Chapter 452: Living (Part 5)

After Qin Huai looked up, he saw a shattered Ling Guangzhao.

Qin Huai:?

Just how much did Ling Guangzhao eat? How did he get so stuffed? It feels like he's about to pass away.

Upholding the principle of seeing the act through to the end, Qin Huai lowered his voice and asked slowly, "Do you think there is anything else about my dim sum that could be improved?"

Ling Guangzhao silently swallowed the tears in his heart and screamed internally: Aside from the fact that these dim sum won't be sold at Babaozhai, there is nothing that needs improvement.

But Ling Guangzhao didn't say that. He just managed to squeeze out a smile that wasn't very well-disguised, looking as if he were nauseous from overeating, and said, "It's quite good. I've been abroad for the past few years and haven't eaten much dim sum. The dim sum you made, Assistant Xiao Qin, is already the best I've ever had."

"Boss Ling, you are truly a kind person. I know my dim sum still has many shortcomings; you are just trying to encourage me. If you hold another exchange meeting next year, or if I have the chance to come to Beiping again, I hope you can still help me taste my dim sum like you did today. By then, my skills should be even better than they are now," Qin Huai said with a smile.

Ling Guangzhao: Wuuuuuuuuuu.

Assistant Xiao Qin is praising me for being a kind person. Oh, my master pastry chef, Huang Ji, I hate you!

Ling Guangzhao forced a smile: "Certainly."

Tong Deyan:...

What are these two doing? Why does he feel like these two are putting on a show in front of him, yet he seems unable to understand what they are acting out? Each of them is immersed in their own role, unable to extricate themselves.

Tong Deyan expressionlessly took a bite of a Diced Baozi. The dough was fluffy, the juices were abundant, and it was savory and delicious—an absolute masterpiece. No matter which restaurant it was placed in, it would be a presence that could hold its own.

Tong Deyan stared at Qin Huai.

How is this kid improving so fast? It's so fast it almost defies the basic laws of nature.

Could this be the advantage of having a brain problem? Although Ling Guangzhao has some issues with his brain, he is indeed quite good at doing business.

Qin Huai, of course, didn't know Tong Deyan and Ling Guangzhao's internal monologue, and he didn't care much either. He simply felt that both of these people were quite good, especially Ling Guangzhao.

Qin Huai and Ling Guangzhao added each other on WeChat. When Ling Guangzhao heard that Qin Huai and Zhao Chengan would be staying in Beiping for a few more days, he waved his hand and extended their hotel stay. At the same time, he indicated that Qin Huai could play for as many days as he wanted, and Babaozhai would cover the flight tickets back, no matter how late.

He might as well have written the words "wealthy and imposing" on his face.

Qin Huai was very moved by Boss Ling's generosity and silently opened Ling Guangzhao's Moments, liking everything that was visible.

The hidden task was completed. Qin Huai really wanted to return to the hotel to watch Zhao Chengan's memory first. Tong Deyan, on the other hand, went on strike halfway through preparing dishes and ran to Qin Huai's side to forcefully watch. The dishes originally expected to be finished by 5 o'clock would now be delayed until at least after 6 o'clock.

Qin Huai used the excuse of not resting well last night to ask Tong Deyan if he could return to the hotel to rest for two hours and come back to Babaozhai around 6 o'clock.

Tong Deyan didn't care about such things and nodded in ready agreement. Ling Guangzhao, listening from the side, almost shed tears again.

Wuuuuuuuu, Assistant Xiao Qin didn't rest well, yet he still arrived as promised this afternoon to make dim sum at our Babaozhai. How can such a good dim sum chef not be mine? Wuuuuuuuu.

On the way back to the hotel, Qin Huai couldn't help but quietly send a WeChat message to Tong Deyan, asking if something had happened to Ling Guangzhao recently—for example, if his stocks went red, his investments failed, or his girlfriend dumped him. Why did he feel that Ling Guangzhao's emotions were fluctuating so wildly this afternoon, being all jumpy?

Tong Deyan calmly replied to Qin Huai, telling him not to worry about him, as he was always like that, and then continued cooking.

After returning to the hotel, Qin Huai first announced the good news that his hidden task was completed in the "Loving Family" group chat, then put down his phone, locked the room door, clicked on the game panel, and selected 【A Segment of Zhao Chengan's Dream】.

Selected Yes.

What arrived before the visuals was the fragrance of food.

The kind that was mouth-watering.

There was no difference from the previous memory, except that the clothes worn were neater, the person was fairer, no longer a little mud doll, every fingernail gap was clean, and Zhao Chengan, who didn't look as much like a fool, was holding a large chipped bowl. In the bowl was a large portion of bean rice with vegetables that were almost overflowing, squatting at the kitchen door to eat.

It wasn't the kitchen door of Taifeng Restaurant, nor was it the kitchen door of Chen Qiusheng's house; it looked like the kitchen door of that wealthy family.

This kitchen was very large, and there were quite a few people working inside, both men and women. Outside the kitchen was a courtyard. The ground was very clean, paved with bluestone slabs, with no clutter piled up, and even some flowers that weren't very good-looking were planted.

The mouth-watering fragrance Qin Huai smelled didn't come from Zhao Chengan's large bowl, but from the kitchen. Just by judging from the aroma, Qin Huai could smell the fragrance of fish soup, braised mutton, and pork knuckle. In this era, such a configuration of food couldn't be eaten unless it was a wealthy family.

However, Qin Huai didn't intend to go into the kitchen to take a look; all his attention was attracted by the youth beside Zhao Chengan.

A person who, like Zhao Chengan, was holding the same type of large bowl without chips, squatting at the kitchen door eating expressionlessly, wearing equally neat clothes, and was also equally clean—a person whose change was so great that Qin Huai almost didn't recognize him—

Xia Sheng.

Xia Sheng had changed a lot.

He had grown taller; even while squatting, Qin Huai could clearly see that he was a head taller than before. If the previous Xia Sheng was a child who definitely didn't look 9 years old and was severely malnourished, then the current Xia Sheng could be called a robust youth in this era, and even calling him an adult wouldn't be an exaggeration.

The food in Zhao Chengan's and Xia Sheng's bowls was the same: small green vegetables stir-fried with lard, looking very verdant and green. Covering the vegetables was a piece of tofu drizzled with sesame oil, the tofu being white and tender. Beside the tofu was preserved meat stir-fried with dandelions; the preserved meat was sliced very thin, and it could be seen that it was preserved meat with eight parts fat and two parts lean, very oily but not good-looking. In the corner, there was also a clump of stir-fried leeks with eggs, the kind with more leeks and fewer egg shreds.

Even the soybeans spread under the vegetables were soybeans mixed with pearl barley and white rice—an absolute luxury version of bean rice. ===== CHAPTER 453 =====