After buying all the necessary ingredients, Gan Lan started making Beggar’s Chicken, flower cakes, and milk tea.
These three items seemed a bit scarce for dinner. She decided to add sweet and sour pork rice bowls to the menu—the sweet and sour flavor would be absolutely delicious.
Gan Lan turned on the recording function of her livestream equipment. She had no intention of going live at this hour. Moreover, the academy director had previously advised her to take it easy and not reveal every new recipe the moment she thought of it. It was better to progress gradually.
Gan Lan kept this advice in mind. After all, this wasn’t her original world. It was wise to listen to her elders and appropriately hide some of her capabilities.
Then again, it felt like she hadn’t hidden anything at all before this; she had practically wanted to hand over and publish every single recipe in her head all at once. However, in this world, she couldn’t simply write down recipes from memory unless she had physically made the dish herself, which somewhat restricted her.
She cut the cleaned pork tenderloin into thick strips and placed them in a large bowl. She added julienned ginger, a pinch of salt, cooking wine, starch, and two egg whites. After mixing everything evenly, she let the meat marinate for about half an hour.
Next, she took the Zhenzhen Chickens that the robot had cleaned and stuffed them with the stir-fried filling. She sewed the cavities shut with a sealing needle. Then, she wrapped each chicken in a layer of caul fat, a lotus leaf, and tin foil before coating them in clay. She left the clay-coating process to her robot assistant. The twenty clay-covered Beggar’s Chickens were then placed into a charcoal oven to roast, with the robot tasked to turn them over occasionally.
The flower cakes and milk tea were even easier to make. Gan Lan finished preparing both in just an hour. The flower cakes were already baking, and the milk tea had been placed in the refrigerator to chill.
Because she was making a smaller quantity today, Gan Lan felt noticeably more relaxed and worked much faster. Making these dishes for the second time, she was far more adept.
She coated the marinated pork tenderloin strips in batter. Heating a wok of oil on the stove until it was smoking hot, she dropped the pork strips in one by one. Once they were fried to a golden brown, she scooped them out and drained the oil.
Leaving a little base oil in the wok, she heated it up and poured in ketchup, stir-frying until the oil turned red. She then added a sweet and sour sauce mixture, tossed the fried pork strips back in, and stirred until they were evenly coated. When the sauce thickened, she removed the wok from the heat and drizzled in a little sesame oil.
She divided the sweet and sour pork into twelve portions and scooped them over bowls of white rice prepared by the robot. The twelve sweet and sour pork rice bowls were complete. Their color was appetizing, and the sweet and tangy aroma was enough to make anyone’s mouth water.
At this moment, the fragrance of the flower cakes also began to waft through the air.
Each person’s portion included one sweet and sour pork rice bowl, ten flower cakes, one Beggar’s Chicken, and one cup of milk tea.
This made for a rather hearty dinner. Gan Lan also thoughtfully included a small note:
"I made dinner in my free time. Thank you all for your continuous help."
Gan Lan packed the dinners one by one and had the robot send them out. Then, she sat down to eat her own portion.
"DING DONG. You have a package. Please sign for it."
Yan Yifei was eating a tasteless meal. Although he had eaten the soup dumplings and beef skewers Gan Lan sent at noon, they hadn’t been enough to fill him up. He hadn’t stopped thinking about them since, making the food currently in his mouth seem utterly unappetizing.
He remembered that he hadn’t bought anything. Lately, the majority of packages he received were from Gan Lan, but she usually notified him beforehand. He hadn’t received any messages from her today.
He wondered if it could be from that lingering ghost, Mu Hanyu. If that was the case, Yan Yifei had even less interest in going out to sign for it.
"DING DONG. Your package has arrived. Please come out and sign for it."
Yan Yifei continued to pretend he didn’t hear the doorbell. He picked up a piece of ribs and thought of sweet and sour ribs. He took a sip of soup and thought of lotus root and rib soup. He ate a piece of chicken and thought of big plate chicken. However, the doorbell relentlessly rang on. Irritated, he threw down his chopsticks and stood up, intending to shoo the delivery person away.
Just then, a video call came through on his Light Brain. It was Gao Haiyang. With a dark expression, Yan Yifei directly hung up.
The call rang, he hung up, and it rang again. After repeating this more than a dozen times, Yan Yifei could only helplessly answer.
Before he could even tell him to get lost, he heard Gao Haiyang’s excited voice. "Captain! Did you get the junior’s dinner made with love? I got one! Look!"
Gao Haiyang held up the sweet and sour pork rice bowl Gan Lan had sent so Yan Yifei could see it. "And these flower cakes, and a Beggar’s Chicken! And a cup of milk tea!"
Looking at Yan Yifei’s dark, sinking face, Gao Haiyang said somewhat smugly, "Captain! Don’t tell me you didn’t get one? Hahaha! Sure enough, the junior still loves me the most."
Yan Yifei pursed his lips and angrily ended the video call. He walked out the door to retrieve his package. Maybe it was actually from Gan Lan after all.
He felt a little wronged. Seeing that even Gao Haiyang had received one, she couldn’t possibly have left him out, right?
"Sir, here is your package. Enjoy your meal!"
Yan Yifei nodded, accepted the temperature-controlled box, and walked back inside.
He silently thought that it must be from Gan Lan.
As soon as he opened the temperature-controlled box and caught a whiff of the familiar fragrance wafting from inside, the corners of his mouth turned up. His foul mood was instantly swept away. She really hadn’t left him out.
He picked up a flower cake and took a bite. The floral aroma of roses was accompanied by a hint of sweetness; it tasted even more delectable than the ones he had eaten before.
He then took a sip of the milk tea, and his mood improved even further. He had never known that good food could actually heal the soul.
He reached in and pulled out a beautiful lunchbox. He noticed a small note pasted on it: "I made dinner in my free time. Thank you for your continuous help."
Yan Yifei examined the handwriting on the note and chuckled. "Her handwriting is a bit ugly." Then, he carefully tucked the note away in a drawer.
Opening the exquisite lunchbox, a sweet and sour aroma rushed to his nose. The dish had a bright red luster. Its color resembled sweet and sour ribs, but it was even more vibrant.
He picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks, expectantly popped it into his mouth, and chewed slowly. The delicious sweet and sour flavor, combined with a crispy exterior and tender interior, made his eyes light up.
He scooped up a spoonful of the red-stained rice soaked in the sauce and put it in his mouth. "Mm." The rice grains were distinct, perfectly complementing the sweet and sour sauce. Yan Yifei marveled at the fact that rice could be this delicious.
A satisfied smile spread across his face. How was it that the food made by Gan Lan’s hands seemed to be infused with magic, making it impossible not to get addicted?
The Beggar’s Chicken had constantly been on Yan Yifei’s mind, but unfortunately, Gan Lan had only made it once. He had been too embarrassed to ask her to make it again. He only remembered that the chicken meat was incredibly tender, and the filling and juices in its cavity were so savory that they left an endless aftertaste.
Today, he finally got to eat it again. What a lucky day.
If only he could eat the delicacies Gan Lan made for all three meals every single day.
Yan Yifei was so immersed in his little river of gourmet food that he couldn’t extricate himself, until the sound of a video call brought him back to his senses.
"What is it?" Dragged back to reality from a world of culinary bliss, Yan Yifei’s voice was quite cold.
The screen displayed Lu Ziyu’s grinning face. "Captain, did you get the dinner the junior sent over? She even wrote me a note thanking me. Do you think she’s interested in me?"
Yan Yifei’s face darkened, and he retorted, "Stop being so full of yourself!"
He had to admit that hearing those words made him feel a bit uncomfortable.
How could she possibly be interested in Lu Ziyu?! It was clearly just a simple gesture of gratitude. Surely she couldn’t be interested in three different guys at once? Gan Lan was definitely not that kind of person!
Yan Yifei didn’t know why he was getting so worked up, but he felt like he was sick. He had never watched livestreams before, nor had he ever lined up for food or showered a streamer with gifts. When his gifts were returned by her, he had been upset for half a day. He had even skipped class just to eat her food. This was simply too abnormal.