Gan Lan noticed Mr. Guo standing there, ignored by both his daughters and clearly at a loss for words. She flashed her most practiced smile, unfolded another small camp chair, grabbed a bowl and chopsticks for the dejected father, and waved him over. "Uncle, why don’t you come sit down and give it a try?"
Offered a graceful way out, the crestfallen man wasted no time taking it. He settled into the chair and looked up at her. "Hello there — are you a friend of my eldest? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before."
Gan Lan popped open a cold beer and handed it to Mr. Guo. "Actually, Yuanyuan was the first friend I made here, and Guo Daixuan came second. Please, help yourself — I made everything by hand and cleaned it all properly."
Mr. Guo had calmed down by now. He was a reasonable man at heart. It was just that seeing Yuanyuan in such a pitiful state earlier had momentarily overridden his better judgment, and the words had flown out of his mouth before he could stop them.
Now that the heat of the moment had passed, he felt he’d been too harsh. He wanted to apologize to his eldest daughter, but couldn’t quite bring himself to do it.
He’d come home in a perfectly good mood, only to find his good-for-nothing second son parked on the couch playing video games while both daughters were nowhere to be seen. Then he’d spotted the housekeeper heading out with a temperature-controlled box, and after pressing her for an explanation, learned that the girls were under a big tree just down the street.
That was what had led to the scene earlier. Thank goodness Yuanyuan had burst into tears when she did — otherwise things between him and Guo Daixuan might have gotten a lot worse.
Faced with Gan Lan’s warm invitation, the deflated father found it hard to refuse. Besides, he was genuinely curious — what could possibly taste so good that both his daughters were this obsessed with it?
From the moment he sat down, Guo Daixuan’s shelling slowed for just a beat, but Yuanyuan didn’t so much as glance his way. Her eyes were glued entirely to her beloved Ugly Shrimp. The old man felt even more left out.
Mr. Guo picked up a shrimp and followed his dear eldest daughter’s lead, eating it the same way she had. His reaction was identical to Guo Daixuan’s the first time she’d tried one — Gan Lan had to fight to keep a straight face. Like father, like daughter, the resemblance was almost too funny.
Especially when he sucked the broth out of the shrimp head — the exact same grimace of reluctance crossed his face, followed by...
Gan Lan kept half her attention on Yuanyuan, passing her milk and wiping her mouth like a babysitter, while sneaking glances at Mr. Guo’s wonderfully expressive face. It was priceless entertainment.
"Hssss... the heat really sneaks up on you — my whole tongue’s gone numb. You did a great job with these Ugly Shrimp, got rid of that fishy smell completely. Delicious!" Mr. Guo praised her, his lips now a vivid shade of red from the spice, then added, "I don’t even know your name yet. You’re so young — shouldn’t you be in school right now?"
Gan Lan marveled again at how perfectly in sync this father and daughter were — they even asked the exact same questions. She let out a small laugh. "I completely forgot to introduce myself, Uncle. My name is Gan Lan. Some things happened, so I’m not in school at the moment. I came here to see if I could turn Ugly Shrimp into something worth eating — they barely cost any Credit Points, so you can eat as much as you want."
Gan Lan thought to herself that by the time this grand finale was over, she might not have learned much else, but she’d certainly mastered the art of lying with a straight face — and making it sound completely reasonable.
"I see. Did you have to drop out because of financial difficulties at home?" As Mr. Guo chatted with Gan Lan, Guo Daixuan — who had been completely lost in her shrimp just moments ago — quietly slowed her pace and perked up her ears to eavesdrop.
"If that’s the case, you can tell your uncle. You’re Xuan’s friend, and I can lend you some tuition money, or help you get in touch with a school. Our Xuan doesn’t have many friends — the fact that she’s sitting here eating like this with you says a lot. It means she really likes you."
Guo Daixuan’s ears flushed red at that. She immediately shot back, "Who said I like her! I like her food. And why would I need you to sort out school or tuition? I have my own money and my own connections!"
The forlorn father couldn’t help but smile — his eldest had finally deigned to speak to him. He let it go without a fuss.
He gave Guo Daixuan a fond, indulgent look. "Yes, yes, of course — you handle it then. I keep forgetting our Xuan has a job and a salary now. My daughter has always been capable. She doesn’t need her old dad getting involved."
As the two of them fell into a conversation about which universities on Red Demon Star were best and how to quietly slot Gan Lan into one, Guo Daixuan took matters into her own hands and moved to open her Light Brain to start making calls.
Gan Lan was genuinely touched that they were going to all this trouble for her — but she absolutely did not need it. She quickly stopped them both before things went any further.
"Um... Uncle, Xuan — I really do appreciate you looking out for me like this. The truth is, I just came here for a bit of a life experience. I’ll be heading back to my own school in a month or two. I’m sorry for not being upfront with you sooner." Gan Lan dipped her head, her voice carrying a trace of embarrassment and a touch of guilt.
Why did she have to lie in the first place? One lie always led to another, and another after that, just to keep the story straight. It was such an uncomfortable feeling.
"Oh, that’s a relief then — just here for the experience! A rather unique way to experience life, I must say, but then again, that’s exactly how we got to meet you. You’re studying to be a Culinary Master, aren’t you?" Mr. Guo guessed it right away. Ordinary people simply couldn’t cook like this.
Honestly, it was better than anything he’d had from some of the so-called Culinary Masters he knew. These Ugly Shrimp had blown him away on the very first bite — far better than those Culinary Masters he’d tried before. Put them side by side and those others were just amateurs.
The only problem was that there weren’t many left. He was slow at peeling shrimp, and by the time he finished his first one, his eldest was already starting on her third. At this rate, he didn’t stand a chance of keeping up.
"That’s right, I come from a culinary background. So you think the Ugly Shrimp are good too, Uncle? In that case, please come by No. 44 Red Demon Street when you have time — I’ve opened a little shop there and I’m planning to sell them. I’ve actually been experimenting with other preparations too, I just only made one style today since it was my first time. Come by tomorrow and I’ll make you something different!"
Having rattled all that off in one breath, Gan Lan realized her throat was dry. She grabbed her sparkling drink and took a long swig. She’d managed to squeeze in a plug for her shop — today’s mission was officially complete.
By the time they finished eating, the sun was nearly touching the horizon. It was time for Gan Lan to head back to her battered little place.
While packing up, she shamelessly asked Guo Daixuan — this new sister she’d only just met today — to give her a lift home.
She really couldn’t face walking back. Three kilometers wasn’t exactly far, but for someone with her weak constitution, it was exhausting.
Before climbing into the Flying Car, Gan Lan turned to the two still standing there watching her go. "Uncle, Yuanyuan — don’t forget to come tomorrow! There’ll be new Ugly Shrimp flavors, so I’ll be waiting for you~" She gave them both a cheerful wave.
Once they were in the car, Gan Lan didn’t forget to remind Guo Daixuan about their agreement — apart from her family, she needed to bring every relative, friend, sister, and brother she could round up.
Since the competition rules banned promoting on the Star Network, this was the next best thing she had.
It was just so much trouble. So much effort. So exhausting. So absolutely brutal.
Her mind was already spinning with questions about how many shrimp to catch tomorrow and which flavors to try, when the Flying Car pulled up at her destination.