Chapter 375: Four-Joy Roll

There was no internet on the plane, and Qin Huai happened to be sitting next to a spirit with whom he could speak freely and chat about anything. After the plane took off, Qin Huai, very rarely, did not immediately open the game panel to watch the video tutorial for Jiang Mi Nian Gao, but instead started a chat mode with Shi Dadan.

After spending so many days with Shi Dadan, Qin Huai discovered that when chatting with Shi Dadan, you have to ask questions that hit the point.

If you ask him something very general, he can't explain it clearly. It's not that Shi Dadan is deliberately not saying it, nor is it because he is stupid. The Shi Dadan of the first life was visibly not very smart, but the Shi Dadan of this life is already very normal. Many times, he doesn't say it because he doesn't realize that this is the point that needs to be said.

Take the time Qin Huai finished reading his memories as an example. After knowing which memory Qin Huai was looking at, Shi Dadan could tell Qin Huai about the things that followed in great detail, telling him what kind of person Xu Nuo was, and telling him about the mental journey of buying the recipe for the Double Crab Bao, but he would just forget to say the most critical point: that the Crab Roe Pork Bao that Xu Nuo finally made was completely different from the very first one.

Because in Shi Dadan's cognition, his good friend Xu Nuo was the most important; as for how the dim sum was, he didn't have much of a concept.

Other things are the same.

For the Shi Dadan of the first life, everything except Xu Nuo was unimportant. He was Xu Nuo's recognized good friend at that time. Wang Laogen was actually also Xu Nuo's friend, but Shi Dadan hadn't even met Wang Laogen (canteen encounters don't count), and he wasn't interested in Wang Laogen as a person either.

Because Shi Dadan didn't care.

The Shi Dadan at that time didn't care about colleagues, didn't care about passersby A, B, C, or D. Except for caring about what to eat in the canteen every day, and what Xu Nuo told him to eat at night, he only cared about Xu Nuo as a person.

This behavior is outrageous when placed on a human, but it is very reasonable when placed on a spirit.

"Old Shi, besides the Crab Roe Pork Bao, are there any other dim sum that Xu Nuo made that you thought were particularly delicious?" Qin Huai asked directly.

Chatting with Shi Dadan has to be like this: get straight to the point, don't do those twists and turns. Shi Dadan can't understand too many twists and turns now.

Whenever Shi Dadan doesn't understand, he will show his iconic honest and slightly questioning expression.

Hearing Qin Huai ask this, Shi Dadan swallowed the baozi in his mouth and started to think seriously.

"I think everything Xu Nuo made was delicious." Shi Dadan said, "If you want to talk about particularly delicious ones... does the Four-Joy Roll count?"

"Four-Joy Roll?" This was the first time Qin Huai had heard of this kind of dim sum. Four-Joy Tangtuan, Four-Joy Dumplings—dim sum particularly likes to use auspicious words like "Four-Joy Eight Treasures" to name things. Qin Huai once suspected that there might be a Four-Joy Bao he didn't know about. He didn't expect that he didn't hear about a Four-Joy Bao first, but actually heard about a Four-Joy Roll first.

"What is a Four-Joy Roll? Is it a flower roll?" Qin Huai pursued.

"Maybe. Zheng Da should know about this dim sum. The state-run restaurant would sell it every year during the New Year. It looks like a flower roll. No, it's completely different."

"Anyway, it's rolled layer by layer like a flower roll, but it's not a whole big roll, but a circle divided into 4 small rolls. It looks like a flattened, cut-open flower roll. The small rolls inside look like cloud patterns. Yes, that's it, cloud patterns. I even asked Xu Nuo what those small rolls were called."

"Wish-fulfilling Roll?" Qin Huai asked.

"Maybe. It's a bit like the cloud patterns on the Wish-fulfilling Roll that Guli makes every day."

"And this flower roll has filling. The upper part is rolled with green onions, and the lower part is rolled with minced meat. Sometimes it's minced pork, and sometimes it's minced ham."

"Xu Nuo said that under normal circumstances, it should be rolled with minced ham, but ham is expensive, isn't it? The state-run restaurant selling this during the New Year was originally for good luck. If it was sold too expensively, many families wouldn't be willing to buy it. Basically, it was mainly rolled with green onions, then dipped in a little minced meat, brushed with more oil, and it would have a meaty taste when eaten."

Hearing Shi Dadan say this, Qin Huai had a rough idea of this dim sum in his heart. This is a dim sum that looks relatively simple at first glance, like a beautiful flower roll with filling, but is actually very difficult to make.

Because it has wish-fulfilling cloud patterns.

Just this cloud pattern alone is very difficult to make.

Why has Guli been practicing a Wish-fulfilling Roll for so many years and is still practicing? It's because he can't make the cloud patterns of the Wish-fulfilling Roll. Dough will encounter many uncontrollable factors during the leavening process. If it's deep-fried or baked, it might be easier to control, but steaming is the hardest to control.

Why is it said that flower buns are difficult? Good-looking and beautiful flower buns can be called works of art. It's because they are difficult to control during the steaming process. Flower buns are works of art.

The Four-Joy Roll is the same.

In a sense, its difficulty is even greater because it not only has to control the shape but also the taste.

The Four-Joy Roll has filling, a combination of half green onions and half ham, paired with such a high-difficulty shape. This seemingly simple filling must have its purpose.

Shi Dadan has eaten many good things in two lifetimes. He can specifically remember this dim sum, and even remember the name, shape, and ingredients so clearly, which shows that this Four-Joy Roll must be delicious enough to leave a deep impression on Shi Dadan.

"I think I understand." Qin Huai nodded and pursued, "So Xu Nuo particularly liked this dim sum, which is why he made it himself. Did he learn his Four-Joy Roll from Master Jing Lixiang?"

"Seems like it." Shi Dadan indicated that he wasn't very clear either, "When I met Xu Nuo, he already knew how to make Four-Joy Rolls. I heard Brother Liu from our motorcade say that this Four-Joy Roll seems to be particularly troublesome, so Master Jing Lixiang would only make it during the New Year."

"It was also sold very cheaply, but each person could only buy one, limited supply for good luck, right? When I joined the motorcade in the first year, Brother Liu also reminded me to remember to buy one."

"But didn't I give all my monthly money tickets to Xu Nuo? So I specifically told Xu Nuo before the New Year to leave a money ticket for a Four-Joy Roll for me."

"Xu Nuo told me not to bother, and to go to his house for dinner during the New Year. He said that although Master Jing Lixiang's skills were better, in order to sell it cheaply, the meat in the Four-Joy Roll was ordinary pork filling, not minced ham. His family had ham, and he would make many Four-Joy Rolls every New Year because his grandmother particularly loved eating them."

"And Factory Manager Xu was actually not stingy. He just couldn't stand Xu Nuo not taking the college entrance examination, not going to work in the factory, idling all day, doing nothing, and liking to eat good things, so he deliberately withheld Xu Nuo's money tickets."

"Anyway, until the year Xu Nuo and I died, every year before the New Year, Factory Manager Xu would specifically entrust someone to buy ham or exchange things for ham. During the New Year, Xu Nuo's family's Four-Joy Rolls were definitely enough."

"I've eaten the Four-Joy Rolls made by Master Jing Lixiang, and I don't think they were as delicious as the ones Xu Nuo made."

"Maybe it's because ordinary minced pork is not as delicious as minced ham."

Being able to let Shi Dadan say that the Four-Joy Rolls made by Master Jing Lixiang were not as delicious as the ones Xu Nuo made is definitely a super high evaluation of Xu Nuo's skills. Even with the filter of a close friend, it is still a super high evaluation.

As he spoke, Shi Dadan seemed a bit hungry. He smacked his lips, glanced at the baozi he hadn't finished, didn't have much desire to continue eating baozi, and swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"I had forgotten, but now that I think about it..."

"Since I was reincarnated, I have never eaten a Four-Joy Roll during the New Year."

At the same time, a game prompt sounded in Qin Huai's mind.

"Ding, congratulations to the player for discovering a new side quest. Please check it on the game panel."

Qin Huai:?

No way, it turns out that many side quests can be dug out from Shi Dadan's side. The reason they couldn't be dug out before was just because Shi Dadan had forgotten and hadn't thought of them.

What kind of trigger mechanism is this?

"Wait a moment, I triggered your side quest. Let me take a look first." Qin Huai said in a low voice and clicked on the game panel.

【Side Quest】:

3. 【Shi Dadan's Longing】: As a Dang Kang who is not very smart and doesn't have a very good memory, Shi Dadan has many beautiful memories, and the flavors hidden in the memories are actually things he can't remember. It's just that when these flavors symbolizing beautiful memories surge into his heart but fail to surge onto the tip of his tongue, Shi Dadan feels a little lost. He longs to taste these delicacies again, which may also be the reason why he insists on staying in the human world. Please let Shi Dadan eat a Four-Joy Roll that satisfies him and satisfy Shi Dadan's longing.

Quest Reward: 【A segment of Shi Dadan's memory】

Qin Huai finished reading the quest details. It was a very simple, clear, and easy-to-understand quest, much better than those riddle-like quests before. This is the quest that he, the protagonist of the novel, should trigger.

"What quest did you trigger?" Shi Dadan asked curiously.

"A side quest to make Four-Joy Rolls for you." Qin Huai said concisely, adjusted his sitting posture, and straightened his back, "Old Shi, let's not focus on this quest for now. Before that, I have another question to ask you."

"Think quickly now, are there any other dim sum that left a particularly deep impression, are particularly delicious, and that you want to eat? Think quickly!"

Shi Dadan:?

Until they landed, Shi Dadan couldn't think of a dim sum comparable to the Four-Joy Roll. He actually said the names of some dim sum, but none of them triggered a side quest, which shows that he didn't want to eat them that much.

However, Qin Huai was not without gains. At least Shi Dadan knew a lot about this dim sum and knew who could make it—

Zheng Da.

When Shi Dadan met Zheng Da, because Zheng Da talked a lot and liked to chat, Zheng Da once mentioned to Shi Dadan that Master Jing Lixiang was forcing him to practice Four-Joy Rolls. At that time, Master Xiao Zheng, who was still an apprentice, was very troubled and had a headache because of this.

After all, for the neighbors in the vicinity, the Four-Joy Roll symbolized the joy of the New Year. If you didn't make the Huaihua Mantou well, you would at most be scolded a few times, but if you didn't make the Four-Joy Roll well, you would be scolded severely.

It can be seen from the fact that Qin Huai hasn't seen Zheng Da make Four-Joy Rolls for so long since he knew him (of course, Zheng Da never takes the initiative to make any high-difficulty dim sum, especially this kind of dim sum that looks simple but is actually very difficult and thankless). Zheng Da is either not very good at making Four-Joy Rolls, or he doesn't like Four-Joy Rolls very much.

And the main information Shi Dadan can provide is: the minced ham version of the Four-Joy Roll is much more delicious than the minced pork version; minced ham is the version answer.

That's enough.

Next, Qin Huai only needs to show a humble, bright, and satisfying smile to Zheng Da the first moment he sees him at the entrance of the high-speed railway station.

What Qin Huai didn't know was that his advance notice of a flash attack on Suzhou also disrupted many people's plans.

For example, Zheng Da returned to Suzhou from Sanya overnight, asked the cleaner to clean the house where Qin Huai lived before, and Gong Liang and his wife moved back to the house next to Qin Huai's again. Don't ask; asking means they like the atmosphere of the old residential area.

By the way, Zheng Da had already bought the house where Qin Huai lived before.

Zheng Da arrived at the high-speed railway station an hour early to pick up the station, which was very rare.

His heart was actually very complicated.

Zheng Da knew very well in his heart that Qin Huai would most likely not take him as a master. This thought had appeared in his heart countless times, and he had confirmed it countless times. He had tried many times and given up many times. It was always repeating, just like a "licker" chasing a male god/goddess who reviews every night whether the male god/goddess loves him/her.

The answer was actually already in their hearts, but they were unwilling to believe it.

Zheng Da knew his advantages very well, and he also knew his disadvantages very well. If he really had the idea of tricking Qin Huai into being his apprentice while Qin Huai hadn't seen the world at the beginning, this idea disappeared after he understood what kind of person Qin Huai was and truly saw Qin Huai's talent.

He felt that this idea was too despicable. Sometimes he even felt that he was not worthy of Qin Huai and could not be Qin Huai's master.

But he really wanted to be Qin Huai's master. A bright pearl would not be covered in dust, but Zheng Da was at least the first person to wipe the dust off the pearl.

Zheng Da had never thought that the two words "cherishing talent" could appear on him.

After all, Zheng Da's reputation in the chef circle over the years had not been very good. As long as he was mentioned, he was associated with a businessman full of the smell of copper. Master Zhou of Zhi Wei Ju had not looked at Zheng Da very pleasingly for many years. It was only after Zheng Da carried out recipe reforms in the past two years, mass-produced many dim sum that could not be mass-produced originally, and they tasted good, and sold mid-range dim sum at low-end prices, defeating many dim sum shops that were making up the numbers, that he looked at Zheng Da differently, which could be considered rectifying the industry from a certain point of view.

Of course, Master Zhou still didn't look at Zheng Da very pleasingly. He felt that Zheng Da had this level, and if he were a proper pastry chef, he would definitely be able to make a name for himself, and he wouldn't earn much less than he does now. After all, his brain is flexible and he can make money doing anything.

To put it bluntly, Master Zhou just disliked Zheng Da for being lazy.

Zheng Da hadn't cared about this for many years, and he didn't expect to make a name for himself in the culinary circle. Every year when he burned paper for his master during the New Year, Zheng Da would repent that he was his master's beloved apprentice but failed to shine in the culinary world.

It was only after meeting Qin Huai that Zheng Da truly had the thought of whether he should return to the culinary world.

Of course, it was just a thought.

Zheng Da had been lazy for so many years, and he really couldn't be diligent.

But knowing in his heart and truly facing it were two different things.

When Zheng Siyuan told Zheng Da that Qin Huai seemed to have a master, and that master was more serious and responsible than him, more powerful than him, more selfless than him, more suitable to be Qin Huai's master than him, and even had many, many recipes and secret methods, Zheng Da was unable to accept it at first.

It was clearly him who discovered this bright pearl first.

Seeing the bright pearl living better, Zheng Da was naturally happy, but at the same time, he also had some unwillingness.

He particularly wanted to ask the bright pearl, is your current Bole good to you? Is he that good? Is he really that good?

He also wanted to ask the bright pearl, will you still call me Master Zheng when you see me?

In such a complicated mood, Zheng Da came to the high-speed railway station an hour early to wait for people, and organized his language for a full hour.

Then he saw Qin Huai dragging his suitcase, smiling and waving at him, walking towards him.

"Master Zheng!" His bright pearl called him in a familiar tone.

At this moment, Zheng Da only felt a thousand emotions.

"Master Zheng, I heard that you can make Four-Joy Rolls. I've been very interested in this dim sum recently. Do you have time to guide me during this period?"

Zheng Da:?!

Four-Joy Roll!

At this moment, many bad memories surged into Zheng Da's heart. He thought of the painful memories of making Four-Joy Rolls with full confidence in his early years, failing miserably, being crazily dissed by neighbors behind his back, and after returning home, his father, mother, aunt, uncle, and uncle also coming to ask him how he could make Four-Joy Rolls like this during the New Year.

Oh, this damn thankless dim sum, it looks so simple, but it's actually so difficult to make.

Who, who leaked the news that he could make Four-Joy Rolls?

It was clear that he had been making them secretly at home during the New Year all these years, and he hadn't even told Huang Shengli.

Zheng Da instantly cast his gaze on his own son, Zheng Siyuan.

Zheng Siyuan said very calmly: "On the high-speed train, Qin Huai asked, and I said Dad, you can make them."

"You can make them originally, and I can't."

Qin Huai, who never fights an unprepared battle, specifically mentioned this dim sum casually on the high-speed train, and then got the answer he wanted from Zheng Siyuan's mouth.

Zheng Da: Unfilial son!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 376 =====