Chapter 33: A Live Food Show

After the Azure Bird mailbox upgraded to the Azure Bird window, they got a fixed spot in the underworld with a window and delivery locker, right next to Taotie Delicacies’ menu and contact info.

Taotie Delicacies didn’t take hell money, but they were cool with bartering.

Like today, Granny Meng ordered a jar of pickled plum Sand Pears and a jar of spicy pickled Sand Pears, paying with a Nine Nether Red Lotus Fruit.

This was a super pricey SR-grade celestial treasure that Yun Tao could only snag from the Shanhai Mall.

The red lotus fruit Granny Meng paid with was just as good as the ones sold in the mall. Of course, for Granny Meng, the pickled plum and spicy Sand Pears were rare finds too, so trading a Nine Nether Red Lotus Fruit was a total win.

Yun Tao popped the red lotus fruit in the fridge, dragged over his special little stool, and started making the pickled plum and spicy Sand Pears with Feifei.

Granny Meng had mentioned she liked things sour, so Yun Tao picked Sand Pears that were just ripe, firm, and on the tart side.

Feifei went to simmer the plum rock candy syrup, while Yun Tao fished out the washed Sand Pears one by one, letting them drain in a basket.

He was about to smash the Sand Pears with a knife when Yun Fenghe swooped in, quick as a wink, “Let me do it, Taotao.”

Yun Fenghe washed his hands, then whacked a small Sand Pear flat, the bright red juice staining the cutting board. Yun Tao caught a whiff of the sour fruit and his mouth started watering.

Sand Pears don’t have pits, so no need to deal with that. Even though these Sand Pears were a bit sour, they weren’t bitter, and there was no need to rub them with coarse salt. Just a couple of spoonfuls of salt for seasoning, then into a glass jar with the plum rock candy syrup.

The spicy pickled Sand Pears were even easier. Smash the Sand Pears, add salt and chili powder, and you’re good to go. Yun Tao also threw in a spoonful of tangerine peel powder for extra flavor.

With the two jars of pickled Sand Pears done, the glass house was filled with the sour scent of fruit and a hint of spicy chili powder. Customers buying desserts were drooling, constantly glancing at the counter.

Yun Tao put the extra pickled Sand Pears in small bowls and nibbled on them with a tiny fork. They weren’t fully marinated yet, and he puckered his lips from the sourness.

The customers chuckled. Someone asked him, “Taotao, is it sour?”

Yun Tao said seriously, “It’s actually not bad, still really tasty, but I like sweet stuff better.”

Some folks loved the sourness and were practically drooling. They asked Feifei, “Sister Yuechu, can you put the pickled plum and spicy Sand Pears on the menu? I’m dying to try them! Sour or sweet, I’m not picky!”

Feifei had been wearing a name tag at work lately, with her human name on it, and customers affectionately called her Sister Yuechu.

Feifei looked at Yun Tao, “Little boss, what do you say?”

Yun Tao said, “We can put them on the menu, but we don’t have enough hands to make a lot. If you want some, you’ll have to come early.”

The customers gave a little cheer. The pickled Sand Pears needed at least an hour to marinate, so they couldn’t get any today, but they could come early tomorrow!

“Um, Sister Yuechu,” a customer rubbed his arms, “The air conditioning seems too low, it’s a bit chilly.”

Other customers looked over, agreeing.

Feifei checked the AC temperature, it was the same as usual, but it did feel way too cold, like a chill was in the air. And it wasn’t the usual AC cold, it felt kind of… spooky?

Yun Tao felt it too. Chewing on a Sand Pear, he instinctively looked at the fridge.

Boy, was he in for a surprise! Wisps of yin energy were seeping out of the fridge’s seams.

Yun Tao: !

It must be the Nine Nether Red Lotus Fruit! That thing had a serious Nine Nether aura; Granny Meng was always so generous.

Yun Tao put down his little bowl, opened the fridge door, grabbed the Nine Nether Red Lotus Fruit, rinsed it off, and chomped it down in big bites.

The sweet taste of the red lotus fruit soothed the lingering sourness on his tongue. Yun Tao squinted happily and let out a soft burp.

A customer asked him, “Taotao, what fruit was that? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before.”

Yun Tao said, “It’s a strawberry.”

Yun Tao always called it the Nine Nether Big Strawberry.

Customer: A strawberry that big? Seriously?

But the AC seemed to have adjusted, and the temperature became comfortable again.

The Azure Bird window was set up in its original spot, looking like a mini outdoor bookstore, with a one-way glass window, so you couldn’t see inside. The little room had a time-still space, so you didn’t have to worry about things spoiling.

After sunset, Yun Fenghe packed the two jars of cold, marinated Sand Pears and a small jar of Sand Pear jam Yun Tao gave as a gift into a foam box, labeled it with the recipient’s name, and put it in the Azure Bird window.

Late at night, the Azure Bird avatar would pick up the package and deliver it to the delivery locker in the underworld, where the recipient could pick it up with a code. Super convenient.

Granny Meng got the notification and immediately sent her little apprentice to pick up the package. Opening the foam box, she spotted the jam right away, with a sticker thoughtfully listing several recipes.

So thoughtful! Granny Meng thought, I’m definitely ordering from them again!

…Well, there’s nowhere else to order from anyway. Maybe I’ll send a little gift next time.

Opening the jar of pickled plum Sand Pears, the fruity aroma was mouthwatering. Granny Meng put a small dishful to taste, the plum flavor completely absorbed into the Sand Pears, sweet and sour, with a lingering aftertaste.

Granny Meng exclaimed, “This is amazing! Just how I like it!”

Sand Pears contained water-type spiritual energy, and Granny Meng practiced water-type ghostly arts. Eating them was beneficial!

She opened the Sand Pear jam and made a cup of Sand Pear fruit tea according to Yun Tao’s recipe, and it was incredible!

Granny Meng drank half a cup in one go, feeling inspired, “Ghosts have been complaining that Meng Po soup is too boring lately. I should ask the Taotie Delicacies boss for some tips and develop more flavors.”

The next morning, Yun Tao received a “small” gift from Granny Meng—a whole box of Nine Nether Spring Water lotus seeds.

Yun Tao thought he was seeing things!

Granny Meng was seriously generous!

Yun Tao was happy to oblige and quickly put the pickled plum and spicy pickled Sand Pears on the menu, and they were a hit. Customers who came for meals loved them too, refreshing before and after eating!

It had been raining a lot lately. In the afternoon, dark clouds covered the sky, and it started to drizzle again. Yun Tao had just woken up from his nap, sitting at the door with the Heavenly Dog, watching the rain, with two red marks on his face from the pillow, looking dazed.

The Heavenly Dog had just woken up too, drooping eyes, yawning lazily.

Yun Tao shook his head, opened the system screen to handle work, and found an invitation from “Greedy Charm.”

Greedy Charm was a local food program, with a young team, focusing on in-depth visits to restaurants in and around Xi’nan City. It was very popular in Xi’nan City, with well-managed accounts on all platforms, and nearly a million followers on a certain social media app.

If you stopped any random citizen on the street and asked them to open Greedy Charm’s official account, they’d see “no mutual friends.”

[Level 5 Mission: Accept Greedy Charm’s invitation and cooperate with the filming.

Reward: 500 Shanhai Points, 500 Shanhai Coins, 1 Shanhai Coupon, unlock the rooftop barbecue area.

Punishment: 24 hours of volunteer work in a random plane.]

The system had issued a mission, so Yun Tao didn’t have to think about it. He replied directly: “Okay.”

Yun Tao added director Zhong Yichen as a friend and set a filming time. Each episode of Greedy Charm was split into two parts, visiting two restaurants, one in the neighboring city, so they came to Taotie Delicacies first.

Zhong Yichen: “We’ll be doing a live broadcast during the filming, is that okay?”

Yun Tao had participated in live broadcasts at the market, so he didn’t mind, replying: “Okay, I’ll put up a notice at the door that day.”

Since they were filming the cooking process, the kitchen would inevitably be shown, so before filming, Yun Tao and Taotie did a little camouflage on some of the hard-to-explain high-tech equipment to make the back kitchen look a bit more ordinary.

At the agreed time, the Greedy Charm crew arrived at Taotie Delicacies right on schedule. They came during the lunch rush to capture the restaurant’s real business, with Taotie and Lin Xiao busy in the kitchen, and Yun Fenghe and Yun Tao greeting them at the door.

The crew had started the live broadcast on the way, and since they had announced they’d be visiting Taotie Delicacies, there were already a lot of viewers in the chat.

The team was small, and Zhong Yichen had to double as the host. He got out of the car with the sound equipment, accidentally stepping on a small stone, and stumbled, equipment and all!

The cameraman caught the whole thing, and the viewers in the chat were on the edge of their seats.

Just when Director Zhong was about to face-plant, the Heavenly Dog, sitting in Yun Tao’s arms, perked up its ears and let out a loud “Mew—!”

Zhong Yichen miraculously regained his balance and stood firm, still holding the equipment!

“Phew, that was close.” Zhong Yichen breathed a sigh of relief, checked the equipment, and twisted his ankle—even with such a big movement, he hadn’t even sprained his foot!

Zhong Yichen hadn’t recovered from his surprise when he suddenly met Yun Tao’s eyes.

Yun Tao was wearing a Chinese-style outfit with little black dragon details and a pair of small horns, looking both cool and well-behaved. He spoke in a soft, childish voice, “Are you okay, big brother?”

Zhong Yichen grinned, “I’m fine.”

The cameraman didn’t miss this moment, giving Yun Tao and the Heavenly Dog a close-up.

The chat lit up a little.

“It’s Taotao! My little anime son! This outfit is so cute, he looks like a chibi black dragon! Let mom give you a kiss!”

“Is Taotao holding the popular Heavenly Dog? OMG, do you think it was the Heavenly Dog’s ‘mew’ that saved Director Zhong?”

“That moment was definitely a bit unscientific, I briefly believed in the supernatural for a second there.”

“Sending virtual headpats to the Heavenly Dog from behind the screen, it’s so cute, I want to pet it~”

“The two little ones together, cuteness overload!”

“I want to eat the Heavenly Dog cookies from Taotie Delicacies, when can I buy them online?”

Zhong Yichen had done his homework and knew about the popular Heavenly Dog, of course. To be honest, he also thought it was the Heavenly Dog’s cry that saved him, but whether it was supernatural or not, who knew?

But he had a strong feeling that today’s filming would be a success!

Zhong Yichen introduced the team members to the brothers and said, “Our team has a pretty relaxed vibe, no need to be formal, just treat us like friends. The live broadcast has already started, say hello to the viewers!”

Yun Fenghe and Yun Tao waved at the camera, and when Yun Tao smiled, he showed his little tiger teeth, and the viewers called him adorable!

Zhong Yichen looked at Yun Fenghe and joked, “Boss Yun looks even younger in person than in the photos.”

Yun Fenghe corrected him, “I’m not the boss, my younger brother is.”

The cameraman turned the lens to Yun Tao. Yun Tao nodded seriously, “I’m the boss!”

The crew members burst into laughter, no one taking the cute words seriously.

Zhong Yichen said to the live broadcast, “Let’s show everyone the environment of Taotie Delicacies first. I’m sure many of you have seen the garden glass house, it’s very beautiful and a popular spot for photos lately.”

Passing by the vegetable garden, Yun Tao tugged at Zhong Yichen’s clothes and introduced him, “This is Zhuyu, this is Ping grass, these are the tomatoes Grandpa Pu sent…”

“Hahaha, those are chives and scallions, right? The kid’s so smart, he knows his restaurant is all about Shanhai concepts, I’m getting hooked!”

“These vegetables look so fresh, I want to eat them.”

“Wow, the restaurant grows its own veggies? That’s so healthy, you can tell how fresh they are.”

When they got to the bakery, Feifei came out to greet them, smiling warmly at the camera. Feifei had appeared in He Xiaoying’s live broadcast for just a few minutes and almost sent the viewership through the roof, and this time was no exception. As soon as she showed her face, the popularity of Greedy Charm’s live broadcast room started to climb.

Actually, it had to do with Feifei’s worry-free aura. Wherever she was, there was no worry, so the live broadcast room wouldn’t have any problems with being “unpopular.”

There were many customers in the bakery. Zhong Yichen introduced, “Speaking of the most popular drinks in Xinan City recently, everyone knows it’s Feifei Bakery’s Sand Pear drinks series. Everyone must be curious about how the Sand Pear Dragon Well Tea is made. The shop assistant is about to make one, let’s watch!”

Feifei demonstrated in front of the camera, putting the finished Sand Pear Dragon Well Teaand a worry-free tiramisu cake together on a tray and handing it to a waiting customer.

The viewers’ mouths watered, wishing they could trade places with that customer and grab the plate.

“Sister Yuechu, I’m here for work.” Wind Rabbit came to the counter and said hello.

Zhong Yichen said in surprise, “You’re Feng Tu! We’ve worked together!”

Feng Tu then saw the familiar face, “It’s Director Zhong, are you filming a show?”

Zhong Yichen nodded, “Why are you working here?”

“I confessed and got rejected, working here calms me down.” Feng Tu whispered, “I’m telling you because we know each other, don’t tell anyone else.”

Zhong Yichen said awkwardly, “But we’re live broadcasting, and the sound equipment is pretty good.”

And there are quite a few viewers, Director Zhong added in his mind.

Feng Tu’s face turned red, “…” Crap, the little boss mentioned it in the work group chat yesterday, but he completely forgot.

There seemed to be a notice posted at the door, but he didn’t pay attention.

Was it too late to move off the planet overnight?

Even Feng Tu’s ears and neck started to turn red, humbly pleading, “Can everyone pretend they didn’t hear that?”

The chat was filled with sympathy.

“Tu, don’t love so hard.”

“Although you’re heartbroken, at least you learned to swim.”

“Tu, lock your heart and focus on your career, don’t keep working on and off, I really need your content.”

” He must want the ground to swallow him up right now. “

Zhong Yichen looked at the comments, “Don’t worry, 111,568 viewers said they’ll keep it a secret.”

Feng Tu: “…”

After filming at Feifei Bakery, they returned to the Taotie Delicacies dining area, planning to interview some customers. Of course, they would only film with the customers’ consent.

Old Pu came to buy lunch as usual, and Zhong Yichen caught him.

“Grandpa, we’d like to interview you, is that okay?”

If he encountered an interview anywhere else, the notoriously awkward Old Pu would definitely wave his hand and refuse, leaving without looking back.

But as Yun Tao’s self-proclaimed grandpa, Old Pu felt it was necessary to accept this interview. He looked at the camera, stiff all over, and said with a straight face, “Ask away.”

Zhong Yichen, “I see you have a lunchbox, do you often come to this restaurant for takeout?”

“I live on this street, and I get takeout from Taotie Delicacies for three meals a day, without fail.”

Zhong Yichen “wowed,” “Don’t you get tired of eating it every day?”

His exaggerated reaction made Old Pu even stiffer, “No.”

“If you could recommend a dish, which one would you recommend?”

Old Pu thought for a long time, his expression conflicted, as if he was having a hard time choosing.

So long that the people at the next table finished their meal and said “excuse me” as they left, and Old Pu was still thinking.

Another minute passed before Old Pu gave his answer, “I recommend them all. If I had to choose one, I’d choose the Reality-Check Ginger Scallion Chicken.”

Unexpectedly, such a simple question took so long. Zhong Yichen and the viewers breathed a sigh of relief, “What’s the reason?”

Old Pu, “It once helped me avoid losing 500,000.”

Zhong Yichen: !

“Grandpa, tell us your story!”

“I can’t believe it, Grandpa looks ordinary, but he’s actually a hidden rich guy?”

Old Pu talked about his experience of seeing through a scam call. Zhong Yichen said, “Luckily you were alert!”

Old Pu nodded and pointed to the big yellow dog tied at the door, “That’s my dog.”

Zhong Yichen, “I see it, very cute.”

Old Pu, “Once it ran away and I couldn’t find it. My son brought me a bowl of worry-free scallion oil noodles, and after eating it, a cat led it back.”

Zhong Yichen: !

Can these stories be broadcast?

Oh, they’re live, never mind.

Zhong Yichen interviewed a few more customers, and everyone praised Taotie Delicacies, and all of them had encountered good things after visiting this restaurant.

One young man said, “We all call this restaurant the lucky restaurant, the worry-free restaurant.”

Taotie Delicacies’ business hours were short, and Zhong Yichen hurried to film the kitchen.

Entering the kitchen, it wasn’t as hot as he imagined. The kitchen was excessively clean, and two handsome young men were stir-frying dishes, very fast, but with a kind of indescribable laziness, even tossing the wok in a pleasing way.

Ordinary chef uniforms, how could they look so good on them?

Zhong Yichen’s professional ethics were questioned for the first time, should he film the dishes or the chefs?

However, Chef Tai Sui was still very professional, looking relaxed, but actually cooperating with the cameraman.

The last dish came out of the pot, and he handed it to the window and rang the bell.

Lin Jiuyuan came over and took the hot dish.

Tai Sui looked at Zhong Yichen, “Director, we’re starting to make staff meals, what do you want to eat? Or should we try all the signature dishes?”

Having filmed for so long, everyone was already starving. Tai Sui’s words were music to their ears!

Everyone said in unison, “Try them all!”

Out of business mode, Tai Sui and Lin Xiao were even more relaxed. They made all the signature dishes, and the crew filmed a lot of footage.

After the last customer left, they put the tables together and treated the crew. The table was full of delicious food, and Zhong Yichen had the cameraman fix the camera.

The live broadcast had been going on for a long time. Because it was lunchtime, viewers came and went, and the current number of online viewers was still considerable.

Zhong Yichen held a bowl of ginger scallion chicken and looked at the camera, unable to suppress the smile on his lips, “Thank you for the hospitality of Taotie Delicacies, it’s too fragrant, friends, really too fragrant, we’re going to start eating, the live broadcast won’t be turned off, everyone feel free.”

Viewers: Director Zhong, move aside, don’t block us from watching Taotao’s food broadcast!

Zhong Yichen: “…”

The Greedy Charm crew had eaten all the delicious food in the province, and the team members had high standards for judging food. The reason for choosing to visit Taotie Delicacies was because it was popular recently and because it featured Shanhai concept cuisine, which was very story-driven.

As for the deliciousness, they didn’t have high expectations. Putting aside the creativity, wasn’t it just ginger scallion chicken, casserole porridge, steamed fish, and scallion oil noodles? Ordinary home-cooked dishes, you can eat them anywhere, right?

After picking up their chopsticks, they were all conquered.

Zhong Yichen, “This chicken is so tender! This ginger scallion flavor is more authentic than any restaurant I’ve ever eaten!”

Cameraman, “As a scallion oil noodle connoisseur, I have to say, these noodles are really chewy. Don’t snatch, save me another bowl!”

The operator adjusted his glasses and took a sip of Sand Pear Peach, “I’m glad I came today, otherwise I’d regret missing this meal for a year.”

Yun Tao listened to their chat, and didn’t delay eating, and soon his bowl was empty. Tai Sui refilled it for him, and he precisely picked up the last chicken leg with his small chopsticks.

The table was full of handsome men and beautiful women, but the viewers were only watching Yun Tao eat.

Taotao is eating so deliciously!

The live broadcast ended smoothly, with twice the popularity that Zhong Yichen had estimated, and he couldn’t stop smiling. They also filmed some extra footage and interviews, and the work was satisfactorily completed.

“This is the smoothest episode we’ve ever recorded.” Zhong Yichen burped and smiled awkwardly, “It’s also the happiest episode to eat!”

When leaving, Yun Tao also gave each member of the crew a jar of Sand Pear jam.

The operator sister smiled, “Thank you Taotao for the Sand Pear Dragon Well Tea, I’ve been learning to swim recently, and I’ll tell you as soon as I learn!”

Yun Tao nodded obediently, “You’ll definitely learn.”

On the way back, Zhong Yichen received good news. He had sent a visit request to a senior food critic some time ago, but the food critic had refused him.

For some reason, this food critic changed his mind and agreed.

The entire Greedy Charm crew were loyal fans of this food critic, and when Zhong Yichen announced the news, the car erupted in cheers.

Zhong Yichen said, “Taotie Delicacies is really a lucky restaurant, good news hasn’t stopped all day!”

The operator sister, “Then I’ll definitely learn to swim hahaha.”

The cameraman, “Putting aside everything else, this restaurant is really delicious, I’ll definitely be a repeat customer.”

Zhong Yichen, “Taotie Delicacies is indeed the restaurant with the highest customer return rate in the city.”

At this time, Taotie Delicacies.

[Mission completed, rewards have been issued!]

Upgraded to level 6 (0/1200 Shanhai Points), unlocked Shanhai resource: Shanhai Pork!]

Shanhai ingredient: Shanhai Pork

Origin: Zhu Mountain Farm Level:

SR Effect: Nourishing

Price: 2 Shanhai Coins/0.5 kg]

“Finally unlocked Shanhai Pork!” Yun Tao had been waiting for this day for a long time. Last time he drew 25 kg of Shanhai Pork in a lottery, he couldn’t forget it after eating it. Now that he had unlocked Shanhai Pork, he could buy it in the Shanhai Mall whenever he wanted.

[Upgrade the rooftop barbecue area immediately?]

“Yes.”

It was a bit close to Feifei’s bedroom, but setting up a soundproof and odor-proof barrier would solve the problem. The shop’s cleaning system would also keep the rooftop clean.

After Yun Tao confirmed, the rooftop began to be renovated silently. Yun Tao was already familiar with the process, knowing that it wouldn’t disturb the neighbors, so he didn’t bother to go up and see, and continued to draw cards.

He had two Shanhai Coupons, and he put them all in the employee card pool. Feng Tu and Lin Jiuyuan weren’t full-time, only helping out occasionally, and a new dining area was about to open, so they definitely wouldn’t have enough staff.

The fluctuations ended, and a long-awaited UR card jumped out of the card pool.

[Shanhai Employee Card: Bifang

Origin: Zhang’e Mountain Level:

UR Characteristics: Its shape is like a crane, with one foot, its appearance foretells fire

Note: Please provide Bifang with food and accommodation, and pay wages on time (2000 yuan per month during the internship)]

Bifang looked like a crane with only one foot. Legend had it that wherever Bifang went, there would always be strange fires, an ominous bird.

But for Yun Tao…

“It’s Bifang!” Yun Tao rubbed his hands, “The new employee likes to play with fire, isn’t that perfect?”

He just unlocked the barbecue area, and the barbecue master came!