Breathing in the familiar scent, Gan Lan felt a deep sense of nostalgia. Every year during the Dragon Boat Festival or the Spring Festival, her mother would make these kinds of zongzi, filling the entire house with the distinct aroma of boiled Ruo Bamboo Leaves and glutinous rice. At this thought, her mood dipped. She missed her parents and wondered how they were doing—if they had recovered from the grief of her sudden passing.
Gan Lan sniffled and blinked her eyes, which had grown a little blurry from the steam. She smiled and said, "This smells so good~ I don’t know if it’s tempted you guys, but I’m definitely drooling." She swiftly fished out the meat zongzi and drained the water.
[I Am a Goddess Lan Fan]: [Why is it that even with the same cooking method, this meat zongzi smells so much better than the crystal zongzi? I’m taking a deep breath of the aroma, expertly grabbing the meat zongzi, and untying the string...]
[In Love with Mutton Skewers]: [The white glutinous rice has been dyed a faint green by the Ruo Bamboo Leaf. At first glance, it seems quite ordinary. But after taking a huge bite, oh my god! The fatty meat in the filling has completely melted, soaking into the soft, sticky mung beans and glutinous rice. I feel like I’m going to melt into this flavor too...]
[Winter’s Flame]: [Compared to the richly textured Crystal Zongzi, I prefer this meat one. I usually have a sweet tooth and find meat dishes quite greasy, except for Qingtian’s products. Now, even though you can’t see much meat in this zongzi, one bite feels like eating a massive chunk of it! It’s fragrant but not greasy at all. Seriously amazing!]
...
"Is this as pretty as the Crystal Zongzi?" Gulu leaned in close to Gan Lan as she unwrapped the meat zongzi, cradling a crystal plate in his right hand and holding a Dreamy Drink in the other.
Gan Lan shook her head. "No, I just made this on the side while making the Crystal Zongzi because I was craving something savory. Yours are the two things you’re holding. There will be another one later, but wait until I’ve eaten my fill first."
Gan Lan looked at the pale green exterior dyed by the Ruo Bamboo Leaf, which emitted a captivating fragrance. She brought it to her lips and took a large bite. Her mouth was instantly filled with the aromatic, overflowing scent of meat. The fat had melted completely, creating a truly intoxicating texture. Seeing that this meat zongzi wasn’t sparkly or vibrantly colored at all, Gulu walked away in disappointment.
Gan Lan couldn’t be bothered with him. Her eyes never left the meat zongzi. She demolished one in three large bites, took a sip of the Dreamy Drink, and immediately picked up a second meat zongzi. Her body’s appetite had indeed grown significantly; when she first arrived in this world, she had eaten very little. It seemed the nutrient supplements she drank every day were truly effective. No wonder they were so expensive. Of course, her abundant daily meals played a part as well.
[Love Gan Lan Love Choubei]: [How long has it been since my junior actually ate? This is the first time I’ve seen her eat so much. That’s almost six meat ones, plus five Crystal Zongzis, and a huge glass of the Dreamy Drink. My heart aches just watching T^T You need to take good care of yourself!]
[Frail Girl]: [Does the streamer even eat that much? Give me fifty and I could polish them off in no time. But compared to the meat zongzi, I much prefer the Crystal Zongzi. It’s delicious, beautiful, and sweet without being cloying!]
[Barbecue Bibimbap]: [I have to disagree with you there! The meat zongzi is clearly superior! Savory zongzi is the way to go! The satisfaction is off the charts, whereas the Crystal Zongzi can only be considered a dessert!]
[Roasted Grass Jelly Tian Tian]: [You have an issue? Well, I have an issue with you! Even though the meat zongzi is tasty, the Crystal Zongzi is sweet with a rich fruity aroma. It’s definitely better!]
...
And so, the Sweet vs. Salty War commenced with fierce intensity. The comments section was heavy with the metaphorical scent of gunpowder, much like the controversy caused by the snail noodles back then—only worse. Seeing the state of the comments, Gan Lan found it both amusing and exasperating. It was just like the sweet and salty faction wars in her original world; it seemed she couldn’t escape it even here.
"Alright, alright, everyone, stop arguing," she said. "If you like sweet things, eat more of the sweet ones. If you like savory, eat more of the savory ones. In my opinion, the two can’t really be compared. Although they’re both called zongzi and the wrapping method is similar, the ingredients used are different. They’re both equally delicious!"
[Feiran]: [Everything you make is delicious. I like them all ^^]
[I’m So Done]: [Yes, yes! As long as the streamer makes it, I’ll absolutely love eating it. Sure, I have my favorites, but I feel like I could never give any of them up. I dream of the day when I can eat the real thing for every single dish.]
[Immortal Barbecue]: [Now that you mention it, I’m really looking forward to our junior’s future ’Huaxia Cuisine Star’. Just thinking about stepping out the door and being troubled by the question of what to eat today makes me feel so incredibly happy. I’m super excited!]
"That day will come. The days ahead are long~" Gan Lan replied. She really wanted to say that it was coming soon—very soon—because her and her friends’ instant noodle factory was already under construction, and everyone would be able to eat it shortly. However, she held back. If she said it now, it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore. She was going to give them a massive surprise when the time came. Thinking back to how so many people had cried non-stop while eating the flaming noodles but still refused to give up, her mood brightened considerably.
"I suddenly feel a bit lazy now that I’m full. But there’s still one last dessert to make today. We’ve got three sweet items on the menu today."
Earlier, after the meat zongzi had finished cooking, Gan Lan had turned off the heat for the boiling red beans and left them alone until now. She had forgotten the next step and now had to spend extra time on it. She added white sugar to the red beans and continued simmering them until the mixture thickened. Then, she took the gelatin sheets—edible gelatin—that had been soaking and softening beforehand, placed them in a bowl, and melted them over a water bath to create a gelatin liquid. She mashed the cooked red bean paste into a smooth purée, added the edible gelatin liquid while it was still hot, and stirred it evenly.
Next, she poured the red bean purée into transparent boxes tilted at an angle, smoothing out the surface. She placed them in the refrigerator to chill and set. Then, she made a second one, a third one... continuing until all the red bean purée was used up.
She began making the milk layer. She poured an appropriate amount of milk and caster sugar into a container, stirring as she heated it to let the sugar melt. The milk didn’t need to be brought to a boil; boiling milk would easily form a skin on the surface. While it was hot, she poured the melted gelatin liquid into the milk and stirred. She took out the boxes of set red bean purée, kept them tilted, and used a spoon to slowly pour the milk mixture over the firm purée. She didn’t need much, just a layer of Qianqians, covering the red bean purée to about a millimeter thick. She then covered the boxes with lids and put them back into the fridge to set.
Next came the pale green layer. Gan Lan used the juice of this world’s green berries, which yielded a beautiful color. She filtered out the green berry pulp, keeping only the juice without a single speck of fruit remaining. The green berry juice was at room temperature, so when pouring in the gelatin liquid, she had to stir rapidly to prevent clumping. She then poured it over the already set milk layer, keeping the box tilted as before, and placed it back into the fridge to chill and set.
To make the indigo layer, she steeped butterfly pea flowers in boiling water with caster sugar until the color deepened and the sugar melted. She strained the residue and stirred in the melted gelatin liquid. She laid the boxes—which now contained three set, slanted layers of color—flat on the table. She slowly poured the indigo mixture into the boxes, filling up the empty space left by the previously tilted angles, and put them in the fridge to chill and set once more.
She continued with the second one, the third one...