Chapter 454 – The First Winter (Part 1)
What’s the best thing to eat at a winter gathering?
Faced with this question, many in the audience had their own opinions, but the most common answers were hot pot and barbecue!
【Every Day at Five】:
“Host, don’t hesitate to show the ancient folks the charm of modern hot pot!”
Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow, rifling through Liu Xi’s memories, and coldly splashed some cold water on this viewer’s enthusiasm.
【Host V】:
“If what you mean by hot pot is the warm cauldron, I think it’s better to keep that thought to yourself.”
Many viewers were dumbfounded, not understanding what Jiang Pengji meant.
Some viewers quickly exited the page to check the news, discovering that the so-called “warm cauldron” was actually the ancient version of hot pot, traceable back to the Shang and Zhou dynasties, but without the complex broths and seasonings of today, it just didn’t pack the flavor.
Although the space the host occupied was different from their history, some developments were still universally relatable.
【When Not in Debt】:
“#Chin in Hand, feeling down, I thought hot pot would conquer the taste buds of ancient people.”
Jiang Pengji chuckled and dropped a comment.
【Host V】:
“You can teach me how to make broth and sauces, and I can still conquer their taste buds.”
The system’s built-in shop was pathetic, selling a limited range of goods, basically whatever was cheap.
Jiang Pengji searched the shop and found quite a few cheap seasonings for sale, like salt, sugar, MSG, vinegar, and some single-ingredient plants that could also serve as seasonings, like pepper, Sichuan pepper, dried ginger, chili pepper, star anise…
She confirmed with the audience that these were quite inexpensive. However, some were sourced from wild lands or other continents and had yet to flow into the Central Plains. Given the different circumstances between the two worlds, they didn’t dare make bold claims; as long as they could be used as seasonings, that was enough.
Jiang Pengji clicked her tongue in thought.
“How rare, this shop actually has managed to gather this many items.”
Though it was just a shabby little shop, it nonetheless benefited her culinary endeavors.
The system, which had been forcibly confined by Jiang Pengji, let out a cold snicker upon hearing her complaints.
Even though it was confined, the system showed no signs of nervousness or begging for mercy.
Compared to the system, human lifespan was far too fleeting.
She couldn’t live beyond a hundred years; once she died, would her soul be able to resist the system’s capture?
It coldly replied, “You humans are truly greedy and filthy creatures.”
Having gone through numerous hosts, the system had long seen through humanity’s greedy and shameless nature.
This time, being caught in Jiang Pengji’s hands was simply due to its carelessness.
This was one of the few times the system spoke up after being imprisoned by Jiang Pengji.
Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow, replying coolly, “Selfishness and greed are inherent traits of intelligent beings; to some extent, they are necessary for the advancement of civilization. You say humans are greedy—how about you take a look at yourself? You act as if you’re so pure and kind. Being too foolish and blaming your enemies for being smart, you’re quite amusing.”
The system seemed to strike a nerve, its voice losing its usual calmness as it sarcastically retorted, “I gave the host a new life, letting her take what she wants while she’s alive; when she dies, everything she leaves behind is merely my reward. It’s a fair trade, don’t act like a slut and expect a gold star. There’s no such thing as a free lunch! Unable to suppress your inner greed, and wanting to rely on the system to obtain various things—fame, beauty, wealth, lovers…why should you? What gives a foolish and ordinary person from their past life the right to shine like a star in this one? To flourish for a lifetime, there must be costs involved!”
Jiang Pengji blinked, silently thinking, “You make some good points, but what does it have to do with me?”
The system was at a loss for words; this really had nothing to do with Jiang Pengji.
It was just venting after holding back for so long.
After a moment, Jiang Pengji spoke again, “I don’t quite agree with you. Firstly, fair trade is built on mutual transparency. Did you inform your host that consuming your goods means she has to pay with her soul? Secondly, not everyone wants to be reborn, like me. I had a glorious past life; who asked you to resurrect me? How shameless! Thirdly, do you dare say that your choice of host was only for their soul?”
The system fell silent; those points indeed had nothing to do with Jiang Pengji.
It was merely expressing its frustrations after a long period of suppression.
After a while, Jiang Pengji continued, “Your words don’t bother me. The first issue is that a fair trade is based on mutual transparency, so did you inform your host that by consuming your wares she would have to pay with her soul? The second issue is that not everyone wants to be resurrected, like me. I had a fabulous life before; who asked you to resurrect me? How pretentious! The third, you might as well say that your choice of host was solely for their soul!”
The system wanted to protest but found itself at a loss for words. Jiang Pengji silently rolled her eyes.
The system really didn’t have much competence and was still showing off in front of her.
If the system really cared about souls, why go through the trouble of resurrecting someone only to let the host drain them dry before collecting the soul? Jiang Pengji speculated the soul was just the last vestige of value; the system wouldn’t let it slip away completely, as even the smallest morsel was worth something. The real benefits were probably something else, like popularity points, or… something else entirely?
Jiang Pengji thought to herself; it was a shame she lacked enough clues, and the system was back to playing dead.
“Tsk… stupid data…”
Jiang Pengji muttered, diligently recording several broth recipes and sauce-making methods from the audience’s comments. These weren’t secret recipes; if one truly wanted to search, they could find them online.
Jiang Pengji was not ungrateful for the audience’s help and felt genuinely touched.
【I Want to Cultivate Immortality】:
“What good thing happened? The host suddenly started smiling; it’s so strange.”
“I suddenly remembered a very interesting guy who challenges me every day without enough intelligence; what do you call that?”
【Limitless Magic】:
“Dimwit?”
Smart!
Jiang Pengji gave that clever response a solid 101 points—not worried it would make him cocky.
She put the broth recipes and sauce recipes in the smoker to dry, then folded them neatly away.
“I think I could open a hot pot shop, perhaps even a chain…”
【Tuhui Boss】:
“Hahaha—host, please don’t do that! Otherwise, your strategists will be crying at the Lei Feng Pagoda.”
The Lord playing with clay, wood, and weaving… that was already enough for not taking her duties seriously! If she opened a hot pot shop…
Tsk, just thinking about that scene left the audience in the live stream feeling heartbroken.
In this day and age, finding a reliable Lord was just so difficult!
With the broth and sauce recipes in hand, she could gather all the materials. Now, all that was left was the equipment needed for hot pot and barbecue. Jiang Pengji researched the current warm cauldron, the audience’s version of a Chinese style pot, and any antique texts she knew, whipped up a design blueprint overnight, and spent the whole day whispering to the brick kiln craftsman.
Feng Jin and the others were left wondering whether to be relieved or troubled that Jiang Pengji hadn’t gone to the Administration Hall again.
If the Lord stayed in the Administration Hall, it was usually because she wasn’t taking her duties seriously, and that made her subordinates feel like they were going crazy.
If she was absent from the Administration Hall, it was also likely she wouldn’t be taking her duties seriously, leaving them cringing at the thought.
What a desire to quit their jobs—
