IRDFPFCIW Chapter 36

Jiang Tang: …

Actually, when setting the price initially, Jiang Tang and Gu Chen had difference opinions.

“…Ahem!” Jiang Tang nearly choked on his water. After coughing for a while, he managed to steady his breathing. “Ten thousand star coins?”

Gu Chen adjusted his glasses, completely unaware of the shock this price caused Jiang Tang.

Jiang Tang couldn’t help but mentally complain: Ten thousand star coins for a single tomato? Either he’s gone mad, or this world has!

“Considering the current market prices for natural foods and the value of the tomatoes we’re about to sell, I believe a price of ten thousand star coins is completely reasonable.”

Jiang Tang: …

He suddenly remembered seeing natural foods on the Star Network with prices that had a string of zeros after them.

Perhaps this was because they were rare.

“That’s too high, too high. No need to be so exaggerated.” Jiang Tang shook his head and insisted on lowering the price.

After a not-so-intense debate, Jiang Tang settled on a price of two thousand star coins per tomato.

“You’re practically doing charity.” Seeing Jiang Tang’s insistence, Gu Chen could only comment in resignation.

Jiang Tang looked at the barrage of “Male Bodhisattva” comments flooding the livestream: …

[Did my eyes deceive me? Did I miss a zero?]

[Is anyone to pinch me? I suspect I’m dreaming…]

[Help! At this price, I feel like I can finally buy some!]

[What are we waiting for at this price? Sisters, I’m diving in!]

“Due to limited quantities, the tomatoes will be on a purchase limit. Each account can only buy a maximum of four.” Jiang Tang kindly reminded.

[Ah?]

[I was ready to buy a bunch to last me until next month, but you tell me I can only buy four?!]

[If one account can buy four, can I use different accounts to buy more?]

[I’ve gathered my whole family’s lightbrains, I’m ready!]

The live stream room was filled with cries of despair. The fans seemed to act as if they had already secured the tomatoes judging from their comments, but at this moment they had no idea what kind of bloody storm they would face when sales began at noon.

Seeing that the fans were eagerly awaiting for noon, Jiang Tang had no intention of continuing the live stream. After reminding them to set alarms to not miss the time, he closed the live stream and logged out.

Chen Xi and her sisters were already die-hard fans of Jiang Tang. They were naturally eager to wait for the tomatoes’ launch.

Chen Xi came from a relatively ordinary background. Although she had never tasted natural food before, she was happy for Jiang Tang’s success. To her surprise, Jiang Tang had set such a low price for natural food.

Although still higher than nutrient solutions, compared to other natural foods, this price was acceptable for most people.

Chen Xi and her sisters[mfn]friends[/mfn] decided to buy some to try.

They set their alarms and waited for twelve o’clock.

With her years of experience in online shopping, Chen Xi began refreshing the webpage again and again as it approached twelve o’clock.

When the clock struck twelve o’clock, thanks to her quick reflexes, Chen Xi successfully clicked the link, placed her order, and confirmed it all in one go.

Only then did she feel a sense of relief.

But others weren’t so lucky.

“Ahhh! Why can’t I click the link!”

“Damn! It’s gone?”

“I was just one second behind! I didn’t get anything! I’m dying!”

Chen Xi’s sisters were crying in their group chat, then suddenly they noticed how quiet Chen Xi was.

“Why isn’t Xi Xi saying anything?”

“Xi Xi, did you manage to buy the tomatoes?”

A sense of foreboding washed over Chen Xi, and she replied timidly, “Yeah.”

“Damn! I’m jealous!”

“I bought four. How about we split them and each take one?” Chen Xi couldn’t bear to see her sisters sad, so she decided to share the tomatoes with them.

Thus, Chen Xi earned the title of “Best Sister of the Universe” from her sisters, who even transferred her double the money in gratitude.

When twelve o’clock arrived, the system automatically listed 20,000 tomatoes. Almost as soon as a second ticked by, the system announced they were sold out.

Jiang Tang: …

40 million just like that?

Jiang Tang’s hand shook and he nearly dropped the cup he was holding.

If he had known making money was this easy, he wouldn’t have bothered with live streaming. In just a few seconds, he had not only get back his initial investment but also made a lot of money.

“Yay! We did it!” Qin Fei cheered as he high-fived George. Even Lu Rongming and Chen Yisheng on the side smiled.

Gu Chen’s phone call came in. He, who was usually calm, sounded excited.

“Everything is going smoothly. Next, we’ll focus on shipping. I’ve ordered a batch of robots to handle the deliveries. They’ll be here soon. We can celebrate later.”

Jiang Tang watched the balance in his account increase. He didn’t hesitate to order the natural foods he had been eyeing for a long time but couldn’t bear to buy on the Star Network.

The meat resembled beef, and Jiang Tang bought just a piece to satisfy his cravings.

Today’s progress was going so smoothly that Jiang Tang suddenly wanted to celebrate with a hot pot.

In fact, it was also because with Gu Chen and Chen Jiesen coming over soon, there would be too many people at home. Jiang Tang felt a bit lazy and thought a hot pot would allow them to eat by themselves.

The family’s tastes weren’t all the same. Jiang Tang and Qin Fei preferred spicy food, while Chen Yisheng couldn’t handle too much spice. Jiang Tang decided to make a tomato and spicy hot pot.

Hot pot was cooked and served fresh, tasting spicy, salty, and fresh, yet not greasy. To Jiang Tang, hot pot was not just a delicious meal but also contained the essence of food culture. Eating hot pot with friends and family around a bubbling pot created a warm and festive atmosphere.

In short, hot pot was definitely a great choice for gatherings.

Jiang Tang boiled a few pieces of bones with clean water for the soup base.

He then took out some dried chili peppers he had prepared earlier, grabbed a handful and boiled them in water for about twenty minutes. After the chili peppers had swollen, he removed them and crush them in a food processor.

Jiang Tang heated oil in the pot. Once hot, he added scallions, ginger, and garlic. After frying them until fragrant, he removed them from the pot. He then added the crushed chilli peppers, turned the heat down to simmer, and cooked for about ten minutes before adding minced ginger. Since he didn’t have fermented black beans, Jiang Tang skipped that step and continued to stir-fry on low heat.

Next, he added Sichuan peppercorns and previously ground spices, along with a few pieces of rock sugar to enhance the flavor.

Then he continued to stir-fry until all the aromas were released.

At this point, the taste of the soup was already very strong. Thankfully, Jiang Tang had turned on the ventilation in the kitchen ahead of time. Otherwise, the room would be filled with the overpowering scent.

“Ah-choo!” As soon as they arrived at the villa, both Chen Jiesen and Gu Chen sneezed simultaneously, having caught a whiff of the enticing aroma coming from the kitchen.

Jiang Tang turned around to see Chen Jiesen sneezing repeatedly, his eyes red and looking a bit pitiful. Gu Chen didn’t look too good either.

“I’ve only tasted spicy food in the holograms during the live stream. I didn’t expect it to smell this good.” Chen Jiesen sniffed and couldn’t help sneezing again. “Awesome! I love this flavor.”

Jiang Tang was too lazy to hurry him along. The pan was almost done. He added a handful of dried chili powder to continue frying.

About ten minutes later, Jiang Tang poured the bone broth into the pot, completing the spicy soup base.

Jiang Tang then prepared the tomato base, gathering the necessary ingredients: two large ripe tomatoes and a big onion.

After washing the tomatoes, he cut them into small pieces, diced the onion, and cut the scallions into small sections, washing the ginger and slicing it into four or five pieces.

He heated proper amount of oil in the wok. Once hot, he added the chopped scallions and ginger, slowly stir-frying them to release their fragrance.

He then removed the scallions and ginger. He added the diced onion and stir-fry it evenly until it released its aroma, which was slightly sweet compared to the scallion.

Once the onion was fragrant, he added the tomato pieces, stirring them together, then added a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce and continued to stir-fry.

Next, he turned the heat down, taking his time to simmer and allowing the tomato juices to be released to make the tomato soup base rich in flavor.

Then Jiang Tang added pure water and a bit of rock sugar and simmered it over low heat. He added a little extra pure water, knowing that the soup would lose a lot of moisture during the heating process.

Once the tomato soup base was ready, Jiang Tang poured it into one side of the customized mandarin duck pot, creating a bright red and non-greasy tomato broth that was sweet and sour. Drinking a bowl before meals would stimulate the appetite and help with digestion, and having another bowl afterward would relieve any greasiness.

With George’s help, Jiang Tang brought the large pot of soup base to the center of the dining table. He turned on the switch to slowly heat the bottom. The two different flavored soup bases emitted a rich aroma, making people gulp.

Jiang Tang then arranged the plates of sliced vegetables and meats next to the pot.

The hot pot’s bright red soup base and the surrounding fresh vegetables made the dining table look beautifully decorated.

“Tang Tang, what is this?” Chen Jiesen asked after seeing the colorful and bright dishes on the table. He couldn’t help but snap a photo of it to share on his social media. “It smells amazing!”

Once everyone was seated, Jiang Tang picked up a thin slice of beef with chopsticks and swirled it in the red oil broth for a few moments.

The bright red beef changed color instantly and released a unique meaty aroma.

Jiang Tang held up the beef for them to see. “Just swirl it a few times like this, and it’ll be cooked.”

Then Jiang Tang opened his mouth and swallowed the beef.

The beef was incredibly tender. After just a few swirls in the hot pot, the spicy red oil and slight numbing sensation combined. It was so refreshing to eat it in one bite.

Jiang Tang pointed to the red oil pot. “This one is spicy, while the other is tomato-based, which is not spicy. You can choose your favorite flavor and dip the ingredients in until they’re cooked, then take them out to eat.”

Gu Chen’s eyes lit up. “Can any ingredients be used for the hot pot?””

Jiang Tang thought for a moment. It seemed they could indeed, as it was often said that “everything can be cooked in hot pot”.

Gu Chen’s eyes brightened even more with Jiang Tang’s nod.

“Then… can we mass-produce this kind of hot pot base? If we can, it could save other natural foods…”

Jiang Tang: …

What time is it? Chen Jiesen across from him was nearly drooling all over the table, and this guy was still thinking about these things in front of the fragrant hot pot! With this determination, if Gu Chen didn’t get rich, who would?

However, Gu Chen inadvertently mentioned the existence of the hot pot base. With the help of robots, mass-producing the hot pot base would not be difficult. But right now…

Jiang Tang quickly grabbed a slice of beef and dipped it into the tomato soup. He had no time to think about those things now. He needed to act fast, or he would miss out!

Not only did Jiang Tang serve himself with meat and vegetables, but he also filled the little bowls of the three fluffy ones beside him, who kept eagerly grabbing meat and vegetables.

Their bowls were piled high, while Jiang Tang realized he hadn’t eaten much himself.

Wen Renyuan noticed Jiang Tang’s empty bowl and felt a pang of discomfort.

He had indeed enjoyed Jiang Tang’s attention before, but now seeing him going hungry while taking care of everyone made Wen Renyuan feel upset.

Especially when he saw Gu Chen using serving chopsticks to give Jiang Tang a few slices of meat, and Jiang Tang smiling in thanks, Wen Renyuan felt a knot in his heart.

If he could just sit next to Jiang Tang and serve him, it would have been perfect.

For the first time, Wen Renyuan desperately wanted to return to his human form immediately.

Lin Yucang at the side also glanced at Jiang Tang’s empty bowl, lost in thought.

Among the three fluffy creatures, only the little snow wolf ate happily without any care. Even its tail was wagging happily.

Jiang Tang especially prepared plenty of ingredients, but he didn’t expect that even the noodles added last to the soup were completely devoured.

Except for Jiang Tang and Gu Chen, the others were sprawled over their seats, holding their stomachs without any image. Chen Jiesen exaggeratedly burped several times.

“I can’t take it anymore. I feel like I might throw up.” Chen Jiesen rubbed his belly and he felt stuffed to the brim. “This hot pot is just too delicious. I love hot pot.”

Nobody could dislike hot pot, and Jiang Tang silently agreed.

“I’ll make some soup base for you all to take home. When you want to eat, just boil it in water. You can dip whatever you like and it will delicious.”

“Tang Tang, are you an angel?! I love you!” If Chen Jiesen wasn’t so stuffed that he couldn’t move, he would have jumped up to give Jiang Tang a big bear hug.

Gu Chen was also very excited. “So the soup base base can indeed be mass-produced!”

Jiang Tang: …

“Why don’t we discuss the production of the next batch of tomatoes and the mass production plan for the hot pot base now…”

“When will the next batch of tomatoes be available?” This was a topic many fans were currently interested in.

It was because they had missed out on the tomatoes due to their slow fingers!

Fans who hadn’t managed to get the tomatoes were filled with resentment, and they pushed the topic of #Tomatoes That Cannot Be Obtained# directly to the hot search of Star Network.

Although it was ranked lower, it still garnered much more attention than Jiang Tang’s previous live streams.

In no time, countless people clicked on this trending topic, catching up on Jiang Tang’s recorded videos and willingly jumped into the big pit of tomatoes.

[My friend wanted to eat a tomato before dying of a terminal illness. When will the streamer restock the tomatoes?]

[My friend too!]

[The one above, I suspect you’re making friends out of thin air.]

[Above above, I suspect you’re the same friend!]

Afterward, more attention came, and inevitably some other comments emerged online—

[Natural food prices set this low, and you dare to eat it? Aren’t you afraid of eating problems? What is the streamer really up to?]

[Controlled by the lowest appetites, you all have food on the brain. How dare you spread this around, you losers?]

[……]

In an empty room, Jiang Bai transferred a sum of money to an anonymous account. He looked at the various comments on the Star Network, and a sneer appeared on his face.

The light from the holographic screen reflected on his face, making Jiang Bai’s originally handsome features appear somewhat sinister.

Now that the public opinion on the Star Network had shifted, he wanted to see how Jiang Tang would respond.