Taking Liu Yifei back to Northeast China for the Chinese New Year has sent the entire internet into

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."

Fang Yu couldn't help but laugh when he saw Liu Yifei looking like a little hamster with her cheeks bulging.

He handed over a tissue:

"His mouth was covered in crumbs."

Liu Yifei took the tissue and wiped her mouth haphazardly, her eyes still fixed on the golden "mountain" on the ground, and mumbled:

"This is so delicious! It's better than any snack I've ever had!"

"That's right."

Fang Yu said proudly:

"Purely natural, no additives, handmade using traditional methods, you can't buy it anywhere else."

Fang Daqiang watched the two young men from the side, grinning from ear to ear.

He put the remaining popcorn into a large bag and said to them:

"Alright, don't freeze outside. Take it inside and eat it slowly on the kang (heated brick bed)."

Fang Yu responded, grabbed two large handfuls of popcorn, and went into the house first.

Liu Yifei quickly grabbed a large handful and followed behind him.

The two sat cross-legged on the heated kang, with popcorn piled in the middle and hot tea brewed by Fang's mother next to them.

The evening news was playing on TV, but nobody paid any attention.

Liu Yifei popped popcorn into her mouth one kernel after another, feeling like she had made up for all the carbs she hadn't eaten in the past year.

Body management and calorie counting are now irrelevant.

"Did you often play this when you were little?"

As she ate, she asked Fang Yu curiously.

"certainly."

Fang Yu leaned against the pile of quilts, his eyes filled with longing.

"Back then, there weren't many snacks. In winter, when the village would pop popcorn, all the children in the village would run over as soon as the noise started."

"Once it's broken, the owner will give some to each child. The fragrance will stay with you all winter."

Liu Yifei listened quietly; she could picture the scene.

A group of children wearing floral cotton-padded jackets waited expectantly in the cold wind for the loud bang, and then cheered and jumped around the steaming popcorn.

It was a simple joy she had never experienced before.

"very nice."

She exclaimed sincerely.

"Yes, that's great."

Fang Yu also smiled:

"It's a pity nobody does this anymore; it's too much trouble."

"My dad's set of equipment has been sitting in the warehouse for who knows how many years."

The two chatted casually, creating a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

The viewers in the live stream were absolutely thrilled by what they saw.

[Aww, what an amazing scene! It's so heartwarming!]

[On the kang (heated brick bed), popcorn, hot tea, and my loved one beside me—isn't this the winter of my dreams?]

Fang Yu is so gentle when he tells stories; it's completely different from his usual aloof demeanor.

[The fairy was listening so attentively, her eyes were shining! I'm totally shipping her!]

After finishing her popcorn, Liu Yifei felt a little sleepy.

She experienced a rollercoaster of emotions today, and she is feeling both mentally and physically exhausted.

Fang's mother noticed her weariness and had already tidied up the inner room.

It was the same heated kang bed, but this time it was covered with brand-new bedding.

"Yifei, get some rest. You have to get up early tomorrow."

"Okay, thank you, Auntie."

Liu Yifei obediently replied.

Fang Yu also slipped back to his room.

Lying in my familiar bed, I couldn't fall asleep.

He opened the system store.

After a series of down-to-earth actions today, his popularity has soared to an alarming number.

[Host: Fang Yu]

Popularity: 188,654

[Redeemable Items:]

[Life Skills (Intermediate): Culinary Mastery (Eight Major Cuisines), Animal Taming, Erhu Proficiency, Ice Sculpture Proficiency, Driving Proficiency (including Special Vehicles)...]

[Entertainment Works Category (Intermediate): Earth's Best Hits Library (Level B), Film and Television Script Library (Level B), Variety Show Creative Library (Level B)...]

Looking at the screen full of options, Fang Yu stroked his chin.

A master of cooking?

This is good. I can make some delicious food for my family and... Liu Tianxian in the future.

The other skills weren't expensive either, and Fang Yu exchanged for a few at will.

What if we need it someday?

However, Fang Yu suddenly had an even bolder and more interesting idea.

Just popping popcorn earned me so many popularity points.

What if... something else breaks?

For example, rice? Soybeans?

Even... a chicken?

Cough cough, let's skip the chicken smashing, that's too cruel.

But breaking into something else seems feasible.

Why not unlock more bizarre dishes and gain popularity at the same time?

……

Early the next morning.

Liu Yifei was awakened by a series of loud "bang! bang! bang!" sounds.

She suddenly sat up on the kang (a heated brick bed), thinking it was an earthquake.

She dressed and walked out of the room in a daze, only to find that Fang Yu and his father had set up that "alchemy furnace" in the yard again.

This time, however, they didn't smash corn.

"What are you doing?"

She curiously leaned closer.

"breakfast."

Fang Yu pointed to the rice in the basin next to him:

"Try our Northeastern specialty breakfast, rice porridge."

With another loud bang, a pot of fragrant "rice pop" was ready.

Fang's mother brought over a bowl of hot milk, soaked rice flour dumplings in it, and handed it to Liu Yifei:

"Girl, try this, it's fragrant and crispy."

Liu Yifei took a bite, and her eyes lit up again.

Crispy rice puffs eaten dry become slightly soft when soaked in hot milk, but still retain their chewiness, with the aroma of rice and milk blending perfectly together.

good to eat!

Wow! This is so hardcore first thing in the morning?

[A popcorn machine can pop rice? That's something new!]

Milk-soaked rice cakes—what an amazing way to eat this! I'll try it tomorrow!

After finishing breakfast, Fang Yu looked at the still-plenty of charcoal and the still-hot "alchemy furnace," and his playful mood returned.

"Dad, do we still have any soybeans at home?"

"Yes, what do you want?"

"Smash it!"

So, half an hour later, Liu Yifei got to eat crispy fried soybeans.

"Anything else?"

Fang Yu was still not satisfied.

"...Are there any crispy noodles left?"

"Smash it!"

As a result, the instant noodles were smashed into a pile of black charcoal.

[Hahaha, Fang Yu's hooked!]

Everything can collapse! A master of culinary disasters!

[The fairy watched with curiosity from the side, occasionally handing over "experimental materials." These two are really having a blast!]

I feel so sorry for that bag of instant noodles. What did it do wrong?!

Just as Fang Yu was about to extend his evil clutches to the potatoes at home, Fang's mother finally lost her temper and chased him aside with a feather duster.

"You spendthrift! Are you going to squander our entire fortune?!"

Fang Yu covered his head, desperately trying to dodge.

Liu Yifei was laughing so hard she was doubled over.

She felt that this was more interesting than making any comedy.

……

Sanya, in a sea-view villa.

Hua Yu got up early and, under the guidance of her personal trainer, did yoga for an hour in a gym facing the sea.

At this moment, he is sitting at the dining table, enjoying a breakfast carefully prepared by a nutritionist:

A quinoa salad, two boiled eggs, and a cup of black coffee.

He ate his salad with an elegant fork and said to the camera:

"A good day starts with a healthy breakfast. Self-discipline gives me freedom."

Ju Jingyi, sipping her juice beside her, chimed in:

"Yeah, Brother Yu, you're so disciplined. I need to learn from you."

However, the atmosphere in the live stream was somewhat strange.

[Self-discipline...freedom...why does it feel like he's reciting lines?]

[Everyone in the next livestream is smashing instant noodles, while we're still eating grass. It's killing my appetite.]

[I hereby declare that, starting today, Fang Yu's livestream will be a food channel, Hua Yu's livestream will be a health channel, and I choose to be a happy fat person.]

[Hilarious! Fang Yu is being chased all over the yard by his mom with a feather duster, while Hua Yu is drinking black coffee. Who's actually "going home for the New Year"?]

the other side.

Hua Yu's manager, Leo, watched his popularity plummet and the barrage of disparaging comments on the screen, and fell into deep self-doubt.

"This is not scientific! This is absolutely not scientific!"

"I'm a top idol, living in a seaside villa, leading a disciplined life..."

"Why can't I even compare to a country bumpkin who pops popcorn in the countryside?!"

Leo took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

As a top agent in the industry, he has confidence in his judgment.

"I see."

"The problem isn't that we're too high-end, but that we're not high-end enough!"

Leo's fighting spirit was rekindled.

"Audiences are experiencing aesthetic fatigue; they need stronger stimulation to rekindle their yearning for a refined lifestyle!"

He immediately sent Hua Yu a message:

"Fluctuations in popularity are temporary and should not be taken seriously."

"The other party is just trying to grab attention with novel and corny content; their taste is too low."

"The afternoon sailing trip will proceed as planned. To create a high-fashion editorial feel, we'll use a 'lower dimension' approach to show them what true top-tier living is all about."