In the Interstellar Era, logistics move faster than Ling Miao had imagined. She had expected the ingredients to arrive around noon, but they appeared at the entrance of Youwei Restaurant just past eight o'clock.
Ling Miao took the groceries from the logistics robot, thanked it with a cheerful smile, and turned to leave, only to feel a tugging sensation behind her.
Confused, she looked back to see her hem pinched in the robot’s grip. The machine’s cold, silver exterior glinted, and its electronic display flashed with a bright red light.
"Logistics fee."
*Logistics fee?*
Ling Miao blinked, slowly processing the words. Her eyes widened in disbelief. This was the Interstellar Era—how was regional discrimination still a thing? Why was there no free shipping for remote sectors? It took forever to arrive, and they didn't even cover the shipping? What kind of professional service was this?
She wanted to argue, but when she met the red glare of the robot's screen, her courage failed her. With a heavy, reluctant heart, she pulled out her battered Star Brain and made the payment. She only began to stomp her feet in frustration after the robot’s back disappeared from view.
"What’s wrong with you?"
Avril, her friends, and Susan’s group had just arrived. They saw Ling Miao clutching her bags, her face twisted in agony, yet she was still stomping her feet with such vigor it was hard not to laugh.
"Why is there no free shipping to remote planets!!!"
"I’m going to file a complaint—"
Ling Miao looked heartbroken. The shipping fees had cost almost as much as the ingredients in her arms! It was bad enough that shipping wasn't free, but why did it have to be so expensive? Where was the justice in the world?
The group exchanged glances, struggling to suppress their laughter at her petty grievances. Seeing the ingredients in her arms, Avril changed the subject. "What delicious thing are you making?"
Ling Miao pulled herself together, though she still looked a bit gloomy. "I bought some spare ribs. I’m planning to make pork rib and mushroom porridge."
That sounded delicious.
The group looked at each other, their enthusiasm instantly ignited. They stepped forward to take the ingredients from Ling Miao and ushered her inside. Once in the kitchen, Ling Miao looked at the group eagerly offering their help and paused to ask, "Do you all mind if I start a livestream?"
They shook their heads. Susan hesitated for a moment before following the lead of the others.
Seeing that everyone was in agreement, Ling Miao summoned the System in her mind, raised the Star Brain on her wrist, and tapped it a few times. A translucent livestreaming page popped up.
Avril leaned in, looking genuinely surprised. "I didn't think this Star Brain of yours would actually work so well."
She meant it as a compliment; the device looked like a piece of junk, but it was surprisingly functional. Ling Miao didn't say anything, just offered an awkward smile.
"Hello everyone, welcome to Youwei Restaurant. Today, I’m preparing pork rib and mushroom porridge. If you like what you see, please follow and show your support."
Without further ado, she began preparing the ingredients. She soaked the fresh ribs to remove the blood, then processed the remaining components one by one. With the help of the others, Ling Miao felt much more at ease. From time to time, she would look back at what they were doing, giving her enough time to answer questions from the live chat.
The chat was always active. Most fans were friendly, though there were, of course, a few jealous trolls who posted unpleasant comments. Ling Miao simply ignored them, noted their IDs, and revoked their posting privileges.
As loyal fans of Youwei Restaurant, the siblings Xiong Yichen and his sister received the notification on their Star Brains as soon as the stream went live. They clicked on the link without a moment's hesitation, only to see the streamer stir-frying in a large black pot over high heat.
As the fresh ribs hit the pan, the aroma was not exactly pleasant. Not only was there a bit of bloodiness, but it also carried an indescribable, raw odor. The pair instinctively covered their noses, yet they couldn't help but feel a sense of respect as they watched the streamer continue to stir-fry with a calm expression.
There were many vegetarians in the Interstellar Era. Besides the herbivorous races, some omnivorous species chose a plant-based diet. This wasn't because they couldn't eat meat. In fact, after tens of thousands of years of evolution, especially among the beastman races, their bodies had been forged through selection; only the elite remained. Aside from their different original forms, their habits were mostly the same, and there were no species that could only eat specific foods—if there were, they would have been eliminated by evolution long ago.
The main reason they avoided meat was that some beastmen simply couldn't stand the rank, gamey smell of meat during the cooking process. Since there were other options that could provide the energy their bodies needed, why force themselves to try food they didn't enjoy?
The Xiong siblings were semi-vegetarians. While they weren't strictly against eating meat, they rarely did so because the lingering odor of the cooking process was too strong. This was the case for their entire family.
Ling Miao was unaware of what the siblings were thinking. She continued stir-frying over high heat, the sizzling of oil and meat filling the air. As the ribs began to take on a golden hue, she poured in the prepared ingredients and spoke to the live chat.
"For those who have dried seafood, you can add some to enhance the umami and make the flavor of the porridge even richer."
Lacking dried scallops, Ling Miao added some dried mushrooms she had bought at the market the day before. The dried mushrooms were a rich brown color. She added green onions and ginger to neutralize the smell, gave it a few more tosses over the high heat, and then added the diced carrots.
The bright, fresh colors instantly lit up the pan, and the stir-frying portion was finished. Ling Miao looked at her curious helpers, transferred the ingredients into a large clay pot, poured in the pre-soaked rice and water, and covered it with a lid.
"The preparation for this pork rib and mushroom porridge is done. Now, let’s just wait patiently."
Ling Miao looked at the camera and laughed, "For those of you at home who have convenient cooking gadgets, you can use those instead, so you won't have to wait so long."
The flames danced beneath the stove. The black clay pot sat there, slowly and steadily exhaling wisps of steam. When the people in the chat began to urge her to hurry, Ling Miao finally approached the pot to check on it.
"Ah..."
Everyone held their breath.
"It’s not ready yet, we still have to wait a little longer."
Ling Miao winked playfully. The viewers in the chat were so frustrated they were practically puffing up like pufferfish, and even Susan and her friends, who had been acting as background fixtures, couldn't help but crowd around.
"Miaomiao," Susan pouted, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the steaming black pot. "Why don't I taste it to see if it's done?"
Everyone: "..."
Livestream chat: "..."
【The sound of her abacus beads clicking is practically hitting my face.】
【Wait, truth be told, I could also help the streamer taste it [docile].jpg】
【Even if you take a step back, are they really wrong???】
The comments in the chat were becoming more and more entertaining. Avril and the others watched intently, though their eyes kept drifting toward the white steam rising from the clay pot.
*Slurp*—it smelled so good!
After waiting for another half-hour, Ling Miao finally withstood the pressure from the group and the livestream and reached out to lift the black lid.