Welcome to the Wishing You Wealth Livestream 2

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【Ding-dong! A viewer has entered the livestream!】
It wasn't until a few minutes after Chris had entered the room that Wen Jiu received the system notification. There was no helping it; the "Honeybee" she had rented was the most basic, budget-tier streaming equipment available. Its sensory detection was naturally a bit sluggish.

Wen Jiu tapped the interface to pull up the live chat. The first thing that caught her eye was the message Chris had just sent:
*Is the streamer a child laborer kidnapped and forced to sell sob stories?*

She was speechless. She was indeed a minor, but she was certainly not being forced to sell any sob stories. Wen Jiu quickly spoke to the Honeybee’s antenna lens: "Welcome to the stream, our dear friend 'Chris Wants Five Bowls'! I am your host, Gongxi Facai. If you like what you see, don't forget to hit that follow button!"

She felt absolutely no shame in using such a tacky streamer name. Her pitch flowed so smoothly that even Qiao Shishi was left momentarily stunned. However, Qiao Shishi had no way of knowing that Wen Jiu’s streaming proficiency came entirely from her past experience watching livestreams on modern platforms like Kuaishou and Douyin.

Chris, currently watching the stream, fell silent after hearing Wen Jiu’s voice. That rich, resonant tone made it clear she wasn't a minor. *It seems this streamer is an even more miserable middle-aged dwarf,* he thought. A sense of pity welled up in him; he lowered his hand, which had been poised to exit the room, and patiently continued to watch.

【"Chris Wants Five Bowls": What is the streamer making? That looks like a spiky fish on the cutting board?】

Wen Jiu briskly picked up a spiky fish to show the camera. The Honeybee, hovering at a distance, zoomed in specifically for a close-up.
"Today, folks, I'm going to demonstrate an 'Iron Pot Stewed Fish'!"

After the display, she set the fish down, grabbed a kitchen knife, removed the internal organs, scraped off the scales, and then performed a deft, skillful deboning maneuver. Chris watched as her knife flashed; in just a few seconds, she had cleanly removed the tiny, needle-like bones of the spiky fish, though the main spine remained intact.

Before he could even ask a question, a second viewer, who had arrived at some point, posted in the chat.
【"Pumpkin Big Melon": The streamer's method is different from everyone else's, but why did you only remove the small bones?】

As Wen Jiu poured oil into the iron pot, she explained, "Cooking the spiky fish with the main spine intact makes the broth much more flavorful."
【"Pumpkin Big Melon": Then why remove the small ones?】
"So they don't get stuck in your throat, sweetie," Wen Jiu said, her voice softening. Under the influence of the voice changer, it carried an oddly maternal, gentle quality.

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The spiky fish was slightly different from the modern crucian carp; although it had more thorns, it had almost no fishy odor, requiring virtually no extra effort to neutralize the smell. Once the oil was hot, Wen Jiu placed the prepared fish into the pot and pan-fried them until both sides were golden brown.

The aroma of the frying oil, accompanied by the sizzling sounds, traveled through the Honeybee’s sensors and reached every viewer watching the stream. Chris caught a whiff of the faint, savory fragrance and suddenly felt inexplicably hungry; he quickly pulled out a pack of chicken breast slices to snack on.

After the fish were fried, Wen Jiu transferred them into another pot of boiling water to begin the stewing process.
【"Dingdang 20": What is the streamer making? Is it done just by putting the lid on?】

"Iron Pot Stewed Fish, my friend," Wen Jiu replied. She took out two white radishes, washed them, peeled them, and shredded them into fine, uniform, and slightly translucent strips.

The viewers in the room were stunned by this display. While modern kitchen robots could perform such knife work, they were, after all, just machines. Having watched so many cooking streams, this was their first time seeing a living person with such superb knife skills.

【"Chris Wants Five Bowls": Have you practiced this?】
【"Pumpkin Big Melon": Is the streamer a robot?】

Since the fish soup needed time to simmer, Wen Jiu was busy chopping potatoes. She replied to the chat as she worked:
"I've practiced."
"And I'm no robot—I'm a flesh-and-blood human, guaranteed!"

Just then, a few more viewers entered the room. Seeing her chopping potatoes, they found it uninteresting.
【"Monkey Brother": Why is it potatoes again? Old Wang next door is making potatoes too...】
【"Dingdang 20": It's not just potatoes, the streamer said she's making Iron Pot Stewed Fish.】

Judging that the time was right, Wen Jiu added the shredded white radish. The moment she lifted the lid, a rich, savory fragrance wafted out, so enticing that those who had been about to leave the stream immediately changed their minds.

【"Chris Wants Five Bowls": Smells so good...】
Chris felt the aroma wafting from the pot tugging at his heart and soul, making his mouth water uncontrollably. He had watched other streamers stew spiky fish before, but none of those broths had looked as tempting as Wen Jiu’s. Moreover, he had seen clearly that her fish soup was a milky white, unlike the fish soups made by others, which were usually floating with blood foam!

*Could this be the treasure of a streamer I’ve been searching for?* Chris couldn't wait to fight for a taste-test spot.

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The other viewers felt the same.
【"Pumpkin Big Melon": Ahhhhh, it smells so good! When will it be ready?】
【"Monkey Brother": Why put white radish in the soup? Isn't that stuff meant to be eaten raw? Do you even know how to cook?】

Wen Jiu only smiled. After waiting a while longer, she lifted the lid again to add a pinch of salt and pepper for seasoning. Even before they could taste it, the steaming, fragrant scent was enough to stir their appetites. The Honeybee camera zoomed in once more for a close-up of the soup.

The broth was a clear, milky white, exuding an enticing aroma without a hint of greasiness. It made everyone watching the stream uncontrollably sniff their screens, yearning for more of the scent. The once-sparse chat exploded, with dozens of messages scrolling across Wen Jiu’s light-screen panel.

【"Chris Wants Five Bowls": When are you opening the taste-test, streamer?】
【"Dingdang 20": I can't wait anymore, hurry up and open the taste-test!】
【"Monkey Brother": It smells decent, I wonder how it tastes...】

"Monkey Brother" was a citizen from the intermediate planet Wuhe. Unlike ordinary people like Chris, he was a somewhat famous and picky gourmet critic. As a critic, his duty was to seek out and review fine food. Today, he had opened the Bika Live food section as usual, hoping to check on his regular streamers, but they were all coincidentally making potatoes—and he hated potatoes more than anything.

So, he had gone searching for other channels. When he first saw the title of this stream—【Men are silent, women weep; the neighbors' children are crying from hunger!】—he had only found it ridiculous. *How could anyone make food that exaggerated?* But now, he realized he might have been wrong. Just by smelling that intoxicating aroma, he was already losing his composure.

Seeing that his previous comment had been ignored by the streamer "Gongxi Facai," he sent another message.
【"Monkey Brother": When are you opening the taste-test?】

But Gongxi Facai only smiled and said:
"Sorry, I can't open a taste-test."