Chapter 537 - 556: Home-style Cooking Teaching Special

"I’ll be doing a home-style cooking special soon. Every day at noon, I’ll demonstrate how to make three home-style dishes, and in the evenings, I’ll make some simple, easy-to-learn desserts."

A love for food is a secret code etched deep into the human soul. "I’ll file the detailed tutorial videos into a special section on my channel."

"Anyone who’s interested can learn on their own time."

[No wonder she started making simpler dishes a while back. So that’s why—]

[She loves her fans, so she’s planning for the long term. She’s the real deal! Too bad I suck at cooking!]

The audience’s sighs and groans ended the moment Jiang Qiuqiu brought out her ingredients.

Tonight, the only ingredient Jiang Qiuqiu had prepared was Rice.

"Today is the first day of our home-style cooking special, and there’s only one star of the show—"

The camera bot zoomed in on the bowl of Rice on the counter.

[???]

[Plain Rice?]

[We’re eating plain Rice?]

No one was a stranger to this ingredient. It had appeared in countless of Jiang Qiuqiu’s livestreams. It was the perfect partner for red-braised *gugu* meat and the best companion for pickled fish soup. It was Rice.

"We’re not just eating plain Rice. Today, we’re going to learn how to make egg fried rice and fried rice with pork cracklings."

Without further ado, the lesson began.

From how to steam the Rice, to using a precise measuring cup for the right amount, then seasoning it, and what kind of bird eggs to select—

Jiang Qiuqiu explained everything with great precision: exactly how much oil to use, the proper oil temperature for adding the eggs, how many seconds to wait before adding the Rice, and the ideal stir-frying time.

When it came to the physical steps, she moved even more slowly, making sure everyone could see clearly.

「On the other end of the livestream—」

Changbei and Qiudao were sitting together.

They were back at work again. On a day this cold, they couldn’t go home and curl up in their blankets to watch the livestream together. They had to watch from the office.

It was cold and sterile, and people kept sending them communications about missions.

’Can’t even focus on a livestream.’

That was already disheartening enough, not to mention the terrible news they’d just heard.

"What? She has to go to Federation University!?" Changbei was floored. "Can’t she just come back to stream after she’s done with school? She gets our hopes up just to disappear again!"

He found it hard to accept.

Qiudao, on the other hand, was watching the video with a notebook in front of him.

He watched, listened, and wrote as he spoke. "What nonsense are you spouting? It’s only right for a young woman like her to go to school."

"She’s young. She should be in school."

"...Why are you taking her side!"

"You get to eat such delicious food for only five Star Coins. You should be grateful. Are you seriously suggesting she should skip school just to cook for you?" Qiudao said sternly. "Changbei, you can’t think that way."

"..."

"I was just talking," Changbei whined. "Why are you being so harsh? School, school, I get it! I know school is good. I’m just upset I won’t be able to eat her food anymore, so I’m complaining a little. Doesn’t that just prove how good her cooking is?"

’That’s true.’

Qiudao also found it a shame. "Well then, I’ll just have to study hard and try to make some decent food myself in the future."

Changbei: ...

’Qiudao was really smart and a quick learner, it was true.’

’He could take Command of many situations and managed the Military Department’s finances and accounts perfectly.’

’But Qiudao, as it turned out, wasn’t omnipotent.’

’Before the new year, he’d said he wanted to learn how to cook, but...’

The first dish Qiudao made after watching a video had a bizarre texture. Changbei had to pinch his nose to force the stuff down without letting his expression falter.

’The taste was a hair’s breadth away from just drinking Nutrient Liquid.’

He glanced back at the projection screen. ’Even though she’s just making what looks like unappetizing plain Rice today, at least it’s simple. Maybe Qiudao will actually be able to learn this one.’