Gan Lan returned to the kitchen right at the half-hour mark. Opening the clay pot, she saw the stew was almost ready, so she added the peeled and diced potatoes to continue simmering.
Only after adding the potatoes did she breathe a slight sigh of relief. She had been truly afraid of over-stewing it to the point where the meat dissolved, leaving nothing but bones.
Now that her friends were here, she needed to make another pot. Given how much they could eat, she only half-believed their claims of missing her. They definitely had their eyes on her shrimp and merely used missing her as a high-sounding excuse.
Even so, she was still very happy they came to see her. It had been a long time since they had eaten together. Earlier, she was just lamenting how great it would be if her friends were around, wanting nothing more than to share her all-shrimp banquet with them.
Stir-frying another wok of chicken feet and spare ribs, she explained the process to her three eager senior assistants, simultaneously letting her stream viewers learn along. She hoped that in the near future, she could step out and enjoy Huaxia cuisine anytime without having to cook it herself every single time. After all, she had her lazy moments too.
Pouring the pork bone broth into the pot, she covered it with the lid and went to cook the rice. Although she was already full, that wouldn’t stop her from eating a bit more. Besides, her friends had traveled a thousand miles to see her—no, to see her scavenged shrimp—so she naturally had to host them well.
Gan Lan portioned the first twelve dishes of the all-shrimp banquet into small bowls. She planned to give away twelve portions in a lucky draw and ship them to the winning viewers once they logged out. The constant wailing and begging for a draw in the live chat had softened her heart.
"I’ve already divided out twelve portions, and the draw can start now. The prizes will be random. Since I didn’t scavenge that many shrimp, I’ll draw more for you next time when I gather a bigger batch!" After packing the twelve prizes, Gan Lan directly started the lucky draw.
System Notification: [The streamer is about to start the lucky draw. Friends, please strike a pose. Generally, the more difficult the pose, the higher the chance of winning!]
*Did You Eat Today*: [...? What pose? Does a handstand while washing my hair count? I can do that.]
*BBQ-Flavored Nutrient Fluid*: [A handstand while washing hair is nothing! How about a handstand while peeing, my dear, lovely, and esteemed Mr. System?]
*Dancing on the Tongue*: [Why does it have to be a handstand? I can dance on a hot iron plate, does that pose work? Tap dancing, is that difficult enough? I’ll do it barefoot! Is that okay, my dear Mr. System?]
Watching the topic get increasingly ridiculous, Gan Lan felt both helpless and amused by the new system. Why was this system so mischievous?
"The system is just joking with you. Even if you really managed those outrageous poses, you still might not win. Those meant to win will win, and if you aren’t lucky enough, there’s always next time!" Gan Lan quickly put a stop to the viewers’ terrifying ideas. What if someone actually believed it, tried it, and got hurt?
"We’re starting the draw now. Good luck, everyone! If anyone has an issue with these being scavenged shrimp, remember to press the ’Opt-out’ button." As Gan Lan spoke, her hands didn’t stop. She opened the first clay pot, added the Big Crabs and sashimi shrimp into it, and then placed the freshly removed shells of the Big Crabs back on top.
Covering the pot again to let it simmer for about ten minutes, today’s thirteenth shrimp dish would be complete.
"Junior, I’m here! I missed you so much! Ah! This smell is way too mouth-watering!" Wen Ningyue rushed into the kitchen and gave Gan Lan a huge hug. Then, she lifted her head and took a deep sniff of the various aromas filling the air. It was incredibly fragrant. She hadn’t even eaten yet, but just the smell gave her the urge to drool.
"Junior, I missed you too!" Gao Haiyang was the second to rush in. He opened his arms, about to hug Gan Lan just as Wen Ningyue let her go, but Yan Yifei, walking up behind him, swiftly pulled him back.
After tossing Gao Haiyang aside, Yan Yifei took advantage of Gan Lan’s distraction to give her a gentle hug, whispering softly in her ear, "Long time no see."
Gan Lan’s ears turned slightly red. She returned the hug and replied, "Long time no see." What should she do when Boss Yan was being this affectionate?
"Junior, I want a hug too!" Wu Mingyu spread his arms to hug Gan Lan.
Yan Yifei grabbed him by the collar and yanked him to the side. "What’s with all the hugging? Can’t you see Gan Lan is busy?"
Dragged out of the kitchen, Wu Mingyu was still protesting. "Why do you get to hug her, but I can’t?!" He struggled to break free from Yan Yifei’s grip, but despite using all his strength, he couldn’t escape. He lowered his head as if realizing something, and his expression instantly turned fierce. "Do you have some ulterior motives regarding my junior? Let me tell you, no way!"
"What ulterior motives? Didn’t I just make it clear to you, and haven’t you already figured it out?" Yan Yifei didn’t care in the slightest that his intentions were exposed, and he openly admitted it.
The four people acting as background props behind Yan Yifei heard this declaration. Aside from Wang Bin, whose eyes widened in disbelief, the other three remained entirely composed. Gao Haiyang even twitched his lips in disdain.
As if an idiot like Yan Yifei could successfully pursue his goddess! He was definitely going to cause trouble for him. Since Yan Yifei was always beating him up and bullying him because he couldn’t fight back, Gao Haiyang would make sure Yan Yifei couldn’t win over the person he liked. Hmph!
He would show him just how terrifying the wrath of a genius from the Manufacturing World could be!
"Oh, Gulu, why are you hiding here? I was just looking for you!" Lu Ziyu pinned down Gulu, who was trying to escape, and looked at him smugly. "Captain, hurry over! We’ve caught an eyesore of a robot!"
Gulu twisted out of Lu Ziyu’s grasp, stood up, and patted down his sequined outfit. With a look of disdain, he retorted, "Hmph! Who’s hiding! Could you even beat me without getting into a Mecha?"
"Maybe not, but I brought my toolbox. I can just dismantle you!" Gao Haiyang pulled a toolbox out of his Space Ring and threatened, "I’ll have the Captain and Lu Ziyu hold you down, and then I’ll take you apart. Besides, you’ve eaten so much good food lately—it’s a total waste of resources. I’m going to remove your stomach. From now on, you can just smell the food."
Hearing Gao Haiyang’s words, Yan Yifei nodded in agreement. That made a lot of sense; it really was a waste.
"Don’t you dare!" Gulu shrieked, then shouted at Gan Lan in the distance, "Gan Lan! They’re bullying your darling Gulu! Come save him, or he’s going to die!"
Gan Lan walked out of the kitchen carrying the clay pot. She was just heading toward the dining room when she suddenly heard Gulu’s shriek. Startled, her hands shook, and she nearly dropped the precious meat and crab stew onto the floor. Fortunately, she managed to steady herself.
Gan Lan calmly called out toward them, "Dinner’s ready!"
The group rushed over to her side like a whirlwind.
"Let me carry that for you. It looks too heavy; your hands are even shaking." Yan Yifei took the large clay pot from Gan Lan. The moment he held it, he realized it was indeed quite heavy, but up close, he could smell the wisps of tantalizing aroma wafting from inside.
He was hungry. He hadn’t eaten anything all day, just waiting for this all-shrimp banquet. It sounded incredibly promising, and he couldn’t care less if the shrimp were scavenged.