The Reviled God of Cooking Tries to Slack Off - Chapter 46

An Xiaoping didn’t think as deeply as Jiang Tingzhou did. He was just amazed by the number of gifts and blurted out, “Wow, brother, you’re right, we should give something back to the fans.”

Whether it was the incentive money from the platform or the newly opened online store, he made a bit of money recently. His fan count was nearing 500,000—it would likely hit that number in a few days. He was genuinely becoming popular on the platform.

An Xiaoping thought about doing a giveaway for fans these past few days, but he didn’t figure out what to give away.

What did fans want?

He looked at what other bloggers were doing. Some gave away expensive items like phones and handbags—these were memorable, but since the quantity was limited to ten or twenty at most, very few people actually won. The majority were left out.

While he was still considering this, Jiang Tingzhou didn’t pay attention to what other bloggers were doing. He scrolled through the comment section, thinking back to the barrage of messages during the livestream. Most of them mentioned yesterday’s small buns.

Though Jiang Tingzhou said they were easy to make, most people wouldn’t go through the trouble. Baking itself was tedious.

After some thought, he also checked the fanbase on An Xiaoping’s account. Thanks to the platform’s algorithm and the popularity brought by the sugar factory videos, most fans were from Yongqing or nearby cities, with many also from Shangying.

“Xiaoping,” he said, “I’m going to the old bread factory.”

“Huh? For what?” An Xiaoping asked.

“I want to rent their labor and ovens for a day,” Jiang Tingzhou said. “I could make these myself, but not in large quantities. If I use better ingredients and have the master bakers at the old bread factory follow my method, we can produce them. These days, some couriers can deliver within six hours in the same city, or twelve hours to nearby cities.”

Freshly baked bread had a shelf life of two to three days. That was enough time for it to arrive in good condition.

“Ah?” said An Xiaoping.

He remembered going with Jiang Tingzhou to a manufacturer before—learning a lot from that experience. Now this “renting labor and oven” approach was essentially customized mass production. Jiang Tingzhou made so many buns himself before; he was probably budgeting tens of thousands of yuan. But knowing him, it wasn’t surprising. Jiang Tingzhou was always a man of action.

Half an hour later, they were already at the factory meeting the manager. They sat in the office and shook hands.

“Manager Mo,” Jiang Tingzhou said, “I was introduced by Uncle Nan. I want to place a custom order for crispy-bottomed buns, but my requirements are a little special.”

From his last visit to the sugar factory, Jiang Tingzhou knew that these traditional factories were always busy. Though his order wasn’t large, the connection helped, and things went smoothly.

The staff and managers at the old bread factory were much like those at the sugar factory—older workers who stayed there for years. Manager Mo Xuemei was no exception; she was about the same age as Aunt Deng.

She said, “You should’ve called ahead when you came. I can handle this for you, but you said you want our master bakers to adjust their process and follow your exact instructions. I need to remind you—that will cost extra.”

Jiang Tingzhou responded plainly, “That’s fine. If the quality’s good, I’m willing to pay more.”

The money from the livestream gifts was more than enough.

“That’s easy, then,” said Manager Mo. “We have a lot of experience making crispy buns. We’ve done bulk orders for other companies before. You can choose the ingredients—flour, butter, milk, etc.”

She handed him a list of materials from highest to lowest grade. Jiang Tingzhou glanced at it and shook his head.

She said, “We do have cheaper alternatives if you prefer…”

“No, I mean I want better ones—premium. What’s on this list won’t do,” Jiang Tingzhou said. “I’ll pick them myself. If you want the buns to taste good, you have to invest in good ingredients.”

Manager Mo was rarely asked to do this kind of order. This was the first time she saw someone quite like him. Though she was used to people spending money, Jiang Tingzhou still stood out—he was genuinely invested.

He replaced many of the ingredients and even insisted on using sugar from the Yongqing Sugar Factory.

The factory had machines for the easier parts, like mixing dough, but the finer steps still required manual work. It was a semi-manual process. When the master bakers heard the process would need adjusting and saw how young Jiang Tingzhou was, they didn’t take him too seriously at first. But after a few minutes of working together, they changed their minds.

Jiang Tingzhou was meticulous and professional. If something didn’t meet his standards, it had to be redone. Even the dough texture came with specific requirements. The master bakers were practically tormented for two hours.

But since he promised higher pay, they tolerated it.

At first, they thought he was just another demanding customer. But the moment the first batch of buns came out, the scent alone told the old masters it was something special. One bite left them speechless.

Every ingredient Jiang Tingzhou adjusted showed in the final product. It was well worth the effort.

This result exceeded even Jiang Tingzhou’s expectations. The old masters at the bread factory had decades of experience. The manual assembly line adjusted quickly and understood his instructions far better than the trainees at the Gongyan branch.

By the time the second tray came out, An Xiaoping tasted it—and said it was about 70% as good as Jiang Tingzhou’s handmade ones. The difference was understandable, since half the process was still machine-based.

“Alright, once the bulk ingredients are purchased, do it just like this,” Jiang Tingzhou said. “Pack them individually after they’re done. Use high-quality packaging—I’ll cover the extra cost.”

While all this was going on, Jiang Tingzhou didn’t know that his livestream sparked an online firestorm.

An Xiaoping’s video of the small buns surpassed Jiang You on the trending list. He went live again using his account, and the data performance was excellent. Although his total fan count didn’t catch up yet, thanks to the platform’s algorithm, when people searched “food blogger,” An Xiaoping’s account was now showing up first.

This was only a short-term trend, and the rankings would inevitably shift, but Jiang You always held that top spot—until today.

Jiang You managed his account himself since entering the internet space. With over ten million fans—none of them inflated—he had more active followers than some minor celebrities. Even with the negative press involving Lu Jiahe, many loyal fans still stood by him.

Those fans were already arguing under Lu Jiahe’s trending topics. Now, seeing a small new blogger gaining popularity, they flooded into the comment section to mock and provoke, like they finally found an easy target to take out their anger on.

“Only 500,000 fans? That’s not even a fraction of Xiaoyou’s! How is he number one? Bought promotion, obviously.”

If it was just a few rogue fans, it wouldn’t have mattered. Some users tried to explain that the platform’s algorithm wasn’t solely based on follower count.

But after An Xiaoping’s video took off and the livestream replay posted automatically to his account, he still ranked first. More people began stirring up trouble, and the once-friendly comment section became increasingly chaotic.

【“What algorithm? This is all paid promotion. With such shaky camera work, bad lighting, and lazy editing, how did this even go viral?”】

【“You actually said Xiao You used filters during the livestream? Shameless! You small bloggers really have no right to criticize him. Just riding on someone else’s fame!”】

【“Haha, these two brothers are so calculating. Always scheming for views.”】

In An Xiaoping’s videos, Jiang Tingzhou was the more popular one. From the outside, the An Xiaoping’s videos featured Jiang Tingzhou as the more popular one. From the outside, the account looked like it was run by both of them.

To netizens, it wasn’t unusual for brothers to manage a shared account—one did the filming and editing, the other cooked and appeared on screen. They had similar temperaments, and the dynamic was entertaining.

Most people assumed they were “brothers” by blood. Although they didn’t look alike at all.

Jiang You was famous since junior high, when he was a TV host. There was already a lot of media content on him, but Jiang Tingzhou was never publicly known.

To this day, many on the internet still assume Jiang You was an only child. His fans proudly saw him as a “rich second-generation young master who came down to earth to be a blogger.” The entire fandom had a superior attitude and often argued aggressively.

An Xiaoping’s fans initially tried to hold their ground in arguments, but as the video stayed on top of the trending list, more and more Jiang You fans came to stir things up. Eventually, it turned into a full-blown fight.

【“What’s Jiang You’s scandal got to do with us? He went to that bar on his own, didn’t he?”】

【“That’s right. A lot of people said he was fake before, and now it’s finally been exposed. Jiang You’s fans can try to defend or whitewash him, but why are they still coming here to curse at others?”】

【“What Lu family or Jiang family—none of these rich second gens are clean. Leave my favorite blogger alone.”】

An Xiaoping didn’t think it was all his fans arguing with them. He suspected some water army activity. He deleted a few comments, but every time he refreshed, new ones popped up. It didn’t stop all day, and the whole comment section became a mess.

He didn’t tell Jiang Tingzhou about this. Instead, he asked him to stay offline for now. There was no need to worry about it—he had more important things to do. A lot of small packages were packed and ready to ship.

An Xiaoping left a few comments in the video’s comment section.

【“Everyone, let’s not fight. I just make videos to bring everyone joy—there’s no need to get angry over other things. I’ve prepared some gifts for everyone recently, so I’ve included a link to a giveaway below~ I hope everyone watching my videos can feel pure happiness, not waste their precious time arguing. I believe my brother feels the same way.”】

In the fan group, he also urged everyone not to get upset.

An Xiaoping had some experience with online drama. Jiang You was in a negative spotlight now, and fighting with his fans would only drag them into the mess. Even if they “won,” there would be no real benefit—especially with the water army involved. The other side was clearly trying to divert attention.

What An Xiaoping said wasn’t wrong, but in the eyes of Jiang You’s fans, it was a provocation.

【“So passive-aggressive.”】

【“Ugh, now he’s pretending to be all neutral and reasonable. Disgusting.”】

【“And you’re still posting a giveaway link to gain traffic? I didn’t realize you were this calculating. Giving away 500 prizes? Who knows where you got that cheap stuff. My Xiao You’s last giveaway was a luxury item!”】

Even if An Xiaoping’s fans refused to engage, the other side didn’t let up. But just then, the bakery finished its final adjustments and began mass-producing the buns.

Once production was complete, shipments began. The giveaway link would take a bit more time, so the first round was sent to people on the reward list.

It was common for bloggers to do giveaways as fan benefits. Those who received private messages asking for addresses didn’t overthink it. Some who lived close to Yongqing received their packages within an hour of baking. When they opened them, the bread was still slightly warm.

In provinces farther away, the bread wasn’t as practical to send, but candy could be shipped. Jiang Tingzhou asked the sugar factory to make a fresh batch of candy—an old product: red date and walnut soft candy. He adjusted the recipe slightly, but the taste remained almost the same.

The fan group was a little gloomy, but soon, new messages started popping up.

【“Has anyone else received a surprise package?”】

【“I said during the livestream I wanted buns and sent a firework gift—and now I actually got them?!”】

【“+1, Same here! I just received mine!”】

Someone even posted an unboxing video.

Inside were the same crispy-bottom steamed buns from Jiang Tingzhou’s video—three flavors, nine pieces each: white sugar, brown sugar, and a savory one with salted egg yolk and pork floss. The Black Sugar from the old sugar factory was discontinued, so that flavor wasn’t included.

The package showed the exact baking time—down to the minute—and came with a small card:

“I made a lot of these little buns, so I taught the recipe to the bakers. One of them told me this crispy-bottomed bun was actually the first hit product when the bakery opened back in the ’80s.”

“Friend, I wish to share this lasting sweetness with you.”

Turning the card over, there was another note:

“Each batch is baked and shipped the same day. If it’s cold when it arrives, reheat it to bring back that fresh-baked taste.”

Even without reheating, when fans tore into the buns after opening the box, they looked exactly like the ones in the video. Then they took a bite. The top was soft, rich with milky flavor. The bottom was crisp, with sugar crystals embedded. The flavor and texture were perfect.

Many people ate similar buns when they were kids. Of course, memories always romanticized the past, and nothing ever seemed to taste as good as it once did.

But this batch of buns tasted just like what they remembered—maybe even better. Just like how it looked in the video.

It was a magical experience. It pulled everyone away from the earlier drama, leaving only the sweet and gentle taste in their mouths.

Eating something sweet really did lift the mood.

Later that day, when people searched for food bloggers on the platform, they initially saw a flood of argument posts. Jiang You, being a top blogger, stirred up a lot of buzz.

But soon, the entire page filled up with small buns.

Fans watched various unboxing and tasting videos. Some received red date and walnut soft candy and were delighted.

【“This candy tastes just like the one I bought last time. Not greasy, yet deeply sweet. It’s magical. It even feels refreshing. And when you chew the red dates and walnut bits inside, the sweetness is just right.”】

【“The buns are so good. I’m obsessed. I love every flavor.”】

【“So when I told big brother during the livestream that I wanted buns, he really listened and went out to make them for real. Oh my god.”】

【“I want them too, I’m dying of envy. What do I do, I missed the livestream!!”】

【“I was honestly shocked when I got mine. This blogger actually gave away so many? Was it only for people who sent gifts?”】

Someone quickly clarified: 【Nope, not just tippers—there’s a giveaway link too. Just follow and try your luck. —500 boxes were being given away.】

Thanks to all this, the previously chaotic comment section suddenly became much cleaner.

After all, people went online for fun. They followed food bloggers for the food. Who cared about the rest?

An Xiaoping’s previously trending bun video surged again. No matter who came to leave a sarcastic remark, it stayed securely in first place.

And now, when you clicked the profile, the banner image—was Jiang Tingzhou.