Spicy and Sour Shredded Potatoes 3

Wen Jiu glanced at the live chat. "One-Two-Three-Four-Five"?

The name sounded like a spin-off of "Tiger Hunting on the Mountain," whom she had just kicked out of her stream.

"Everyone has seen the entire cooking process. At what point could I have possibly added a flavor enhancer?" After quickly stir-frying the shredded potatoes and sliding them onto a plate for Qiao Shishi, Wen Jiu continued, "If you want to pick a fight, could you at least come up with a more logical script?"

["Brother Monkey": The food with flavor enhancers doesn't taste like this. If you don't know anything, don't just stir up trouble.]
["Chris Wants Five Bowls": This person is just a level-one dummy account; no idea where they crawled out from.]

Wen Jiu didn't have time to deal with trolls right now; she was busy working to make money. So, without waiting for "One-Two-Three-Four-Five" to reply, she kicked the user out of the stream.

Immediately after, plate after plate of sour and spicy shredded potatoes and bowl after bowl of fish soup noodles were passed from her hands.

"Hello, I'd like an order of sour and spicy shredded potatoes."

Qiao Shishi had just taken two bowls of fish soup noodles from behind her when she heard a familiar voice. Looking up, she realized it was indeed an acquaintance.

Mina Hern was tucking her long blonde hair behind her ear, looking at Qiao Shishi through the serving window. Although the two had sparred seriously in the arena earlier that day, they were friendly classmates outside of class.

They exchanged smiles. Qiao Shishi placed the freshly prepared sour and spicy shredded potatoes on the ledge, and Mina Hern took them quietly, sitting down in the cafeteria to start her meal.

She had heard her roommate raving that morning about how delicious the "Sky Silkworm Potatoes" were at Window 18 and had planned to try them at lunch. Unfortunately, an urgent matter forced her to cancel, so when dinner time rolled around, she headed straight to Window 18 to order.

The Sky Silkworm Potatoes were no longer available, but Mina loved potatoes and decided to order the sour and spicy shredded potatoes since she was already there. She had long grown tired of traditional boiled potatoes and often experimented with other ways to cook them herself, but she could never quite get the flavor right. She wondered if this dish would satisfy her.

Mina picked up her chopsticks and took a bite. The acidity of the aged vinegar and the heat of the dried chili peppers bloomed on her taste buds simultaneously. The potato shreds, stir-fried until tender-crisp, were distinct and refreshing, without a hint of greasiness. The sour and spicy balance was perfect—not at all overpowering—and when combined with the faint fragrance of green onions, it created a harmonious flavor profile.

The little drone was filming Mina as she ate. With her delicate features and graceful movements, even though she was eating quickly, she looked elegant.

The viewers in the stream were stunned.

["I'm So Hungry": This little girl is so pretty, like a doll.]
["Pumpkin Big Melon": The young lady serving the food is beautiful too. What kind of academy is this? So many pretty kids.]

Wen Jiu, who had been focused on cooking, glanced at the chat and froze. She clearly remembered setting up an automatic face-masking feature; why could the viewers still see other people's faces?

She quickly finished the current batch of potatoes and checked the drone's settings panel. She realized the model she was using was too old to support automatic face detection for everyone; it only masked the user's face.

She felt speechless, but there was no quick fix, so she focused on her work.

"I apologize, I haven't set up the masking properly. I ask that all viewers refrain from searching for the unrelated people appearing in the frame."

["Chris Wants Five Bowls": Don't worry, Boss Lady, we definitely won't spread anything.]
["Brother Monkey": Respect privacy, everyone; let's not go searching for people randomly.]

Fortunately, the audience was understanding and flooded the chat with promises not to harass anyone. Wen Jiu finally breathed a sigh of relief. After another busy stretch, she closed up shop and ended the broadcast.

Back at the dorm, while Qiao Shishi went to wash up, Wen Jiu sat in her chair and contacted the merchant from whom she had rented her equipment.

["Wealthy Nine": Hello, I would like to upgrade the streaming equipment I rented earlier.]

The merchant replied quickly.

["Wang Laicai Equipment Store": Of course! Which model would you like to switch to?]

Wen Jiu quickly sent over her requirements. She didn't need much, but she was worried about causing trouble for the students who ended up on camera unknowingly, so masking everyone's faces was the top priority.

["Wang Laicai Equipment Store": I've received your request. Would you consider the second-generation drone? It's only 150 Star Coins more than the first generation you're currently using!]

150 Star Coins.

["Wealthy Nine": Can you make it any cheaper, boss?]
["Wang Laicai Equipment Store": My dear customer, this is already the lowest price! Our store has the cheapest rates on the entire StarNet.]
["Wealthy Nine": Boss, what is business all about? It's about making friends. If you give me a discount of 50, you gain a friend in me. If you ever need anything in the future, you'll earn back far more than those 50 coins.]
["Wang Laicai Equipment Store": It's not that I don't want to lower the price, but this really is the rock bottom. Any lower and we're losing money.]
["Wealthy Nine": Boss, the third and fourth generations of drones are already out. Your rental prices are only going to keep dropping. Better to give me a deal now and make a contact, right?]

Wang Laicai, who was managing the shop, felt strangely swayed by the customer named "Wealthy Nine." Her logic seemed sound.

["Wealthy Nine": How about it, boss? Be a sport and knock off 50, and I'll pay immediately.]
["Wang Laicai Equipment Store": I can give you a discount of 20 Star Coins. How does that sound?]
["Wealthy Nine": Let's meet in the middle and make it a lucky number—60 off.]
["Wang Laicai Equipment Store": Let's stick with 50. Just go ahead and pay.]

After a bit of back-and-forth, the merchant finally agreed to rent her the second-generation drone for 500 Star Coins per month. She hoped she could earn back the cost in her upcoming streams.

["Wang Laicai Equipment Store": We will arrange for someone to pick up your current unit and deliver the second-generation drone at the same time.]

With the equipment issue settled, Wen Jiu planned to head to the 3047 Academy library to look through some biological encyclopedias before dark. However, just as she stepped out, her smart ring flashed. It was a message from Li Qinzen.

["3047 Li Qinzen": Hello Wen Jiu, there is a student willing to work at Window 18. I've told him to report to you tomorrow. You can negotiate the specific duties and wages with him yourself.]
["Wealthy Nine": Understood, thank you, Teacher Li.]

She wondered what kind of fool would be willing to work as a dishwasher for her without a salary. Wen Jiu replied and continued on her way to the library.