Chapter 280: Chapter 96: Pickled Chicken Feet with Chili (Part 2)
was very experienced in killing and cleaning chickens, but it was the first time cutting chicken toenails. The diligent robot butler, holding a pair of scissors in one hand and a chicken foot in the other, found itself in a rare state of confusion under the watchful eyes of all the fans.
In contrast, Du Xixi, nearby, was cutting the chicken feet neatly and swiftly. Seeing the chicken toenails continually fall off, 2569 felt perhaps it was too incompetent and decided to push through despite its robot apprehension.
As expected, 2569 found these chicken toenails very difficult to cut, at least harder than splitting open the belly of a raw chicken. But unexpectedly, with a snap of its scissors, the nails that seemed so hard to trim fell off neatly.
"Madam!" 2569 called out to Du Xixi in surprise, prompting her to look at it with a puzzled expression. With just that glance, 2569 realized its surprise had been unnecessary.
The first time was awkward, but once 2569 recalibrated its force, trimming the chicken toenails became much more proficient.
Of course, as a robot, 2569 didn’t have the muscle memory that Du Xixi had, but it could set its program, and soon it found its speed nearly matching Du Xixi’s.
With a whole large basin of chicken feet to share between Du Xixi and 2569, the quantity no longer seemed daunting. However, finishing them within twenty minutes still seemed incredible to Du Xixi.
She put down the scissors, shaking her slightly stiff right wrist, and looked helplessly at 2569 before turning to the livestream with a hint of teasing, "Competing for speed with a robot that relies on energy to sustain physical strength is just too hard!"
Du Xixi had not been slow at all, even consistently leading 2569, but from being at ease, she turned to gritting her teeth to keep up. When humans struggle, the aid of machines is indeed the best way to improve efficiency...
Realizing this, Du Xixi sighed inwardly.
In the Blue Star Era that Du Xixi lived through, many foods had dispensed with manual labor. From material selection to processing, from packaging to transportation, even breeding and planting before material selection all relied on machine assistance.
On Blue Star, why did so many people gradually pursue purely handmade products? Was it because the taste was significantly different? Not at all! They were simply seeking a kind of fulfillment that could help them savor the flavors of life among the purely handmade goods.
Du Xixi naturally accepted the thoughts of her elders, believing that fine food required meticulous preparation. Sure, machine-made food was convenient and fast, but it somewhat lacked that sense of fulfillment invested in the process.
But not doing it didn’t mean Du Xixi rejected machine-made products. She believed that the progress of an era could not be separated from technological development, and machines, as carriers of technology, were naturally also symbols of progress.
Human life cannot remain unchanged, and a faster pace of life meant that those machine products became a part of people’s lives.
Moreover, if you look closely, 2569 was also a "machine" that processed ingredients. Did asking 2569 for help mean Du Xixi was abandoning her family’s beliefs? Living in a new era, having come to a technological age, she herself was a mix of old and new ideas.
So, why bother to differentiate?
Collecting her thoughts, Du Xixi showed a suitably timed smile to the livestream: "Next, it’s time to blanch them, which doesn’t take long, mainly on their surface..."
***
Making pickled chicken feet didn’t take Du Xixi much time, but she started a bit late, so by the time her livestream ended, the two children had already gone upstairs to nap accompanied by Ke Xing, and she just saw Ke Lian coming out of the training room.
Ke Lian, wiping sweat, saw Du Xixi with her rosy, delicate face sitting on the sofa, clearly just finished with her busyness, and went over with a smile to peck at the corner of her mouth, "Finished streaming?"
"Uh-huh!" Ke Lian’s sudden sneak attack left Du Xixi’s face flushed, along with her neck and ears all turning red, "Get away from me!"
"Why? Don’t you like me kissing you?" Sometimes in front of Du Xixi, Ke Lian simply didn’t hold back, speaking without restraint, which left Du Xixi with a slightly twitching brow.
With a playful smack on Ke Lian’s arm, she rolled her eyes and said, "I’m disgusted by you! Smelling all sweaty..."