However, the clumsiest of them all stood up with great enthusiasm. He was now exceptionally confident in his culinary skills. It was just folding a steamed bun, after all. He had successfully folded one in the live stream before, though he hadn’t tried the real-life version yet. Now was the perfect time to give it a shot. More importantly, folding buns together with Gan Lan would be a great way to deepen their relationship.
The rest of the group also stood up one after another, trudging slowly toward the kitchen.
"Captain, are you sure you can fold them well? You’re someone who can’t even make juice or instant noodles properly. You sure are brave," Gao Haiyang delivered a soul-searching question.
"Pfft." Thinking of Yan Yifei, that clumsy kitchen killer, Lu Ziyu couldn’t help but nod in agreement. Why didn’t Yan Yifei have any self-awareness?
Yan Yifei’s footsteps paused. He turned back and glared at Gao the Fool and Goofy Lu, his hands itching to hit them.
If it weren’t for the inappropriate setting, he really would have thrown some punches.
It was just folding a steamed bun. He would definitely prove himself in a moment and fold them beautifully, making those two feel thoroughly ashamed of their own inferiority.
As soon as the group stepped into the spacious kitchen, a myriad of aromas assailed their noses. The scent of the shrimp chunks currently being deep-fried was especially enticing, smelling very similar to the potato shrimp balls and Golden Phoenix Tail Shrimp they had eaten yesterday.
The initially reluctant expressions on their faces vanished in an instant. They took deep sniffs of the fragrant air. It was so wonderful; they wanted to drown in this aroma.
"Over here!" Gan Lan scooped up the once-fried shrimp chunks. Once they cooled down, she would fry them a second time, and that dish would be considered complete.
Setting them aside to cool, she beckoned her friends to sit down and began teaching them how to fold the buns.
Rong Liqun and a robot assistant were rolling out bun wrappers, while other robot assistants washed the ingredients and seasonings that would be needed later.
Everything was perfectly organized. Because they needed to make a large batch, Gan Lan had set her sights on her friends for help.
She had already made up her mind. If they didn’t get it the first time, she would teach them a second, third, or fourth time. They would learn eventually.
"Come here, sit down, everyone. I’ll teach you." Gan Lan picked up a wrapper, placed a spoonful of filling in the center, and demonstrated. "Don’t put too much filling, but don’t put too little either. Just about this much is fine. If it’s too much, you won’t be able to fold it. If it’s too little, it won’t be satisfying when you take a bite and can’t see the filling."
Gan Lan checked on them one by one. Seeing that everyone had added about the right amount of filling, she moved on to the second step.
With her right hand, she pinched the edge of the wrapper to make the first pleat, keeping the thumb making the pleat on the outside of the dough. This would make it easier to gather the bun into a tight opening later.
Keeping her thumb still, she used her index finger to pull the dough and form the second and third pleats, and so on. While holding the pleats, she gently pulled upwards to make them more even and smooth.
Finally, she pinched all the pleated edges together at the opening, leaving no gaps. She squeezed the dough tightly into a nipple shape, and a perfectly closed steamed bun was complete.
Gan Lan didn’t just teach them hands-on; she also gave detailed verbal instructions. Having taught them so meticulously, she figured they should be able to succeed. She had only taught the senior robot assistants once earlier, and nowhere near as carefully as she was teaching her friends now.
Gan Lan set her finished bun aside and swept her gaze over the freshly folded buns in her friends’ hands.
Well... perhaps she hadn’t taught them carefully enough. Aside from Wen Ningyue, Wang Bin, and Gao Haiyang—whose creations at least resembled buns—the other three... Gan Lan simply couldn’t bear to look at them.
Yan Yifei was the worst offender. His wrapper was missing chunks here and there, and the filling was completely exposed, making the whole thing look utterly mangled. Gan Lan wanted to laugh, and in fact, she actually laughed out loud.
As soon as Gan Lan laughed, the others followed suit and burst into laughter. Although Lu Ziyu and Wu Mingyu’s buns were also eyesores, Yan Yifei... took it to a whole new level. It was absolutely incredible!
Looking at the roaring crowd, Yan Yifei’s face darkened. He had clearly followed her instructions, yet his bun turned out the worst. Gripping the misshapen bun in his hand, the mangled creation looked even more pathetic.
Seeing Boss Yan’s darkened face and gloomy expression, Gan Lan stifled her laughter and hurriedly offered some half-hearted comfort. "For your first time folding... well, it’s actually pretty good. You’ll get it right after a few more tries."
Gan Lan began teaching them the second one, then the third, going over it again and again. Her other friends were now folding decent-looking buns. Only Boss Yan’s buns were still mangled. Well, maybe not *mangled*. To be fair, he had improved compared to his first attempt; at the very least, there were far fewer holes in his dough...
Looking at Yan Yifei’s somewhat dead-inside expression, Gan Lan couldn’t bear it anymore.
She set down her finished bun, picked up another wrapper, and placed it in Yan Yifei’s hand. Gripping his hand, she began to guide him personally, speaking patiently. "First, pleat it like this. Don’t pull up too hard. Then pinch it like this..."
Feeling Gan Lan’s soft yet slightly calloused hands, Yan Yifei’s ears turned a little red, and his heartbeat quickened. He suddenly didn’t know what to do with his own hands, so he simply followed Gan Lan’s force and slowly folded the dough. Originally ready to give up to avoid further embarrassment, he somehow managed to successfully fold his very first beautiful steamed bun.
Looking at the bun on his palm that he had completed together with Gan Lan, Yan Yifei smiled so brightly that it nearly blinded the onlookers.
For the first time, he felt that being a kitchen killer with clumsy hands wasn’t so unacceptable after all.
He was going to treasure this bun; he couldn’t bear to eat it.
Number Nine is My Dream Lover: [Who is this faceless man!? My goddess actually held his hand to teach him how to fold a bun! And the worst part is, he’s a man! His figure looks alright, but that’s no excuse to touch my goddess’s hand! My eyes are turning red with rage! Who exactly is this man?! I’m going to beat him to death!]
Immortal Barbecue: [I think I know who that man is. However, you probably can’t beat him; in fact, you might get beaten until you cry. But why does this guy get to be taught hands-on by our junior? Is he faking it just to make her feel softhearted, and then—boohoo, I don’t want to guess anymore. My heart will ache...]
I Have It So Hard: [I think your analysis is spot on. This man has a premeditated scheme! How could a normal person show zero improvement after being taught so many times? Is that even reasonable?! He must be faking it, and he’s acting so well too! I was almost fooled by him. This damn man, let go of my junior’s hand right now and stop folding!]
...
On this point, the viewers in the live stream had completely misunderstood Yan Yifei. He truly wasn’t a normal person. When Gan Lan finally let go of his hand to let him finish one on his own, although he had improved slightly, the end result was still something one couldn’t bear to look at directly.
"Captain, I think you should just give up. Our junior even guided you by the hand. Although you successfully made one, the biggest credit goes to her. You’re just a tool. How about we stop struggling?"
"Yeah, hahaha! Princess Yan, oh Princess Yan, you’ve really opened my eyes today. I’ve never seen anyone as clumsy as you!" Wu Mingyu burst into laughter, slapping his thigh. Seeing the despair evident on Yan Yifei’s face made him feel incredibly satisfied. There was finally something this guy couldn’t learn! What kind of bullshit genius was he if he couldn’t even fold a steamed bun!