After telling the two apprentices to come and help starting tomorrow afternoon, Gan Lan went to the South Gate Cafeteria with the robot.
Many of the stalls in the cafeteria were closed, leaving only a few isolated ones still holding on. When they saw Gan Lan enter, their expressions were Mo Ran.
"Junior, what took you so long! I thought you weren’t planning to sell rice noodles today!"
"Yeah, you had us worried for a while. We were even thinking of getting someone who has your contact info to call you, afraid that you might have gotten into an accident," the alumni chattered away at Gan Lan.
Gan Lan had the robot sort out the ingredients first and began setting up the stall.
"I got held up a bit, I’m sorry, everyone!" Gan Lan said apologetically.
"It’s okay, Junior. You setting up your stall is more important than anything else. It’s only half an hour late; we have plenty of time."
Gan Lan nodded. Seeing the robot start boiling the rice noodles, the other alumni stopped talking to her and hurried to line up.
Gan Lan found it somewhat amusing. They weren’t worried about her getting into trouble; they were worried about the snail rice noodles getting into trouble!
Gan Lan walked toward an alumnus at one of the stalls who was glaring at her. Indeed, the food produced in the South Gate Cafeteria was all made by students. Among the other three cafeterias, the East and West Gate ones were run by school chefs, while the North Gate operated under the same nature as the South Gate.
"What are you coming over for? To laugh at us? Everyone at the other stalls got squeezed out by you. Are you feeling pretty smug right now?"
Hearing this, Gan Lan paused her steps and looked at the person wearing a mask, whose hair was dyed blue. She felt a bit uneasy. She just wanted to come over and tell them that she could teach them how to make other types of rice noodles. Hot and sour rice noodles, Guilin rice noodles, braised dish rice noodles, and beef rice noodles were all delicious. Developing the South Gate Cafeteria into a dedicated rice noodle cafeteria seemed like a good idea.
She walked right up to the stall owner who had sarcastically called out to her. "I’m very sorry about the people who left. I just came to ask if you guys are interested in making other types of rice noodles?"
The other stall owners with no business came over to see what Gan Lan was up to. Hearing this, they were somewhat surprised and doubtful.
"Of course, there are conditions. I’ll provide the techniques, and you provide the labor. How about a ten-ninety split? Ten percent for me, ninety percent for you," Gan Lan said to the other stall owners surrounding her.
"A ten-ninety split? Seriously? We don’t even know if the other rice noodles you mentioned are delicious or not. If they’re good, we can consider it."
"Right! We have to taste test the other rice noodles you mentioned. If they’re good, even a twenty-eighty split is fine."
Gan Lan had expected these reactions. "That works, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I still have things to deal with today. Tomorrow I will bring the finished dishes for you to try. However, I’ll only bring two types tomorrow, because there are so many variations of rice noodles that I can’t possibly make over a dozen at once for you to taste."
"Then we’ll eagerly await your arrival tomorrow!"
Gan Lan nodded and turned to leave. She still had to prepare the ingredients for today’s livestream.
"Is she really kind enough to teach us?"
"How is that being kind? Didn’t she say a ten-ninety split? If she were kind, wouldn’t she charge nothing at all?"
"Tch, you guys should just be happy she’s willing to teach you. Is ten percent really that much? And you want to give her nothing? It’s not like Gan Lan owes you anything."
"Hey! Weren’t you just insulting her a moment ago? How come as soon as she turns around, you’re speaking up for her?"
"I’m just being objective. Some people just want to take advantage of everything. I’ll have to remind Gan Lan tomorrow, just in case someone learns the recipe but refuses to pay a single Credit Point, claiming they made it themselves!"
"You! I can’t believe you’d say that about me!" The person who spoke tried to rush forward and fight the blue-haired boy mocking him.
The others quickly intervened to stop him. "Mao Meng, what are you causing a scene for? Wu Shihan isn’t wrong. A ten-ninety split is already very generous. Do you think people on the outside would just casually teach you? And you’re actually still unsatisfied."
"Exactly. Junior Gan Lan has no obligation to help you. If she were a bit more ruthless, you wouldn’t be able to keep running this stall at all. You need to know when to be content!"
Mao Meng was quite angry. "If she hadn’t shown up, we’d still be peacefully selling food right now. As soon as she arrived, she broke the balance and directly put the other stalls out of business!"
Wu Shihan was speechless. "Where isn’t there competition? If there was no Gan Lan, there would be a Wu Lan or a Tian Lan or whatever! Now that she’s willing to teach, we just need to learn. Where’s all this nonsense coming from!"
Mao Meng pointed excitedly at Wu Shihan, unable to speak. If he hadn’t been tightly held back by two other people, he would have definitely beaten him up! He was infuriated!
"Hmph! Idiot!" Wu Shihan said disdainfully, turning his head and walking away.
Meanwhile, Gan Lan was already browsing the ingredient shops. After buying the materials needed for the two types of rice noodles she would make tomorrow—Char Siu rice noodles and beef soup rice noodles—she looked around to see what food to make for today’s livestream.
She thought, "I’ll roast some chicken cartilage skewers and make a simpler fruit dessert box!
"Chicken cartilage skewers paired with a cold, delicious fruit dessert box won’t be very filling, but they sure are tasty!"
She bought the chicken cartilage, various fruits, and other ingredients for the fruit dessert boxes. Once the preparations were complete, Gan Lan immediately started the livestream.
"Good afternoon, everyone! Have you eaten today?" Gan Lan asked her daily question.
[I’m Too Stressed: Haven’t eaten yet. Without the host’s food, eating other things is really a bit hard to swallow. But there’s no other way, I have to keep living T.T]
[Immortal Barbecue: I just went to eat snail rice noodles and got so full. It was so delicious. Now I go eat a bowl every day. If I don’t slurp noodles for a day, my whole body feels uncomfortable!]
[The green of the Qingtuan is really beautiful: Sigh, Host, why didn’t you come to our school back then! Otherwise, I’d be able to eat all the dazzling varieties of delicious food you produce.]
[Feiran: What are we eating today?]
"Today we are still eating barbecue skewers, along with fruit dessert boxes. Have you guys gotten tired of barbecue skewers yet?" Gan Lan took out the various fruits one by one, keeping an eye on the barrage as she spoke.
System Notification: [Congratulations to the host ’Come and have some barbecue!’ for receiving a Flying Car from ’I’m Too Stressed’.]
[Immortal Barbecue: !!! We can send gifts over a thousand now? Let me try?]
System Notification: [Congratulations to the host ’Come and have some barbecue!’ for receiving an Airship from ’Immortal Barbecue’.]
[I’m Too Stressed: I was just trying to send my daily routine gift, I didn’t expect it to actually go through today!]
[Surprised Beggar Chicken: We really can send them! Has Junior figured things out?]
For a moment, the viewers in the livestream room who saw these barrages began spamming gifts, and the screen was instantly overwhelmed by gift effects.
[Roast Meat Mixed Rice: Why do I feel like being able to send the host a gift is a blessing for the first time?]
[Retreat: It really is. It feels like my love for the host isn’t sincere enough if I don’t send gifts.]
[The green of the Qingtuan is really beautiful: I can finally express my affection for the host!]
"Thank you, everyone. Because I need to save up money for a major undertaking recently, I’ve opened the gift channel in the livestream room. Although swallowing my pride hurts, what does a little embarrassment matter if it means completing this major undertaking!" Even though she felt a sting to her pride, Gan Lan’s attitude was resolute.
[Pork Knuckle is So Delicious: I like you no matter what you’re like! What should I do, I like you even more now that you’re being so honest?]
[Love Listening to the Rain the Most: I thought the host was truly above material things! It turns out it was just a publicity stunt! How disappointing! Unfollowing! Goodbye.]
[After Tomorrow: Exactly, another publicity stunt. I thought you really treated money like dirt, but you’re just like the rest! Unfollowing, goodbye!]
Gan Lan saw quite a few people unfollowing and saying goodbye. This was also to be expected, but it still made her a bit sad. She could understand. The more grand and noble she had sounded before, the more it hurt to swallow her pride now. However, she didn’t regret it. In her lifetime, she was going to create a Huaxia Cuisine Star that belonged to her.