Chapter 96 is trending on social media.

The restaurant's dumpling feast today was unexpectedly popular. The number of customers dining in and ordering delivery was no less than usual, making it a lively place.

Sister Zhou was so busy serving customers that she barely had time to breathe, and Sister Tang also temporarily helped out at the restaurant after arriving.

In the kitchen, Gu Qingqiu and Wang Meiyu were making dumplings with their fingers flying non-stop. They also had to keep an eye on the steaming and boiling dumplings on the stove. Pan-frying dumplings was a bit more troublesome, as they had to keep a close eye on them and flip them over from time to time to prevent them from burning.

They were busy until 12:40. Apart from the dumplings left for their own family, the rest were cooked in various ways and served to customers.

As early as 12:30, Gu Qingqiu, seeing that there weren't many dumplings left, had already instructed Sister Tang to hang a wooden sign at the door that said "Ingredients Sold Out," so that customers wouldn't have to wait in line only to find they couldn't get any.

The dumplings reserved for their own family were made with a variety of fillings. They weren't cooked in the usual way – boiling, dry-frying, steaming, pan-frying, etc. Gu Qingqiu asked Wang Meiyu to ask Sister Tang and Sister Zhou what kind of dumplings they wanted.

After asking her questions and returning, Wang Meiyu explained the situation and then added, "Boss, you must be tired after working so hard. You were the one who cooked, steamed, and pan-fried the dumplings. Now take a break and let me cook them."

Her cooking skills are average. Whether in the past or now, she has been mainly responsible for preparing ingredients in the kitchen. Usually, she just cooks and stir-fries dishes at home.

She works at a restaurant and is provided with lunch and dinner. She basically just makes breakfast for her child at home, and on her days off, she manages to cook three meals a day.

But this time she was also speaking the truth, thinking that she couldn't make those complicated and delicious dishes normally, but she could probably still boil dumplings, steam dumplings, and fry dumplings.

The dumplings that were served to the customers earlier were indeed cooked by Gu Qingqiu.

During the dumpling-making process, the dumplings she made used spiritual power, which removed most of the impurities from the ingredients after they were wrapped. However, the dumplings that Wang Meiyu made were still the same as before.

She could only remove impurities from these dumplings by boiling, steaming, or frying them before they were plated, so that they would retain a tiny bit of spiritual power.

Because Sister Zhou and her two friends often eat at the shop, more often than any other customer, their spiritual energy has already been quietly nourishing and improving their bodies, so one more meal today won't make a difference.

So Gu Qingqiu nodded and agreed: "Okay, thank you Meiyu, then lunch is in your hands. I want steamed dumplings, I want mushroom and pork dumplings and corn and pork dumplings, you can decide on the rest."

When serving customers, steamed dumplings are limited to two-combination portions to simplify cooking; combining too many portions can easily lead to confusion and also increases plating time. Now, when eating at home, of course, we can combine them however we like.

Wang Meiyu smiled and agreed.

Gu Qingqiu took off her apron and hat and put them away. After washing her hands, she walked out of the kitchen and went to the dining area. She saw that the last table of customers had finished eating and were paying at the cashier.

The group, consisting of two men and two women, were all relatively young. Upon seeing her come out, one of the more lively-looking girls greeted her with a smile: "Hello, boss! Your dumplings are especially delicious today. We are very satisfied with our meal. Thank you!"

Another girl, who seemed quieter, couldn't help but chime in, "Yes, boss, your cooking is amazing! We absolutely love your dishes!"

The two boys smiled, one nodded in greeting, and the other said, "We often come here to eat, and now we love coming to your house for meals the most!"

Gu Qingqiu was pleased to hear this and smiled, "Thank you for your kind words. I'm happy as long as you enjoy your meal!"

"Hey boss, you've worked hard too. Come on, let's eat! We'll be going now!" said the lively girl who spoke first, waving goodbye.

Another girl and two boys also said "Thank you for your hard work, boss" repeatedly, while waving goodbye.

Gu Qingqiu smiled and nodded: "Okay, thank you, bye-bye."

She waved goodbye to them.

It has to be said that receiving enthusiastic and positive feedback from customers is indeed a pleasant experience, and it even helped to alleviate the fatigue of making dumplings all morning. Her lips were still turned up at lunchtime.

Sister Zhou and Sister Tang both ate boiled dumplings. They thought the boiled dumplings tasted good, and they could drink the soup, which was quite thirst-quenching. They also garnished them with two stalks of bok choy.

Wang Meiyu ate dry-mixed dumplings. She prefers dry-mixed dumplings because they are moist from being boiled but don't have too much soup.

Of course, they all ate the "Family Reunion Dumplings," which allowed them to enjoy the deliciousness of dumplings with various fillings.

Gu Qingqiu ate steamed dumplings, and there was also a plate of two kinds of pan-fried dumplings for everyone to eat together. The pan-fried dumplings were a combination of classic chive and pork dumplings and corn and pork dumplings.

She was very satisfied as she ate the steamed dumplings.

Gu Qingqiu picked up a shiitake mushroom and pork dumpling and put it in her mouth. The first thing she tasted was the rich garlic flavor. The minced garlic was mixed with peanut oil and brushed onto the steamed dumpling, so when she ate it, she could feel the smooth and oily aroma of the dumpling skin without it being greasy.

The dumpling wrappers are very thin and become translucent after steaming. Perhaps due to thermal expansion and contraction, the wrappers adhere tightly to the meat filling inside, revealing the shape of the meat filling piled up together.

When she took a bite, she barely felt any resistance from the dumpling skin before tasting the shiitake mushroom and pork filling. The fresh aroma of the shiitake mushrooms and the savory aroma of the pork filling blended together beautifully. The pork filling had a slightly grainy texture, and the shiitake mushrooms were also very present. When she bit into it, the fresh aroma instantly doubled, and it was also very tender and smooth, with a bit of chewiness.

The garlic oil brushed on the dumpling skin, whether it seeped into the dumpling during steaming to enhance the flavor of the meat filling, or whether the garlic aroma filled the mouth during chewing, even gave the shiitake mushroom and meat filling a garlicky flavor. Gu Qingqiu personally felt that it tasted better than boiled or dry-fried dumplings.

After finishing the mushroom and pork dumplings, she picked up a corn and pork dumpling to eat.

Surrounded by the aroma of garlic, after biting into the thin, feather-like dumpling skin, you taste the savory and fragrant meat filling, perhaps because it was steamed with corn and carrots, giving it a unique and refreshing aroma.

The aroma intensifies when you bite into the corn and carrot. Both the corn and carrot are quite crisp and chewy, and they release a burst of sweet juice.

The aroma of garlic lingered throughout, making the corn and pork dumplings taste even richer.

Gu Qingqiu ate one dumpling after another, and when she got to the dumplings she had been craving last night, her appetite was even better than usual.

She had just specified that she wanted mushroom and pork dumplings and corn and pork dumplings, and asked Meiyu to arrange the rest. Meiyu did a good job, making about six of the first two kinds, and the rest were other meat fillings.

She tried cabbage and pork dumplings, chive and pork dumplings, sauerkraut and pork dumplings, and seaweed and pork dumplings, each with its own unique flavor.

Cabbage and pork dumplings taste sweeter, with a strong vegetable flavor and plenty of juice; chive and pork dumplings mainly have a strong chive aroma; sauerkraut and pork dumplings have a very fragrant sour and salty taste; seaweed and pork dumplings are a combination of seafood and meat flavors, and you can feel the smooth and delicate seaweed when you chew them, which she quite likes.

Of course, they also had sugarcane and chrysanthemum drink with their meals. It was leftover from earlier cooking, and a pot of it was placed on the dining table so that the four of them could pour it for themselves whenever they wanted.

Sugarcane and chrysanthemum drink is a beverage she saw in the book "Daily Diet". Sugarcane has the effects of relieving heat and thirst, promoting body fluid and moisturizing dryness. Combined with chrysanthemum, which can relieve wind-heat and clear the liver and improve eyesight, as well as hawthorn, which can strengthen the spleen and stimulate appetite, and water chestnut, which can clear heat and promote body fluid, it is especially suitable for drinking in summer. [1]

When Gu Qingqiu occasionally felt thirsty after eating steamed dumplings, she would pick up her teacup and drink sugarcane and chrysanthemum beverage.

This tea has a sweet and rich flavor, with the delicate sweetness of chrysanthemum and a subtle tartness from hawthorn. The refreshing sweetness of water chestnuts also permeates the tea during the brewing process, making it particularly refreshing and pleasant to drink.

She drank a whole cup in one go, the sweet and refreshing taste lingering in her mouth for a long time, and she no longer felt thirsty, so she continued to eat dumplings.

Having eaten quite a few steamed dumplings, Gu Qingqiu picked up some pan-fried dumplings this time.

Chive and pork pan-fried dumplings are a famous dim sum dish in Jiang City. She used to love ordering this dish when she went for morning tea with her parents. The chive and pork dumplings are so big that they can fill your palm. They are savory, juicy and delicious when you bite into them.

So when she was preparing the filling, she specifically separated the chive and pork filling for pan-frying, added some water chestnut pieces to it, and put it in the freezer after preparing it. It was one of the later batches she took out.

Meiyu's pan-fried dumplings were cooked to a high standard; each one looked golden and crispy without being overcooked and burnt.

Gu Qingqiu took a bite and immediately heard a crisp crunch, the aroma of the dumpling skin mingling with the crunch.

Unlike the crispy outer skin, the meat filling inside is still very tender. Because of the addition of water chestnut pieces, it is more juicy than the steamed chive and pork dumplings, and also has a unique sweetness of water chestnuts. The aroma of chives is very strong, and it is savory and delicious when mixed with the meat filling.

Corn and pork pan-fried dumplings are also delicious. Underneath the crispy outer skin is a tender and juicy meat filling. The corn and carrots release their juices as you chew. After finishing a dumpling, you won't feel too dry, only a mouthful of crispy and savory flavor.

Gu Qingqiu silently gave herself a thumbs up in her heart. As expected of me, the meat filling I made was delicious. These pan-fried dumplings tasted no different from those from those time-honored teahouses, and were even better!

She ate happily, and Zhou Jie and the other two also enjoyed their meal.

After eating a few dumplings, Sister Zhou smiled and said, "Boss Meiyu, the dumplings you two made are so delicious! Each one is round and plump, and you can tell that the filling is plentiful. Just now, many customers were praising our dumplings for their thin wrappers and generous fillings. They taste especially good when boiled. The cabbage and pork dumplings, celery and pork dumplings, and chive and pork dumplings are particularly delicious, with a rich vegetable flavor and soaked in the broth. Of course, the other dumplings are also very good!"

Sister Tang nodded: "Yes, I've never had such delicious dumplings before. Many customers praised our restaurant's dumplings earlier, and now that I've tasted them, I know how good they are. I especially like the seaweed and pork dumplings; the seafood flavor mixed with the meat aroma is just right. I'll try making some for my son at home later."

She couldn't help but praise, "The pan-fried dumplings are also delicious. They're fried to a crispy golden brown, and the meat filling inside is so tender and juicy. They're absolutely amazing!"

Gu Qingqiu smiled after hearing this: "I'm glad you like it. It's quite interesting that we've managed to put together a dumpling feast. The pan-fried dumplings we had for lunch were made by Meiyu, and they were indeed beautifully pan-fried and very delicious."

Wang Meiyu smiled shyly: "I learned it all from the boss. I'm happy if you think it's delicious!"

She felt a sense of accomplishment welling up inside her.

Sister Tang nodded: "They're delicious! They smell especially good. I can't make dumplings that look this good."

Sister Zhou also said, "Yes, I often accidentally burn the dumplings when I fry them. But I must say, eating dumplings with this sugarcane and chrysanthemum drink is really great. The tea tastes very sweet, which can wash away the salty taste in your mouth after eating dumplings and moisturize your mouth and throat. Plus, sugarcane and chrysanthemum are both cooling and detoxifying, so it's perfect for summer!"

Wang Meiyu nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, I also think this sugarcane and chrysanthemum drink is delicious..."

So everyone started talking about how delicious the sugarcane and chrysanthemum drink was. Gu Qingqiu listened to them with a smile, occasionally responding to their comments. It was a rare moment of relaxation for them.

After finishing her meal, Sister Zhou went to the kitchen as usual to get a rag soaked in dish soap to wipe the table. She wiped it several times before it was clean. Then she swept and mopped the floor in the dining area to clean up.

Tang Jie went to the kitchen sink to wash the dishes and plates. Wang Meiyu had finished her work, said goodbye, and went home to rest, since she had to come back early in the afternoon to make dumplings.

Gu Qingqiu was busy preparing vegetables, fillings, dumplings, and cooking dumplings every morning, which was quite tiring.

Having eaten and drunk her fill, she felt sleepy due to the carbohydrates, so she simply went with her body's needs. She said goodbye to Sister Zhou and Sister Tang, went upstairs to turn on the air conditioner, changed her clothes, and lay down to rest.

I'll put aside the comments and interactions on Xiaohongshu and Weibo that I usually deal with at lunchtime for now, and deal with them after I get a good night's sleep.

Gu Qingqiu slept exceptionally soundly, feeling as if she had slept for a century, or as if she had only closed her eyes for a moment before waking up.

She had already rested enough and woke up naturally before the alarm went off. She picked up her phone and saw that it was not yet three o'clock.

After catching her breath, she sat up, picked up her phone, opened Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), and clicked into the comments section of today's notes, ready to see what netizens thought of the dumpling feast and perhaps interact with them a bit.

When I looked at the top of the comments section, my eyes widened in surprise; something was wrong!

[Phoenix Arrives: Is this the restaurant Shuyi ate at? This is the first time I've heard of this restaurant! The food must be really good, otherwise Shuyi wouldn't have gone there specifically!]

[Elegant Demeanor: Ahhhhh, my favorite celebrity is eating at my favorite restaurant! What an amazing coincidence! It's like a withered tree coming back to life, an iron tree blooming, a comet hitting the earth! Hehe, my goddess has endorsed this restaurant, now I can confidently recommend it to my friends and family! Ahhhhh, my goddess is so beautiful, and the dumplings at Gu's Private Kitchen look so delicious! I'm so hungry, time to eat!]

[Tai Chi generates Yin and Yang: When I first saw the trending topic, I thought: What the heck? Shuyi went to eat at a small restaurant?]

After following the trending topics to this official account and reading many of Gu's Private Kitchen Notes, I thought: Well, as expected of Shuyi, she has such good taste!

This private kitchen looks incredibly delicious! They even update the menu daily based on the ingredients they buy. Their customers are so lucky—they never have the same thing twice in 365 days! I've decided, I absolutely have to try Gu's Private Kitchen when I go to Jiang City!

[Love Yi for Ten Thousand Years: Shu Yi really rarely eats out. Netizens have only bumped into her two or three times. She seems to be in good condition. She must have gone out to relax after filming wrapped up!]

I followed this restaurant's page from Weibo's trending topics. The quality of the reviews was so-so, but the comments section was making my mouth water. I wanted to eat every single dish! My mouth was watering (just kidding).

[Dou Zhuan Xing Yi: I came from the trending topics. After looking at your homepage, I finally understand why someone as homebody as Shu Yi would go out to eat at a restaurant. Every dish was so delicious!]

Even the restaurant's own photos of the dishes might be exaggerated, with various filters and photo editing techniques making them look Michelin-starred, but they still look fake. What's rare is that after going through so many posts and reading so many food photos shared by netizens in the comments section, every single one is casually taken—clearly straight from the camera—yet they are all incredibly tempting!

As expected, the delicious dishes, even in their original, unedited photos, already far surpass countless meticulously retouched restaurant pictures. They look so appetizing, I can't wait to rush to Jiang City and try them! Hmm, I've decided to go to Jiang City for my summer vacation trip; Gu's Private Kitchen is a must-try!

[...]

The top comments section is usually filled with food photos and reviews from customers who have dined at the restaurant, with many likes and a lot of comments.

But today is strange. The top row seems to be all occupied by a fan named "Shuyi," who frequently mentions the word "trending search." This has pushed the food photos and reviews shared by netizens as usual to sixth place or lower.

Gu Qingqiu continued scrolling for a while. Most of the posts were about Shuyi dining at her family's restaurant and trending on social media. Many people found the post through the trending topics. There were also many familiar netizens posting pictures of the food. There were also many likes, comments, and replies, but the number of comments mentioning "Shuyi" at the top was far better.

She could roughly guess who "Shuyi" was.

Previously, a film and television company contacted her to request the authorization for her milk chicken strip tutorial vlog; this company was the crew of the TV series "Ten Years' Promise".

Before signing the contract, she made a point of learning more about the details of "The Ten-Year Agreement" and knew that the female lead, Qiu Siying, was played by the popular actress Yang Shuyi, which is the name that appears frequently in the comments section.

Gu Qingqiu could vaguely piece together the story from the top comments, so she exited Xiaohongshu and opened Weibo to check the trending topics.

Gu Qingqiu scrolled through the search results and saw that the eighth trending topic was Yang Shuyi going out for a stroll after finishing filming.

An ordinary trending topic, lacking any of the usual entertainment gossip or interesting tidbits, made it to the top of the trending list because the protagonist was the popular young actress Yang Shuyi.

If it trended on Weibo at noon, the peak of its popularity would have passed, and its ranking would have gradually dropped. In that case, the earlier trending topics would have ranked higher, and since it was lunchtime when everyone was resting and had time to browse Weibo, the popularity would have been immeasurable.

Gu Qingqiu clicked on the trending search term and immediately saw that it had over 20 million views and over 4,000 discussions.

Scrolling down, you'll see the initial post from the marketing account, which is the main post that trended on social media.

[Voice and Color: This afternoon, a netizen submitted a post showing Yang Shuyi and her assistant eating dumplings at Gu's Private Kitchen on Suli Street in Yunjiang District, Jiang City. They looked happy and satisfied with the taste. After finishing their meal, Yang Shuyi and her assistant bought a scratch-off lottery ticket at a lottery shop on Suli Street and won a prize. They then happily took a taxi and left.]

According to a tweet posted yesterday by the official account of "A Ten-Year Promise," Yang Shuyi finished filming yesterday, and the crew held a wrap party for her. Presumably, she spent her day off strolling around Jiang City and enjoying a delicious meal at Gu's Private Kitchen.

Gu's Private Kitchen is a private restaurant that reopened in April this year. Its dishes are delicious, and its daily menu, customized based on the ingredients purchased, is a major selling point, making it very popular with customers and gaining considerable popularity on Weibo and Xiaohongshu. It seems Yang Shuyi discovered this newly popular restaurant in Jiang City by chance, and, wanting to relax after filming wrapped, dined there with her assistant and thoroughly enjoyed her meal.

Today, the restaurant's signature dish is "Family Reunion Dumplings." Even such a simple dish made Yang Shuyi happy and smiling, which means she must be very satisfied with the taste of Gu's Private Kitchen.

[Images: Yang Shuyi eating at a restaurant; Yang Shuyi and her assistant paying at the cashier; Yang Shuyi and her assistant walking out of Suli Street; Yang Shuyi and her assistant buying scratch-off lottery tickets at a lottery shop; Yang Shuyi and her assistant getting into a car and leaving.]

Gu Qingqiu raised an eyebrow as she read this, genuinely finding the blog post even more mundane than the farming novels she usually read. Overall, Yang Shuyi simply went to a restaurant, ate dumplings, bought a scratch-off lottery ticket with her assistant, won a prize, and then happily left.

It's really impressive that such a trivial matter can be turned into a blog post of several hundred words. I must say, marketing accounts are really struggling. They barely mentioned their own restaurant's situation just to reach the word count.

As the restaurant owner mentioned, she was naturally pleased.

Getting on the trending topics brings in so much traffic! Even just staying at the bottom of the trending list for an hour is something an ordinary restaurant could only dream of. My restaurant has been on the trending topics for at least three hours, and it's still at the top!

Just looking at the comments section of the restaurant's official account on Xiaohongshu today, with so many of Yang Shuyi's fans following the trail, the high number of likes, and the 99+ stacked comments, you can tell how big this wave of traffic is.

She clicked on the photo again to take a closer look.

The photo of her eating at the restaurant definitely looks like her own restaurant. A girl with long, shiny black hair is wearing a pink and purple baseball cap and a smoky pink dress. Her fair arms are slender and long. She has her mask down and is hanging on her chin because she is eating, revealing half of her beautiful face. She is holding a pair of chopsticks and is about to put a very familiar dumpling into her mouth.

The photo of the cashier further confirms that the meal was indeed taken at their own restaurant. At that time, the girl in the pink dress was still wearing a baseball cap, pulled down low to cover her forehead and most of her eyebrows and eyes. The mask she put on again covered the lower half of her face, making her face appear even smaller and her features more delicate.

The woman, presumably an assistant, was dressed normally in a light blue T-shirt and black casual pants, and was scanning a QR code to pay with her phone.

As for the later photos, it's clear that the assistant bought scratch-off lottery tickets and was playing them in the lottery shop, while the girl in the pink dress was watching and laughing. She probably actually won, as both of them looked very happy, with the assistant appearing the most excited.

However, the blogger wrote that Yang Shuyi played scratch-off lottery tickets in order to attract attention.

Gu Qingqiu chuckled and shook her head. She scrolled down and found that most of the content was from various entertainment marketing accounts. The captions said that they had slightly changed some words, and the pictures were directly reposted from the first blogger, "Shengcai Feiyang." The number of likes and comments was quite good, but not as good as "Shengcai Feiyang's" data.

She simply scrolled back to the top and clicked on the blog post titled "Sound and Colors Soaring" to see the reaction in the comments section.