Chapter 258

Soon, Dong Shi's brilliant speculation spread to every corner of Huang Ji.

While everyone felt it was absurd, they were also deeply convinced. When eating lunch, Huang Shengli even smiled kindly and asked Qin Luo if there was anything she liked to eat.

While overjoyed, Qin Luo spoke boldly, saying she wanted to eat that super-large whole pig head that Qin Huai posted on his social media.

Huang Shengli said Qin Luo had a good eye, picking his most famous signature dish at Huang Ji right away. He told Qin Luo not to worry and to wait two days, letting Huang Anyao contact a supplier to purchase the pig head most suitable for braising, and he would make a good one for Qin Luo then.

Qin Huai sat on the side shoveling rice, stunned. Why didn't he get this treatment when he ate the braised whole pig head back then?

Master Huang, am I no longer the Assistant Xiao Qin you value the most?

That afternoon, the no-longer-valued Assistant Xiao Qin turned his grief and indignation into motivation for practice, angrily stir-frying two buckets of cabbage with meat. Although there was improvement, the level remained the same. It made Dong Shi dizzy, as if he had already foreseen the tragic dinner of not being able to finish the cabbage with meat.

To prevent Dong Shi from trembling at the mere sight of cabbage with meat and wanting to leave, Qin Huai thoughtfully packed two portions for Qin Luo to take home for dinner.

Qin Luo ate very happily, picking out all the meat to eat and leaving two portions of cabbage for Qin Huai.

When Qin Huai brought the food back that night, he also brought some minced meat.

Zheng Siyuan helped mince the meat.

In terms of knife skills, many chefs in the Huang Ji kitchen were better than Zheng Siyuan. The reason Qin Huai specifically asked Zheng Siyuan to help mince the meat was that Zheng Siyuan was the chef who best understood the state of the meat needed for pure meat Tangyuan.

Of course, Zheng Da also understood, but Zheng Da would certainly not be willing to do this kind of work that only a helper would do.

Unless Qin Huai was willing to take Zheng Da as his master on the spot, that would be a different matter.

As long as Qin Huai was willing to take Zheng Da as his master, let alone mincing meat, even if Qin Huai wanted 30 jin of meat—10 jin minced into bits without fat, 10 jin of fat minced into bits without lean meat, and 10 jin of cartilage minced into bits without meat—Zheng Da could happily do it all and even gift him 10 jin of hand-beaten beef balls, 10 jin of hand-beaten fish balls, and 10 jin of hand-beaten pork balls.

But it would only last for one day.

Next time he wanted Zheng Da to complete the above tasks, Qin Huai would have to betray his master and join under his name again.

Sorry for getting off track; let's get back to the main topic.

The meat minced by Zheng Siyuan was undoubtedly very suitable for fresh meat Tangyuan. The state of the meat was excellent, in an intermediate state between hand-beaten pork balls and meat paste; it wouldn't be too firm or too loose, and it could lock in the juices well.

Such meat filling, as long as it's seasoned slightly and wrapped in Tangyuan, must be delicious.

According to common sense, fresh meat Tangyuan is the easiest Tangyuan to make.

Pork is a very accommodating food; as long as the meat itself is fresh enough, it will taste good no matter how it's made, especially for flour-based foods using meat fillings. Even if it's not fresh, adding a large amount of spices can cover up the stale taste. For Qin Luo, as long as it's a pork dish, she loves to eat it.

She could happily pick out and eat all the meat from the cabbage with meat that Qin Huai stir-fried in the afternoon and packed back at night.

But when the Four-Joy Tangyuan began to have an overall improvement, Qin Huai found that the improvement speed of the fresh meat Tangyuan seemed to be unable to keep up with the others.

The other types of Tangyuan all had crash-course tutorials, techniques, and methods, but the fresh meat filling did not.

When Qin Huai watched the tutorial videos, he felt that Jing Lixiang was just using a very normal way to make fresh meat Tangyuan—plain and unremarkable, with no techniques to speak of.

If there had to be a difference, it was probably that his meat filling was a bit too lean, with very little fat. That could be understood given the situation at the time; in that era, fat was the best food and the best-selling hard currency. The winter melon sugar Jing Lixiang used for the mixed-fruit filling was all scraped together by everyone, and for this, Zheng Da even got a stick from his mother.

Winter melon sugar could be scraped together, but meat was very hard to scrape together. Fresh meat couldn't be kept for long, so it was perfectly normal that Jing Lixiang couldn't buy meat with the right ratio of fat and lean.

Qin Huai attributed the lack of improvement in his fresh meat Tangyuan to a lack of proficiency.

Having practiced Tangyuan for so long, he hadn't practiced the fresh meat Tangyuan very many times.

Since he wasn't proficient, he would practice more.

Isn't it just grinding proficiency?

Grind it!

With this mindset, Qin Huai took a bag of fresh meat filling home after work. He didn't even check how much homework Qin Luo had done; he just handed dinner to her and went straight into the kitchen to start making Tangyuan.

In the kitchen, Qin Huai meticulously made four styles of Tangyuan.

Even if he wanted to practice fresh meat Tangyuan, he couldn't practice it alone. This Tangyuan needed to be paired with the other three flavors to be eaten; eating it alone might taste good, but combined, it might not necessarily be good.

When making fresh meat filling, seasoning is very important.

The meat filling itself provides the texture, and the difference in flavor depends entirely on the seasoning. Following the steps Jing Lixiang used when seasoning in the tutorial video, Qin Huai added salt, soy sauce, sesame oil, starch, and a series of other seasonings in order, stirring the meat filling repeatedly.

Chen Huihui had already been sent home by Chen Huihong when it was time to sleep. After sending her daughter off, Chen Huihong returned to wait for Tangyuan, looking at her phone while waiting, and asked:

"Xiao Qin, you sent a message two hours ago saying there was a tasting tonight. Everyone in the group is asking what time exactly."

Observer No. 1, Chen Huihong, is very dedicated.

"Today's Tangyuan is divided by style, right? One portion is four pieces; can I eat another bowl after finishing one?" Observer No. 2, Ouyang, asked while holding his rice bowl.

Ouyang had long heard that Qin Huai's Four-Joy Tangyuan had been reborn and decided to have a big meal tonight.

Even though he was eating dinner now, he decided he would have another big meal later.

Ouyang hadn't gone to Huang Ji to sponge off meals in the morning these past few days—not because he was embarrassed, but simply because he couldn't get up.

Since living alone, Ouyang had picked up the bad habit of playing on his phone late into the night, often sleeping until the sun was high before going to Guanhe Tower or other restaurants to mix a meal, and coming to Qin Huai's house at night to wait for the packed dinner.

Thanks to Ouyang, Qin Luo, Chen Huihong, and Chen Huihui, the amount of dinner Qin Huai packed these past few days was increasing. Ouyang and Qin Luo were both people who could eat for two. When there was a tasting event at night, Qin Huai could pack a little less; if there wasn't, Qin Huai felt like a food delivery driver on the way back with the packed dinner.

"Eat, everyone can eat. The red bean paste, sesame sugar, and mixed-fruit Tangyuan were all made during the day and brought back. I'm only making the fresh meat one now, and there's plenty," Qin Huai said.

With this guarantee from Qin Huai, Ouyang was relieved and continued eating.

"Sister Hong, please tell everyone in the group that they can come over to eat Tangyuan in 40 minutes."

"Alright!" Chen Huihong started sending messages.

Qin Huai continued to stir the filling.

His intuition told him that while the fresh meat Tangyuan seemed to be the simplest of the four, its actual production difficulty might not be lower than the mixed-fruit one.

He felt it was simple only because his level hadn't reached the point where he could discover its difficulty.

40 minutes later, the elderly folks gathered again at Qin Huai's and Gong Liang's houses.

Gong Liang, Guo Mingzhu, and Gong Baozhu all ran to Qin Huai's living room. Gong Baozhu didn't expect to run into such a good thing on her first day of moving in and was so excited her face turned red, grabbing her mother and asking repeatedly if there were any precautions to take when eating Tangyuan later.

Was there a limit? Did she need to wash the bowls? What tone and adjectives should she use to praise it after eating?

If praising, should she tell the truth, exaggerate, or make up something flowery?

Guo Mingzhu told her daughter that if the Tangyuan was delicious, just be herself; if it wasn't, then activate the self-cultivation of an actor.

As for how to act specifically, her parents would give her a demonstration first; it couldn't be too exaggerated because the room was full of professional actors.

Gong Baozhu didn't understand but felt it was very difficult, so she decided to hide in the back and learn from experience when eating Tangyuan later.

The newcomer was learning, and the veterans were exchanging ideas.

Because Xu Tuqiang left late, he couldn't even squeeze into Qin Huai's house and could only stay at Gong Liang's. While comforting himself that this room had floor heating, he cursed Grandpa Qian and Grandma Ding in his heart for not leaving him a spot, while taking out his small notebook to repeatedly review the words on it.

These past few days when Qin Huai didn't make Tangyuan at night, the elderly folks hadn't been idle, practicing their lines at home.

Regardless of whether they could hit the point, they had to say something first.

Like, "I think this Tangyuan is very good; it really is glutinous rice skin washed in well water like pearls. The mixed-fruit Tangyuan has a refreshing fragrance, is smooth upon entering the mouth, bouncy and sticky without sticking to the teeth, and the nut flavor is very rich. The combination of candied fruit and nuts is simply a perfect match, natural and seamless."

Don't worry about whether it's right or not; just say it first.

Among the crowd waiting for the tasting, only Qin Luo was probably different.

The child was writing her homework in a room at Gong Liang's house. The house Qin Huai rented didn't have a desk in the room, but the house Gong Liang bought next door had a desk in the room, which was newly purchased when moving—brand new, accustomed to using a desk, and very suitable for writing homework.

It was much more comfortable than writing homework at the dining table.

Gong Liang and Guo Mingzhu said that whenever the child needed to, she could come to their place to write homework. She could also come here for tutoring; the house had floor heating and was warm.

In the kitchen, Qin Huai was boiling Tangyuan.

There were only two stoves in the kitchen, so he couldn't use four different pots for the four types of Tangyuan. Qin Huai could only be a bit more casual and boil them in two pots, focusing on the fresh meat Tangyuan.

The Tangyuan was out of the pot.

Scooped up at once, old rules: Ouyang tastes it after 3 minutes and 50 seconds. After the tasting, Ouyang goes next door to call Qin Luo over, and Chen Huihong helps distribute the Tangyuan.

Having not eaten proper Four-Joy Tangyuan for a long time, the elderly folks were all a bit shocked when they saw the bowls.

Eh, no need to open a blind box today.

Everyone started eating one after another.

Qin Huai also started eating.

Qin Huai ate the mixed-fruit one first.

Delicious.

The mixed-fruit Tangyuan with the standard answer was undoubtedly delicious; its sweetness was just right, and the pairing was just right. Whether it was sunflower seeds and peanuts or walnuts and almonds, they were all delicious. Each flavor had its own characteristics, all highlighting the nut flavor on the basis of winter melon sugar as the main tone.

This is the favorite of the sweet-tooth party.

Qin Huai first defined the mixed-fruit Tangyuan.

Then ate the red bean paste one.

Grainy, the flavor was very mellow; it was a very standard red bean paste flavor with moderate sweetness, and the texture was excellent. With a light press, one could feel the red bean paste flowing on the tip of the tongue, and the warm touch combined with the soft, sticky texture of the glutinous rice skin was simply the best partner.

This one is even better; the red bean paste came from behind!

Add one point for red bean paste!

The third piece, Qin Huai chose the pure meat filling used to neutralize the flavor.

After eating two sweet Tangyuan in a row, Qin Huai was already a bit tired of it and urgently needed a salty Tangyuan to mediate.

Took a bite.

Very average.

After eating two sweet Tangyuan in a row, the fresh meat filling that entered his mouth was set off as very average. It seemed like just a cup of plain water between two dishes; eating it was just to rinse the mouth, and it couldn't play the role of adding flowers to the brocade, let alone sending charcoal in the snow.

After eating the average meat Tangyuan, Qin Huai continued to eat the sesame sugar filling.

Oh, it's delicious again.

Sorry, salty filling; in today's bowl of Four-Joy Tangyuan, the sweet filling is the true protagonist.

Sure enough, today was another day without mastering the mystery of the fresh meat filling.

Qin Huai swallowed the last bite of Tangyuan and burped.

So full.

Glancing at the kitchen, Qin Luo had already started eating her second bowl.

Ouyang's second bowl was almost finished too.

"Eat less; eating too much glutinous rice at night is easy to cause indigestion," Qin Huai gave a friendly reminder and pushed the door out.

The room was packed with people.

Everyone was eating Tangyuan in big mouthfuls; those who ate fast had empty bowls and had finished the soup, while those who ate slowly were still eating the last piece.

Seeing Qin Huai come out, the elderly folks all seemed a bit excited, pushing forward one after another, wanting to be the first to speak.

"Master Xiao Qin, today's Tangyuan is simply..."

"Everyone, don't be in a hurry; there is still Tangyuan in the kitchen. If it's not enough, you can scoop more later. I have a questionnaire here; please fill it out first. Luo Luo, come out first and take out your pens; there aren't enough pens," Qin Huai pulled out a stack of questionnaires with a swish, directly interrupting the spellcasting.

The elderly folks were all stunned.

Questionnaire?

Is it filling out a questionnaire today?

Didn't they always give direct evaluations before? If they have to fill out a questionnaire, what about the lines we prepared all these days? Should we write them in the comments of the questionnaire?

Qin Luo ran out to find pens. Although the child's grades weren't good, she had a lot of equipment; she had more than 20 pens, and distributing them was effortless.

Qin Huai and Qin Luo, one distributing questionnaires and the other distributing pens, soon everyone had one in hand. Because the printed font was very normal, many elderly folks were forced to take out their reading glasses and squint at the questionnaires to study them carefully. Looking at this scene, it felt like a large-scale scam scene.

【Shocking, elderly people collectively fill out questionnaires, the truth behind the scenes is actually...】

The questions on the questionnaire were:

【1. Do you prefer sweet or salty food?

2. Please write down your favorite meat-filled pastry: __

3. What do you think is the most important thing about meat-filled pastries?

4. Which of the following pastries do you prefer:

10. For today's Four-Joy Tangyuan, your favorite flavor is: __】

This was a questionnaire meticulously crafted by Qin Huai for the fresh meat Tangyuan. Starting today, Qin Huai would give one to the elderly folks every night to see if the answers changed.

The elderly folks started writing furiously.

Gong Baozhu was stunned when she got the questionnaire, thinking, isn't it the self-cultivation of an actor? How did it become a pop quiz?

However, to prove her love for Four-Joy Tangyuan, after finishing the questionnaire, Gong Baozhu left a sentence at the bottom: I love all four flavors, Master Xiao Qin, your craftsmanship is truly amazing!

After filling out the questionnaire, the elderly folks didn't disturb him too much. Calculating the remaining amount of Tangyuan in the pot, everyone took two pieces and went back with their bowls.

These bowls would be washed and returned tomorrow. Chen Huihong was at Qin Huai's house all day supervising Qin Luo's homework, so there was always someone at home.

After everyone left, Qin Huai studied the questionnaires.

Everyone's tastes were different, but the answers to the last question were relatively unified.

70% red bean paste, 20% mixed-fruit, and 10% sesame sugar.

Even someone who loved meat like Qin Luo chose red bean paste on the last question.

It can be seen that before an absolute taste advantage, personal taste preferences can be ignored.

The fresh meat filling was set off as a passerby by the other three sweet fillings.

Sigh.

Qin Huai sighed.

Fresh meat filling, you have to work hard; you are the only salty filling in the Four-Joy Tangyuan!

You have to stand up!

Fresh meat filling: My fault?

(End of chapter)