Gan Lan held the grilled rib, her hand trembling. "This is too sweet! It’s so sweet it’s almost bitter," she thought.
The grilled rib had only a hint of saltiness; the rest was pure sweetness. It was grilled perfectly—crispy on the outside and tender on the inside—but one bite filled her mouth with a cloying sweetness. It was like eating candied hawthorn, except the hawthorn inside the sugar coating had been replaced with meat.
Watching Gan Lan chew the rib with wide eyes before swallowing it with great difficulty, the onlookers also gulped, as if they were experiencing the cloying sweetness themselves.
The stall owner, however, looked flushed with excitement and pride. "Delicious, right? I also think my cooking is absolutely amazing!"
Gan Lan clutched the grilled rib and nodded with effort. What else could she say? If the owner thought it was delicious, then so be it. Right now, she didn’t really want to speak.
Just as she was about to slip away, a skewer of grilled flowers was shoved right in front of her face. The colorful blooms were incredibly beautiful, but were they meant to be eaten?
Gan Lan lost her composure. She looked at the owner of the grilled flowers in confusion, only to see a beautiful young woman with long legs.
"Junior, please try mine too. See how my grilled flowers taste?" The young woman’s large, teary eyes seemed to plead with Gan Lan to take a bite.
Gan Lan didn’t want to eat it at all, but she couldn’t bear to reject such a pretty lady. With great difficulty, she reached out and took the skewer. Under the expectant and amused gazes of the surrounding crowd, she put on the expression of a martyr marching to her doom and took a tiny bite. Sure enough... her face immediately went blank, looking as though she had lost the will to live.
Gan Lan was on the verge of tears. When the onlookers saw her stiff expression and teary eyes as she struggled with whether or not to swallow, the crowd erupted into a ROAR of laughter.
"Hahaha! Our junior’s expression is so spot on! It makes for a great appetizer!"
Hearing that Gan Lan was here, the other stall owners abandoned their own stalls. They eagerly grabbed their proudest creations and rushed over to invite her for a taste test.
Gan Lan looked at the countless skewers of various grilled items being shoved in her face and panicked. If she tried every single one, she would probably end up in the medical bay.
"Our junior is too pitiful! Why don’t we let her go? Hahaha!"
Gan Lan’s face was filled with horror. Although there might be a few genuinely delicious items among the bunch, she had completely lost her nerve. The three things she had tasted so far were all...
"Um... my time to set up the stall is almost here. I have to go now. I’ll... I’ll try them next time," she stammered. Gathering every ounce of strength she had, she squeezed out of the crowd and fled in a hurry. She could still hear the roaring laughter trailing behind her.
"Hahaha! Look at what you’ve done! Our junior is so scared she’s running fast enough to leave an afterimage! Hahaha, her retreating figure looks so pitiful, but it’s hilarious!"
Gan Lan was speechless. She ran as fast as she could and finally arrived at her stall.
Looking up, she realized that the very people who had been watching her suffer just moments ago were already lined up in front of her stall, eyeing her with teasing gazes.
She had tapped into so much hidden potential, sprinted so hard, and even used her hoverboard to escape, yet these people—who had been behind her—somehow beat her to the stall.
Gan Lan kept her face completely expressionless as she silently memorized their faces. Later, she would drown their food in chili powder!
Turning on the Xiaomi Live Streamer, Gan Lan regained her gentle, professional smile. "I have now arrived at the Food Street, and we’re going to start tasting the finished products."
She placed the chicken mid-wings on the grill over the glowing charcoal. "The fire shouldn’t be too fierce at the beginning, or else the surface will burn while the inside remains raw."
She flipped the chicken wings one by one. The side facing the charcoal was already starting to turn a translucent golden-brown. She continued grilling until both sides were golden. Oil dripped onto the charcoal with a loud SIZZLE, and a mouthwatering aroma began to fill the air.
[I can already smell it! It smells so good! I couldn’t help but take a sneaky bite... The inside is still raw, but it’s already kind of delicious.]
[Same here! I secretly tried it too, hehe. Even though it’s still half-raw.]
Gan Lan took a moment to glance at the comments and found it amusing. They were already eating it, even though it wasn’t fully cooked yet.
Turning around, she instructed the robot to take out the braised chicken legs. Looking at the eager crowd in line who kept urging her to hurry up with the barbecue, Gan Lan realized she had almost forgotten about the chicken legs she had braised earlier.
The braised chicken legs had a rich, translucent red hue. Compared to the bold aroma of the grilled chicken wings, the scent of the braised chicken legs was more subtle and reserved.
The robot stood next to the queue, holding a large tray. "Please speak up if you would like one. I will distribute them one by one. Payment is required before receiving the goods."
The people in line scrambled to call the robot over. For a time, the previous scene of people lining up to gnaw on pork knuckles was replaced by a line of people gnawing on chicken legs.
"So delicious! Boohoo, I’m so moved! The aroma of the braised chicken leg is so rich, and the meat is incredibly tender! So good!"
Because Gan Lan had left a chicken leg for the live stream, the viewers could also taste it. However, they were only tasting data. Watching the people in line take bite after bite, their mouths gleaming with grease, the viewers were practically going crazy with jealousy.
Born Extraordinary: [Ahhh! This is too cruel! Seeing them actually eat it into their stomachs while we can only eat data! Jealousy is making me ugly!]
Are You Back: [Agreed with the above. I’m still a newbie here, but now I know what makes this streamer so special. I’m crying, it’s so delicious.]
System Notification: Streamer "Come and have some barbecue!" has received one Flying Car from "Are You Back".
Many people in the live stream started sending gifts, but Gan Lan didn’t notice.
Her full attention was on the freshly grilled chicken mid-wings. The wings were a bright, vibrant red. She sprinkled cumin and chili powder over them, then grilled them for another few seconds.
She placed one of the skewers on a plate to the side, letting the viewers in the live stream have a taste. Then, she picked up a skewer of chicken wings for herself, pulled down her mask, and blew on it.
Looking mischievously at the crowd who had already finished their chicken legs and were now staring eagerly at the grilled wings, she said, "Let me taste-test this for you first, just to see if it’s good enough."
Taking her time, she took a bite right in front of everyone. The skin was grilled to a fragrant crisp, while the meat inside was tender and juicy. Her mouth was filled with a rich, savory flavor that only grew more fragrant as she chewed. Gan Lan closed her eyes in sheer bliss, unable to stop taking bite after bite.
The crowd was speechless. Their junior was so petty! Was she taking revenge on them? How cruel!
The person at the very front of the line sniffled and swallowed the drool that was threatening to spill from his mouth. Unable to hold back any longer, he forced a cautious, apologetic smile. "Junior, I was wrong to mock your height. Really. Can I please get five skewers? I’ve already paid."
Hearing this, Gan Lan cast a sideways glance at the young man standing before her. So, this was the guy who had mocked her height to her face! Hmph! Forget it, she wouldn’t stoop to bickering with a kid. Still, judging by the ravenous looks of the crowd, the chicken mid-wings were unexpectedly delicious.
Putting down the completely clean bamboo skewer, she wiped her mouth and put on a smile as warm as a spring breeze. "How could I be such a petty person? I was simply moved by my own grilling skills. How could anyone barbecue something so delicious?"
The crowd remained speechless. She was clearly taking the opportunity to exact revenge! Yet she sounded so high and mighty about it! There was no way they believed her.
Gan Lan decided to let them off the hook. A little bit of revenge was enough.
Immortal Barbecue: [Streamer! He actually mocked your height! Don’t sell it to him! Let him feel the wrath of a barbecue master!]
Passing Through the Mortal Realm: [How can you say no to Credit Points? Just drown his order in chili powder! Make him cry from the spice! Hahaha!]
Their thoughts coincided perfectly with Gan Lan’s. They really were her true fans.
Gan Lan handed the freshly grilled chicken wings to the young man—though, of course, she had secretly piled on a few extra layers of chili powder.
The young man took the skewers with trembling hands. He had clearly seen Gan Lan sneakily dumping multiple layers of chili powder onto them, but even that couldn’t stop his determination to eat those chicken wings!
Because Gan Lan had set a purchase limit of five skewers per person, a lot of people managed to get a taste today. Most of them enjoyed the normal, mildly spicy version. A small fraction of the crowd, however, ate their wings with tears streaming down their faces. Upon closer inspection, these were the very same people who had teased Gan Lan about her height.
"HISS... HAA... So delicious! The spice really hits the spot!" The young man had found a few comrades in distress to eat with. He couldn’t be the only one crying, right? Seeing everyone else suffering alongside him made him feel a little better.