Chapter 299: Who wouldn't want such an excellent employee?

In the back kitchen, all ingredients and staff were ready.

The head chef of Yushianfang is surnamed Zhang. He is not participating in tomorrow's birthday banquet; he just greeted Qin Huai and Zang Mu in the kitchen and happily got off work and left.

It is also understandable. Although Head Chef Zhang's craftsmanship is average, and you can tell at a glance that his signature dishes haven't been practiced to the point of mastery, he is the head chef of a high-end restaurant after all, and it's impossible for him to help out as a helper at Han Youxin's birthday banquet.

Chen Gong prepared a comfortable chair for Han Guishan, placed in a spacious area away from the stove, to facilitate Han Guishan sitting and waiting for food.

Qin Huai only needs to make three kinds of snacks tomorrow: Four-Joy Tangyuan, fermented rice steamed buns, and San Ding Bao. Originally, Qin Huai intended not to make San Ding Bao but apple-shaped dough snacks. In terms of taste, although apple-shaped dough snacks are not as good as San Ding Bao, their style is high enough, they have enough face, and they are also standard banquet snacks.

If apple-shaped dough snacks are served at a banquet, guests will know that the pastry level of this banquet must be very high.

But Han Guishan didn't choose apple-shaped dough snacks.

The snacks were tasted by Chen Gong, and Chen Gong's feedback to Han Guishan was that the apple-shaped dough snacks had maxed-out styling but average taste, while the San Ding Bao had average styling but better taste.

Han Guishan, adhering to the principle that snacks must be delicious and that eating is the first priority, chose San Ding Bao without hesitation.

Therefore, the three snacks at tomorrow's birthday banquet can be simply summarized as buns, steamed buns, and tangyuan. At first glance, it seems like Haoweidao is about to go bankrupt, but only after a careful taste will one know that there is a mystery inside.

For Qin Huai, making these three kinds of snacks doesn't require too many helpers; he only needs a helper who is proficient in knife skills and also has good heat control to help boil the filling for the San Ding Bao.

Zang Liang fits perfectly.

Don't say it, Qin Huai really needs Zang Liang as a helper.

Qin Huai started kneading dough, and Zang Liang helped chop meat on the side. Qin Huai didn't tell Zang Liang what the meat filling for the Four-Joy Tangyuan should look like; he directly sent the photo of the meat filling Cao Guixiang chopped last time to Zang Liang to see.

After Zang Liang finished watching, he was amazed and forwarded it to Tan Weian on the spot without any hesitation. It can only be said that the two of them are worthy of being good brothers; their habits are exactly the same.

After Zang Liang finished watching the photo, he indicated with a very apprentice-like attitude that he couldn't chop this meat filling, but he would try his best to chop in this direction. Qin Huai comforted him not to force himself; it's normal not to be able to chop it.

If Zang Liang could chop meat filling at Cao Guixiang's level, he wouldn't be the "Little Prince of Knife Skills"; he would be the "Little Emperor of Knife Skills," directly rebelling and ascending the throne.

Qin Huai is kneading dough for fermented rice steamed buns.

Because it's dish testing, the quantity doesn't need to be particularly large, just enough to satisfy the gold-master father.

Zang Mu is cutting tofu.

Qin Huai knows the famous tofu dish in Huaiyang cuisine, Wensi Tofu, a masterpiece of knife skill showing off, but what Zang Mu is cutting is clearly not Wensi Tofu.

Zang Mu is carefully cutting the tofu into small diamond-shaped pieces. The movements are very slow, and it looks plain at first glance, but a careful comparison reveals that his knife is decisive, and the size, shape, and incision of each piece of tofu are exactly the same, which can be called a 1:1 replica.

Qin Huai is practicing knife skills now, and he hasn't even figured out how to cut radishes, so he is very clear about the gold content of being able to cut tofu like this.

Qin Huai is almost blatantly staring at Zang Mu.

As Tan Weian's good brother, Zang Liang naturally heard Tan Weian say that Qin Huai is actually a half-way monk and doesn't know much about many common-sense things, so he explained thoughtfully:

"My master is going to make Pingqiao Tofu."

"Pingqiao Tofu?" Qin Huai pondered for a while and confirmed that this dish was not on Huang Ji's menu.

Huang Ji's menu only has Eight-Treasure Tofu, Crab Roe Tofu, and Wensi Tofu.

"Pingqiao Tofu is also a famous Huaiyang dish, but compared to other famous dishes, it is more home-style, but it is not completely unknown. This dish was once selected for the Manchu-Han Feast. My master is very good at making tofu dishes, and his best is Pingqiao Tofu."

"The most unique thing about Pingqiao Tofu is the seasoning. Normal dishes are seasoned with chicken soup, pork bone broth, or fish soup, but only Pingqiao Tofu is seasoned with chicken soup and crucian carp brains."

"Of course, when actually seasoning, it's not just these; you also have to add crab roe and lard."

"And many dishes, in order to prevent scalding guests, are served only after the temperature drops to a suitable level. When Pingqiao Tofu is served, it doesn't look like there is much heat, but it is actually very hot."

"But I think the most difficult part of Pingqiao Tofu is actually the knife skills. The tofu in this dish must be cut thin; the thinner it is cut, the more flavorful it is."

"Many people say Pingqiao Tofu is very home-style, but in fact, the difficulty is not small. Home-style has home-style methods, and high-difficulty has high-difficulty methods. In my master's words, making a show-off dish well doesn't count as true ability; making a home-style dish well is true ability."

Qin Huai nodded. For this last sentence of Zang Liang, Qin Huai agrees very much.

How awesome can home-cooked dishes be when made well? He has already seen it at Cao Guixiang's place.

Really awesome.

Eating ordinary stir-fries every day, it's so fragrant that I wish I could chew the bowl and mix it with rice.

After listening to Zang Liang's popular science, Qin Huai continued to stare at Zang Mu.

Masters like Zang Mu who have good knife skills and slow movements are rare; he must watch more.

Zang Liang:?

Is his explanation not attractive?

Didn't Tan Weian say that Qin Huai likes listening to this kind of explanation the most? The information is wrong; I must have a good talk with Tan Weian when I have time tonight.

Because the quantity is not large, Qin Huai very skillfully and quickly finished the fermented rice steamed buns, San Ding Bao, and Four-Joy Tangyuan.

When the fermented rice steamed buns started secondary fermentation, another savory-dish master for tomorrow's birthday banquet, Tong Deyan, arrived. Unlike Zang Mu, who looks relatively taciturn, Tong Deyan almost wrote the words "don't bother me if you're okay" on his face.

Tong Deyan didn't bring a helper and came alone. After entering the back kitchen, he didn't talk nonsense, let alone exchange pleasantries with Han Guishan and Chen Gong. He pointed to a few helpers and started working directly.

Tong Deyan is a standard Lu cuisine chef. What he handled as soon as he came up were meat dishes: chicken, duck, fish, and big pork knuckles. The work speed was fast, and the knife skills were open and close, which was a completely different style from Zang Mu.

Qin Huai finally understood. Chen Gong looks like he randomly contacted two famous savory-dish masters and chose himself among the pastry chefs because of Xu Cheng's recommendation. Choosing people looks very casual, but in fact, it is carefully considered.

Tong Deyan is responsible for big meat dishes, Zang Mu is responsible for exquisite vegetarian dishes, and Qin Huai is responsible for snacks that look ordinary but contain mysteries.

There are so many famous Huaiyang cuisine chefs in the Jiangnan area. It is not without reason that Chen Gong chose Zang Mu, who was introduced by Pei Shenghua, alone.

Zang Mu is one of the very few Huaiyang cuisine masters whose specialty dishes are not top-tier dishes like braised whole pig head, three-set duck, or braised fish head, but chefs who are good at relatively home-style dishes like Pingqiao Tofu.

The gold content of the golden-medal assistant is still rising.

Zang Mu and Tong Deyan are still busy, and Qin Huai's snacks have come out of the pot first.

Han Guishan is ready.

General Manager Han has taken the initiative to stand up.

Seeing that Han Guishan has already written the words "want to eat" on his face, but the Four-Joy Tangyuan has only been cooled for 1 minute and 30 seconds and still has 2 minutes to go, Qin Huai silently handed over the fermented rice steamed buns that were slightly hot but didn't affect consumption, letting the gold-master father eat a steamed bun first.

【Fermented Rice Steamed Bun B-level】

B-level steamed buns are not bad either.

Fermented rice steamed buns are one of the very few snacks that Qin Huai relies only on the skill point of dough leavening. Before Qin Huai's dough leavening is upgraded, it is also difficult for the level of fermented rice steamed buns to go up.

But it's not a big problem. B-level fermented rice steamed buns are already the eternal white moonlight in the hearts of many old diners at Huang Ji.

Han Guishan didn't dislike the plain-looking fermented rice steamed buns at all, because he had already smelled the rich wine aroma.

A very good-smelling wine aroma.

Han Guishan bit off half of the fermented rice steamed bun in one bite, with a very bold eating style, *chew, chew, chew*.

Nodding while eating. The second bite bit off a small half of the fermented rice steamed bun, and after swallowing it after chewing a few times, he stuffed the last bit of fermented rice steamed bun into his mouth and picked up another one to eat.

Qin Huai wanted to open his mouth to remind General Manager Han not to eat two steamed buns; there are still San Ding Bao and Four-Joy Tangyuan next, both of which are filling.

After the banquet snacks are finished, there are still the pickled vegetable dumplings that Han Guishan specifically wants to eat, and Zang Mu and Tong Deyan on the side are still cooking.

General Manager Han, you are no longer an 18-year-old young man; you have to take it easy when eating!

Qin Huai was about to open his mouth when he was stopped by Chen Gong's eyes.

Qin Huai:?

Could it be that Chen Gong is not loyal to Han Guishan, but just pretending to be loyal on the surface, and actually wants to murder his boss and stuff him to death?

Han Guishan swallowed the second fermented rice steamed bun in two or three bites and looked at Qin Huai excitedly: "Master Qin, what's next to eat?"

"Your steamed buns are really well made, chewy and have a wine aroma, but they don't have that unpleasant taste of wine lees. I've eaten these fermented rice steamed buns elsewhere before, and none were better than yours. No wonder Xu Cheng recommended your fermented rice steamed buns to me."

After speaking, Han Guishan smacked his lips: "It's a pity, I should have taken the time to eat *Guo'er* at Huang Ji before."

Qin Huai was almost amused by Han Guishan's sincere expression of regret, thinking that General Manager Han is really a man of temperament; his first reaction after eating the fermented rice steamed bun was actually that it was a pity he didn't eat *Guo'er*.

"It's not a pity; I should go to Huang Ji for exchange in September this year, and then you can eat *Guo'er* at Huang Ji." Qin Huai said, handing over the Four-Joy Tangyuan.

Four-Joy Tangyuan is the main event and must be eaten by Han Guishan first. If he eats the San Ding Bao first and gets full, he won't be able to eat the Four-Joy Tangyuan, and today's dish testing will be putting the cart before the horse.

Qin Huai has always kept in mind the core of Chen Gong's side quest—let Han Guishan shine at tomorrow's birthday banquet.

If General Manager Han is satisfied today, it's basically half successful.

Hearing that he could eat *Guo'er* in September, Han Guishan was overjoyed and happily took the Four-Joy Tangyuan to eat.

"General Manager Han, eat this one first." Qin Huai pointed to the red bean paste filling.

Han Guishan did as told.

In one bite, Han Guishan's eyes widened, and his eyes were full of "Is this thing a tangyuan?"

If this is a tangyuan, then what did he eat a few days ago?

There is such a delicious tangyuan in this world, and Xu Cheng never told him!

Han Guishan ate it without any hesitation, wolfing it down, *chew, chew, chew*, and in almost the blink of an eye, a bowl of Four-Joy Tangyuan was down his stomach.

Qin Huai:...

Fermented rice steamed buns are steamed buns, so eating fast is fine, but this Four-Joy Tangyuan is a glutinous rice product, and he eats it so fast...

General Manager Han indeed has something.

He should be able to get a good ranking in the big eater speed competition. Regardless of whether his appetite is big or not, he really eats fast!

Han Guishan drank two sips of soup with lingering interest, put down the bowl, and his face was full of "I want to eat another bowl."

Qin Huai didn't dare to let him eat another bowl. If the Party A father was stuffed into the hospital during dish testing, Qin Huai wouldn't be able to judge for a while whether this was a dark history or a great achievement.

"General Manager Han, it's time to eat San Ding Bao." Qin Huai handed over a San Ding Bao, while silently hiding the other steamed San Ding Bao.

Han Guishan took the San Ding Bao with some disappointment, took a big bite, and his eyes lit up again.

Don't say it, this combination is actually quite good. After eating the snack with sweet as the main tone like Four-Joy Tangyuan, immediately eating the salty and fresh meat filling snack has a better effect.

Han Guishan finished the San Ding Bao in three or two bites and wanted to continue with another one.

At this time, Chen Gong spoke: "General Manager Han, Master Qin didn't make many in total, and some are raw embryos that haven't been steamed. Why not pack them back for General Manager Wang to eat fresh."

The General Manager Wang in Chen Gong's mouth is Han Guishan's wife, Wang Jing.

Han Guishan thought it made sense: "Okay, I'll call and ask."

"Jingjing has been losing weight recently and doesn't eat carbohydrates at night. If she doesn't eat, I'll eat more and eat them all at night."

Qin Huai:?

Han Guishan went out to make a call.

After Han Guishan left the back kitchen, Chen Gong explained: "General Manager Han was a peddler in his early years, traveling south and north. In order to save money, he often went hungry, eating dry cakes with cold water every meal. Therefore, he developed the bad habit of eating fast. Plus, General Manager Han also exercises, so his appetite is a bit big."

"Master Qin, if you have time tomorrow, can you make more raw embryos? A pastry chef with such good craftsmanship as you is really hard to find now. Our General Manager Han is usually busy and doesn't have time to go to Hangzhou, so it's not easy to eat a good noodle snack."

"By the way, does your community canteen usually sell raw embryos? If it sells them, we can purchase them regularly. You don't have to worry about shipping; we have cold chain channels here."

Qin Huai:...

Chen Gong, you are really a bit too professional as a life assistant.

Tell me your annual salary so I can give up, otherwise Qin Huai really finds it hard to control the idea of swinging a hoe on the spot and digging Chen Gong to be his own life assistant.

Although Qin Huai is not a domineering president, has no company, and doesn't need an assistant.

But who wouldn't want an excellent employee like Chen Gong?

Not only is his ability excellent, but his name is also very auspicious.

"Our community canteen... does not supply raw embryos for the time being."

If he sold raw embryos, Master Xiao Qin would be exhausted at the Yunzhong Canteen.

"However, if General Manager Han really needs them, I can see the situation and spare some goods every half a month to a month."

"Our canteen has good business, and we are really too busy to handle it."

"Understand, understand. If there are goods, I have to trouble you to contact me at any time, Master Qin. Thank you so much."

After a simple exchange of pleasantries, Qin Huai began to think about how to make pickled vegetable dumplings.

To tell the truth, he hasn't made them.

Pickled vegetable dumplings don't sound very delicious.

The raw materials are still corn flour and pickled vegetables. Corn flour has a rough texture, and to improve the texture, you must mix in white flour. As for how much white flour to mix, it depends on the chef's own consideration.

Through Han Guishan's actions of eating just now, Qin Huai can see that Han Guishan is a gold-master father with normal taste. He knows what snacks are delicious and what snacks are better.

Not to mention that he sells soy sauce, so his aesthetic taste in flavor must be very good.

It's difficult.

It's difficult to make such a simple, even a bit shabby, snack delicious.

It's time to test the dough kneading technique!

Qin Huai rolled up his sleeves and decided to let the gold-master father see his strength, so that he would still look for him for the birthday banquet next year.

General Manager Han is really generous with money.

Making the already awesome big dishes delicious doesn't count as ability; making ordinary home-style small dishes delicious is true ability.

General Manager Han, wait to eat the most delicious pickled vegetable dumplings you've ever eaten!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 300 =====