RBCT Chapter 112 Private Use of Public Account
Chapter 112 Private Use of Public Account
The sounds of water and kneading mingled together. After squeezing out the lotus root residue, the clumps of residue were placed in a dish to the side, while the last drop of water squeezed out of the gauze fell into the basin.
The filtered lotus root juice, a cloudy white color, was poured into an earthenware jar, its surface gently swaying. As the sun dipped westward, its rays shifted from the east side of the courtyard to the west. In the same earthenware jar, the water slowly cleared, and the cloudy lotus root starch all sank to the bottom.
The birdsong faded, replaced by the chirping of insects at dusk. Su Peixue bent down and carefully poured away the top layer of clear water. The water flowed slowly down the rim of the jar, revealing the bottom. A thick layer of lotus root starch covered the bottom, slippery like solidified fat, with a slightly damp sheen.
She used a bamboo scraper to scoop the wet lotus root starch into a shallow wooden pan, each scoop producing a sticky sound.
As dawn breaks, the wooden tray is placed in the yard to bask in the sun. The light flows across the tray, and a day passes in the blink of an eye.
The lotus root starch had dried completely, its surface cracked into irregular lumps, like a dried-up riverbed. She broke off a piece, gently pinched it between her fingertips, and it crumbled into powder. The stone mill turned lightly, grinding the dry powder into a finer grind, which was then stored in a small earthenware jar. A close-up of the jar shows her fingers holding a small label affixed to the jar—"Lotus Root Starch."
The ingredients were laid out on the kitchen wooden table: homemade lotus root starch, glutinous rice flour, milk, and roasted soybeans.
Su Peixue cranked the small stone mill, and roasted soybeans fell into the millstone. The sound of the mill turning was steady and rhythmic. Golden soybean flour fell from the gaps in the millstone and formed a thick layer at the bottom of the bowl.
Pour lotus root starch into a bowl; the snow-white powder settles at the bottom of the white porcelain bowl. Add glutinous rice flour, then pour in milk; the liquid is poured into the powder, making a soft sizzling sound.
Stirring with a wooden spoon, the powder and milk slowly blend into a thick paste, the spoon scraping rhythmically against the bowl's sides. Place an iron pot on the stove over low heat, pour in the paste, and a soft sizzling sound is heard from the bottom.
The wooden spatula kept stirring, and the paste in the pot gradually changed from white to translucent, the sound of stirring becoming increasingly viscous. The lotus root starch dough gradually formed a ball, and the spatula pressed it harder and harder.
The wooden shovel is lifted, and the mochi is pulled into long strands. The transparent strands tremble slightly in mid-air before breaking.
The mochi was cooked and placed on a cutting board covered with soybean flour. She dipped her fingers in the soybean flour and pinched the mochi into small balls, each ball gently rolling in the soybean flour until it was coated with a golden sheen.
Brown sugar is boiled in an iron spoon, the syrup bubbling and bubbling as it gradually thickens. The brown sugar syrup is then poured over the mochi, the golden soybean powder blending with the amber syrup, which slowly slides down the edges of the mochi.
To finish, sift a layer of soybean flour, and the fine powder falls through the sieve like golden mist sprinkled on the amber-colored syrup.
The mochi was placed in a rough earthenware dish, the syrup shimmering in the light. A chopstick picked one up, and the mochi stretched into long strands.
Su Peixue lowered her head and took a bite, a little soybean powder grazing her lips. The entire table of food was captured in the frame, dusk was falling outside the courtyard, and a gentle evening breeze was blowing. Beside the dish sat the jar of freshly made lotus root starch, the earthenware pot standing quietly in the twilight.
The screen gradually darkened. A line of text appeared on the black screen: "A lotus root, from mud to snow white."
The video ends here.
Shortly after the video was uploaded, the screen was filled with comments.
"First! It comes from honey osmanthus cake!"
"The cinematography here is absolutely brilliant; there wasn't a single word spoken, but I cried while watching it."
"The instrumental arrangement for the moment the lotus root emerges from the water is absolutely amazing, like watching a documentary."
"Has anyone counted how many times she blinked while washing lotus roots? I watched that shot of her eyelashes covered in water droplets five times in a row."
"You're not alone, I also played it five times."
"I immediately took a screenshot of the moment the mochi stretched and used it as my wallpaper."
"My screen smelled wonderful when the soybean powder was sprinkled on."
"A lotus root starch mochi made me, someone who never sets foot in the kitchen, want to learn how to cook."
"The way she diligently rubs her hands, covered in lotus root paste, is so soothing."
"This is how you should promote local specialties. After seeing this, I really want to go to Lantau Lake to dig for lotus roots."
"Only natural sound effects throughout – this is the right way to experience ASMR."
"A million times better than those who just recite GG terms while holding up a product."
Qiao Zhenhai sat in his office and watched the entire video three times. The video had already surpassed one million views on Bilibili, with layers upon layers of dense comments.
He called Lin Ran and said that the search volume for lotus root powder in Lanhu City had increased more than tenfold, and some merchants on Taobao had already put "Lanhu Lotus Root Powder" in their product titles. Several lotus root farmers' cooperatives had received purchase intentions from supermarkets outside the province.
"Lin, the publicity effect is much better than I expected." Qiao Zhenhai's tone was filled with excitement. "We would like to specially appoint Su Peixue as the publicity ambassador for Lanhu City!"
Lin Ran turned on speakerphone, and Su Peixue, who was nestled next to him peeling an orange, turned her head when she heard this.
Lin Ran looked at him questioningly, and she nodded slightly, popping a segment of orange into his mouth. Chewing on the orange, Lin Ran spoke into her phone, saying, "Director Qiao, she agreed."
A few days later, Zhang Qianqian opened Bilibili and habitually browsed her own videos.
The data bar showed that the number of views had just exceeded 10,000, and the comments were sparse. She bit her lip and scrolled down. Suddenly, Su Peixue's lotus root starch video popped up in the homepage recommendations. The cover image was of a girl bending over and digging for lotus roots in a lotus pond.
When she clicked on it, she saw that the number of views had already exceeded one million.
After scrolling through several comments praising her, Zhang Qianqian felt a tightness in her chest.
She retreated to the comments section and couldn't help but type rapidly on her phone screen: "The lotus root powder from Lanhu City is not authentic at all. Zehuai is the true source of lotus root powder. What do these quack internet celebrities know? This fake innocent scum will crash and burn sooner or later."
After posting, she tossed her phone aside, leaned back on the sofa, and closed her eyes for a while. Some time later, she opened the Bilibili backend and saw 999+ notifications. She was somewhat happy; had the video gone viral? She quickly opened the comments section, but her expression slowly froze.
"Shameless people who came from the Zehuai Culture and Tourism account to watch."
"Nobody watches your own videos, so you go to other people's comment sections to hurl insults? That's not how it works."
"Didn't your Zehuai lotus root powder trend on social media? How come the view count is still so low?"
"After watching your promotional video, it's just a bunch of shots of you posing. What exactly are you promoting?"
"Look at Su Peixue's camera work; she only shows hands and ingredients throughout, and only reveals her face at the very end. You should learn from her."
"He criticizes others because he's incompetent himself; he's a disgrace to Zehuai."
"Zehuai spent all his money on controlling online comments, and Zhang Qianqian ate the money he spent on making videos."
"Since you say Zehuai is the authentic one, then explain why Lanhu has a century-old lotus pond and an ancient family genealogy?"
Zhang Qianqian used the official account of Zehuai Culture and Tourism.
She frantically opened the web version, intending to delete the comment, but her hand slipped and she clicked on the pinned trending topic. The replies below were already hundreds of posts, with screenshots of her insults towards Su Peixue being displayed.
The official account of Zehuai Culture and Tourism used vulgar language to insult the blogger in the comments section of Su Peixue's lotus root starch video.