Hearing the shouts, the teachers stopped hesitating. The dean and Liang Cong were tossing back piece after piece and had nearly polished off an entire plate. What were they even being so squeamish about? The teachers who had initially held back instantly joined the fray, and the two plates of sweet and sour shrimp were polished off in no time.
Gan Lan set down the sweet and sour shrimp and returned to the kitchen. As soon as she walked in, she spotted Gulu picking up pieces of shrimp and eating them with great relish. When he saw her enter, he merely lifted an eyelid, picked up a plate of shrimp, and walked off to the side, clearly intending to avoid eye contact.
"Gulu, these are the leftover shrimp I brought back last night! Why are you eating them!?" Gan Lan leaned in close to him, speaking in a deliberately shocked tone.
Gulu’s hand paused on his chopsticks. He widened his eyes in mock horror. "What! You’re actually feeding me leftovers! Wait, why didn’t I get to eat this dish at the banquet yesterday?" After saying that, he picked up another piece and popped it into his mouth, his expression blissful.
Gan Lan’s face darkened, and she looked at Gulu with utter disdain. She wondered who it was yesterday that had shouted at the top of his lungs, drawn everyone’s attention, called her embarrassing, and then run off to leave her all alone. Yet here he was, happily cradling that same "embarrassing" food and eating it with gusto. Had she even given him permission to eat it?
"Did I give you permission to eat?" Gan Lan reached out to snatch the bowl from Gulu’s hands, but he instantly raised the plate high into the air.
She stared at him, speechless.
Sky Blue: [Pfft! I’m sorry, junior, but seeing you stand on your tiptoes... I just couldn’t help it... Hahahaha, so cute! And Gulu, you put on quite the act! Weren’t you secretly connecting to the Live Streamer to peek while our junior was streaming earlier? As if you didn’t know these were yesterday’s leftover shrimp! I’ve never seen such a shameless machine! I’m going to have another bite of shrimp to calm my nerves.]
The Lilies of Joy Have Bloomed: [Host, you need to hurry up and grow taller! Hahahahaha! This sweet and sour shrimp is perfectly coated in a sweet and tangy sauce. The outside is crispy, and the meat inside is so tender and fresh. It tastes absolutely incredible! Also, I need to make a disclaimer: my younger brother was logged into my account earlier. He was the one who said he couldn’t accept eating leftovers! I never said that! I know nothing about it~]
Like a Dream, Like a Fantasy: [One bite is just out of this world! It feels like my very soul is trembling with excitement. It’s so satisfying! I also need to make a disclaimer: my wife was using my account earlier. The moment she said she would ’just look but not eat,’ I knew our relationship had reached its end. Tomorrow, we’re getting a divorce. I’m so heartbroken. I think I’ll have another bite to swallow all my sorrow~]
Binbin: [Junior, have you been drinking your nutrient supplements on time lately? Pfft, hahaha! The way you jumped up to try and snatch that plate was adorable! And to the rest of you, your skin is just as thick as that stinky robot Gulu’s! Tsk, tsk. The second dish was just finished, and you guys are already ignoring the fact that this is leftover food? Your hypocrisy is physically painful to watch!]
Feiran: [Cute, and delicious ^^]
Forget it. Gan Lan gave up. Jumping up and down to snatch a plate made her feel like a performing monkey. Besides, grabbing it now was completely pointless—Gulu had already started licking the plate clean.
Gan Lan turned away and placed the remaining sweet and sour shrimp into the temperature-controlled box. She hadn’t even had a bite yet. However, seeing Gulu licking the plate meant it had to be incredibly delicious. Once all the dishes were finished, she would try every single one of them. Just thinking about it put her in a wonderful mood again.
She moved on to the third dish: three-color stir-fried shrimp. She chopped the cooked and marinated large shrimp into small chunks, then blanched the diced carrots, shelled peas, and corn kernels in boiling water before scooping them out to set aside.
She heated some oil in a wok and tossed in scallions, ginger, and garlic until they were fragrant. Next, she added the shrimp chunks and stir-fried them until they were heated through, followed by the carrots, corn, and peas. Finally, she seasoned everything with a dash of light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and salt, before pouring in a cornstarch slurry. She let it simmer until the sauce thickened, then scooped it out onto a plate.
The three-color stir-fried shrimp was a vibrant and beautiful medley of reds, greens, yellows, and pinks. Although its aroma wasn’t as overpowering as the sweet and sour shrimp, it possessed a unique, delicate fragrance all its own.
Gan Lan picked up one of the plates and scooped up a large spoonful. She blew on it gently before popping it into her mouth. The shrimp naturally had a subtle sweetness to it, but after absorbing the sugars from the carrots and corn, it tasted even sweeter and fresher. Combined with the earthy aroma of the peas, the flavor was absolutely exquisite.
Just as Gan Lan was about to set the plate down, Gulu flashed past her. In the blink of an eye, the plate of three-color stir-fried shrimp vanished from her hands.
Staring at her empty hands, her blissful and satisfied expression instantly flatlined. She slowly turned her head to glare blankly at Gulu.
Gulu, who was in the middle of scooping a spoonful of shrimp into his mouth, seemed to sense the imminent danger. His metallic frame shivered, causing a pea to roll off his spoon and drop back onto the plate. He darted his eyes around the room but couldn’t spot any dangerous objects or people. There was only the weak, entirely non-threatening Gan Lan staring at him. He let out a sigh of relief and grumbled, "What is it?! Aren’t there several other plates? Why are you staring at my bowl?!"
"Gulu, do you realize that what you’re putting into your mouth right now are leftovers of leftovers?" Gan Lan admitted defeat, feeling utterly helpless. How could someone as thin-skinned as her ever compete with Gulu’s impenetrable, rare-metal thick skin?
Gulu swallowed his mouthful of shrimp, his expression practically melting with bliss. "I know. So what? I don’t look down on you for it."
Gan Lan forced a hollow laugh. She had completely lost the desire to keep talking to him. Turning around, she placed the remaining plates of three-color shrimp into the temperature-controlled box. She left two plates out, instructing a robot assistant to deliver them to the eager-eyed teachers waiting outside, before moving on to her fourth dish of the day.
The fourth dish was braised prawns. She took the sashimi-grade prawns—which had already been deveined—butterflied them, and tossed them with shredded ginger and cooking wine, letting them marinate for a few minutes. Once they were ready, she drained the excess moisture from the prawns, dusted them in a thin layer of cornstarch, and set them aside.
She heated oil in a wok. Once it was hot, she tossed in ginger, garlic, dried chili segments, and Sichuan peppercorns, frying them until their aromas were released. She added the butterflied prawns, stir-frying them until they turned a vibrant red. Next, she poured in a mixture of light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, bird’s eye chilies, cooking wine, and boiling water. She brought the mixture to a rolling boil over high heat, then reduced it to a simmer, letting the prawns braise for a few minutes to soak up the rich flavors.
Once the sauce had reduced and thickened, she added a dash of chicken bouillon and white sugar to enhance the umami. She gave it a final, even toss, garnished it with chopped scallions, and plated the dish.
The glossy, bright red, and intensely fragrant braised prawns were finished.
Gan Lan took a deep inhale, savoring the rich aroma permeating the air. Feeling that simply smelling it wasn’t enough, she picked up a prawn and popped it straight into her mouth. It was perfectly fragrant and spicy. With a gentle flick of her tongue, the tender meat easily separated from the shell. The sensation was purely wonderful.
Fried Chicken Leg Crunch: [Holy crap! Are there any discarded shrimp left from yesterday’s banquet? I want to go dumpster diving for them right now! They look so incredibly delicious! If anyone knows, please give me the address! Or if anyone is hosting a banquet today, I’ll go stake the place out! My current coordinates are Ancient Forest Star! I’ll even travel to a neighboring planet! I’m willing to cross the stars to stake out a banquet! I’m begging on my knees, have pity on this poor child! T^T]
Roast Meat Bibimbap: [Coordinates: Mingyang Star. The Capital Star definitely has tons of banquets! Will a big shot please tell me where they’re being held? I’m going to stake them out too...]
In a flash, the entire tone of the live comments shifted from praising the delicious food to desperately begging for banquet addresses...