Chapter 16: The First Reversal

Tong Jia said helplessly, "I only know how to eat, but I can help wash the vegetables or something."

The other men also shook their heads one after another. "Me neither."

Bo Xiangxiang raised her hand and said, "I can make some simple home-cooked dishes."

Before she had transmigrated here, she was just an eighteenth-tier celebrity; she didn't earn much, but her expenses were high, so she had to cook for herself. She hadn't expected this skill to actually come in handy now.

Su Qinglan hadn't expected that cooking would be involved; she had been someone whose fingers never touched even the lightest spring water since she was a child.

Thus, she also said helplessly, "I don't know how to cook either. I'll help pick and wash the vegetables."

In the end, only Luo Ning had not expressed her stance, so everyone turned to look at her.

Ji Xingheng knew her cooking was exceptionally delicious. Privately, he hoped she would only cook for him, but since he hadn't eaten her food in a long time, he suddenly felt a strong craving.

He was caught in a conflicted and complex state—wanting her not to come out and cook, yet simultaneously wanting her to.

Luo Ning said with a smile, "I can cook."

"That's great! Then Teacher Luo and Teacher Bo will do the cooking, and the rest of us will help."

Wei Yao was the eldest, so there was nothing wrong with him taking charge of the arrangements, and no one else objected. "Alright!"

Everyone entered the kitchen together, only to discover that the cooking setup was an ancient type of earthen stove, and there wasn't a single electrical appliance in sight.

To cook rice or stir-fry, one had to build a fire. Without a rice cooker, they had to use a pot to boil the rice, and for stir-frying, there was a large, deep iron wok. Everyone was stunned.

Bo Xiangxiang felt speechless seeing this. She had wanted to show off in front of the live stream camera and in front of Lu Xun and Ji Xingheng.

But how was one supposed to cook rice like this? She had never boiled rice in a pot before. Using such a large iron wok for stir-frying while also having to manage firewood made it nearly impossible to control the heat.

Her mind shifted, and she asked Luo Ning with a smile, "Teacher Luo, how do you think we should divide the work for cooking?"

She had heard Yan Qiuping say before that Luo Ning often cooked for Ji Xingheng, which proved her culinary skills weren't too bad, but she didn't believe this woman would know how to use these tools to cook.

By taking the initiative to ask Luo Ning, it seemed like a gesture of respect, but in reality, she was throwing a difficult problem at her.

If the food turned out poorly in the end, the netizens would be the ones scolding Luo Ning.

How could Luo Ning not see through her little scheme? She curled her lips slightly and said, "Anything is fine with me. You choose first, and I'll handle the rest."

Having transmigrated to ancient times and the 1950s/60s small worlds before, she was naturally proficient with such kitchen utensils.

The smile on Bo Xiangxiang's face stiffened. She wanted to scoff at Luo Ning—saying "I'll handle the rest" and acting so confident; she wanted to see how Luo Ning would save face in a moment.

Since that was the case, she wouldn't be polite.

She looked at the vegetables kept in the kitchen. "I see there are enough ingredients here to make about seven dishes. How about you boil the rice and make three dishes, and I'll make four?"

On the surface, it looked like no one was losing out, but if one boiled rice in a pot without proper control over the water and heat, it would definitely burn.

Luo Ning nodded unconcernedly. "Fine."

Seeing the two of them divide the tasks, Wei Yao said with a smile, "Then we'll trouble you two to do the cooking. Teacher Su, please help pick the vegetables, and we men will go chop wood and start the fire."

With the tasks assigned, everyone went to work. Neither the movie king Lu Xun nor the top star Ji Xingheng objected.

The comments in the bullet chat also began to pour in.

【Xiangxiang is truly a little angel, working hard without complaint. I believe the dishes she makes will definitely be delicious.】

【I really want to ask, can the "Luo Vase" actually cook?】

【Looking at the Luo Vase, she doesn't seem like someone who knows how to do housework, especially using such primitive methods to cook rice. If it burns in a bit, no one will have anything to eat.】

【I'm not a hater, but I can't help but say: I used to cook this kind of rice in my rural hometown. If the water and heat aren't controlled well, the food will really burn and become inedible. I wonder if Luo Ning is just being stubborn.】

【I highly doubt whether her food will even be edible. I'm starting to feel sorry for the other guests.】

【If she doesn't know how to do it but still takes the initiative, she's just too desperate for attention.】

【Bo Xiangxiang said she'd stir-fry, so the food will definitely be delicious. Ning-bao will just burn everything if she cooks. This double standard is hilarious.】

【Exactly! You haven't seen our Ning-bao cook with your own eyes, how do you know she can't?】

【Ning fans, just go wash your eyes. Anyway, I don't believe a "vase" would be good at cooking, especially using such primitive kitchenware.】

In fact, it wasn't just the fans and haters who had doubts about Luo Ning's cooking; passersby and other fans also felt that her appearance didn't look like someone who could cook.

Soon, everyone's attention shifted to Lu Xun and Ji Xingheng working.

Lu Xun looked like an elegant, graceful gentleman, yet he was not at all hesitant when it came to chopping wood.

Even the seemingly unruly Ji Xingheng chopped wood quite decently.

The fans of both men were cheering wildly.

Tong Jia looked somewhat clumsy, so his fans watched with great amusement.

After they had chopped a portion of wood, Wei Yao and Chai Jing went to the kitchen first to try and light the fire.

However, Chai Jing couldn't get it lit no matter what. Wei Yao had to find some dry straw to finally get it started.

But the two of them didn't know how to operate this kind of earthen stove. Not only did the fire die out quickly, but it also filled the kitchen with smoke, making both of them look quite distressed.

【Haha, Teacher Wei looks like he's lost all will to live. So funny.】

【Teacher Chai's face is completely blackened.】

【At this rate, I think they might not even get to eat lunch. The production team is too mean.】

Bo Xiangxiang couldn't stand the choking smoke and ran out clutching her nose, but Luo Ning crouched down and said, "Let me try."

The two men were also struggling with the smoke, so they yielded the spot to her.

Then, they saw Luo Ning easily light the fire. She continuously added wood, and soon it was burning normally, and the smoke in the kitchen slowly dissipated.

"Teacher Luo is amazing!" Having experienced failure themselves, Chai Jing and the other man said it from the bottom of their hearts.

Luo Ning stood up and smiled. "Thank you for the compliments, Teachers."

Then she began to wash the rice to cook it. Her movements were skillful and elegant, making it very pleasant to watch.

【I'll take Luo Ning's looks; she's so beautiful even while just cooking rice.】

【Ning-bao is so great, she even knows how to do this.】

【Is Luo Ning doing this on purpose? She clearly knew how to light the fire, so why did she let Teacher Wei and the other one make a fool of themselves?】

Then, many people began to post similar comments to steer the narrative, implying that Luo Ning intentionally let the two men look foolish just so she could show off and steal the spotlight.

【Is the person above sick? Ning-bao didn't know at first that they didn't know how to light the fire. Besides, if she had immediately volunteered to do it, she wouldn't only have stolen the two teachers' spotlight, but she would also have seemed very impolite, okay?】

【Exactly! If she did that, where would the fun be? The way the two teachers tried to light the fire just now was very funny and entertaining; we didn't think they were making fools of themselves at all!】

【As a passerby, I'm siding with Luo Ning this time. I think she has been very polite from start to finish.】

【Just now, when the two teachers filled the kitchen with smoke and Bo Xiangxiang ran out clutching her nose, Luo Ning helped them light the fire without changing her expression. I also think Luo Ning performed quite well.】

【Thank you, Luo Ning, for helping our Teacher Wei light the fire.】

【Thank you, Luo Ning, for helping our Chai-chai light the fire.】

The fans of Wei Yao and Chai Jing did not think Luo Ning had done anything wrong; they could see she was helping out of kindness.

If Luo Ning had proactively demanded to do it before the two teachers had even tried to light the fire, that would have been true spotlight-stealing and unlikable behavior.

【My view of Luo Ning has changed; I'm suddenly looking forward to her cooking.】

This was a live broadcast, so the fans of others and the general audience had their own perceptions. They might be misled by water armies and haters at first, but seeing is believing; they would make judgments based on what they actually saw.

Furthermore, as the fans and haters cursed wildly in the bullet chat, everyone's attention on Luo Ning would unconsciously increase. When passersby saw too many of those insults, they would develop a sense of repulsion toward the negativity.

Because of this, seeing Luo Ning's polite behavior made people feel that she wasn't as bad as the bullet chat claimed, leading them to change their perception and continue watching out of increased curiosity.

This was also why Luo Ning didn't bother managing those trolls and haters; more controversy meant more attention, which allowed for a better reversal.