Chapter 402

Su Gan's communication efficiency was very high. That same evening, Qin Huai received a text message from Su Gan, telling him that Zhi Wei Ju could arrange the exchange as early as the day after tomorrow.

The day after tomorrow.

Qin Huai was stunned when he heard this specific time.

You have to know, this kind of exchange is not just a casual two or three-month training session in another city.

Qin Huai is not an ordinary apprentice; he is a Master Chef. If he goes to Zhi Wei Ju, he will definitely be treated as a Master Chef. Zhi Wei Ju would have to arrange a dedicated cooking station for him, contact suppliers for the dim sum he specializes in, and simultaneously resolve a series of miscellaneous issues and minor troubles that Qin Huai couldn't even imagine.

The most critical part is that Zhi Wei Ju very thoughtfully arranged accommodation. There was no need to rent a place; Boss Su had several vacant properties near Zhi Wei Ju for Qin Huai to choose from.

He could live in whichever one he wanted, and Su Gan even sent photos to Qin Huai. They were definitely raw, unedited photos, the kind without a trace of Photoshop.

The efficiency was so high that even Huang Ji couldn't keep up.

You have to know that Qin Huai received the news in the evening, so "the day after tomorrow" meant Zhi Wei Ju was likely leaving Qin Huai one day to pack his luggage and depart. If Qin Huai had received the news in the morning, he suspected Zhi Wei Ju might have told him they could arrange it for tomorrow.

Qin Huai did not give Su Gan a definite answer immediately; he only asked if Zhi Wei Ju could accept it if he didn't have time to go to Hangcheng the day after tomorrow and needed to delay it by a few days. After all, from Su Gan's words, Qin Huai could tell that Zhi Wei Ju's exchange business was very busy.

Qin Huai even suspected that Zhi Wei Ju's exchanges were all booked in advance, and the schedule was basically full. Which dates were booked and which dates were free—the day after tomorrow just happened to have an opening, so Su Gan used his connections to arrange an expedited slot for him.

After 20 minutes, Su Gan informed Qin Huai that it was possible, and that the boss hoped Qin Huai could go to Zhi Wei Ju as soon as possible. Zhi Wei Ju's exchange affairs next month were very busy, and Boss Su also hoped to reserve more time for Qin Huai to exchange.

Qin Huai was very moved and told Su Gan that he would discuss it with everyone tomorrow and give an answer.

Consequently, the next day, Qin Huai arrived at the kitchen early, first making a batch of good-looking Four-Joy Rolls without any cloud patterns, then shaking some lotus root starch balls, and then rolling chicken soup noodles for everyone. In the middle, he even found time to eat the breakfast provided by the Zhi Wei Ju crowd and comment on it one by one. Finally, while Tan Weian and the others were slurping their chicken soup noodles, he announced this bombshell news.

"The day after tomorrow?!" Tan Weian's shocked voice almost pierced the sky, and he nearly spat out the noodles he had in his mouth. "Do you mean I have to go back the day after tomorrow?"

Qin Huai thoughtfully pointed out the loophole in Tan Weian's language: "To be precise, it's tomorrow, because I received the news last night."

Tan Weian was so scared he hurriedly swallowed the noodles he had just stuffed into his mouth, fearing he would accidentally spit them out. As a result, he swallowed too quickly and almost choked to death, hurriedly gulping down several mouthfuls of noodle soup, and only recovered after a fit of coughing.

He had performed a brilliant one-man show all by himself.

"I have to go back to work so soon?!" Tan Weian's face was filled with despair. In his grief and indignation, he ate another big mouthful of chicken soup noodles and gulped down several more mouthfuls of soup.

There was no joy in returning to a familiar place, only despair at the high-intensity work that was about to come.

It was clear that Tan Weian couldn't slack off at Zhi Wei Ju as he did outside.

Qin Huai:...

Qin Huai had to reflect on whether he had harmed Tan Weian by specifically naming him and Gu Li to come to the Yunzhong Canteen for an exchange. Although Qin Huai now understood that sometimes people shouldn't be wound too tight and shouldn't blindly pile on quantity to practice dim sum and grind proficiency, and that sometimes relaxing a bit is quite good, people shouldn't be too relaxed either.

It was meant to give you a sense of relaxation, not to let you purely loaf around.

Tan Weian had been letting himself go a bit too much during this period.

Qin Huai still considered the feasibility of going to Zhi Wei Ju tomorrow; the sooner he went back, the sooner Tan Weian would end his vacation and return to the right path.

But at this very moment, what Qin Huai really wanted to ask wasn't Tan Weian, but Zheng Siyuan.

Qin Huai looked at Zheng Siyuan, who was eating his noodles with a calm expression: "Siyuan, what are your plans? Do you intend to go to Zhi Wei Ju with us, stay at Huang Ji, or return to your dim sum shop?"

Zheng Siyuan chose D among A, B, and C.

"I want to return to the Yunzhong Canteen," Zheng Siyuan said.

Qin Huai & Tan Weian & the nosy Zang Liang & the gossip-seeking Dong Shi: "Ah?"

"Then what about me?" Zang Liang was bewildered. "Qin Huai is going to Zhi Wei Ju, Tan Weian definitely has to go back too, Zheng Siyuan is going to the Yunzhong Canteen, my master hasn't returned yet, I... I'm staying at Huang Ji?"

By the end, Zang Liang himself was hesitant.

Once Zang Liang said this, Dong Shi was completely confused. He suspected he hadn't woken up yet; otherwise, how could he hear such absurd words?

Qin Huai goes to Zhi Wei Ju, Zang Liang stays at Huang Ji, Zheng Siyuan goes to the Yunzhong Canteen—what kind of space-swapping is this?

Oh, wait, one person's position is correct: Tan Weian is about to return to his loyal Zhi Wei Ju, but this only person going to the right place looks like he wants to die the most.

Dong Shi's brain crashed.

In this calm chaos, only Qin Huai barely maintained his sanity.

Qin Huai first glanced at Dong Shi and found him unimportant, then looked at Tan Weian and found him unimportant too.

Then he cast his gaze toward Zang Liang, who was clearly already rambling, and asked: "Why hasn't Master Zang returned yet?"

When Zang Liang first came to the Yunzhong Canteen, he said Zang Mu was going abroad for a one-month exchange, which was why he came to help at the Yunzhong Canteen. Now, the month had long passed, Wang Gensheng had already returned to Shancheng, and Zang Liang was still obsessed with savory dishes at Huang Ji every day, living like a junior brother to Huang Jia. Qin Huai had always thought it was because Zang Liang felt he hadn't learned enough at Huang Ji, so he kept delaying his return.

Plus, once Zang Liang became obsessed with savory dishes, he turned a deaf ear to everything outside. During this period, he had been continuously "offline," with basically zero communication with Qin Huai and the others, so Qin Huai had never been very clear about his situation.

"Eh, didn't I tell you?" Zang Liang was a bit dazed. He recalled it and found he couldn't remember at all. "It's just that when my master went abroad for an exchange this time, he met Master Sun Maochai. Qin Huai, do you know Master Sun? He is a Cantonese chef, a famous chef in Hong Kong. He invited my master to Hong Kong to attend an exchange meeting, and my master won't be back until next week."

Qin Huai realized: "You savory dish chefs have so many exchange meetings."

"These exchange meetings are mainly abroad or in Hong Kong. Many Master Chefs don't want to go back and forth. My master is relatively easy to talk to, so if there's really no one else to go to these exchange meetings, my master goes."

As he spoke, Zang Liang pointed in the direction of Huang Shengli: "Master Huang is famous for not liking to go to exchange meetings unless the meeting is held near Gusu."

Qin Huai expressed his understanding: "If that's the case, you can indeed stay at Huang Ji until your master returns. You are both Huaiyang cuisine chefs, so your professions are a match."

After finishing, Qin Huai cast his gaze toward Zheng Siyuan. Zheng Siyuan had already finished his chicken soup noodles and put down his bowl to start eating the lotus root starch balls. Qin Huai had been shaking the lotus root starch balls for so long that he no longer controlled the quantity to be extremely small for fear of problems, which used to result in the balls being tiny.

However, Zheng Siyuan seemed to have gotten used to eating two lotus root starch balls in one bite, preferring to open his mouth wide to scoop two at once and send them into his mouth. When eating, he chewed very carefully, his cheeks bulging, looking like a chipmunk eating earnestly. "Then Siyuan, why do you want to return to the Yunzhong Canteen?" Qin Huai asked Zheng Siyuan.

Qin Huai really couldn't understand Zheng Siyuan's train of thought. What kind of operation is returning to the Yunzhong Canteen? Is the Yunzhong Canteen run by him or by Zheng Siyuan? He, the boss, hadn't even thought about going back, yet Master Xiao Zheng actually wanted to return.

"To go back and practice the Four-Joy Roll," Zheng Siyuan said calmly. "The customer traffic at my dim sum shop isn't as large as your Yunzhong Canteen, and the feedback given by diners isn't as good as the Yunzhong Canteen."

"If I stay at Huang Ji, my Four-Joy Roll would have to be renamed the Four-Joy Flower Roll, but the styling of the Four-Joy Roll I make is different from yours, so it's easy for customers to see the clues."

"As for Zhi Wei Ju, Zhi Wei Ju has very strict quality control requirements for dim sum sold, and the Four-Joy Roll is absolutely impossible to be sold normally. Moreover, I went to Zhi Wei Ju for an exchange a few years ago, but the time was very short, only two or three days. As far as I know, Zhi Wei Ju doesn't have a dim sum chef who is particularly good at cloud patterns, and Master Zhou just happens to know a few relatively simple cloud-patterned dim sum."

"However, it is very suitable for you to go to Zhi Wei Ju for an exchange. Master Zhou is good at many types of dim sum, including pastry, steamed dim sum, imperial dim sum, and both northern and southern dim sum. However, what Master Zhou is best at is actually 'boat dim sum.' 'Face fruit' is a type of boat dim sum, and boat dim sum is famous for its extremely difficult finger techniques. Master Zhou himself is very good at finger techniques. If you want to go to Zhi Wei Ju to further your finger techniques and Master Zhou is willing to teach, it's a good choice."

Qin Huai looked at Zheng Siyuan, feeling that he hadn't told the whole reason, and stared at him without speaking.

Zheng Siyuan slowly said the last sentence: "The most critical thing is that my dad and Boss Su haven't been on very good terms lately. If I go to Zhi Wei Ju for an exchange, my dad might... make unreasonable trouble."

Qin Huai: 6

Qin Huai already understood everyone's thoughts clearly. Everyone had their own considerations, and the reasons given by everyone were very reasonable. Since that was the case, the Four-Joy Roll research team might as well temporarily split up and fight their own battles, and gather again when fate allows to exchange the progress of their Four-Joy Rolls.

Qin Huai believed that by that time, he would definitely not be the last in the Four-Joy Roll research team.

Definitely not!

Qin Huai is a very decisive person. After a simple discussion and confirming everyone's itinerary, Qin Huai went directly to find Su Gan and told him his plan.

Going to Zhi Wei Ju tomorrow is a bit too hasty. The Four-Joy Flower Rolls at Huang Ji have only been on the shelves for two days and are about to be taken off; this is very irresponsible to both Huang Ji and Huang Ji's customers.

However, Zhi Wei Ju doesn't have an opening next month, so obviously, it can't be dragged out for too long. Therefore, Qin Huai tentatively decided to go the day after tomorrow or the day after that. Qin Huai would inform Su Gan of the specific time by the evening at the latest.

Qin Huai needed to reserve two more days to handle matters at Huang Ji and, by the way, persuade his dear Master Zheng to help him make Four-Joy Flower Rolls.

However, today, his dear Master Zheng didn't seem to have any intention of coming to Huang Ji to guide him.

Qin Huai spent the morning making dim sum as usual, with Four-Joy Flower Rolls interspersed with San Ding Bao, Wu Ding Bao, mung bean cakes, osmanthus cakes, and lotus root starch balls. There wasn't a particularly large quantity; even the Four-Joy Flower Rolls, which were the main focus, were only made in the quantity that ordinary dim sum chefs would make during business hours.

After business hours ended, Qin Huai didn't work overtime either, but instead learned from Tan Weian to relax and slack off—playing on his phone, gossiping, eating dim sum, and wandering around. Since Qin Huai hadn't slacked off for a long time, he felt a bit unaccustomed to it and didn't even know how to slack off, so he basically learned to slack off in Tan Weian's state.

This directly led to Gu Li's look at Tan Weian becoming: Senior Brother, it's fine if you slack off yourself, but how did you even corrupt Master Qin? Although you are my Senior Brother, I still want to say one thing to you with my eyes—

You really deserve to die.

To this, Tan Weian only wanted to shout "injustice" three times.

Of course, Tan Weian's grievance was known to no one, and Master Xiao Qin's slacking off was also forced to end.

After not seeing Zheng Da's figure in the kitchen at 1:54 PM, Qin Huai basically confirmed that Zheng Da was also likely skipping work directly today.

Qin Huai chose to call Zheng Da directly.

The call was answered instantly.

"Hello, Xiao Qin, did you encounter any problems with the Four-Joy Flower Rolls? Is there a problem with the forward roll, the reverse roll, or both? Did you not find the feeling, is the technique feeling weird, or are you dissatisfied with the styling?" Zheng Da's cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Master Zheng, today's Four-Joy Flower Rolls went very smoothly, and I haven't encountered too many problems for the time being. I'm calling you to ask how your neighbor's dog is doing? How is the follow-up visit? Is the gastroenteritis completely cured?" Qin Huai asked respectfully, imitating the tone of Su Gan reporting work.

"Ah, what dog? Oh, it's better, better, better. It's in great health now, can eat and sleep, and was just running in the yard."

"I just... just brought it back from the pet hospital. Now, checking a dog at the pet hospital is too troublesome; even a follow-up visit takes two days, so I didn't go to Huang Ji this morning."

"In the afternoon... do you need me there? If not, I might have something to do this afternoon, so I won't go today, I'll go tomorrow."

From Zheng Da's words, it wasn't hard to hear that his laziness had struck again.

This is normal; this is the real Master Zheng.

Qin Huai continued respectfully: "If you have something to do, you don't need to come today. I'm calling you today mainly to tell you another thing. Yesterday, Su Gan told me..."

Qin Huai concisely told Zheng Da about his plan to go to Zhi Wei Ju and everyone's intentions, and finally asked if Zheng Da could help him make Four-Joy Flower Rolls at Huang Ji for at least a week. With Zheng Da's level, imitating the Four-Joy Flower Rolls made by Qin Huai to make a batch of low-profile Four-Joy Rolls would definitely be no problem.

What answered Qin Huai was Zheng Da's silence.

Qin Huai thought Zheng Da was unwilling, which he could also understand.

For a person as lazy as Master Zheng, making him work at Huang Ji for a week would be more painful than taking his life. He could only think of a Plan B in his mind, seeing if he could let Zheng Siyuan stay at Huang Ji for another week to imitate his Four-Joy Flower Rolls.

It's just that he didn't know if Zheng Siyuan could imitate it well.

Just as Qin Huai was about to hang up, Zheng Da on the other end of the phone screamed in a voice that almost cracked: "What, the one surnamed Su at Zhi Wei Ju is so shameless, urging you to go to Zhi Wei Ju so quickly that he wants you to go the day after tomorrow!"

"Where would Zhi Wei Ju get a dim sum chef who is good at cloud patterns now? Their signature Ruyi Roll has been lost! If there were a Master Chef in Zhi Wei Ju who was proficient in cloud patterns, Gu Li's cloud patterns wouldn't have turned out like that. Master Zhou's technique is better than mine, but when it comes to cloud patterns, he might not do better than me."

"For these decades, which year have I not been quietly practicing cloud patterns at home before the New Year? Does he have as many years of practicing cloud patterns as I do?"

"I saw that he, surnamed Su, had thick eyebrows and big eyes and thought he was a decent person, but I didn't expect him to do this kind of thing, secretly poaching people behind my back."

"Xiao Qin, don't be in a hurry. I'm going to call the one surnamed Su right now and ask him what on earth he is planning!"

"Beep beep beep beep beep..."

Qin Huai:...

Master Zheng, the point you focus on is indeed extraordinary.

(End of chapter)