made plenty, though. If you’re okay with it, you can send me your address, and I’ll have a delivery bot bring it to you.]

Chief Dan: !!!

He was so excited his hands were shaking. He had to type his address twice before he managed to send the correct one to the streamer.

’To think I’ve been on these food-streaming platforms for so many years, and this is the first time I’ve ever gotten a perk like this!’

’I’m so incredibly flattered!’

’Besides, just from the look and smell of it, this new streamer’s food seems absolutely delicious!!!’

[AHHHHH, I DIDN’T GET A TASTING SLOT!!!]

[HOLY SHIT! Those three were way too fast!]

[As a married person, I declare I can’t compete with you single people!]

Everyone urged the fans who’d snagged the slots to give some feedback, but the three of them were completely silent.

To satisfy her fans’ curiosity, Shu Yao let Shu Chao Yu and Xiao Juzi, who had been waiting eagerly outside the kitchen, come in.

Shu Chao Yu was still in his bathrobe. He’d come out as soon as he smelled the food, without even taking the time to dry his hair.

Xiao Juzi was wearing cartoon pajamas his grandmother had bought for him, his furry tail and ears sticking out conspicuously.

Shu Yao didn’t let them show their faces on camera, seating them just out of frame.

Like a starving man who hadn’t eaten in centuries, Shu Chao Yu grabbed his chopsticks, shoveled a huge clump of spinach noodles into his mouth, and winced from the heat, though he refused to spit them out.

Xiao Juzi, on the other hand, was very well-behaved. He sat quietly in the spot his mother had arranged for him, and when she brought over his portion, he said in a sweet, soft voice:

"Thank you, Mommy~"

Shu Chao Yu couldn’t stop praising it. "I think everything I’ve ever eaten before was crap! Darling, seriously, I’m not even exaggerating! If you sold this noodle soup, it would be an absolute blockbuster! It’s so savory and fragrant, without a hint of fishiness, and the noodles are perfectly chewy!"

Before letting him into the kitchen, Shu Yao had instructed him not to say her name while the camera was rolling.

She didn’t want anyone to know her real identity.

Shu Chao Yu’s use of "darling" was both natural and casual.

When he popped the pan-fried fish crisps into his mouth, not just the heads but even the bones were perfectly crisp. CRUNCH, CRUNCH!

Just hearing that sound made the viewers in the stream drool uncontrollably!

Shu Chao Yu exclaimed, "These little fish crisps are incredible! Even the bones are crunchy! So fragrant! So delicious! So delicious!"

Meanwhile, Xiao Juzi was still diligently slurping his noodles. The SLURP, SLURP sound absolutely delighted the fans!

"For those of you who didn’t get one of my darling’s tasting slots, I’m telling you, it’s not just a shame—it’s a tragedy! A tragedy, you hear!" Shu Chao Yu said smugly. "Me, on the other hand, I’m the lucky one. I get to eat without even trying! And it’s fresh out of the pot! So good! This is pure happiness!"

Shu Chao Yu devoured everything like a tornado, clearing his plate in less than ten minutes.

Shu Yao served him another bowl of the noodle soup and placed a dish of stir-fried fish maw in front of him.

As soon as the stir-fried fish maw was served, Shu Chao Yu eagerly dug in. He immediately fell in love with the spicy, aromatic flavor and the unique, strange texture.

But even after eating a whole plateful, he still couldn’t figure out what it was.

"Darling, what is this?" Shu Chao Yu asked, holding up a soft, limp piece of fish maw with his chopsticks.

"It’s that bag of ’trash’ I had you bring home," Shu Yao said, watching his reaction with a deadpan expression.

Sure enough, upon learning the truth, Shu Chao Yu’s face contorted in disgust.

’But I can’t bring myself to spit it out!’

’If trash tastes this good, then I’ll gladly be a trash can!’

Seeing how well-behaved Xiao Juzi was, Shu Yao gave his ears a doting rub.

"Sweetheart, just eat until you’re about full. Don’t eat too much at night."

Xiao Juzi gestured with his little hands. "My tummy can still fit this much more of Mommy’s cooking~"

Not to be outdone, Shu Chao Yu made an even bigger circle with his hands. "This great-uncle’s belly can still fit this much!"

Xiao Juzi, not backing down, retorted, "I can fit more!"

Shu Chao Yu argued, "I’m a grown-up, so of course I can fit more than you!"

Shu Yao cut in, "Uncle, you should eat a little less, too. There will be more tomorrow. I still have some ingredients I haven’t even cooked yet."

"Alright, alright!"

Shu Yao packed up the meal she had promised Chief Dan and had a robot deliver it to his address.

Chief Dan was, after all, her very first follower.

This was a little bonus for him.

As for the three fans with lightning-fast reflexes who had claimed the tasting slots, two of them left feedback in the chat, both heaping praise on the food. The third one was even more extravagant—with a grand gesture, they directly tipped Mommy SY one hundred thousand Star Coins!

The platform and the streamer split all tips fifty-fifty.

These fifty thousand Star Coins were Shu Yao’s first real income since leaving Zone 9.