Clearly, the food had made their mouths water.
Having finished preparing this heavyweight dish, Chu Yu started on today's breakfast-pumpkin and grouper rice congee.
Grouper had delicious, tender flesh, and marinating it with a little special seasoning made its flavor even richer.
Finally, she added steamed-soft pumpkin, crabmeat, dried scallops, shimeji mushrooms, scallions, and fried dough sticks, simmering everything with the rice congee in chicken broth.
As Chu Yu stirred the congee in the pot, a rich aroma gradually filled the entire kitchen.
The crew members, who had gotten up early and barely eaten anything, immediately felt their stomachs rumbling.
"That congee smells way too good."
"I heard it's made with grouper, and there's Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, too. With ingredients that expensive, how could it not taste good?"
Quite a few people began craning their necks toward the stove, their eyes full of anticipation and curiosity.
Chu Chen, who was helping nearby, rubbed his stomach as hunger washed over him. He pressed his lips together, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on the pot of congee, his Adam's apple bobbing.
[Why am I suddenly hungry watching this?]
[Chu Yu actually looks like she knows what she's doing. Can she really cook?]
[Whatever else you say, all those ingredients filling the screen must have cost a lot, right? Did Chu Yu prepare all this?]
[Help! This breakfast is way too luxurious. I want some so badly!]
At that moment, the haters who had been waiting to enjoy the show were all dumbfounded.
They had assumed Chu Yu couldn't cook and would surely be all flustered in the kitchen.
Who would have thought she'd actually look pretty competent?
How were they supposed to trash her now?
"Wow, that smells so good! Is this today's breakfast?"
A clear child's voice suddenly rang out. The camera turned, revealing An Yu running over. He gripped the doorframe with both little hands and poked his head inside, blinking.
Chu Yu happened to turn around. Seeing An Yu, she nodded gently. "Yes, this is what we're having for breakfast today. Just a few more minutes and it should be ready."
Watching this scene, Chu Chen's face darkened, and he gradually began scrubbing the dishes harder.
She smiled so happily at someone else's little brother, but with him, she called him by his full name and threw punches and kicks.
You're the double-standard dog here!
An Ya followed her brother into the kitchen. The moment she entered, the savory aroma of congee greeted her.
"Sis, today's breakfast looks so yummy!" An Yu turned and grabbed An Ya's hand, bouncing up and down, looking full of anticipation.
Prompted by her brother, An Ya noticed the pumpkin congee simmering in the pot too. She looked at Chu Yu in delighted surprise. "Xiao Yu, you really were being modest earlier."
Chu Yu waved her hand. "Not at all. I'm just making a few simple dishes."
With that, she pointed to the other side. "Oh, and I've also prepared Buddha Jumps Over the Wall for everyone. It's already cooking, so it should be ready just in time for dinner."
An Ya looked at Chu Yu with even greater surprise.
She had thought Chu Yu was only making a few simple home-cooked dishes, yet she had even prepared an elaborate dish like Buddha Jumps Over the Wall?
Recalling the haters' comments she had read on Weibo last night, she couldn't help shaking her head with feeling.
It looked as though a lot of people would be getting slapped in the face today.
In fact, the situation in the livestream was exactly as An Ya had guessed.
The haters who had originally agreed to camp out in the livestream to watch the spectacle had all vanished to who knew where. Only a bunch of casual viewers unaware of the situation remained, practically drooling themselves to tears over Chu Yu's pot of congee.
[Help! Why did I open this livestream first thing in the morning? I was planning to lose weight.]
[Now I'm craving Buddha Jumps Over the Wall too. Aaaaaah, I want some so badly.]
[Little brother Chu Chen is so handsome. Even scrubbing pots, he's still so handsome, sob!]
Meanwhile, Wen Zhixin, the last to get up, emerged from her room.
She reached the hotel lobby and saw that the sofa area was deserted, so she assumed the other two sister-and-brother pairs hadn't woken up yet.
A barely perceptible dark glint flashed through Wen Zhixin's eyes.
It seemed she had overestimated Chu Yu.
It was almost past eight, yet she still hadn't gotten up.
And she had actually dared to say she would prepare breakfast today?
Wen Zhixin casually glanced at the filming camera, then turned and headed toward the kitchen.
She was still thinking: I'll just go to the kitchen and make some simple congee for the other guests' breakfast. Not only will I show how generous and kind I am, I'll also get to put Chu Yu down while making myself look good.
Using the female celebrity Chu Yu's name as a stepping stone, her popularity would surely soar.
Once she became famous, she could say goodbye to her impoverished days for good.
The corners of Wen Zhixin's mouth lifted slightly, and her steps quickened.
Unexpectedly, just as she approached the kitchen entrance, the rich aroma of congee wafted toward her.
Author's note:
The cooking methods for the dishes described in this chapter all came from the internet.
Chapter 16
Wen Zhixin suddenly had a bad feeling, but she still ventured into the kitchen.
When she saw with her own eyes Chu Yu and An Ya chatting cheerfully inside, her expression froze.
Just then, An Ya happened to turn around.
Noticing Wen Zhixin standing in the kitchen doorway, she greeted her with a smile. "The congee here is almost ready. Just two more minutes and we can eat."
Wen Zhixin hesitantly turned to look and saw two pots of steaming food already cooking on the stove.
It looked as though they had started cooking quite early.
Even Chu Chen and An Yu were helping in the kitchen.
So she and Wen Tianqi were actually the last ones up.
Wen Zhixin, who had originally worked out such a fine scheme, gradually looked more and more displeased. She lowered her head and forced a smile. "Mm, thank you for your hard work, Xiao Yu, getting up so early to prepare breakfast for us."
Chu Yu curled her lip and mimicked her tone with a green tea line of her own. "It's my honor to make breakfast for everyone. How could it be hard work?"