Chapter 371: Success

Although Tan Weian was hospitalized and the Double Crab Diced Baozi research squad was temporarily short one member, the research progress remained highly encouraging, even accelerating.

How should one put it?

Even though Qin Huai was well aware that there were still issues with what everyone was making—problems in every aspect, such as lack of adaptation, poor synergy, or certain steps not being perfected, or simply a lack of technical skill—he knew exactly where the problems lay.

Knowing where the problems were meant they were no longer problems.

Qin Huai had never felt his team collaborate so tacitly before; perhaps it was because there hadn't been any real team collaboration previously. When making the Four Happiness Tangyuan, it had mostly been him and Zheng Siyuan discussing things, with everyone else working separately.

As for the synergy, it had actually been forged long ago through their previous failures.

Seeing Zang Liang was someone very adept at cooperating with others; perhaps because he wasn't yet a master chef capable of standing on his own, his daily work consisted of assisting master chefs. As for Tan Weian, his skills might not have been as good, and his cooperation might not have been as smooth, but it didn't matter because he wasn't truly essential.

As for Zheng Siyuan, he was simply too familiar with Qin Huai.

He knew Qin Huai's habits when making pastries, he knew Qin Huai's strengths and advantages, and he understood himself even better. Therefore, in cooperating with Qin Huai, Zheng Siyuan was actually the one who did the best.

After the trial and error of the previous six batches, each with its own issues, from the seventh batch onwards, the four-person Double Crab Diced Baozi already looked the part.

"Taste it." Qin Huai handed a bun that had just come out of the steamer—it had cooled for two minutes and was slightly hot but edible—to Tan Weian, asking him to sample it.

Tan Weian was now the optimal taste-tester.

A taste-tester like Seeing Ouyang, who could only focus on quantity rather than quality, was no longer of any use at this stage. It had to be a professional like Tan Weian, even though Tan Weian had already eaten six buns earlier and had even gnawed on two more at noon.

It was just hard on him to eat a bit more.

Tan Weian tried very hard.

He knew that the organization letting him help process sea cucumber was just to give him something to do, but the organization trusting him with sampling the buns was true trust; this was where he could truly shine.

Tan Weian braced himself and took a big bite. His eyes lit up, but he also felt a bit nauseous. He chewed hard, covering his mouth to keep from spitting it out, but in the end, he couldn't help it; he spat it out while chewing, and in the process, he also threw up a bit of the buns he had eaten earlier that were already backed up to his throat.

The scene was chaotic; anyone who didn't know better would have thought Tan Weian was suffering from motion sickness too.

"I think this batch is stronger than the previous ones," Tan Weian said in the gaps between retching. "The dough is the same as before, I don't feel there's much room for improvement, and the crab roe sauce is no different. However, I caught a tiny hint of the sea cucumber's distinct odor, but I feel this flavor pairs very well with the crab roe sauce."

"It's just... just... this is the feeling a Crab Roe Pork Diced Baozi should give me. The previous buns were all lacking a bit. I can clearly taste that it's a bun made from a dish of sea cucumber and crab roe; it has wrapped a good dish inside a bun. The flavor is very unique and delicious."

"It has a very intense freshness from the crab roe, and the unique texture of the sea cucumber. More importantly, it has that distinct sea cucumber odor—calling it a 'strange smell' isn't quite right, but it's definitely not a 'good' smell. But it doesn't affect the whole; it's not a dish, it's a bun. This odor is a very special sensation when placed inside a bun."

"Just... just... *retch*... I think that's it! This time it's correct, no problems!"

All three were moved by Tan Weian's professional spirit.

In fact, when Tan Weian had eaten the fifth bun, everyone could clearly see he couldn't eat anymore. Seeing Zang Liang had advised him to stop sampling, as there were three other people who could do it, and there was no need for Tan Weian to eat all the buns. Previously, Tan Weian wouldn't have eaten so many buns during sampling.

But Tan Weian insisted on doing all the sampling until he saw the dawn of victory, because a good tongue should be used where it counts most. Tan Weian was not only the most useless person in the team, but he was also the most suitable for picking out problems during sampling.

It was his job to pick out problems, and only when the buns were ready for refinement would Qin Huai and the other two need to step in.

Qin Huai poured Tan Weian a cup of tea, Seeing Zang Liang brought over a chair, and Zheng Siyuan found him a new trash can, telling him his work was done and he could rest.

This was truly a work-related injury.

"I don't want to sit now; sitting makes me want to vomit even more. Just let me stand," Tan Weian said weakly, looking up at Qin Huai. "Can our bun be considered a success?"

It was clear that Tan Weian really wanted to make the Double Crab Diced Baozi. Even if he wasn't the one who made the bun, he really wanted to see a successful Double Crab Diced Baozi.

Qin Huai didn't speak, but picked up a bun, took a bite, tasted it carefully, and then nodded and shook his head.

"It's better than the previous ones, but it should still be lacking a little."

Tan Weian: qaq

"*Retch*..."

"You're probably just overstuffed and it's hurting your stomach. I'll find someone to accompany you to the hospital. Wait, I'll call Seeing Ouyang. You shouldn't have eaten all those buns earlier; with your appetite, you couldn't handle that many, you should have stopped long ago."

"*Retch*... I just thought... just a little bit more, if I ate two more, maybe it would be perfect... *retch*..."

Learning that Tan Weian had actually eaten himself into the hospital, Seeing Ouyang, who often ate until he was stuffed, was deeply moved. He felt that although Tan Weian lacked ability, this spirit was the model for their sampling circle, and he immediately borrowed a car to take Tan Weian to the hospital.

After sending Tan Weian off, Seeing Zang Liang sighed: "This is the first time I've seen Tan Weian work this hard, though not on cooking."

"He never worked this hard even when his grandfather scolded him for not being able to make pastries. Does he really want to make the Double Crab Diced Baozi that much?"

Qin Huai could actually understand Tan Weian: "Perhaps it's because he participated, and this is the closest he's ever been to success."

"When we were researching the Four Happiness Tangyuan last time, although he helped, he didn't actually have any work to do; he just watched from the sidelines."

"Actually participating and watching from the sidelines are two different experiences. Tan Weian is very lazy, but that doesn't mean he isn't ambitious. Not to mention that the Double Crab Diced Baozi recipe was actually his great-grandfather's, and he loves crab roe pastries so much. He probably wants to make the Double Crab Diced Baozi more than any of us, only he lacks the ability and has never said it."

"I see," Seeing Zang Liang said thoughtfully. "So his grandfather's previous 'carrot and stick' teaching method didn't suit him. Tan Weian doesn't respond to beatings, and rewards don't work either; he has to be forced to practice."

"Forced hard."

"I have to tell Master Zhou this good news. Right now, the person Tan Weian fears most in Zhi Wei Ju is Master Zhou."

Qin Huai:...

Although Seeing Zang Liang really seemed to be Tan Weian's good brother, because they could both taste a 'buff' when eating Crab Roe Pork Buns and were the first to think of each other, this brotherhood of yours seems a bit...

Like you want each other's lives.

"Let's continue," Zheng Siyuan said. "Since Tan Weian said this bun is stronger than the previous ones, let's keep pressing our advantage."

The three of them continued making Double Crab Buns.

They worked until 7:00 PM.

The office workers who came to the Cloud Middle Canteen to snap up food after work were overjoyed, especially those who had taken leave in the morning to snap up the Crab Roe Pork Buns.

Taking leave in the morning was a special effort, holding a heart of 'must succeed or die trying.' Even if their boss blew up their phone and threatened to deduct their bonus, they insisted on queuing at the Cloud Middle Canteen until they bought the Crab Roe Pork Buns.

When they had already snapped up and eaten them in the morning, their mindset was different when they came to queue in the afternoon.

Just queue casually; what if they could buy some?