Starlet Taotie Chapter 35 (Part 2)
Chapter 35.2 Paying Tribute
The villagers had gotten familiar with the guests as well, and they all greeted them warmly.
Especially Jiang Tao.
The viewers had originally assumed that Jiang Tao’s behavior in the previous episodes had scared them off. After all, the villagers had even refused to help her with her tasks before. They thought it was because they had a poor impression of her.
But unexpectedly, Jiang Tao turned out to be the most popular guest of them all.
“Xiao Jiang, I followed your advice on picking fruit last time, and it really worked! I just bought some more. I’ll bring you some later.”
“Xiao Jiang, that chicken soup recipe you gave me last time was amazing. My grandson asks for it every day now. I dried some shiitake mushrooms, be sure to stop by and take your share!”
“Xiao Jiang, you’re back! We stewed some meat today. I’ll bring you a bowl.”
“...”
【Can someone please share her fruit-picking tips? I’m the worst at picking fruits 😭😭 】
【What’s the chicken soup recipe? Why is it not shared? Does my VIP membership mean nothing to you?!】
【That meat looks so good. Jiang jie, please give us the recipe!!!】
The entire screen was practically filled with people begging for food-related tips.
In the live-stream, Jiang Tao's mouth was never idle, she slurped her noodles and spoke in passing. “The tips for picking fruit actually depend on the variety. Take peaches, for example. There are nectarines, honey peaches, flat peaches, yellow peaches, and so on. Generally speaking, crisp peaches tend to be sweeter than soft peaches. When picking them, don’t just go for the biggest ones. Look for ones that are evenly sized, with a shallow seam down the middle. Then, feel the...
“As for chicken soup, the recipe isn’t complicated...
“If you like stewed meat, remember to...”
【aaaaaaah frantically taking notes...】
【Learned it, learned it! I’m gonna give it a try this weekend.】
【Jiang Jiang eats so well I don’t even know where to look anymore 🤤】
【wuwuwu I just realized I forgot two spices in the chicken soup! Jiang Jiang, could you post the exact recipe on Weibo later?】
Jiang Tao nodded. “Okay, I’ll post it on Weibo.”
【wuwuwu Jiang Jiang is the best!】
【Chat! Commit all these tips to memory so we can make something delicious for our baby Jiang Jiang to try someday!】
Jiang Tao: “I see you, fan named ‘Jiang Jiang, My Precious Daughter’. I’ll be waiting for that day.”
【...】
【HAHAHAHAHA Jiang Jiang is assigning homework live on stream.】
【Jiang Jiang will never pass up an opportunity to eat something delicious.】
【Jiang Jiang, I can cook too!! Look at me, look at me!】
Jiang Tao smiled until her eyes curved into crescents. “Okay, okay. I’ve got it all down.”
So this was another benefit of livestreaming. This should do this more often.
From that point on, the reaction went completely off the rails and never came back.
“Do you guys see those sheep? Sigh, I’ve been craving lamb for five episodes now. This weather is perfect for lamb hot pot. First, stew the lamb with some spices in a pressure cooker until it’s tender. Then stir-fry the garlic and hot pot base in a wok until fragrant, add some lamb broth and mix everything, then toss in some scallion knots. Once it comes to a boil, add the rest of the lamb broth and the lamb...”
As she spoke, Jiang Tao rubbed her stomach. “I’m hungry. I want lamb hot pot.
“I think there’s still some lamb broth from yesterday in the fridge...”
【????】
Then, right there in front of the camera, they watched as Jiang Tao opened up the hot pot burner and proceeded to casually dig into a lamb hot pot.
【that looks fking amazing all I can think about now is lamb hot pot…】
【Wasn’t this stream supposed to be a reaction stream?! Its more like a food documentary!】
【Jiang Jiang, why are you doing this to your internet parents?】
【Why the hell isn't my delivery here yet!!】
【i’m crying from hunger】
Even the haters who had been looking for every opportunity to stir up trouble couldn’t take it anymore.
Their stomachs kept growling.
Damn it!
Jiang Tao is so toxic!!
The preview had totally screwed them over. What love triangle?! This was more like a food torture show!
…
'Our Village' was already quite popular on weetube. After all, every episode produced all kinds of bizarre and iconic moments, making it a favorite treasure trove of material for content creators.
And as one of the biggest sources of content, Jiang Tao had appeared in countless parody and meme videos. So it didn’t take long for this reaction stream to be reposted to weetube.
【Take a look at these clips. What variety show do you think she’s watching?】
The clips showed Jiang Tao eating while teaching viewers how to pick fruit, as well as the moment she suddenly got up to make lamb hot pot.
She wasn’t even saying anything particularly special.
Yet somehow, just watching her eat made everything look absolutely delicious.
【Damn it! I’d just been tortured by this livestream, so I came to weetube to recover, only to get attacked a second time.】
Those who hadn’t watched the livestream guessed it was a food variety show or some kind of food documentary, while those who had watched it knew better and simply laughed silently.
Then, when the answer was finally revealed—
The bullet comments exploded.
【I’ve already filled two whole pages with food notes. I just want to ask, are reaction videos this competitive nowadays?!】
【I feel like I’m watching a fake version of 'Our Village'.】
【i knew it was jiang tao before i even saw her face like who else could eat this much and be thisss happy abt it lmao】
【lololol is this girl a celebrity? She’s so fun! I’m going to follow her.】
【hehe her name is Jiang Tao, main job - food blogger, being a celebrity is just her side hustle. excellent morals (received multiple commendations from the police), makes you feel safe (kicking scumbags to the curb, knife in mouth). investing in her is a guaranteed win】
【Links: Jiang Tao Iconic Moment ①, Jiang Tao Iconic Moment ②】
…
When Tong Tong saw that Jiang Tao had gained another hundred thousand followers, she was already completely unfazed.
Her jie was different from other celebrities.
Her jie could gain followers just by drinking water.
Jiang Tao’s workload had recently settled into a fairly steady rhythm. Aside from filming 'Our Village' and ‘Lingxiao Chronicles’, she only had a handful of appearances and other miscellaneous engagements.
Then they received a variety show invitation: New Star Olympics.
'New Star Olympics' was a celebrity sports variety show produced by Pineapple Network. It had exploded in popularity when it first aired, and even some celebrities who hadn’t been particularly well-known before had shot to fame through the show.
It had already been held for several seasons and had become a variety show loved by audiences nationwide.
Tong Tong had complete confidence in Jiang Tao’s athletic ability.
What was more, she’d heard that this season of 'New Star Olympics' was sponsored by H Brand. Apparently, the brand intended to use the event to find its ambassador for the following year.
Jiang Tao was indifferent to it; on the contrary, she used the chance to enjoy several days of chanko stew and was perfectly content.
(TLN: chankonabe, also known as chanko or sumo stew, is a stew commonly eaten in vast quantities by sumo wrestlers while trying to gain weight.)
But when the news reached her internet parents’ fan group, it caused an immediate uproar.
Everyone knew that 'New Star Olympics' wasn’t just a place for celebrities to compete in sports. It was also a chance for fans to show off their support.
If their fan support looked too shabby, rival fandoms would never let them hear the end of it.
Their Jiang Jiang was now a celebrity with over ten million followers. There was no way they could afford to lose face over something like this.
Yet while everyone was enthusiastically discussing what they should do, they suddenly realized there was a problem.
They had been following Jiang Tao for so long, but she didn’t even have an official fandom name.
Jiang Tao was so laid-back that her fans had become laid-back too.
Every day, they checked in on her fan forum, and the discussions were mostly about what they were going to eat.
Especially after Jiang Tao’s recent reaction streams, her internet parents now even had homework to turn in.
Almost every day, they posted their progress on learning new recipes in the fan forum.
Some newly joined fans nearly thought they had wandered into the wrong fan community.
Once they realized this problem, the fan groups quickly gathered and began discussing what they should call themselves.
【I did some reconnaissance. Other fandoms have cute names like Milkie Tea, Creamie Puffs, and Sweetie Donuts.】
【How about Honnie Peach?】
【White Peach is pretty cute too.】
(TLN: Peach (桃) in Chinese is pronounced táo, which sounds like Jiang Tao.)
【What about Cherrie? It sounds girly and sweet!】
(TLN: cherry - 樱桃 yīng táo)
Just as the fans were in the middle of a heated discussion, one message shattered the harmonious atmosphere.
【I think we should avoid picking any food-related fandom names…it feels a bit too risky...】
【jiangtao_bites_table_warning.jpg】
【jiangtao_shatters_knife_wteeth_warning.jpg】
The group chat immediately fell silent.
Right…
With the way Jiang Jiang’s eyes lit up whenever she saw food...
They suddenly felt a chill run down their necks.
【How about... we call ourselves Taoties?】
【good idea lmao suddenly feel like my life is sm safer 😭】
…
On the day of 'New Star Olympics', Pineapple Network reporter Yiyi arrived at the stadium bright and early.
“Hello, everyone! I’m Yiyi, a special correspondent for Pineapple Network. Today is the first day of competition at 'New Star Olympics', and I’m currently standing in the athlete entrance area. As you can see, fans are already gathered on both sides. They’ve prepared all kinds of fresh and creative ways to show their support and cheer on the athletes competing today!”
【hehehe this is the part I look forward to most every year at 'New Star Olympics'.】
【I still remember Zhou Siyuan’s fans last year. They were all fluffy and adorable, the brightest little stars in the crowd.】
【And Xiao Xiao’s fan support was hilarious. I could laugh about that for a whole year.】
【these days its not just celebs fighting to outdo each other, even the fans are getting competitive af xD】
On the livestream, Yiyi had already started interviewing the fan groups on both sides.
Suddenly, everyone was drawn to a group of fans standing off to the side.
Unlike the other fans, who were carrying light boards and cheering sticks, these people were all holding various dishes, snacks, and fruits. Their presence instantly transformed the scene from a celebrity fan event into a farmers’ harvest festival.
Yiyi was momentarily stunned. Then she noticed the fandom name printed on their shirts and realized who they were.
“They should be Jiang Tao’s fans. The Taoties.
“It’s rare to see such an imposing fandom name. I wonder what their cheer slogan is?”
Yiyi held the microphone out to a thin, bespectacled young man.
The young man cleared his throat, raised the pan-fried dumpling in his hand with a solemn expression, and declared, “Paying tribute to the one and only apex predator!”
