“Bai Baozhu, you can cook?”
“Zhu Zhu, didn’t you say you couldn’t cook?”
As soon as Bai Baozhu’s words fell, she saw Jiang Boyan and Su Han looking at her with utter astonishment, their expressions no less shocked than if they had seen an alien.
But this was understandable. After all, the persona the original body had built—a wealthy, beautiful socialite who couldn’t cook, had never set foot in a kitchen, and had never lifted a finger to do housework—was just… too deeply ingrained in everyone’s minds.
So, when Bai Baozhu announced she was going to cook, it naturally shocked everyone!
“Is cooking really that hard?”
Seeing their exaggerated reactions, Bai Baozhu’s mouth twitched slightly.
In her view, cooking was one of the simplest skills imaginable.
In her previous life, she hadn’t formally studied culinary arts. She had just casually glanced at recipe books and watched how the imperial chefs in the palace cooked, and she picked it up effortlessly.
It was truly no challenge at all! (A huge misconception!)
“Heh~”
Jiang Boyan couldn’t help but laugh out loud at Bai Baozhu’s question, “Is cooking really that hard?”
He looked at her with a mocking, half-smile, his eyes filled with derision.
“Zhu Zhu, cooking isn’t hard, but you’ve never cooked before…”
“Xiao Han, don’t bother with her. Let her do it. I want to see what she can possibly make. Really…” So full of herself.
He didn’t voice the last half of his sentence.
After all, they were on camera, filming a show. He didn’t want to make the situation too ugly.
Feeling Jiang Boyan’s blatant disdain and mockery, Bai Baozhu grew annoyed.
In her female-dominant kingdom, what right did a man have to give a woman attitude like that!
It was utterly unhusbandly!
And it was just cooking! Was there really a need to nag and go on and on for so long!
Originally, Bai Baozhu had a very high tolerance for sweet, soft-spoken girls. But because of Jiang Boyan, she even started to feel a bit of dislike for Su Han by association.
“Sister Hanhan, you go ahead and cook first. I’ll go prepare the ingredients. I’ll start after you’re done.”
Although she was a bit angry at the two of them for their incessant nagging, she still maintained surface-level politeness.
Seeing that Bai Baozhu had said so, Su Han couldn’t very well say anything more.
She just kindly reminded Bai Baozhu that if there was anything she didn’t know or understand, she could ask.
To this, Bai Baozhu merely smiled and nodded without saying a word.
“Xiao Han, since she wants to make her own breakfast, don’t make a portion for her. Save yourself the effort so we can eat sooner.”
For some reason, ever since Jiang Boyan had decided Bai Baozhu was a pretentious ‘green tea’ , he had largely ignored this female guest.
But today, seeing how Bai Baozhu completely disregarded him, he felt a tight knot of irritation in his chest.
“I’ll still make it. After all, it’s Zhu Zhu’s first time cooking. I’m a little worried.”
Su Han shot a glance full of concern towards Bai Baozhu, her tone dripping with solicitude.
However, that concern quickly froze on her face when Bai Baozhu received a batch of live hairy crabs from a member of the production team staff.
“Zhu Zhu, here are the hairy crabs you asked for! They’re all fresh! Just pulled out of the water!”
“Zhu Zhu, are you making crab roe soup dumplings today?!”
“Good Zhu Zhu, can you make a little extra?”
…
Watching as the staff members surrounded Bai Baozhu, speaking to her in a friendly and intimate manner, Su Han felt something was off!
She knew Bai Baozhu had been building her ‘wealthy beauty goddess’ persona, and she also knew Bai Baozhu could cook, and her skill wasn’t bad.
But, to maintain that persona, she really rarely cooked.
And the show’s production staff… they shouldn’t possibly know about this, right…
While Su Han was lost in these confusing thoughts, Bai Baozhu calmly took the hairy crabs from the staff member.
After placing the crabs on the kitchen counter’s cutting board, Bai Baozhu put on the other apron in the kitchen—a black men’s apron.
The black apron, paired with her cream-colored dress, created an indescribable mix of cool severity and gentleness.
Reaching out, Bai Baozhu washed all twenty crabs clean, then placed them belly-up into the steamer.
Just a few minutes after Bai Baozhu had put the hairy crabs in the steamer, the other dating guests from 『Love Cottage』 began to trickle into the kitchen.
“Good morning, Xiao Han. You’re up early making breakfast for us again. You really work hard.”
“Ah~ it smells so good. What delicious thing did Xiao Han make for us this morning?”
After entering the kitchen, Wei Wenbo and Lin Dong smiled and praised Su Han.
It was only after a good while that they noticed Bai Baozhu standing by the steamer, also wearing an apron.
“Zhu Zhu? Why are you up so early today? And what are you doing in the kitchen?”
Both Wei Wenbo and Lin Dong were extremely surprised to see Bai Baozhu in the kitchen.
Before Bai Baozhu could speak, Su Han stepped in to explain for her.
“Zhu Zhu didn’t feel like having sandwiches this morning, so she wants to make her own breakfast.”
Hearing Su Han’s words, Wei Wenbo and Lin Dong’s expressions turned somewhat complicated. Thinking of Bai Baozhu’s personality, they couldn’t help but mentally complain, ‘This Bai Baozhu is really too willful.’
“Zhu Zhu, it’s fine to just have something simple in the morning. No need to be so particular.”
Since he had been getting along fairly well with Bai Baozhu recently, Wei Wenbo still spoke up to advise her gently.
Listening to Wei Wenbo’s words, Bai Baozhu twitched her lips speechlessly.
What the—? She was just making breakfast! How was that being ‘particular’?
Cooking was a skill everyone should have! Did everyone who saw her cook have to act so shocked and nag endlessly?
The original body’s persona was really too well-established!
As each subsequent guest from 『Love Cottage』 came down and saw her cooking, showing varying degrees of surprise, Bai Baozhu grew numb.
Especially when, after Su Han finished her nutritious breakfast and everyone sat down at the dining table, they told her to stop making her own breakfast and just eat the breakfast Su Han had made… that’s when Bai Baozhu’s patience finally snapped!
A certain pride regarding food also erupted within her!
“You all go ahead and eat. Don’t mind me.”
Ever since transmigrating, Bai Baozhu had always worn a smile. But now, the smile vanished from her face. She stared with utmost seriousness at the steamer where the crabs were still cooking.
She thought to herself, for this batch of crab roe soup dumplings, she would give it her one hundred percent! She would make them incredibly delicious! She would make them drool with envy! And then she wouldn’t give a single one to these people who looked down on her!
“Tian Tian, why are you so late? Come sit down and have breakfast with us!”
Just as everyone had already taken their seats at the dining table and started eating breakfast, Xia Tiantian finally made a belated appearance in the dining room.
Xia Tiantian glanced at the table. Everyone was there except for Bai Baozhu. The corner of her mouth immediately curled up.
Her dear Zhu Zhu really went and made those crab roe soup dumplings from that episode of 『A Bite of China』!
Looking again at the people at the table, all eating the sandwiches and milk Su Han had made, Xia Tiantian felt even happier.
“No, no, it’s fine. I’ll wait for Zhu Zhu’s breakfast. You all eat more! Don’t worry about me and Zhu Zhu!”
Please, eat a lot! If you’re full, no one will compete with me for food!!!
After saying that, Xia Tiantian walked into the kitchen with a beaming smile.
The men and women in the dining room, watching Xia Tiantian enter the kitchen with such a blissful smile, all felt that… something was a bit strange?
“Zhu Zhu, I’m here. Is there anything you need me to help with?”
Entering the kitchen, Xia Tiantian saw Bai Baozhu wearing heat-resistant gloves, taking out a large plate of steamed, rosy-red hairy crabs from the steamer.
The air was filled with the aroma of crab. Just smelling it made Xia Tiantian feel like she couldn’t wait to start eating!
“Sister Tian Tian, if you’re free, could you help me pick the crab meat?”
Seeing Xia Tiantian arrive, a smile finally returned to Bai Baozhu’s face.
“Sure, I’ll help you pick the crab. But… how do I do it?”
“It’s very simple. Just watch how I do it, and then do the same.”
“Mhm! Okay!”
Initially, Xia Tiantian thought that if Bai Baozhu said it was simple, then it must be really simple, with no difficulty at all!
But…
After watching Bai Baozhu’s demonstration and trying it herself, she realized…
Picking crab meat wasn’t difficult! But it also wasn’t as ‘simple’ as Bai Baozhu made it seem!!!
She painstakingly, arduously spent over ten minutes picking just one crab. Meanwhile, Bai Baozhu effortlessly finished picking a crab in just a few minutes!
In the end, the useless Xia Tiantian only managed to pick one crab. The other dozen or so crabs were all picked clean by Bai Baozhu alone!
“Zhu Zhu… you’re really too terrifying…”
What kind of hand speed was that?!
This crab-picking scene wasn’t just mocked by Xia Tiantian; the show’s camera guys were also endlessly complaining in their hearts!
Moreover, during the crab-picking, they had specifically given a clear close-up comparison of Bai Baozhu’s and Xia Tiantian’s techniques!
Probably, if this scene was edited into the show, everyone would be shocked by Bai Baozhu!
Since it was getting late, Bai Baozhu didn’t waste a single moment. After picking the fresh crab meat, she deftly mixed the broth base she had prepared before bed yesterday—simmered with an old hen—with the crab roe, crab meat, and minced scallions, ginger, and garlic. She added this mixture into the gelatin made from stewed pork trotter skin, carefully mixing it until even. And just like that, the filling for the crab roe soup dumplings was ready.
Looking at the golden, white, and tender filling, mixed with crab roe, crab meat, and savory broth gelatin, the onlooking Xia Tiantian and photographers couldn’t help but swallow their saliva.
When Bai Baozhu wrapped the crab filling with a thin, almost translucent dumpling wrapper, the anticipation in everyone’s eyes grew even stronger.
Bai Baozhu nimbly placed all the dumplings into a steamer basket. When she lifted the lid after they were done steaming, the aroma that burst forth the moment the steamer opened conquered everyone waiting in the kitchen!
Instantly, the scents of crab roe and chicken broth filled the entire kitchen. Xia Tiantian and the staff, who hadn’t eaten breakfast and were starving, kept swallowing their saliva, their stomachs growling with desire.
The soup dumplings, with skins thin as paper, translucent with broth, and overflowing with savory fragrance, were utterly irresistible! Just their appearance suggested they were so delicious one could swallow their own tongue!
If the people in the kitchen were this stimulated, what about the dining room, separated from the kitchen by just a door…
“What’s that smell? It’s so fragrant.”
“It smells like crab and chicken broth?”
The dating guests, who had been chatting while eating breakfast, suddenly found the sandwiches in their hands utterly unappealing upon catching this sudden, faint, yet tantalizing aroma!