Chapter 158: Too Eager to Progress

The chiropractor's technique was superb. After getting his bones set, Qin Huai slept like the dead, waking up at 7:30 AM the next day. By the time he arrived at Huang Ji, it was nearly 8:00 AM.

Zheng Siyuan had already finished wrapping a batch of wontons and was eating a small bowl himself.

Seeing Zheng Siyuan already eating, Qin Huai felt a bit embarrassed and rubbed his neck. "Sorry, I overslept."

Zheng Siyuan didn't react much. "What are you making this morning? Chicken noodle soup?"

That had been Qin Huai's plan yesterday morning.

According to his original plan, since he had such a perfect opportunity to prepare staff meals, he would practice chicken noodle soup for ten days or half a month; everyone loved it anyway.

But that was before he triggered a new side quest at noon yesterday, not to mention he'd overslept today.

"Shumai," Qin Huai said. "Lamb shumai."

It wasn't that Qin Huai didn't want to make crab roe shumai, but he simply didn't know how. Compared to regular glutinous rice shumai, Qin Huai made better lamb shumai, and Qin Luo loved it more.

Learning crab roe shumai on the spot seemed a bit abrupt, and Qin Huai hadn't made any shumai for a long time; he was rusty.

He would practice his skills with lamb shumai for a day and make crab roe shumai tomorrow.

Zheng Siyuan was long accustomed to Qin Huai's impulsive nature—making different breakfasts every morning—so he didn't think much of it. He nodded, put down his bowl, and boiled a small bowl of crepe wontons for Qin Huai.

Qin Huai began to knead the dough.

Compared to the dough for buns or steamed buns, the resting time for shumai wrappers was very short. If he had an assistant, making shumai would be relatively time-efficient.

Qin Huai had no assistant now.

Zheng Siyuan stood by, eating his wontons and watching Qin Huai mix the filling.

Qin Huai used a recipe he found online for lamb shumai, basically without any changes.

He mixed minced lamb with scallions and ginger, added soaked peppercorn water, and stirred until the mixture was dry. Then, he added soy sauce and black pepper for seasoning, followed by repeatedly adding bone broth while stirring until the meat filling reached a near-liquid state—that was the secret to a good filling.

Qin Huai didn't like eating the lamb shumai he made himself because he always felt there was a lingering gamey smell, and he disliked gamey flavors.

However, Qin Luo loved it. In her words, if lamb didn't have a bit of gamey flavor, it wouldn't be lamb.

Qin Huai didn't comment on that; he knew Qin Luo was right, but he just didn't like eating it.

Perhaps Qin Huai simply didn't like lamb.

That was why he hadn't changed the lamb shumai recipe; he didn't like lamb, and he felt he wasn't qualified to alter a recipe that was already complete and approved by Qin Luo.

"Your shumai is very ordinary," Zheng Siyuan evaluated objectively. "No wonder I haven't seen you make it before."

"My shumai-making is quite average," Qin Huai agreed. "Have you eaten lamb shumai before?"

"I have," Zheng Siyuan nodded. "There's a pastry chef named Liu in Chang'an who specializes in lamb shumai. It's a family craft, and it's truly peerless."

"I went there to try it seven or eight years ago, and it lived up to its reputation. The meat filling was fatty but not greasy, the juices were abundant, and the wrappers were as thin as paper, slightly translucent. I couldn't tell what seasonings were used in their family recipe, but there certainly wasn't any black pepper."

Zheng Siyuan's implication was that the master Liu didn't use black pepper to take shortcuts with the meat filling.

Qin Huai took note of this, deciding to try it if he ever had the chance.

It was good to have a professional around; they knew exactly where to go, which master to see, and what dish they specialized in. Unlike him, even if he traveled, he wouldn't know what to eat. He was afraid that food recommendations online were just paid advertisements, and he feared the rankings on review apps were manipulated. After researching back and forth, he would likely end up in a mediocre "internet-famous" restaurant.

Enough said; it was a tearful subject.

"Is crab roe shumai particularly famous around here?" Qin Huai asked, feigning ignorance.

"It's famous, but not many places make it," Zheng Siyuan said. "More places sell crab roe buns now; crab roe buns are profitable."

Zheng Siyuan spoke the plain truth.

"I looked up crab roe shumai recipes on my way back yesterday and found them to be sparse and messy. Some use egg yolks, some use crab roe—which one is authentic?" Qin Huai asked.

"Both are considered authentic," Zheng Siyuan said. "Whether to use crab roe depends on the season and the chef's skill."

"During the season when crabs are plump, like now, using crab roe is naturally the best. But using real crab roe makes it very difficult to remove the fishy smell from the shumai."

"Whether it's crab roe or egg yolk, the filling for shumai is shrimp meat. You should know well from making shrimp-filled crab shell yellow pastries that shrimp-based pastries are inherently difficult to make. Adding heavy seasonings will mask the freshness of the shrimp, making it taste bland. But if you add nothing, it will be too plain."

"Normal shrimp-filled pastries are already hard to make, let alone those with fresh crab roe. If you add crab roe, you can't avoid using sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, scallions, ginger, and garlic to balance the flavors, and even then, it's hard to remove the fishy smell. If your technique is slightly lacking, you might have to add black pepper to suppress the odor. But once you add black pepper to a shrimp filling, the entire flavor profile changes."

"Crab roe shumai is all about the freshness of the shrimp and crab. Years ago, when shrimp and crab were cheap, many shops were willing to sell it. Now, fresh shrimp is expensive, and plump crabs are even pricier. Given the high difficulty of production, if you make it well, customers think it's normal. If you make it poorly, with such a high price tag, eight out of ten customers will flip out. Unless a pastry chef is extremely confident in their technique, who would want to make such a thankless dish that loses money, shouts for business, and risks ruining their reputation?"

"So, most crab roe shumai on the market now uses egg yolk fillings, mixing pork with shrimp. It's cheap and tastes decent, making it more suitable for the general public's palate."

"The kind of authentic crab roe shumai you're imagining probably only exists in high-end restaurants."

Zheng Siyuan made crab roe shumai sound impossibly difficult, but the more Qin Huai listened, the brighter his eyes became.

Admittedly, crab roe shumai was indeed hard to make.

But what was the most important part of crab roe shumai?

Seasoning!

And what was Qin Huai's greatest strength?

Seasoning!

It was a perfect professional match, folks!

Besides, crab roe shumai sounded like it didn't require much heat control or finger technique.

Thinking of this, Qin Huai almost shed tears.

After having the game system for so long, he had finally encountered a task that perfectly matched his expertise.

At this point, someone might ask: aren't the shumai wrappers important?

Shumai wrappers are also quite difficult, mind you. Good lotus-leaf wrappers aren't that easy to roll out.

To this, Qin Huai had only one thing to say:

His dough-leavening skill was about to reach the Advanced level.

"Siyuan, do you know how to make crab roe shumai?" Qin Huai looked at Zheng Siyuan with burning eyes.

Zheng Siyuan:?

Weren't you practicing heat control? Weren't you practicing fruit pastries just a while ago? Your speed of falling in love with a new dish every day and wanting to practice it is too fast.

"I don't really know how," Zheng Siyuan shook his head directly. "But my father does."

"When is Uncle Zheng coming back?"

"Hmm... next week?"

"When Uncle Zheng returns, you must tell me. I want to pay him a visit and express my gratitude!"

That day, the Huang Ji staff ate the plain lamb shumai Qin Huai had made.

Faced with lamb shumai that was clearly below his usual standard, instead of feeling their idol crumble or seeing a rising star fall from his pedestal, everyone felt it was only natural.

Qin Huai finally had a pastry he wasn't so proficient at.

Master Qin, who had been invincible in the breakfast world, had finally hit a Waterloo!

Great, Qin Huai was a normal human being after all.

After eating the plain breakfast, everyone went about their plain work. Work life was always dull, tedious, and busy.

Qin Huai's pastries today were Five-Treasure Buns and fermented rice steamed buns. Chen Pi tea was sold as usual, limited to 1314 servings.

Unlike the explosive sales at the Yunzhong Canteen, Chen Pi tea didn't cause much of a stir at Huang Ji, at least not with the same level of fame as the fermented rice buns. Many customers just treated it as a decent dessert, ordering one with their meal, and if one wasn't enough, they'd order another, or pack one to take home.

If it didn't sell out at noon, it would definitely be left over for the evening.

Qin Huai had analyzed it for a few minutes and concluded it was a matter of the target demographic.

The area around Yunzhong Canteen was full of wage slaves; apart from the residents, every single outsider was a humble worker. The warming buff of Chen Pi tea was a lifesaver for workers about to start their shift, but for the wealthy, it was merely a condiment.

Not many ordinary wage slaves could afford to consume at Huang Ji.

Even if the Qian Zhongheng family loved the fermented rice buns, they couldn't bear to eat them every day, and even if they could, their wallets wouldn't support it.

Every single customer who could casually eat a meal at Huang Ji was a proper wealthy person.

Someone like Gong Liang was even more so; if he wanted to, he could have directly owned over 50% of Huang Ji years ago.

Now, Gong Liang regretted why he hadn't demanded 50% of Huang Ji back then. If he were the boss, he could have ordered the new pastry chef, Qin Huai, to make him a few of the fruit pastries he dreamed of day and night.

Those were apple fruit pastries.

They might not be that delicious—perhaps not as good as the Three-Duck Feast, Eel Paste, Eight-Treasure Tofu, Braised Fish Head, Crab Powder Lion's Head, Braised Whole Pig's Head, Braised Dried Tofu, or Squirrel Mandarin Fish—but he just wanted to eat them.

Because he hadn't eaten many.

That bastard Zheng Da was much harder to fool than Huang Shengli.

Huang Shengli was such a good buddy; as long as he had no health issues, he was an excellent chef who stood on the front lines of the kitchen. Getting him to cook a special meal was just a matter of pestering him.

Zheng Da was different; the guy really didn't want to move, especially after his son had finished his apprenticeship. He couldn't be counted on to cook anything good unless it was a holiday.

Zheng Siyuan was much better than his father, but his skills weren't as good, and he was particularly stubborn, only liking to make those few types of pastries.

Gong Liang admitted that the fresh meat mooncakes were indeed delicious, but one couldn't eat them every day. Clearly, Master Jing had so many delicious pastries that he could make them for one or two months without repeating, so how did the skills get lost as they were passed down?

Gong Liang looked at the company's latest financial report; the accounts were impressive and profits were good, but his brows were furrowed, his face full of worry, and his fingers tapped the desk rhythmically, making an annoying sound.

"Gong Zong, the clothes are done. According to the sizes you ordered, there are 28 styles in total. They will be shipped today and are expected to arrive in Shanshi tomorrow or the day after."

"Which table should I book at Huang Ji for today? Table 666 or 888?" Gong Liang's assistant reported professionally.

Gong Liang waved his hand. "Don't book a private room today. Book me a table in the main hall closest to the kitchen."

"It's been three days. Three whole days, and there's been no progress in my relationship with Master Qin."

"Usually, by this time, I'd already be sitting in Master Qin's house, drinking tea, chatting, and deciding what to eat for lunch and dinner."

"The fact that Master Qin isn't short of money is indeed a problem. The housing prices in that Yunzhong residential area are quite high. To be safe, go buy me a house there first."

"Yes, Gong Zong. Anything else?"

"Ask Dong Shi what fruits Master Qin likes. Have the chiropractic clinic prepare them daily, and have a fruit platter cut and served as soon as Master Qin arrives. Pay attention to the details."

"Yes, Gong Zong."

The assistant left. Gong Liang picked up his phone, opened the chat interface with Qin Huai, thought for a moment, and sent another message.

Gong Liang: Master Qin, I saw your WeChat Moments last night. It seems your sister is studying at an international high school and her grades aren't ideal. I know a few famous tutors who specialize in tutoring—physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, Japanese, German, Spanish, French—do you need me to recommend a few?

In the kitchen, Qin Huai saw the new message from Gong Liang immediately while eating breakfast.

Qin Huai received four or five such messages every day.

Qin Huai felt that Gong Liang would be better off just transferring money; he really didn't know how to reply to this kind of message.

Because he was genuinely tempted.

It wasn't that his willpower was weak; the enemy's sugar-coated bullets were just too tempting.

Fortunately, Gong Liang was part of the first wave to go into business and made money early without going down the wrong path; his businesses were all legitimate. Otherwise, Qin Huai would be very worried that he would find another stable, iron-rice-bowl job with regular hours and stay there until retirement.

Gong Liang was truly too eager to progress.

Today's breakfast was ordinary glutinous rice shumai and wontons.

Qin Huai sometimes really admired Zheng Siyuan. If it were him, he would have gotten bored making the same pastry every day, but Zheng Siyuan never got tired of it. He loved focusing on one thing, specializing in it, and reaching perfection before moving on to the next.

Perhaps that was the fundamental difference between focusing on quantity and focusing on quality.

"Is Gong Zong messaging you again?" Dong Shi leaned over to Qin Huai with his wontons. "What is he asking?"

"Asking if Luo Luo needs a tutor," Qin Huai said.

"Gong Zong really likes the pastries you make," Dong Shi sighed. "We don't have that kind of treatment; even the head apprentice doesn't. Ordinary disciples like me get a big red envelope during the New Year at most; the head apprentice is slightly better and gets gifts during festivals."

"Your treatment is almost catching up to the Master's."

Qin Huai was a bit surprised; he thought Gong Liang treated everyone like this. Ever since he learned Gong Liang was a spirit, Qin Huai felt that everything Gong Liang did was understandable; after all, Gong Liang was currently in his most mentally unstable lifetime.

He wasn't even human; what else could you expect from him?

"Gong Zong's assistant just asked me what fruits you like. Do you have any special favorite fruits? You should be able to eat them when you go to the chiropractic clinic after work today." Dong Shi asked directly.

Qin Huai thought for a moment. "Peaches, mangoes, and fresh longans."

Dong Shi replied to the message immediately.

"Gong Zong treats me so well, and I haven't made him any apple fruit pastries; I feel a bit embarrassed," Qin Huai sighed.

For some reason, Qin Huai felt a sense of end-of-life care for these spirits. The general feeling was: *Sigh, they're already like this, let them eat whatever they want. *

Gong Liang just wanted to eat two fruit pastries; it wasn't like he was committing a crime.

"If you want to make them, just make them for Gong Zong," Dong Shi said. "The Master tells you not to bother with Gong Zong because the Master is always persuaded by Gong Zong's words, then he starts cooking, then others come to find the Master, then he cooks again, and then he delays leaving work."

"Although Huang Ji is theoretically supposed to close at 8 PM, when the Master's health was fine, he never left before 9 PM."

"I think the Master is worrying unnecessarily. Qin Huai, you aren't that kind of person; you only cook special meals for people you want to."

"I saw the apple fruit pastries you made the other day and was drooling, but you didn't make an extra one for me."

Qin Huai:...

You could have just asked directly like Huang Anyou did.

There had been plenty of people drooling over the pastries he made since he was a child; he wouldn't care.

"Next time, for sure," Qin Huai said, taking out his phone to reply to Gong Liang.

Qin Huai: Gong Zong, are you coming to Huang Ji for lunch today? I might not have time to take on the pastries for the engagement banquet you mentioned, but if you really want to eat fruit pastries, I can make a few at noon today, provided you don't mind.

Gong Liang:!!!

(End of Chapter)