Chapter 5: Vinegar-Braised Cabbage

Chapter 5: Vinegar-Braised Cabbage

The interstellar courier, handled by robots, was incredibly fast, and the live-streaming device arrived at Shennong Star the next day.

Yun Wan opened the courier box marked with a lightning logo and took out a small black spherical object.

After syncing the live-streaming device with her smart brain and successfully connecting it, wings unfolded from both sides of the device, allowing it to hover in the air, keeping a perfect distance from Yun Wan.

As Yun Wan moved, the live-streaming device floated along, handling all the filming automatically, eliminating the need for manual control.

Before officially starting the broadcast, Yun Wan watched other lords' live streams on the Starnet. The top three were Carapace Star, Berry Star, and Snow Crystal Star.

Carapace Star and Snow Crystal Star were mining planets.

Carapace Star had discovered a new type of mineral that could be used to manufacture mech armor. The new mineral's performance and toughness were superior to ordinary materials, and its cost-effectiveness was higher than that of advanced materials. Its discovery instantly captured the attention of the entire galaxy.

The new mech material marked a major breakthrough in mech technology, and both corporations and nobles were closely eyeing this valuable resource.

People across the galaxy are passionate about mechs, and Carapace Star's inherent popularity related to mechs naturally secured its top ranking.

Snow Crystal Star produced high-grade energy minerals, which also garnered significant attention.

As the name suggests, Berry Star produced various berries. Natural food was rare in the galaxy, and Berry Star was one of the few planets where natural food appeared. The berries had a sweet and sour taste, highly prized by the elite, and were sold at an exorbitant price of 100 star coins per berry.

Yun Wan checked out the titles of the top three live streams, which were quite plain, yet their high viewership was entirely due to the planets' strengths.

Did Shennong Star, with its tiny plot of land, have that kind of power?

Obviously not!

Yun Wan was banking on live-streaming to sell her produce and make a profit. If no one watched, it wouldn't work!

After a moment of thought, Yun Wan's fingers moved, and a live stream titled "Shennong Star Rules the Galaxy" suddenly appeared, featured prominently in the new live streams section.

As soon as the broadcast started, many viewers were drawn in by the title.

The lord was a young girl, living in a makeshift lord's residence, next to a tiny, sad-looking vegetable patch. The area was barren, littered with dry branches and fallen leaves, and the nearby trees were scrawny, their yellowing leaves on the verge of withering.

This is it? Seriously?

What about ruling the galaxy?

After a moment of silence, many comments floated across the live-streaming room.

[Can I say this is the poorest lord I've ever seen? Can't even build a proper lord's mansion, no industry, what's the point of buying a barren star?]

[I checked, Shennong Star was originally called Z9528, an over-mined barren star. The lord is definitely a fool.]

[The lord got the wrong script. Other lords: building infrastructure, developing. Shennong Star Lord: surviving, just living is enough.]

[I want to see how she rules the galaxy!]

[I bet a shell she can't do it.]

[Can't +1]

[Can't +1000]

Yun Wan felt slightly awkward on camera. She glanced at her smart brain, where the number of viewers fluctuated wildly, rising to a thousand, then slowly dropping to three hundred, finally stabilizing at around two hundred.

Regarding this, Yun Wan, the master of clickbait titles, had already prepared herself mentally. As long as people continued to watch, her strategy would be considered a success.

Shennong Star didn’t have much of a gimmick worth watching; its only asset was that modest-sized vegetable patch.

While live-streaming, Yun Wan watered the vegetable patch, talking as she went:

"These five are bok choy, the leaves taste sweet, and they should be almost mature in another day. Next to them are radishes and cherry tomatoes, which haven’t fruited yet, and in the corner are sweet potato plants."

The camera panned over the lush bok choy, cute radish leaves, budding cherry tomato plants, and sprawling sweet potato plants.

The vegetable sprouts were adorned with glistening morning dew, translucent and shimmering. A breeze swept by, turning the dewdrops into water droplets that fell into the soft soil, leaving the ground moist.

The chat had been silent for a while, and Yun Wan thought her introduction was too boring, making the live stream unwatchable, and she felt a bit down.

Soon, the comments started to pick up again.

[I was just given a pile of work by my annoying boss and was so angry I wanted to curse. I don’t know why, but seeing the lord’s simple vegetable patch miraculously calmed me down.]

[You’re not alone. I’ve been having a streak of bad luck lately, and everything’s been going wrong. I really didn’t know what to do. Now I think maybe I should slow down and enjoy the scenery along the way, not be so impatient.]

[The vegetables are planted quite well. Does the lord have some agricultural skills? I feel like this live stream could get popular.]

[Agricultural skills aren’t something you find everywhere. The patents are all held by those big natural food companies. How could such a remote planet have something so advanced?]

[I agree with the above. If she had agricultural skills, the lord wouldn’t be this poor.]

[Yeah, it looks good, but the vegetables must taste terrible!]

Doubts piled up, and the comments were overwhelmingly negative, with no one optimistic about Yun Wan’s vegetables.

Little Dragon had never seen such a barrage of criticism before. Seeing the colorful comments fill the screen, he unconsciously took two steps back, as if cornered.

Yun Wan pouted in frustration, "My vegetable planting is second to none, with my own secret techniques. What do you all know?"

She was also a bit unsure in her heart, her tone not as confident.

The bok choy wasn’t fully mature yet, and she hadn’t tasted it, so she didn’t know how it would taste. But with the system’s Spirit Soil and soaking agent, it should be decent, right?

[I don’t believe it.]

[I don’t believe it unless I can take a bite.]

[I’ve seen plenty of scammers like this. She’s definitely going to sell vegetables later. Everyone, don’t fall for it! Otherwise, how do you think she’s going to recoup her investment in this barren planet?]

[Just arrived. Is this really a thing? I’m out.]

[Out.]

In an instant, new viewers were swayed by the conspiracy theories, and the viewership dropped sharply.

Yun Wan’s blood pressure rose from the increasingly negative speculation.

Capital Star Planet Management Office.

The administrator began his usual day of taking it easy. Recently, influenced by his wife, he had become obsessed with the lord’s charm competition live streams, especially enjoying watching Berry Star’s berry-picking. It was not only a stress-relieving activity but also allowed him to purchase natural food.

Unfortunately, the berries were so popular that he had only managed to buy them once, and he missed the sweet and sour taste.

There was still some time before Berry Star’s live stream started, so he casually browsed the live stream area and unexpectedly saw that familiar girl again. Looking at the live stream’s title: "Shennong Star Dominates the Galaxy."

The administrator shook his head, thinking young people are too impulsive, always talking about conquering the world.

Out of curiosity, he clicked into the live stream to see what was going on.

To his surprise, the girl actually knew how to grow vegetables. Though there weren’t many, they looked gorgeous and probably tasted great.

Soon, the live stream became noisy, and it seemed the girl was about to cry from frustration. The administrator was quite angry. He didn't like going online because people often spoke irresponsibly, which was really annoying.

Normally, the admin would just bail in situations like this, but today, he just had to stick up for the girl.

Remembering what the girl had said that day, he felt that a kid who dares to chase her dreams can’t be a bad person, and her passion deserved some encouragement.

[Hey, don’t jump to conclusions without knowing the facts! Maybe she's just a kid who loves farming.]

[Next year, make big bucks and tip 10 shells.]

[You sound just like my uncle!]

[Why pick on the girl? Do you even need to believe her? You’re ruining such a nice live stream!]

[Fragrance in Sleeve tipped 10 shells.]

[Lord, ignore them, they’re just minor bumps on your road to ruling the world!]

With the first supportive comment for Yun Wan, many others began to speak up for her, replacing the unpleasant remarks.

Yun Wan felt a warmth in her heart.

But seriously, did some viewers really think she wanted to take over the universe?

She was just your average clickbait queen!

"Thank you all for your support, but I'm sure you're also curious about the taste of bok choy. Today, I’ll let you all have a taste."

The live stream gadget had a five-sense simulation feature. Once Yun Wan enabled sharing, the audience could experience everything in real time.

Yun Wan pulled a bok choy from the ground, weighed it, and it was about two to three pounds.

First, she gave it a quick rinse by the river, then took it back to the lord’s place, separated the leaves, and gave them another rinse, and the fresh bok choy was spotless.

She tore the bok choy into small pieces with her hands, fired up the stove, heated the pan, and added oil. When the oil started to smoke, she added the bok choy, and the sizzle was music to her ears.

She added the same four seasonings, with extra vinegar, filling the room with a tangy aroma.

Yun Ge peeked out from behind, drooling at the smell.

Soon, the sourness of the vinegar and the aroma of the bok choy fully blended, and it was ready to serve.

"Vinegar-glazed bok choy, please enjoy."

Seeing the girl start cooking, none of the audience left, all wanting to see how the bok choy tasted.

The finished dish was served on green leaves, not looking shabby but rather fresh and elegant.

When the girl turned on the five-sense sharing, the audience's experience became even more direct.

The vinegar-glazed bok choy had a silver-red color, and the sour aroma made mouths water.

Taking a small piece of bok choy, the irregular tear maximized the vinegar flavor, followed by the sweetness of the bok choy, creating a perfect balance of sweet and sour, with an endless aftertaste.

The audience felt the tender cabbage dancing like a fairy's hand between their teeth, until their stomachs growled in protest, and they reluctantly swallowed.

[Can the lord reserve some cabbage?]

After Yun Wan closed her five senses, a flood of comments popped up, all clamoring for the cabbage to be put on sale.

The ID that had been full of skepticism earlier was also among them, as if they had forgotten the trouble they had stirred up.

But the audience wasn't fooled.

[Didn't you say the lord's vegetables were awful? Why are you joining in the fun now?]

Many viewers remembered the four remaining cabbages in Yun Wan's field and checked the live stream's viewer count: 350.

Damn, that's not nearly enough! Thinking that fewer people meant less competition, the enthusiastic audience called out those who had been talking trash and shamelessly lingering in the live stream, publicly shaming them.

[Lord, it was them who stirred up trouble earlier, don't sell to them.]

[Don't sell to them, sell to me instead!]

[...]

Yun Wan was delighted to see this and promptly blocked those IDs.

Once blocked, they could still watch the live stream but couldn't comment or buy anything.

Yun Wan loved seeing them crave it but unable to get their hands on it!

The demand for pre-ordering cabbage in the live stream grew louder, and Yun Wan went with the flow, keeping one cabbage for seed and putting the other three up for sale.

One cabbage for 500 star coins.

The quality of the cabbage justified the price, especially since a single berry from Berry Star costs 100 star coins.

[A bit expensive, but I'll buy it!]

[Missed it, just went to Ji's Fresh to buy one to satisfy the craving, not as good as the lord's.]

[Lord, such a big barren star, such a small plot of land, are you slacking off?]

[Please don't slack off, lord, the child is hungry!]

Watching her account balance skyrocket, Yun Wan was thrilled.

Three cabbages for 1500, if she planted the entire Shennong Star, she would definitely become the richest person in the galaxy!