Translator: Sy
Editor: SipsTea
Chapter 3: You’ve Got A Crowd
Lin Ning tapped on his virtual status bar and the amount of Faith he’d collected popped up. So far, they were worth 1568 points. As he entered the Market, his eyes glazed over at the rows and rows of ingredients that greeted him.
The first level was for spices — from soy sauce to vinegar to chili sauce — they had everything. The second level had meat — everything that flew in the sky and walked on land. They were all fresh, prepared, and safe for consumption. Definitely on the standards of the System’s Market.
The third level had eggs and dairy. Lin Ning bought some fresh milk and eggs there.
The fourth level had fruits and vegetables — things Lin Ning had and never had seen before. Some vegetables were so rare they cost tens of thousands of Faith. Some of the fruit prices, too, were expensive enough to knock the breath out of people.
The fifth level had wheat and grains. Noodles, rice, the five grains — paddy, wheat, soybean, maize, and tubers — they had it all.
The sixth level remained locked. The label stated that it sold precious herbs and medicine. Lin Ning had four more ranks to go before he reached Rank Five, so he had to wait.
But since he had plant-based powers, would it be possible to channel his powers into cultivating plants so they’d grow faster and gain healing, medicinal properties?
As the thought occurred to him, Lin Ning scooped a few more ingredients. After storing them, he launched the streaming app and prepared to cook us a sumptuous breakfast — the only right way to start the morning. Then he’d end his stream there, and take a walk outside to explore this world.
After opening the Shine Livestreams app, Lin Ning positioned the camera again so that the frame only showed his arms. He checked his account. There were a lot more Stars currency in there than the night before.
?!
So these are the legendary Rewards?! Lin Ning checked the Rewards List. Quite a lot of peoplesubmittedGrenadesand Torpedoesyesterday. Shine Livestreams provided four types of Rewards — Grenades, Torpedoes, Aircraft Carriers, andSpacecrafts. Each worth 50 Stars, 100 Stars, 500 Stars, and 1000 Stars respectively.
One of the users, Fat_bunny, had submitted fifty Torpedoes, putting her rank at number one. Fifty… that was worth 5000?
Lin Ning calculated. He’d gotten more than 10000 Rewards. Subtract his rent from that, and the debt he had to repay this month still wouldn’t pose a huge burden. Nice.
People were trickling into the chat thanks to yesterday’s trending moment. People were keeping an eye on Lemon Kitchen’s account, though many attacked him the moment they came in. At least Lin Ning had their attention.
[Fat_bunny]: Waking up early today was so worth it! I have eyebags now, but you’re finally here!
Lovely viewer [Fat_bunny] gave you a Torpedo.
Lovely viewer [Meow5] gave you a Grenade.
[Roastmaster]: Hehe, this dumb streamer’s tryna do something special again? He’s just waiting to get slapped.
[Passerby_A]: Came here from the trending page. What’s the streamer trying to do?
[Passerby_A]: But these hands really aren’t bad!
[MrHuaWalkstheFlowerPath]: I’ve @ Shine Livestreams, so now we wait for them to deal with this.
[Roastmaster]: ^ the guy above. If he dares to lie to the people with his streams, he can wait for the team to deal with him.
[Fat_bunny]: Don’t bother. If you don’t like it, don’t watch it. Just leave the chat.
Lin Ning didn’t notice the arguments swooshing past the bullet screen. Today, he was making Wolfberry Tremella Lotus Seed Soup, fried eggs, and Mushroom and Stewed Pork Bao.
“Good morning, everyone. Today’s breakfast is nutritious and great at conserving vital powers. Let’s make some Wolfberry Tremella Lotus Seed Soup, fried eggs, and Mushroom and Stewed Pork Bao.”
He pulled out the soaked tremella and lotus seeds, tearing the tremella into soft little blooms that felt puffy as his fingers brushed across them. He placed the washed red dates, tremella, and lotus seeds into a small pot, added a suitable volume of water and crystal sugar to taste, and then set a timer.
“Wolfberry Tremella Lotus Seed Soup helps with brightening the skin. I’ll edit this video later and key in the ingredients. That way, everyone’ll be able to learn a little more about them. The soup needs to be stewed for a while, so let’s begin preparing the Mushroom and Stewed Pork Bao.”
The soup did not emit any smell, so those anticipating a sniff or a good show were extremely disappointed.
[Roastmaster]: I knew things wouldn’t be like yesterday! Something’s fishy. He’s gonna screw up and get himself exposed!
[Passerby_A]: You can tell that the stream isn’t faking anything, and it’s definitely not pre-recorded. This much I know.
[HualuNiwo]: Hope this dumbass streamer gets banned! If you’re trying to go viral you should just d!e !
[Huapathjourney]: Yeah yeah! I’d rather go watch Mr Hua’s livestream next door. I’m leaving.
[Meow5]: Why are there so many Hua Lu Hua fans all of a sudden?
Hua Lu Hua was currently one of the hottest streamers on Shine, but he was a bit of a problematic personality and was often trending because of his fans’ crab mentality. As long as there was a slightly rising streamer appearing, he’d unleash his fans like fire extinguishers.The Shine Livestreams app was their playground, and his fans were the children who loved shoving other kids around. Every netizen had at least heard a thing or two about them.
[Fat_bunny]: Aww here come the fire extinguishers. Everyone knows Hua Lu Hua loves messing up other stream chats.
The bullet screen went crazy.
He washed the ingredients and diced the mushroom, meat, and onions into cubes. Then, he took out the risen dough. When the oil in the pan was heated, he stir-fried the pork, adding dark soy sauce and oyster sauce to taste as he went until the meat was coated with glistening sauce. After a few minutes, he tossed in the mushroom cubes, then some chopped green onions once they were done.
The smell of mushrooms and meat was seeping through. In a few minutes, the whole chat was filled with the thick smell of the fillings. One by one, the arguments stopped. Everybody was staring at the wok of meat, too preoccupied by the scent to continue.
[Meow5]: Is kidnapping streamers illegal?
[Milk_Bun]: Not at all! If you’re forming a kidnapping group, count me in!!!
[Whereisthemoon]: Hey streamer, do you want a pet? The kind that loves eating and has a great sense of hygiene?
Lovely viewer [Fat_bunny] gave you a Torpedo.
Lovely viewer [Fat_bunny] gave you a Torpedo.
……
Lin Ning was already stuffing the bao by now. But everytime the notification for a Reward rang, he peeked at the screen.
???
Were Interstellar people that rich?
The viewers watched those slender fingers pause, and the streamer’s gentle voice went:
“I don’t suggest you guys give me too many Rewards, especially if you’re still a student who isn’t financially independent yet. Prioritise your studies, okay?
“Also, to the viewer Fat_bunny — I see you. You’re today’s lucky audience member, so if you’d like, I’ll have a set of this breakfast delivered over to you. Send me your address through a private chat if you’re up for that.
“Also also, my food is perfectly safe and healthy for consumption. Feel free to examine them.”
The white and tender bao formed in his hands one by one. As he plopped them into a large steaming pot, they looked small and cute, like little balls.
The bullet screen exploded at Lin Ning’s words.
[wooooden_house]: @Fat_bunny must’ve been plotting all this for his food!!!
[Meow5]: AAAAAHHH I wanna eat too!!!
[Roastmaster]: Hah, you’ll be in the hospital in no time.
Comments both admiring and criticising flooded the chat, but Rong Xinxin was getting so emotional, her fingers were trembling.
???!!!
She’d been noticed?! Yay!
[Fat_bunny]: Thank you Lemon Kitchen! I’m not a kid, though. I work hard solely for the day I can finally eat good food! I’ll start a private chat right now.
[Meow5]: This broke child hereby releases tears of yearning.
Lin Ning said, “I’ve made a lot of food today, so I’ll enable the virtual taste feature in a while. As for whether my food is safe for consumption, you’ll know once you’ve tried it. The innocent will prove themselves innocent, so there’s no need to tag the internet police.
“Leave a comment rating this meal once you’ve tried it. I’ll pick two viewers with interesting reviews and deliver this breakfast over to them through express delivery, so it’ll reach you guys while it’s still warm.
“Give me a moment.”
Lin Ning washed his hands and received Fat_bunny’s private chat. He picked the anonymous option on his account for the delivery service and was notified that someone would be picking up his packed breakfast in a moment.
“Oh, right. I wasn’t aware of the virtual taste feature yesterday, but I’ve recorded the data for the boiled fish. I’ll post them tonight so everyone can have a taste.
“Hope you’ll like it.”
*
When the time came, Lin Ning turned off the stove, took off the soup pot lid, and added the wolfberries, braising them for three minutes. The stove under the steamer was turned off, too. Then, he fried four eggs.
The Wolfberry Tremella Lotus Seed Soup was warm gold with dots of red suspended within it delicately. The Mushroom and Stewed Pork Bao had a mouth-watering aroma that hooked onto the soul. The bao, still steaming hot, were soft, white, and fluffy. The fried eggs were round, the tender egg whites wrapped around a watery, yellow center.
Breakfast was complete once playing was done.
[Aaaaaaahhh!!!! Let me taste it!!!]
[My mom’s asking me why I’m kneeling in front of my screen!!!]
[Streamer, please hurry up and enable the taste function!!!]
[I’ll give you all my Rewards!!!]
Comments on the bullet screen scrolled wildly.
Lin Ning smiled as he tapped on the virtual taste button, the sound of Rewards dinging louder in the background.
The viewers, stomachs growling, watched as a virtual soup, bao, and fried egg appeared in front of their screens. They couldn’t help but try to pick them up. Lin Ning even added cutleries that matched the plates — just looking at it felt great.
The mushrooms and stewed pork burst in the mouth with thick flavour. It was a mouthful of pure joy. The fried egg was crispy on the outside, melting into tenderness on the inside — the texture was amazing. A spoonful of Wolfberry Tremella Lotus Seed Soup calmed the appetite, its scent and sweetness lingering on the lips.
!!!
What godly food is this?!!
The viewers who got to try the virtual taste went crazy. Most of them were young people, and felt that eating alone wasn’t good, so they rushed to promote the stream to their friends and families. They quickly stuffed their families’ mouths with the simulation, and when they were done, the look of longing and fervency were evident on their faces.
Dad, mom, come and try it! This godly streamer made some godly breakfast, and taking a bite makes me feel so alive!
These interstellar people, who had never eaten real food before, were blown away in an instant. One spread to ten, ten spread to a hundred — Lin Ning was about to go viral again.
“Don’t forget to rate this! Other than my lovely viewer Fat_bunny, I’ll also be drawing two other usernames to gift this food to. The meal’s already packed, so I’ll end the stream now. Bye!”
The author has something to say:
Are there any cuties out there reading this? I wanna see your wittle hands.
Fake acting cute.
t/n: Wolfberry Tremella Lotus Soup is a sweet soup with lots of health benefits. Tremella is often used in traditional chinese medicine to keep the lungs, brain, heart, stomach and immune system healthy, and is also really good for the skin because of its high Vitamin D content. Wolfberries are rich in antioxidants (also great for skin), and are believed to be good for vision improvement and strengthening the kidneys and liver.
Thanks for the chapter! 💝