Chapter 26: Unique Taste (Thanks to the alliance leader who graduated smoothly)

Qin Huai didn't know if wild vegetables counted as coarse grains, but he felt Qin Luo's words made some sense.

He had something wilder than wild vegetables here.

Elm bark.

After the bark salad flipped over yesterday afternoon, Qin Huai went back to watch short videos and studied the way to eat tree bark seriously.

Don't say, it was quite rich.

Besides the conventional way of drying it, grinding it into flour, sifting it, and making it into noodles, this thing could also be stir-fried with seasonings, grilled, made into cold dishes, or boiled to take its essence and use the boiled water to knead the dough.

Since the boiled water could be used to knead the dough, it was professionally matched.

Qin Huai, who strictly followed the 12:00 off-work principle, put the last batch of crab shell yellow into the oven at 12:00 sharp, told An Youyou to remember to plate them when the time came, and got off work at light speed.

It wasn't the peak of lunch yet. The first batch of diners who were close to the company and ran fast had already started to serve dishes, and Ouyang, who was very close to the company and could skip work early, had already occupied the best position at the window on the second floor and was eating.

Qin Huai merged into it with his dining tray.

Qin Huai looked at Ouyang's dishes.

Braised chicken legs, pork with chili, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, and garlic water spinach, plus a bowl of seaweed pork rib soup that cost extra.

Beside the seaweed pork rib soup was a small plate of mung bean cake, and in front of the soup and mung bean cake was a box of fresh lychees.

Three meats, one vegetable, one soup, one dim sum, and one fruit—he was eating better than him.

The most critical thing was that the box of lychees looked very familiar to Qin Huai. If there were no accidents, the variety in this box was the 14-yuan-per-piece "Gualu" that Qin Luo's eyes went straight when she visited the supermarket two days ago.

"Aren't you destitute recently, only drinking the largest bottles of iced black tea?" Qin Huai sat opposite Ouyang.

Ouyang smiled: "I called my mom this morning to cry about being poor. She was very moved by my determination to support my classmate's entrepreneurship, and she will reimburse my meal money from now on."

"Then this..." Qin Huai pointed to the lychees.

Ouyang pushed the lychees toward Qin Huai: "Stole them from home. Didn't Luo Luo want to eat them last time? Take them to her, tell her that her Yang Ge can still afford a box of lychees. If she wants to eat, just say it, I'll go home and get them directly."

Qin Huai:...

"Did Luo Luo get up early again? I didn't see her just now, did she go back to make up for sleep?"

"Didn't get up early," Qin Huai said. "Played with her phone until 3:00 last night, didn't dare to say, arrived on time at 5:30 AM for the alarm. Almost fell into the pot when eating mung bean cake this morning, I let her go back to sleep."

"By the way, I confiscated her phone. She will probably only be able to play with her Little Genius phone watch at night from now on."

Ouyang was silent for a short while, shoveled two mouthfuls of rice, and started a new topic: "Watch a movie in the afternoon? Wait for Luo Luo to wake up and call her. I also got two movie cards from my mom this morning."

Qin Huai felt Ouyang was truly born in the wrong era. If he had become a bandit in ancient times, he would definitely be a great hand at robbing

"Sister Hong has to go out to handle some business this afternoon, so you can just skip work."

Qin Huai: "... Not this afternoon. I need to research a new product. Let's do it in a couple of days."

Hearing that Qin Huai was going to research a new product, Ouyang's eyes lit up instantly, and he expressed his willingness to sacrifice himself by staying in the cafeteria to serve as the new product's taste tester.

Qin Huai felt that Ouyang might truly have to sacrifice himself this time.

After finishing his meal, Qin Huai went back for a light nap and returned to the cafeteria after two o'clock to start researching the new product.

Making steamed buns is different from making baozi; steamed buns have higher requirements for the texture of the dough and require a second fermentation. During fermentation, more water needs to be added to ensure the dough's moisture. At the same time, to enhance the fragrance and sweetness of the buns, ingredients like milk, eggs, white sugar, or honey are often added during kneading to add flavor.

Qin Huai also intended to add flavor to his dough today.

It's just that the flavor he added was somewhat unique.

Elm bark water.

The elm bark water he boiled looked just as unappealing as chewing on dry elm bark.

There is a reason why tree bark is not on the list of daily human food.

Qin Huai began to knead the dough.

At this time of day, the employees of Yunzhong Cafeteria were all resting. Some servers had gone to a nearby mall, two chefs were napping on the second floor, and the rest were in the first-floor lobby. Huang Xi was busy modifying a proposal on the computer, while An Youyou and another server were playing on their phones.

"Youyou, what are you looking at?" Zhao Jiahui, the server playing on her phone, noticed An Youyou stretching her neck to stare at the kitchen. "Are you trying to steal the master's techniques?"

"Making pastries requires the master to teach you hand-in-hand. How could I possibly steal the technique from so far away?" An Youyou continued watching. "I just think the water the boss used to knead the dough looks a strange color."

It wasn't just An Youyou outside who thought it was strange; Qin Huai, who was in the middle of making it, also felt it was a bit odd.

How should one put it, using water boiled from tree bark to knead white flour buns...

Parents who believe in hardship education would pass by and say: "If it's really that bad, why not just boil some wild vegetables in water? At least get something edible."

Two hours later, the slightly yellowish elm bark-flavored steamed buns were freshly out of the steamer.

Qin Huai didn't make many, just three. Not daring to taste them first, Qin Huai called Ouyang to tell him the new product was fresh out of the oven and told him to hurry to the cafeteria to taste it.

Ten-plus minutes later, Ouyang arrived late with Chen Huihui in tow.

"Huihui has her final exam tomorrow and got out of school on time this afternoon. Sister Hong didn't have time to pick her up, so she asked me to help," Ouyang explained, smiling. "Huihui, you're in for a treat today. It's a new product your brother Qin Huai made this afternoon."

Chen Huihui looked at Qin Huai with anticipation.

Qin Huai:...

Qin Huai silently brought out the buns. They were still steaming, looking very fluffy and smooth—they were good-looking buns.

Ouyang picked one up and sniffed it: "This scent... quite refreshing."

Then he took a bite.

Ouyang:?

How strange. Although it wasn't bad to that extent, the memory of eating salad yesterday—which had already died—suddenly started attacking him.

Chen Huihui also picked up a bun and took a light bite.

Chewing.

Chen Huihui:?

Chen Huihui looked at Qin Huai, her eyes full of the disillusionment of an idol falling from grace.

In her heart, Qin Huai was omnipotent at making pastries; whether it was baozi, dumplings, or other small snacks, they were all super delicious. Yet the buns he made were actually so ordinary.

There was even a slightly strange, not-very-good taste within the ordinariness.

Chen Huihui sniffed, feeling a bit like crying.

Mom, the buns brother Qin Huai made don't taste good, 55555(*).

Adhering to the principle of not wasting food, Chen Huihui continued to take a second bite.

"Huihui, how does it taste?" Qin Huai asked.

Chen Huihui hesitated for a moment: "Strange."

Then she shook her head and said: "Brother Qin Huai, the buns you make aren't as good as your baozi and dumplings."

Hearing Chen Huihui's rejection, Qin Huai felt a little happy inside.

That's great; Huihui just simply likes the taste of buckwheat, not food with weird flavors.

Normal is good. Qin Huai was just afraid that Chen Huihui's taste was too different from ordinary people, so much so that he couldn't even guess it, more absurd than the trash articles in third-rate magazines.

Being able to confirm that Chen Huihui just likes the taste and texture of buckwheat, he could just go ahead and develop in the direction of buckwheat buns.

"If you don't like eating it, don't. I'll have Luo Luo take them back to feed the chickens," Qin Huai said.

Zhao Rong had taken the time in the morning to buy two live old hens at the market and kept them in the kitchen to stew for soup in the next couple of days; letting the chickens eat some green, healthy buns was also quite good.

Chen Huihui put down the bun very obediently.

While the two were talking, Ouyang had already finished his bun.

Ouyang, who hadn't listened to their conversation at all, smacked his lips, looking like he was still savoring it, and said: "Qin Huai, don't say, this new product of yours today..."

"Although it tastes a bit strange, it has a unique flavor when you chew it."

"It's actually not bad!"

Qin Huai:?

So the person with the abnormal taste is you.

Brother, you should have said you liked this kind of thing earlier. There's a big bag left in the warehouse; take it all home, eat it slowly, don't be polite.

If only this task were Ouyang's wish. With Ouyang's lack of pickiness—to the point where he could find the mystery and deliciousness in elm bark-flavored buns—Qin Huai reckoned the task would have been completed long ago.

What a pity.

Qin Huai looked at Ouyang and sighed.

Ouyang was baffled by the sigh and pointed at the remaining buns on the plate, asking: "Qin Huai, are you eating? If you aren't, I will."

Seeing Qin Huai nod, Ouyang picked one up and took a big bite.

"This taste."

"Refreshing!"

(End of chapter)