Gulu came to the kitchen feeling deeply wronged. He couldn’t help but complain in his mind, "I’m an Advanced Combat Robot! Why did Yan Yifei have to install programs like vegetable washing in me? This is too demeaning!"
If it weren’t for the fact that the potato pancakes smelled so good, he wouldn’t have agreed to shell the clams even if he was beaten to death. He wondered, "Why is my life so miserable?"
Gan Lan ignored Gulu, who was muttering something unintelligible under his breath.
She opened the lid of the clay pot and gave it a stir. The rice grains had broken down nicely. She poured in the prepped shrimp, crab meat, and clam meat, added two slices of ginger, and then poured in the broth left over from boiling the clams earlier.
Once it came to a boil, she added an appropriate amount of salt, cooking wine, and white pepper. She stirred it evenly and turned off the heat.
Sprinkling the freshly chopped celery over the cooked dish, a pot of Three Fresh Delicacies Congee was finally done.
The Sun Shredded Potato Pancakes were also ready; she had pan-fried two large plates of them.
The entire house was filled with the mouthwatering aroma of food. Gan Lan carried the large pot of congee straight to the living room, only to see that Gulu had already put down his gaming console and was sitting at the dining table with a serious expression, waiting to eat.
"It’s finally done. I’m starving to death!" Gulu grumbled dissatisfiedly.
Gan Lan gave him a questioning look. She thought, "A robot can actually get hungry? Who are you trying to fool?"
She set down the clay pot, scooped a small bowl of congee for Gulu, and placed a pancake on a plate, pushing it in front of him. "You can only taste one potato pancake and a small bowl of congee. Eating any more would be a total waste!"
Gulu curled his lips and picked up his spoon without a word. Hearing Gan Lan’s reasoning, he felt she made a fair point, so he stayed quiet.
Surprised Beggar Chicken: [Ahhhh! Why can a robot eat real food while I, a real human being, have to eat data! Why is it reversed!?]
Fiery Phoenix: [Exactly! Junior, are you short on hands over there? I want to go too! I can be the type who automatically washes vegetables for you without even being asked! Wuwuwu, I want to eat too. This aroma is so appetizing. I’m having a mouthful of congee and a mouthful of potato pancake right now, and it feels so damn good!]
Hot Pot Balls: [Junior, I’m way more useful than Gulu! I can wash vegetables and clean the house. Why don’t you just eliminate Gulu and let me wash the veggies for you? Just covering my meals is enough. I’m craving this to death!]
Feiran: [It seems Gulu’s sense of taste and smell need to be modified again. Letting him eat is truly a waste of food.]
Sky Blue: [Let me modify him! Let me do it! That stinky Gulu is making me die of jealousy. To think I’m actually losing to a robot. I’m gnawing on data while Gulu is eating the real thing. I feel so miserable I want to cry T^T]
Gan Lan found it somewhat amusing to see all the viewers in the comments expressing their intense dissatisfaction with Gulu.
She thought, "Did Yan Yifei never anticipate this scene when he first sent Gulu over?"
"Hurry up and eat. I’ll give away three portions of breakfast in a lottery later. Also, Gulu is actually pretty great; he eats very little," Gan Lan said, defending Gulu.
She then scooped up a spoonful of the congee, blew on it gently, and took a sip. The savory freshness blossomed in her mouth—it tasted absolutely amazing! Her entire stomach felt warm and fuzzy, bringing her a deep sense of satisfaction.
Next, she picked up a golden Sun Shredded Potato Pancake and took a bite. The outer layer was crispy, while the inside was soft and tender. The refreshing crunch of the shredded potatoes, the natural sweetness of the shredded carrots, and the subtle kick of spice from the shredded green peppers created a texture that was truly intoxicating.
Taking a bite of the potato pancake followed by a sip of the congee, Gan Lan ate with absolute delight. This combination was simply perfect.
Sweet and fresh shrimp and crab meat, soft and glutinous rice, and rich, savory broth... She thought, "What a wonderful life."
"Gulu, is it good?" Gan Lan asked, noticing the robot sitting across from her.
Without even lifting his head, Gulu nodded directly. "I didn’t expect your cooking skills to actually be this good. But tell Yan to stop trying to use my body for modifications! I will definitely resist, hmph!"
Feiran: [I can hear you! There are only five minutes left until the voting deadline for the Top 100 qualifiers. Junior, aren’t you nervous?]
This Is Too Hard: [I’ve been keeping an eye on it. I’m so nervous! The streamer’s vote count is about to catch up to the first place! Ahhhh, I wonder if she can sprint to first place in the last five minutes. Those of you with votes left, vote quickly! Come back and continue eating delicious food after you vote! Hurry, hurry, my heart is about to jump out of my chest!]
Binbin: [I’ve already gone to vote, and I’ve even rallied my alumni to go too. I’ve done my best! Praying that Junior can surpass the first place in the last three minutes! Wuwuwuwu, I’m panicking to death. I don’t even have the mood to eat good food anymore!]
Hot Pot Balls: [Very good, there are still two minutes left, there’s still a chance! She’s about to overtake them, just a little bit more, just a little bit! Those with votes, hurry up and cast them! We’re only short by a tiny bit, wuwuwu, I’m dying of nervousness, my heart is about to beat out of my chest!]
Blooming Beauty, Moonlit Grace: [The countdown has started, the countdown has started! Hurry, hurry, hurry, she’s about to overtake them, there are ten seconds left! Oh my god, we’re short by one hundred, and the first place’s votes are also rising! I can’t take it anymore, I’m too nervous. I’ve been staring fixedly at the vote count. Please bless my goddess to get first place! She’s so good and so amazing!]
Sky Blue: [Three seconds left! I can’t take it, I don’t dare to look anymore! Junior’s votes and the first place’s votes keep swapping up and down. I’m getting dizzy watching it, I’m going crazy! Please, please bless her. Brothers, hurry up and vote, there are only two seconds left! As long as you guys put in the effort to push Junior to first place, I’ll cross-dress in women’s clothes for you all!]
System Notification: [Congratulations to the streamer for receiving 999 Cosmic Starships from ’Feiran’. A network-wide broadcast has been rewarded.]
System Notification: [Congratulations to the streamer for receiving 999 Cosmic Starships from ’Handsome Mingyu’. A network-wide broadcast has been rewarded.]
System Notification: [Congratulations to the streamer for receiving...]
Network-wide Broadcast: [’Feiran’ said to ’Come and have some barbecue!’: Congratulations, my first place ^^]
Network-wide Broadcast: [’Handsome Mingyu’ said to ’Come and have some barbecue!’: Oh my god, this is the first time I’ve paid so much attention to a voting ranking, and for a culinary competition no less! Seeing your ranking swap back and forth with the first place, and then seeing your name hanging high at the very top when it stopped at the last second... I was truly going crazy with joy!]
Network-wide Broadcast: [’Sky Blue’ said to ’Come and have some barbecue!’: ...]
Network-wide Broadcast: [’Hot Pot Balls’ said to ’Come and have some barbecue!’: ...]
Network-wide Broadcast: [...]
The screen of Gan Lan’s live stream was practically exploding. Putting down her chopsticks and seeing the comments filled entirely with congratulations on getting first place, she finally remembered that the voting ranking had ended. She had been eating so happily that she completely forgot about it. She felt a little guilty... yet also somewhat thrilled.
Staring wide-eyed at the text in the comments, she pointed at herself in disbelief. "I really got first place!?"
Seeing the affirmative answers in the comments, Gan Lan smiled radiantly and even jumped up in excitement. She was truly overjoyed. Because she had already mentally prepared herself to rank second, she never expected the ending to be so surprisingly wonderful!
She herself hadn’t cared much anymore, yet there were so many heartwarming viewers in the live stream reminding her, feeling nervous for her, canvassing for votes for her, and doing so much more...
Thinking of this, Gan Lan felt incredibly touched and warmed. Amidst her bright smile, her eyes began to mist over.
"Thank you all. A thousand words can only merge into a single ’thank you’. Thank you for your support and encouragement, truly, thank you. Thank you that I was able to meet such heartwarming people like you!" Gan Lan bowed, sincere and deeply moved.
Having met such incredibly warmhearted fans, she truly felt she had no way to repay them. She swore that in the future, she would make sure her fans could eat real, delicious food the moment they stepped out of their doors or ordered takeout, instead of being forced to eat data just because they couldn’t access physical food!
She thought, "It seems I need to go discuss this with the Dean. Cheap, delicious, and convenient instant noodles—they deserve to have them."
She decided that she would tell these heartwarming fans about this surprise when it officially went on sale.