Chapter 507: Chapter 526: Struggling with the New Year’s Eve Dinner Menu (Ignoring the Annoying Person’s Message!)

After finishing the bowl of mashed potatoes, her mouth was a little dry. Coincidentally, the soup was ready just then. Jiang Qiuqiu quickly portioned out the soup and then casually started drinking some herself.

Halfway through her soup, the pot simmering the beef made a slight noise. Jiang Qiuqiu opened the lid to take a look. The once-red beef had been braised to a deep, savory brown, and a rich, mellow aroma wafted out. She picked up her chopsticks and poked a few of the large pieces of meat.

They pierced through with a little force, which meant the braised beef was ready.

She quickly began to slice the beef. It was springy and sinewy, so she had to hold it down firmly. While it would taste like beef whether sliced thick or thin, Jiang Qiuqiu cut it a little thinner for a better mouthfeel.

Once the fully braised beef was sliced, its fine-grained texture was interspersed with winding ribbons of tendon. These tendons were the very soul of the dish, adding a wonderfully complex experience to what would otherwise be a uniform texture—you couldn’t bite through it in one go, but a few extra chews would release the juices and meaty flavor more completely, captivating anyone who tasted it.

After she listed the final portion of braised beef, nearly all the fans in the stream started to eat.

At times like these, everyone would enter a period of quiet, contemplative eating.

Since everyone had gotten a portion, no one was complaining.

[This is so good. Gugu Beasts and Bibi Beasts are the GOAT!]

[Delicious, delicious, delicious! The ultimate comfort on a snowy night!]

[The only problem is the small portion size, but if it weren’t so limited, I probably wouldn’t have been able to get any.]

[This is the only time I’ve managed to snag one all by myself. Usually, my husband has to get it for me~]

[This is the only time I get a whole portion to myself. Usually, I have to give it to my dear wife~]

[Gag. You two upstairs are seriously flaunting your relationship?]

[I hope neither of you can snag one next time. You’re not the only one with a partner, hmph!]

Jiang Qiuqiu was tasting the beef as well. The satisfying meal helped lift her spirits a little. She rubbed her hands together and said to everyone, "Today’s stream was supposed to end here, but I have one more thing to tell you all."

"Today is the 27th, so the New Year’s Eve dinner is right around the corner. Because I need to prepare a lot of dishes, both the food showcase on the 28th and the livestream on the 29th will be canceled. Please make a note of it so you don’t show up for nothing."

"I’m going to keep the menu a surprise for now. You’ll all find out on the day."

"It’s getting pretty late, so everyone should get some rest. I’m going to sign off now."

[Bye, Juju!]

[Get some rest! Don’t overwork yourself!]

Jiang Qiuqiu waved goodbye. The moment the stream ended, the room’s lively atmosphere seemed to vanish. She rubbed her forehead, had the housekeeping robot clean up the aftermath, and went to wash up.

Lying in bed, Jiang Qiuqiu received a message from Mo Si asking how she was.

’Hmph, I’m not looking!’

She was feeling a little peeved and disappointed, so she didn’t read Mo Si’s message right away. Instead, she went to the Taotao Fresh Food Network and the Agricultural Research Institute’s website to see what new items were available.

The New Year’s Eve dinner was fast approaching, but she still hadn’t planned out the eighteen-dish menu.

The Agricultural Research Institute had recently listed a lot of seafood. Jiang Qiuqiu took a glance and saw that they had abalone and sea cucumber, as well as large black tiger prawns. With these and a few other ingredients, she could make a simplified version of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall as the showstopper.

For New Year’s Eve, braised pork belly and fish were essential.

Fish with pickled greens had too strong a flavor and wouldn’t be a good complementary dish in a large feast, so she’d go with a steamed fish instead. She scrolled through the listings and saw sea bass was available, so she’d add a steamed sea bass to the menu.

She needed another dish made from pork.

Stir-fried pork intestines in a vinegar sauce was an option, but... Jiang Qiuqiu wasn’t sure if everyone would be able to stomach it.

The last time she’d simply made a dish with pork rump, it had led to the ridiculous trending hashtag #JiangQiuqiuButtMeat.

She really didn’t want to make it onto the trending list on the first day of the new year with a hashtag like #JiangQiuqiu’s***Intestines.

’That would be way too embarrassing. Pass, pass.’