After completing all the preparations, Gan Lan went to the forum to post a notice that the banquet would start at six o’clock tomorrow evening. Once that was done, she washed up and went to sleep.
The Culinary Hall square, which was usually quiet and only bustled during competitions or exams, was now incredibly lively. Gan Lan directed the robots to start washing vegetables and slicing meat. She assigned a portion of the student helpers to assist in simmering the bone broth, while another group went straight into frying spices and boiling the soup.
"So you can do it like this. Our junior’s mind is so flexible, isn’t it?"
Another student standing nearby, coughing from the pungent smoke of the frying spices, replied, "Exactly. I never thought of doing this either. I wonder if the meat will taste exceptionally delicious after being boiled in the soup base."
"To think there’s such a way to eat. I’ve really learned something today. This kind of dish is perfect for gatherings. Next time we have a party, we’ll make this. It’s so convenient, and anything produced by our junior shouldn’t taste bad."
"How could it possibly be bad!? Although the aroma from the frying is a bit choking right now—cough—it smells so good!"
Meanwhile, another group of alumni from the same department, who were simmering the bone broth, also began to discuss the process.
"Who would have thought that bones could be used to make soup! It’s amazing," Alumnus A said.
"You’re just ignorant!" someone who didn’t get along well with Alumnus A scoffed.
Hearing this, Alumnus A rolled up his sleeves and angrily confronted the person who scoffed at him. "Do you want to fight?"
Seeing this, the busy students around them quickly came over to stop the altercation. "Alright, that’s enough. Stop messing around. It’s not every day you get a learning opportunity like this!"
"Yeah, we were supposed to have class this afternoon, but as soon as the teachers heard we were coming to our junior’s place for practice, they just gave us the afternoon off! And you guys are still causing trouble!"
Gan Lan was entirely unaware of these minor incidents. She had clearly arranged the tasks for several thousand Culinary Department students. Some teachers had even disguised themselves as students and snuck in, though Gan Lan didn’t notice them.
Looking at the busy scene, Gan Lan rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
The viewers in the livestream channel were also discussing the event.
Life is Too Hard: [Wow, I’ve never seen thousands of people cooking together. The visual impact is amazing!]
Immortal Barbecue: [I’m still in class, otherwise I’d go help wash vegetables too!]
Spicy Fried Crab is the Best: [I’m still on the way. I took a day off today to go to Mingyang Star.]
Life is Too Hard: [You actually went! I really want to go too, but it’s just too far.]
The green of the Qingtuan is really beautiful: [I’ve already gotten off the spaceship. I’ll be able to see the streamer in a bit.]
Retreat: [Since when could you just casually walk into Mingzong? How do you plan to get in?]
The green of the Qingtuan is really beautiful: [Hmph, that won’t stump me. Didn’t the streamer say that our account name is our pass!]
Retreat: [Did she say that? How come I didn’t know?]
Roast Meat Bibimbap: [She did. Your Star Network account is your pass, provided you’ve been following the streamer’s livestreams and haven’t posted any verbal insults. If you meet the criteria, you can enter the school and join the hotpot banquet!]
Not Coming Tomorrow: [I stopped watching after I saw the meal time. Hehe, I’m on my way too, feeling kind of embarrassed.]
Gan Lan was extremely busy—exceptionally so. She had to answer all sorts of questions, running from here to there, which significantly lowered her own cooking efficiency. The current situation felt like hosting a rolling banquet in the countryside. Whenever one family hosted an event, the whole village would come to help, creating an incredibly lively atmosphere.
And the square was thoroughly permeated with savory aromas.
At the Mingyang Star First Military Academy.
"Captain, can we have fewer tasks today? I’ve already overachieved on today’s training, and yet you’re assigning me extra." Lu Ziyu panted, his eyes filled with resentment.
"Cut the nonsense. The instructor told me to supervise you," Yan Yifei said coldly, ignoring the resentful Lu Ziyu.
He didn’t want to stay here and look at the man’s ugly expression either. With this time, he could have gone to help Gan Lan wash vegetables or something. He wondered if washing vegetables could possibly result in ruining them. Yan Yifei frowned, feeling somewhat uncertain.
"Captain! Um... well... your childhood friend is back. I just ran into her, and she even invited me to dinner tonight." Gao Haiyang, having just finished his classes, rushed into the training room, planning to head to Mingzong with Yan Yifei and the others.
Yan Yifei lifted his eyes slightly. "I know. I’m not going."
Hearing this gossip, Lu Ziyu stopped panting. His eyes lit up, and he was about to drop his physical training equipment and walk over.
Yan Yifei shot Lu Ziyu a warning glance.
Lu Ziyu had no choice but to pitifully pick up his training equipment again and continue his exercises, though his ears remained pricked up.
Gao Haiyang’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he probed, "She’ll be here looking for you in a bit. How about we take her along to eat hotpot?" He patted Yan Yifei’s shoulder and consoled him, "It’s not like you don’t know how relentlessly she pesters people. She won’t give up until she achieves her goal."
This was exactly what gave Yan Yifei the biggest headache. He had already rejected her many times, even blacklisted her contact, and would pretend not to see her when they crossed paths. He had ignored her thoroughly, yet he truly had no way to deal with that woman. Was he really supposed to beat her up?
He had endured it for a long time. If their parents weren’t on such excellent terms, he would have long since resorted to physical force.
Speak of the devil. As soon as Gao Haiyang finished speaking, she arrived.
"Yan Yifei! When are you going to take my contact out of your blacklist? It’s so troublesome to find you like this. I finally came back from a field mission, and I just wanted to treat you to a meal."
Hearing this, Yan Yifei’s eyes showed no fluctuation; he didn’t even look at the person speaking.
The girl stepped right in front of Yan Yifei. "Why aren’t you speaking? Did I... do something wrong again?" Her voice was pitiful as she tugged at his sleeve, looking at Yan Yifei with her eyes red.
Yan Yifei simply walked away in silence. He thought, "Oh, everything you do is wrong."
Seeing Mu Hanyu looking so pitiful, Gao Haiyang replied, "Hanyu, we have things to do today. How about we eat together tomorrow?"
Mu Hanyu turned to look at Gao Haiyang and said aggrievedly, "But I’ve already reserved a table at Sunny Day Restaurant today. I waited in line for nearly a month before I managed to get the reservation."
Lu Ziyu hurriedly finished his training, put down the equipment, and walked over. He was no longer in the mood to gossip; many people in the fan group had already arrived, and he was worried there wouldn’t be any seats left if they were late.
"Captain, I’m done. Do you need to check the data?"
Yan Yifei shook his head. He looked at the man who had finished his extra training and was now full of energy again after a brief rest. It seemed the instructor was right; even after completing the extra training, Lu Ziyu still had energy to spare. He thought he really needed to add more training courses for him.
Lu Ziyu pretended to wipe away sweat, his eyes urging, "Since you’re not checking, let’s go, then? I just saw in the fan group that quite a few people have already arrived! What if we go late and there are no seats left?"
Yan Yifei nodded, as if that made a lot of sense. "Then, let’s go."
"Where are you guys going? What fan group, and what seats?" Mu Hanyu tugged at Gao Haiyang’s sleeve and asked in confusion.
"We’re going to Mingzong to eat. You... go to Sunny Day Restaurant by yourself," Gao Haiyang said. Hearing Lu Ziyu’s words, he had also started to get anxious, making his tone somewhat perfunctory.
"Then... can you take me with you? I eat very little."
Hearing this, Gao Haiyang felt a bit conflicted. He remembered the junior had said they could bring classmates along, but still...
Looking at Lu Ziyu and Yan Yifei, who had already walked far away, he said helplessly, "Alright, let’s go together then." Mu Hanyu was gripping his sleeve so tightly that he simply couldn’t shake her off.
Despite Mu Hanyu’s delicate and weak appearance, she could actually beat a burly man to a pulp all by herself. It was just that she liked to adopt this fragile posture.