Chapter 321: The Difficulty of Seasoning

When Qin Huai left Zheng Siyuan's home, he was still carrying half a jar of crab roe paste made by Zheng Da.

In Zheng Siyuan's words, Qin Huai definitely wouldn't be able to eat authentic double-crab buns now, so eating some relatively authentic crab roe paste would suffice.

Zheng Da only made a few jars of crab roe paste each year, and this jar of Zheng Siyuan's had been snatched right out of Zheng Da's mouth. Half for research, half for Qin Huai to eat—this distribution was very reasonable.

Qin Huai happily carried the half-jar of crab roe paste home, forgetting to tell Zheng Siyuan that the snacks he had brought were in the entryway.

This directly led to Zheng Siyuan simmering sauce in the kitchen until past 8:00 PM. When he finished cleaning the kitchen and walked to the entryway, he finally discovered that there were some extra things there.

Two familiar snacks and one not-so-familiar snack.

Zheng Siyuan had eaten the pan-fried radish cakes and mung bean cakes that afternoon and had given them high praise. Both were very common home-style snacks; they weren't difficult to make, but making them taste good was even rarer.

Zheng Siyuan greatly appreciated Qin Huai's idea of selling expensive snacks at a high price and ordinary snacks at a low price, because Zheng Siyuan had been doing the same for many years.

The pastry shop he opened at the entrance of the residential complex sold items at ordinary prices, just twenty or thirty percent more expensive than other pastry shops. The customers were mostly nearby residents and students, with only a few of Zheng Da's friends and old customers of Huang Ji patronizing it.

While selling cheap snacks year-round, Zheng Siyuan would also occasionally guest-star at Huang Ji to sell some high-priced snacks. Although there was no essential difference between these snacks, the price changed once the location of sale changed.

Zheng Siyuan liked to hear customers' evaluations of the snacks he made and liked to see the expressions on customers' faces when they ate his snacks. In Zheng Siyuan's view, price was also one of the ways to satisfy customers. Previously, when researching four-joy tangyuan at Huang Ji, Qin Huai and Tan Weian had specifically asked Zheng Siyuan about this matter, asking if he just wanted to keep running a pastry shop at the entrance of the complex and remain anonymous, or if he wanted to venture into a large restaurant one day and make a resounding name for himself in the pastry world.

To this, Zheng Siyuan's answer was: "We'll see."

He felt that his current level wasn't high enough to stand alone in a large restaurant and suppress the savory-dish chefs, making pastry snacks the dominant force. Let alone dominant, even holding his own was difficult; that pastry couldn't beat savory dishes could be seen from the rankings in the Master Chef Record.

But Zheng Siyuan said very firmly that he would definitely venture into a well-known restaurant in the future, just like Qin Huai had ventured into Huang Ji—years of obscurity, then fame known to all in a single day.

Regarding this, Tan Weian had secretly complained to Qin Huai, saying that Zheng Siyuan was also someone who liked to show off.

Where was he obscure? He wasn't a nobody in the pastry chef circle. It was just that this guy was too much of a homebody; he didn't compete, didn't attend exchange meetings, and didn't work in large restaurants. Everyone wanted to exchange with him and make him famous, but they had no opportunity.

Then Qin Huai asked Tan Weian back, "Don't you want to do that?" It asked Tan Weian into a state of autism.

Tan Weian equally hated everyone who could show off, was good at showing off, and had the strength to show off.

Sorry for getting off track; let's bring the topic back to Zheng Siyuan.

After discovering that there was only one type of plain-looking bun in the bag of snacks that he hadn't seen before, Zheng Siyuan took out the bun without any hesitation and put it in the steamer to re-steam.

The taste and texture of re-steamed buns weren't as good as before, but Zheng Siyuan was an excellent pastry chef; he could minimize the gap very well.

At 8:47 PM, Zheng Siyuan sat at the dining table with the freshly steamed, steaming hot bun and connected the video call from Zheng Da.

Zheng Da was still vacationing in Sanya. Because he was having fun, he bought a suite in Sanya directly, going to the beach to sunbathe every day until he was having a great time, and he had tanned several shades darker.

"Siyuan, eating buns so late?" Zheng Da was a bit surprised to see his son eating buns at this hour, his face showing concern. "Didn't you eat dinner?"

"Dinner should be eaten at mealtime, otherwise it's bad for the stomach. Did Xiao Qin have a video call for an online class with that master who teaches knife skills this afternoon? Did you eavesdrop on the side? What kind of background does that master have? What's their surname, given name, and what do they look like?"

"I asked around this afternoon; there aren't many retired chefs from well-known restaurants near Qu County, and none of them are it. Who exactly is it? Where did they pop out from?" Zheng Da's face was full of confusion.

Zheng Siyuan:...

Zheng Siyuan didn't even want to pay attention to his own father; he stuffed the bun into his mouth with an expressionless face and took a big bite.

Mmm, delicious vegetable bun.

A very ordinary, very plain, very pure, but delicious vegetable bun.

Zheng Siyuan glanced at the mung bean cake still left in the entryway, got up, brought the mung bean cake over, and ate a piece.

Zheng Da was still chattering on, saying that the world was really going downhill, people's hearts were sinister, and as soon as a good seedling stood out, someone would snatch it. It was too dangerous; Qin Huai could encounter a retired chef just by going home for the New Year—it was truly impossible to guard against.

Those who knew, knew Qin Huai was a pastry chef; those who didn't would think he was Tang Seng.

Zheng Siyuan still ignored his father and took another bite of the vegetable bun.

Mmm, the taste of happiness.

Zheng Siyuan discovered that Qin Huai was not only good at making those seemingly high-end snacks, but was even better at making these simple home-style snacks.

Qin Huai had never made cabbage buns before. Zheng Siyuan hadn't paid attention when Qin Huai made cabbage buns that afternoon and had gone home after work without watching much. Now Zheng Siyuan even felt a bit of regret, feeling that he should have watched carefully that afternoon.

Being able to make ordinary vegetable buns this well, there must be something worth learning.

Qin Huai's progress during the entire New Year period was even greater than he had imagined and seen before.

"Siyuan, Zheng Siyuan! Are you listening to your father? I'm telling you, the current problem is very critical; you must inquire carefully. The current society is not like the old days; back then, it was all..."

Zheng Siyuan swallowed the last bite of the bun and said helplessly, "Dad, stop thinking about it. Although I didn't crowd over to watch this afternoon, I did hear some things."

"This master's level must be very high, and they are willing to spend time, energy, and teach personally; they are definitely not a fraud."

"If this master wants to take Qin Huai as an apprentice, you definitely have no chance."

Zheng Da:...

"So stop thinking so much, and don't inquire blindly. This master didn't retire in recent years; they retired decades ago. Information wasn't developed back then; it's impossible for you to know all the retired famous chefs."

Zheng Da was shocked: "What, they made enough money to retire decades ago?! What kind of food do they cook to make so much money! Is Cantonese cuisine that profitable?"

Zheng Siyuan:...

"You go ahead and enjoy your vacation; don't contact me if there's nothing."

"I'll contact you if there's something. If nothing goes wrong, Qin Huai and I will start researching double-crab buns tomorrow. If there are problems, I'll call and ask you. I'm going to sleep, hanging up."

After speaking, Zheng Siyuan hung up the phone without mercy.

Zheng Da on the other end of the phone:...

"This unfilial son!" Zheng Da said angrily. "He calls me if he has something, but I can't call him if I have something. It's simply unreasonable!"

Zheng Da's wife was applying a facial mask and looked at her husband speechlessly, complaining, "Don't you know what kind of personality our son has? If you let him be a spy, it would be a ghost if he paid attention to you."

"The son is right; stop thinking about this and that. I've also seen Xiao Qin, and I've eaten the four-joy tangyuan he made; his craftsmanship is very good, not much worse than yours. The most critical thing is that the person is also smart. You have no chance of taking him as an apprentice; go to sleep early. If you have the energy, it's better to find a few suitable girls for your son. The ones you introduced to him before were all unsuitable."

"Doesn't the son like peers? There are many female pastry chefs; think of a way to introduce a few more." After speaking, Zheng Da's wife went to remove her mask.

Zheng Da:... It's not that easy. Last time he introduced the daughter of the person surnamed Su (the daughter of the owner of Zhi Wei Ju) for a blind date, this unlucky son Zheng Siyuan actually disliked that her snacks weren't good and looked down on her craftsmanship. The person surnamed Su almost tore him apart.

How did he, Zheng Da, with a lifetime of fame, end up with such an unlucky son? This life is really impossible to live!

The grief-stricken Zheng Da opened his phone's food delivery app and ordered a portion of Qingbuliang to cool off his anger.

The next morning, when Qin Huai arrived at the Yunzhong Canteen, Zheng Siyuan's wontons were already wrapped.

The grandpas and grandmas who went for morning runs had already eaten.

They ate very happily, praising it repeatedly, and all expressed that coming early was still useful. Although Master Xiao Qin would most likely not "drop" in the morning, Master Xiao Zheng had come!

Master Xiao Zheng had come, so there was hope for breakfast.

The grandpas and grandmas had all arranged it, taking turns to praise. The words of praise had to be professional, had to have a level, couldn't be repeated, the plagiarism rate couldn't be too high, and they must keep Master Xiao Zheng at the breakfast stall.

"Why did you come so early? Didn't I tell you yesterday afternoon that Chen An is responsible for breakfast in our canteen now? You don't need to come too early to make breakfast." Qin Huai boiled wontons for himself, saying while boiling.

Zheng Siyuan said, "I'm used to it."

"I don't know why either; as soon as I come to your place, as soon as I sleep in that room, I can't help but want to get up early and come over to make wontons."

Qin Huai:...

Zheng Siyuan, I'm sorry; it's all because the brother caused you to become the shape of a cow or horse, automatically triggering key behaviors as soon as you reach a fixed scene.

The wontons went into the pot. Qin Huai asked An Youyou to help him keep an eye on it on the side, and scoop them up when they were ready. Boiling wontons didn't require a very high level of heat control; as long as the time didn't exceed it, it would be fine.

Qin Huai went to knead the dough.

The dough for chicken soup noodles didn't need to be proofed; it was really fast to make. The high-quality broth was simmered by Zheng Siyuan yesterday afternoon and was still simmering on the stove, ready to be used at any time.

Qin Huai felt that the dough for noodles was relatively basic compared to bun dough and steamed bun dough, because it didn't need proofing, so the fault tolerance rate was relatively high, and the upper and lower limits were very low. Many families who loved pasta would make noodles themselves.

"Youyou, I remember you said yesterday that you can knead dough but you aren't very good at it." Qin Huai intended to promote An Youyou, give her more "special training," and let her skill points go up, so that it would be more convenient for "black-box operations," promotions and salary increases, moving toward the peak of life, and then awakening.

An Youyou was still guarding the pot of boiling wontons and nodded: "Yes, my dad usually doesn't let me knead dough, always letting me help wrap buns or cut vegetables. I can knead dough, but I don't knead as well as my dad, and my dad doesn't knead as well as Master Old Qin."

A very vivid progressive relationship.

"Kneading dough requires strength; you have enough strength, but you haven't learned how to use clever strength." Qin Huai deliberately slowed down his movements. "Look, when kneading dough, the movements look fast, just blindly using strength to knead and rub the dough, but it is actually a slow process that can be broken down into multiple steps."

"From your palm to the center of your palm, you have to touch the dough. Different contact points make the strength different, and the direction of the force is also different. Just like cutting vegetables, you have to start by learning how to hold the knife; to make snacks, you have to start by learning how to knead dough, start by learning how to use strength."

"Are the wontons ready? If they are, scoop them up and wait for them to cool down a bit before I eat. You come over first and watch how I knead the dough."

Since Qin Huai had said so, how could An Youyou not hear that the boss was intentionally teaching her and pointing her out to let her progress? She immediately scooped up the wontons with nimble hands and feet, almost cheering as she ran to Qin Huai's side, opening her eyes wide to watch with her heart.

Her face was full of "I want to progress too much."

Not far away, Pei Xing's face was full of "I am too jealous."

Pei Xing's teeth were about to be crushed.

Before, "teeth about to be crushed" was an exaggerated rhetorical device, but now Pei Xing felt it might be an adjective, because his teeth really ached a bit, and his cheeks were a bit sore.

"Why? What exactly did that sycophant An Youyou say to Master Qin yesterday afternoon? Where is she good? Doesn't she just know how to flatter? Her tea brewing is not as good as mine at all!"

Jealousy made Pei Xing separate from his quality.

Pei Xing was so jealous that his voice became a bit sharp: "Why is it that when Master Qin guides kneading dough, I can't understand what he says and have to realize it myself, but An Youyou can stand on the side and watch!"

Li Hua:...

Maybe it's because she is "vegetable" enough, and it's impossible to understand just by listening, so she must stand on the side and watch?

"Knead the dough well." Li Hua could only say this. "You don't want to not understand when Master Qin talks to you later, right?"

Pei Xing kneaded the dough with grief and indignation.

Qin Huai finished kneading the dough at a slower speed, then quickly started hand-rubbing the noodles, asking An Youyou with some expectation: "Did you understand?"

An Youyou shook her head blankly.

She was currently at the level of a senior kindergarten class; letting her watch high school courses was really a bit difficult for her.

Qin Huai was a bit disappointed, but also felt it was within reason, seeing that the Three-Legged Golden Toad didn't have very high talent points in pastry.

The hand-rubbed noodles went into the pot; these were the noodles Zheng Siyuan was going to eat, and Zheng Siyuan would watch the heat himself.

Qin Huai picked up the wontons that were already in a warm state, eating while asking: "How did the crab roe paste turn out after simmering yesterday?"

Zheng Siyuan shook his head: "Same thing; none of them are what I want."

"What exactly is it that you want? I went back and tasted several spoonfuls of the crab roe paste you gave me yesterday. It indeed had a lot of seasonings added: salt, cooking wine, light soy sauce, green onion, ginger, garlic, oyster sauce, white sugar, star anise, and it seems there was also a little cinnamon and Sichuan peppercorn. You also said that crab roe paste needs to be thickened with starch at the end. The crab roe paste made this way really can't taste the original flavor of the crab roe, but the taste is also okay, with a unique flavor. Mixing noodles is definitely delicious, but I can't imagine what it tastes like in buns."

Mixing noodles requires this kind of thick-flavored sauce.

"You'll know when I make it for you this afternoon." Zheng Siyuan said, "Double-crab buns are indeed buns with a very unique taste."

"My seasoning is not as good as my dad's and Master Huang's; I can only say I barely know how to make it. If you let those two come to season it, it would be more authentic."

"Is the seasoning difficulty very high?" Qin Huai asked.

"Very high." Zheng Siyuan nodded solemnly. "The kind where a miss is as good as a mile."

"If the seasoning difficulty coefficient of the crab roe shumai you made before is 5, then the double-crab buns are at least 8."

"The seasoning difficulty of double-crab buns made with crab roe paste can even reach 9."

"Using fresh crab roe and sea cucumber to make bun fillings is really a very challenging and creative thing."

"And that my grandmaster could think of making crab roe into crab roe paste to make double-crab buns, I think it is also very creative."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 322 =====