Chapter 369: Good Brothers

On the morning of the second day, Zheng Zheng Siyuan, Zang Liang, and Tan Tan Weian all asked for leave and skipped work for the morning, the reason for the leave being that they wanted to go to the amusement park to eat the shaved ice they didn't get to eat yesterday.

To this, Qin Huai indicated:?

Is it that delicious? How come he didn't taste it when he ate it yesterday? He felt it was very normal shaved ice and very expensive.

No wonder that shop dared to sell at this price in the amusement park; it seems it must have its unique features.

Even though Yunzhong Canteen lost two white-case pastry chefs and main staff meal managers in the morning, diners still flocked in and queued frantically. The errand runners queued all the way from the canteen entrance to the corner of the road, and office workers in nearby office buildings didn't hesitate to ask for leave for two hours, just to queue while writing reports on their phones.

The desire to eat Master Xiao Qin's new product was clearly expressed.

Master Xiao Qin also didn't live up to everyone's expectations, and the whole morning could be called full firepower, with crab roe and pork buns enough. From stir-frying filling, kneading dough, wrapping buns, to steaming, all were fully responsible by Master Xiao Qin, ensuring every fold on this bun was pinched by Master Xiao Qin's own hands.

Qin Huai's speed of making pastries was obvious to all; this was practiced since he was small in the breakfast shop, focusing on racing against time, large quantity and full, fast if possible.

Master Qin, who pulled the supply to the full, and the special-offer crab roe and pork buns used for practice that hadn't been truly priced yet, made new and old diners almost crazy.

Everyone even sold a sense of grabbing, as if it would be too late if they didn't buy it.

To the extent that Huang Xi, who originally felt it was just buns and no need to limit the quantity, had to urgently launch a limit-purchase policy, stipulating that each person could only buy 5 buns each time.

Even if it was an errand runner, they could only buy 5 each time. As for whether there would be people acting as scalpers and queuing to resell buns...

Huang Xi could only say that the grandpas and grandmas of Yunzhong Canteen weren't vegetarians either. If it was just purely errand runners taking orders, the grandpas and grandmas could still turn a blind eye. But if scalper reselling really appeared, the grandpas and grandmas would definitely strike with a heavy fist and execute justice.

Just kidding, we don't have enough to eat ourselves, and you still want to resell? What are you thinking?

When Zang Liang, Tan Tan Weian, and Zheng Zheng Siyuan returned from the amusement park at noon, this was the scene they saw.

Even though they had seen it once yesterday, Zang Liang was still stunned.

"Is every time Qin Huai launches a new product... like this?" Zang Liang was shocked to the point of being dumbfounded, his chin almost dislocated.

"Get used to it," Tan Tan Weian said, looking like a brother who hadn't seen much of the world, "You should have heard of Huang Ji's business last year, right? Since Master Huang's waist injury relapsed, the business hasn't been very good. Guess what happened after Qin Huai went? Instantly came back to life, especially after Huang Ji was on *Zhiwei*, it almost became an internet-famous shop."

"At that time, as long as pastries were mentioned, the first one mentioned was Huang Ji. Those who didn't know would think it was a white-case restaurant, and our Does Zhi Wei Ju was selling stir-fried dishes."

Zang Liang retracted his almost dislocated chin and began to count how many guests were queuing at the door, looking at his posture, he even wanted to estimate the current passenger flow of Yunzhong Canteen.

"I know Huang Ji's business was very good after New Year's Day. My master and I also went to Huang Ji to queue for *Guo'er*," Zang Liang said while counting. "At that time, we were sharing a table, and even shared with your Does Zhi Wei Ju's Master Liu, who also went secretly."

Tan Tan Weian:?

"Master Liu also went secretly?! I asked him last time, and he said he didn't come. I just said, I seemed to have seen him!"

"But... Huang Ji is Huang Ji, and Yunzhong Canteen is Yunzhong Canteen." Zang Liang sighed in a very shocked voice. "In Huang Ji, everyone knows what Qin Huai's level is. He is Master Qin who is on *Zhiwei*. Huang Ji was originally a high-end restaurant, whether it was dish price, decoration, or taste, guests had already... before stepping in."

"Zheng Zheng Siyuan is also different when he is in Huang Ji and when he is in his own pastry shop!"

"When he is in his own pastry shop, isn't he just Master Xiao Zheng selling pastries at the entrance of a residential area?"

Zheng Zheng Siyuan, who was emo because he didn't realize any truth after eating two bowls of shaved ice, gave Zang Liang a cold look, scaring Zang Liang into shrinking his neck. He didn't know why, but he always felt he saw murderous intent in Zheng Zheng Siyuan's look.

"That's different," Zheng Zheng Siyuan said.

"Even if the guests nearby don't

"But they have a sense of taste, and at the same time, they have a passion for dim sum."

"The love and support of the customers are priceless."

Zheng Zheng Siyuan glanced at Zang Liang: "The sense of achievement gained from these customers is greater than what you'd get in a high-end restaurant. If you don't believe me, you can go open a small stir-fry shop at the entrance of your residential complex."

Zang Liang blurted out: "That won't do. When Qin Huai makes dim sum, at least it's a large portion that fills you up, and he can still earn a lot by selling it cheaply. I make Huaiyang cuisine here; if I sell it cheaply, what will I earn money with? I'm counting on my skills to get rich and open a high-end restaurant of my own."

Tan Tan Weian:?

Buddy, you have that kind of ambition?

"But were the steamed buns Qin Huai made yesterday really that delicious?" Zang Liang smacked his lips, as if trying to savor the taste of the buns he had eaten yesterday. "I don't really remember what happened after getting off the roller coaster yesterday. Did I vomit not long after eating that bun?"

Tan Tan Weian nodded affirmatively: "You did. When you were vomiting, Seeing Ouyang had just returned with the medicine. He was shocked to see you vomiting after eating the bun, thinking the bun was so terrible it made you sick."

Zang Liang was shocked: "That happened?"

Zheng Zheng Siyuan no longer wanted to deal with these two people; they hadn't been quite normal since they got off the roller coaster yesterday.

Zheng Zheng Siyuan bypassed the crowd, walked straight into the changing room, changed his clothes, and walked into the kitchen. He saw Qin Huai and Shi Dadan eating steamed buns at Seeing Ouyang's exclusive seat, the two of them video-calling Cao Cao Guixiang while eating.

Because his exclusive seat was occupied, Seeing Ouyang moved a small stool and sat in the corner to eat, eating very happily.

In front of Qin Huai and Shi Dadan were three plates of stacked steamed buns, three full large plates, looking very astonishing; anyone who didn't know would think it was the scene of a competitive eating contest.

Qin Huai's state was relatively normal; he held a bun in his left hand, nibbling it slowly while chatting with Cao Cao Guixiang, unhurried and steady.

As for Shi Dadan, it was a full-blown speed-eating challenge; he ate one after another and couldn't stop at all, not even having a gap to speak, only able to nod his head from time to time and make "mm-mm" sounds.

Anyone who didn't know would think Qin Huai was the referee of this challenge.

"So, you chatted with Old Shi for a while, ate a serving of shaved ice, and then realized it after stuffing yourself with filling." Cao Cao Guixiang on the other end of the video was also eating, holding her rice bowl while speaking and laughing. "Come to think of it, Old Shi deserves some credit too. It's thanks to him catching two good fish and insisting that mailing them wasn't safe, that he had to fly them over to you personally, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to have this chat."

Shi Dadan nodded frantically.

"I really have to thank Old Shi." Qin Huai nodded sincerely, not just because Shi Dadan gave him that crucial memory, but also because of the last thing Shi Dadan said. Looking at the memory alone, it would have been impossible for Qin Huai to find the correct line of thought so quickly and realize the true essence of the filling. "Master, do you think there's any problem with my current method?" Qin Huai asked.

"I don't think there's any problem at all." Cao Cao Guixiang held her bowl. "I've seen the recipe for the Double Crab Diced Baozi, and I also watched how you made the current Crab Roe Pork Diced Baozi this morning. This is the logic, this is the method."

"Of course, there are definitely better methods, but with your current level, you absolutely couldn't achieve them. You have already thought of the optimal solution that your current ability can complete."

Shi Dadan continued to nod frantically, not caring what Cao Cao Guixiang said; he just nodded anyway.

Qin Huai grasped the keyword.

"You know there is a better method."

Cao Cao Guixiang's smile faltered. Pretending that the rice in her bowl was really delicious, she lifted the bowl and lowered her head to eat, blocking her face.

"You knew how the Double Crab Diced Baozi should be made all along, and you also knew that my previous line of thought had been problematic, but you just never said anything."

"Isn't that right, Master?"

Facing Qin Huai's questioning, Cao Cao Guixiang lowered her head and took two more bites of rice before pretending that she had just been too hungry to eat, putting down the bowl and smiling: "That's how it is."

"But I definitely didn't not say it on purpose. It's mainly because, in many cases, what a master teaches and what a disciple realizes on their own are two different feelings, two different states, and two different harvests."

"Look, you've realized it yourself now, don't you feel great? But if I had told you directly last week when you first encountered difficulties and hit a dead end, you wouldn't have had this current feeling and harvest."

As Cao Cao Guixiang said this, her face carried a bit of guilt—the guilt of a master who clearly knew the problem the disciple was having, but waited and watched as the disciple hit the wall several times, just to see how the disciple hit the wall.

"Of course, if you had been stuck on this problem for a long time, like a month, two months, or even until July or August without figuring it out, then I couldn't just sit by and do nothing; I would have had to remind you or teach you directly."

"It's mainly that I didn't expect you to figure it out so quickly. Old Shi went over, chatted with you, and you understood. Old Shi, when exactly did you eat a similar bun?" Cao Cao Guixiang asked with some curiosity.

When Cao Cao Guixiang asked this question, Shi Dadan happened to swallow the last bite of the bun, and his mouth was free, so he had time to speak.

"It was when I was still running a restaurant, I ate it once in Gusu. I was always running around out of town back then, you know."

Cao Cao Guixiang nodded and continued to ask Qin Huai: "Then Huaihuai, when do you plan to start making the Double Crab Diced Baozi?"

"I'll make it when Zheng Zheng Siyuan and the others return; they went to the amusement park this morning." Qin Huai bit into a bun. "I can make the Crab Roe Pork Diced Baozi by myself, but the Double Crab Diced Baozi requires their help."

"With my current level, whether it's processing the sea cucumber or stir-frying the filling, I can't meet the requirements of the Double Crab Diced Baozi. Since they aren't here this morning, I'll just make some Crab Roe Pork Buns to practice, and start making the Double Crab Diced Baozi when they return in the afternoon."

Just as Qin Huai finished speaking, Zheng Zheng Siyuan stood behind him and said: "We're back."

Qin Huai turned his head in surprise: "You're back so early? The amusement park is quite far, I thought you wouldn't be back until the afternoon. Eh, where are Zang Liang and Tan Tan Weian? How come only you are back?"

"Those two are outside counting heads." Zheng Zheng Siyuan said expressionlessly. "Don't worry about them, they'll come in once they're done counting."

"I'm going to knead the dough first."

"Eh, aren't you going to eat some buns?"

"No, I ate Joy Tangyuan at the shaved ice shop."

Qin Huai:?

Is the Joy Tangyuan at that shaved ice shop that delicious? Isn't it just ordinary frozen Joy Tangyuan?

What exactly is so appealing about it? No, he has to go to the amusement park to taste it next time.

Since Zheng Zheng Siyuan had gone to knead the dough, Qin Huai felt embarrassed to be idle, so he hurriedly finished his bun and went back to stir-fry another pot of filling to make the final batch of Crab Roe Pork Buns, waiting for Zang Liang and Tan Tan Weian to finish counting outside and come back to work.

Yes, Tan Tan Weian also had to work.

As an important member of the Double Crab Diced Baozi research team, Qin Huai felt that just letting Tan Tan Weian provide the recipe was too unfair to him; no matter what, Tan Tan Weian had to have some sense of participation.

Tan Tan Weian had even given the recipe; if he didn't learn anything or play any role in this research, wouldn't that be treating him like a connection-based hire?

Even if he really was a connection-based hire, he couldn't be treated like that.

Qin Huai had already arranged Tan Tan Weian's work: processing the sea cucumber.

Zheng Zheng Siyuan's job was to season the sea cucumber and substitute for kneading the dough; Zang Liang's job was to simmer the crab roe sauce and stir-fry the filling; Qin Huai was responsible for the most critical overall seasoning and kneading.

If one wants to make the Double Crab Diced Baozi the best, it must be Zheng Zheng Siyuan's processed sea cucumber + Zang Liang's crab roe sauce and stir-fried filling + Qin Huai's overall seasoning and dough.

If the requirements aren't that high and it's just about making it, many procedures can be swapped. Zheng Zheng Siyuan can randomly insert himself into any step except the overall seasoning, until he learns the overall seasoning and can independently make the Double Crab Diced Baozi.

Zang Liang and Tan Tan Weian counted heads for a full quarter of an hour. The two of them might really not have been very clear-headed these past two days, as they actually stood outside the Yunzhong Canteen and calculated the customer flow. But since the two of them combined couldn't even scrape together a college diploma, they couldn't calculate anything after a long time, and they got hungry, so they could only go in to find food.

Then they were each stuffed with a few buns by Qin Huai, who told them to hurry to their workstations and work.

Zang Liang started working with a bun in his mouth, only taking the first bite after pouring the crab roe sauce into the pot, and then he sighed.

"Holy crap, this Crab Roe Pork Diced Baozi Qin Huai made is really delicious. One bite and I remembered how I used to pin Tan Tan Weian to the ground and beat him up when we were kids."

Qin Huai:...

No, what is going on with you two good brothers? I know you have a good relationship, good enough to get a buff from eating, but why are all the fragments you recall about pinning each other to the ground and beating each other up?

No wonder you two can be good brothers.

One practices savory dishes, the other practices pastry, a red-and-white PK, is that it?

(End of chapter)