Punch: From third-rate anchor to top chef

After paying the money, Li Xiao asked the old man as usual if he could take a photo. The old man waved his hand and said in not very fluent Mandarin: "Go ahead, take a photo. Many people who come here want to take a photo." After getting permission, Li Xiao pointed the camera at the pine flower cake and showed it to the audience in the live broadcast room.

"Look, this pine flower cake is light yellow in color, and looks very refreshing. There is also some pine pollen on the surface, and it smells like a faint pine fragrance." Li Xiao said as he gently picked up a piece. The cake was soft and sticky, and it deformed slightly under his fingertips. He brought the pine flower cake closer to the camera so that the audience could see it more clearly. "This pine flower cake is considered a special snack in Yunnan. It uses pine pollen, glutinous rice flour, and red bean paste. The method is traditional and exquisite."

After that, Li Xiao took a bite, and the delicate and dense taste instantly spread in his mouth. The softness of glutinous rice and the sweetness of red bean paste intertwined, and then wrapped with the faint fragrance of pine flowers, the taste was very unique. "Well, this taste is amazing, soft, sweet, not greasy at all, the red bean paste is very delicate, and the taste of pine flowers is just right." Li Xiao couldn't help but praise.

The comments instantly became lively: "My mouth is watering after watching this, I really want to buy one online right away!" "The anchor eats a few more bites, let us feel it more." "This pine flower cake looks healthy, and it must be healthy to eat."

Li Xiao swallowed the food in his mouth and responded to the comments with a smile: "If you buy online, you have to choose a reliable store. The freshly baked ones are the most authentic. I'll try another piece to see if there is any difference in taste." After that, he picked up another piece of pine flower cake and bit it, squinting his eyes slightly. "This piece seems to have a stronger pine flower flavor. It seems that the taste of each piece will be slightly different. If everyone comes to try it, each piece will give you a little surprise."

After eating the Songhua cake, Li Xiao started chatting with the old man: "Uncle, how many years have you been making Songhua cake?" The old man took a puff of his pipe and said slowly: "Many years, since I was young, I used to sell it on the street with a cart, and later I set up a store here. I didn't expect it to be on TV." Li Xiao gave him a thumbs up: "With your craftsmanship, it's only a matter of time before you're on TV. You have real old craftsmanship. There aren't many people who can make authentic Songhua cake now."

After chatting with the old man, Li Xiao said goodbye and left the shop. At this time, the sun had begun to set, and the afterglow sprinkled on the bluestone road of the ancient town, with mottled light and shadow. Li Xiao thought that while it was still light, he could walk around Shunhe Ancient Town and maybe come across some other fresh snacks. Not far away, a sweet fragrance wafted over, like a mixture of fruit and rice, which made people feel itchy. Li Xiao's eyes lit up, and he walked quickly along the fragrance, wanting to explore the source of this tempting fragrance...

Li Xiao followed the scent and came to an inconspicuous stall. There were several bamboo steamers on the stall, and hot air was coming out from the gaps between the steamers. The tempting aroma just now became more intense.

The stall owner was a kind-hearted old lady, with the three characters "rice and shrimp" written on the sign in front of her. Li Xiao approached, and before he could speak, the old lady greeted him enthusiastically: "Young man, would you like a bowl of rice and shrimp? It's sweet and refreshing, and it's best to eat now." Li Xiao nodded quickly and asked the old lady if he could take a photo. The old lady smiled with her eyes narrowed into slits and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, many tourists like to take photos."

The camera was pointed at the steamer, and the old lady opened the lid, revealing that it was densely packed with rice products shaped like small shrimps, white and tender, small and exquisite. The old lady skillfully served a bowl and introduced: "This rice shrimp is made by grinding rice into pulp, and then dripping cold water through a colander, and it becomes like this. It is paired with my homemade brown sugar syrup, crushed ice, and some sour plum soup. It is so comfortable to eat in summer."

Li Xiao took the rice shrimp handed over by the grandmother, and saw the white "shrimp", red syrup, and black sour plum in the bowl, with tempting colors. He couldn't wait to scoop a spoonful and put it into his mouth. In an instant, the coolness exploded on the tip of his tongue. The soft and smooth rice shrimp slid down his throat, with the sweetness of brown sugar and the sweet and sour taste of sour plum, just the right amount of refreshing. "Grandma, this is so delicious!" Li Xiao couldn't help but praise.

The audience in the live broadcast room were also very greedy for this novel snack: "It looks like jelly, soft and sticky." "This combination is perfect, icy, sour and sweet, I can already feel the coolness." "Host, please ask the old lady if this can be bought online."

Li Xiao smiled and conveyed the audience's question. The old lady waved her hand and said, "Online shopping won't work. The taste will be far from what it should be if it's not cooked and eaten right away. It's authentic only if you eat it here." Li Xiao nodded and chatted with the old lady for a few more words. He learned that she had been setting up a stall in this ancient town for decades and supported her entire family by selling these rice-cooked shrimps.

After saying goodbye to the old lady, Li Xiao continued to stroll in the ancient town. As the sky gradually darkened, the lanterns in the ancient town lit up one by one, paving the bluestone road with a layer of warm yellow light. As he was walking, he heard a lively noise not far away, mixed with the tempting aroma of food. Li Xiao became curious and quickened his pace to follow the sound. He saw a group of people gathered in front of him. There seemed to be a snack shop in the middle of the crowd. Bursts of laughter and overflowing fragrance were constantly wafting out from there... Try to output as much as possible each time, and continue to squeeze into the crowd with great effort. Only then can Li Xiao see this bustling shop clearly. The sign reads "Xiao Doufen Baba". The shop is not big, and a few simple tables and chairs are full of diners. Everyone is either concentrating on eating or chatting happily, and the atmosphere is warm.

Li Xiao walked to the counter and asked the boss for a portion of thin bean flour baba, and asked for permission to take photos. The boss was a solid middle-aged man with a loud voice: "Feel free to take photos! Our thin bean flour baba is a unique dish in the ancient town!" As he spoke, the boss got busy with his hands and feet. He first scooped out a large spoonful of thick thin bean flour from the big pot. The bean flour was yellow and exuded a mellow bean fragrance. He slowly poured it into the hot pan. Instantly, a "sizzling" sound was heard and hot steam rose. Then, the boss took a piece of the rolled baba and gently covered it on the still flowing thin bean flour. After a while, the edge of the baba curled up and the bean flour gradually solidified.

Taking advantage of the break, the boss took the time to introduce to Li Xiao: "Our beans are all locally grown. The bean powder is ground by hand after being soaked. The taste is very pure. The baba is also homemade, made with old dough and has a chewy texture." Soon, a portion of thin bean powder baba came out of the pot and was served to the table in front of Li Xiao.

Li Xiao pointed the camera at the still steaming snack, and saw the yellow thin bean powder firmly adhered to the baba, and some chopped green onions, chili powder and sesame seeds were sprinkled on the surface, making it colorful. He smelled it first, and the rich aroma of beans, flour and green onions went into his nose. He took a bite, first the baba was flexible and chewy, and then the delicate and soft thin bean powder spread in his mouth, the bean fragrance overflowed, the slightly spicy chili powder and the crispy sesame seeds added a bit of stimulation and aroma at the right time, and the various tastes and flavors blended together, which was wonderful. The live broadcast room was instantly flooded with barrages: "Oh my god, it smells good just by looking at it, this carbon bomb is so tempting!" "This bean powder is so thick, it feels super solid." "Eat more, anchor, and eat our share too."

Li Xiao continued to taste the food while responding to the comments. After finishing his meal, he talked to the owner about the history of the shop, and the owner spoke enthusiastically: "My family has run this shop for three generations. Since my grandfather's generation, we have been keeping this craft. The customers who come to eat are all repeat customers, and there are also many tourists who come here specifically for this."

Leaving the bean flour baba shop, it was already dark and the lights of the ancient town were getting brighter. Li Xiao thought about the rich harvest from eating today and was ready to go back to the car to see Tuanzi and end today's rich live broadcast. When he returned to the car, he looked through the window and saw that Tuanzi had woken up. He was looking at the night view outside the car window with his round eyes wide open, confused and curious. Li Xiao opened the car door, rubbed Tuanzi's head, and whispered, "Let's go back to where we live. We have tasted a lot of good things today."

Just after starting the car, the phone suddenly made a "ding dong" sound. It was a system notification sound. Li Xiao took the opportunity to wait for the red light and clicked on it. It turned out to be today's live broadcast data. The number of viewers hit a new high, and the popularity continued to rise. The number of comments and likes from netizens was countless. Li Xiao's mouth curled up slightly. It seemed that this trip to Tengchong not only went smoothly in exploring the food, but also his live broadcast business became more and more prosperous.

The car slowly drove out of the ancient town, and the wind outside the window blew in with the coolness of the night, carrying the fragrance of grass and trees in the distant fields. Li Xiao has begun to look forward to tomorrow. He wonders what new and delicious snacks he will encounter in Tengchong, a land full of surprises, and what interesting people and stories he will meet. While driving, he planned tomorrow's itinerary with the audience in the live broadcast room who were still unsatisfied, and laughter filled the way home. After returning to his residence, Li Xiao simply washed up and began to sort out the feedback from netizens collected during today's live broadcast. Looking at the screen full of messages praising the food, and many private messages asking for detailed recipes, he decided to take some time to sort out the key points of making several snacks today in detail and post them on social platforms.

Tuanzi rolled around, rubbing against Li Xiao's feet from time to time, as if dissatisfied with being ignored. Li Xiao smiled helplessly, freed up one hand to scratch its chin, and comforted it: "You, you must be exhausted after being a little anchor today, stay here, I will play with you after I'm done." Tuanzi seemed to understand what he said, rolled comfortably, and lay aside quietly.

After finishing the recipe and sending it out, Li Xiao stretched his body, opened the search engine, and began to research what other niche but not-to-be-missed delicacies there are in Tengchong. He was dazzled by the various recommendations on the webpage, and suddenly, the words "Tengchong Tuguozi" caught his eye. He clicked on it and saw that this specialty dish has a long history, rich and exquisite ingredients, and must be stewed in a special Tengchong earthenware pot. The more he looked at it, the more tempting it seemed. Li Xiao immediately decided to go to Tuguozi for tomorrow's trip.

The next morning, sunlight shone through the gaps in the curtains, and Li Xiao's biological clock woke him up on time. After a simple breakfast, he took his dumplings and headed for an old clay pot shop that he had locked onto last night. It was said that the craftsmanship had been passed down for three generations. When he arrived, the shop was a simple wooden structure, and the sign hanging at the door was mottled by the erosion of time, revealing a strong sense of fireworks.

Walking into the store, the store is filled with the rich aroma of bones and ingredients. The boss is a vigorous old man. Hearing that Li Xiao is a food anchor who came to visit the store, he was very enthusiastic and pulled him to the kitchen: "Young man, you came at the right time. Our clay pot has just been taken out of the pot. Let me tell you about it."

Under the camera, a solid earthenware pot was placed on the stove, with steam bubbling in the pot, the soup base was milky white and thick, and all kinds of ingredients were piled up. The old man picked up the chopsticks and pointed out each one, introducing: "This earthenware pot is exquisite because of the rich ingredients, including yam, fungus, bamboo shoots, egg rolls, crispy meat, all of which are handmade by us, and the ribs at the bottom are made from local black pigs, the meat is firm and fragrant. This pot is slow-cooked over charcoal fire, which locks in the freshness of the ingredients."

Li Xiao nodded frequently, his eyes never leaving the pot. The old man scooped out a bowl and handed it to him: "Try it!" Li Xiao took it, blew away the hot air, drank a mouthful of soup, and the rich and mellow freshness instantly bloomed on the tip of his tongue, and the warmth immediately spread throughout his body. He picked up another chopstick of ingredients, the yam was soft and glutinous, the fungus was crispy, and the crispy meat was crunchy when bitten, and each bite was rich in layers.

"Grandpa, this is amazing!" Li Xiao gave a thumbs up, not forgetting to pass on this surprise to the audience in the live broadcast room, "Everyone, look at this earthen pot, it is full of freshness, and the ingredients are matched just right. When the weather is cold, having such a pot will make you feel extremely happy."

The comments whizzed by: "I can smell the fragrance through the screen. I'm already drooling." "Host, please ask if you can buy the ingredients online and make it yourself at home." "This clay pot looks nourishing. It's perfect for winter."

Li Xiao conveyed the netizens' questions, and the old man laughed: "Online shopping is not so fresh. The ingredients must be seasonal and fresh, and they must be local to taste good. If you are greedy, you have to come to Tengchong to try it yourself."

After eating the clay pot, Li Xiao chatted with the old man in the store for a long time, listening to him talk about the old tradition of using clay pots to entertain guests in the past, and the bits and pieces of inheriting this craft. When leaving the old store, the sun was already high in the sky, and it was warm on his body. Li Xiao thought that the food in Tengchong was like a book that could never be finished, and every page was hidden with surprises. The next stop was to go to the local market. Maybe those snacks hidden in the corners of the market were waiting for him to discover. With such expectations, he took Tuanzi and walked towards the market. Along the way, the breeze blew gently, as if it was also wrapped in the tempting smell of unknown delicacies in the market. Continue to come to the market, what you hear is the bustling voices and the hawking sounds one after another. Various stalls are lined up along both sides of the street, and the dazzling array of goods is overwhelming. Li Xiao excitedly shuttled through them, his eyes scanning each stall like a searchlight, looking for potential food targets. (End of this chapter)