Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle

To make ordinary buns so well, there must be something commendable about it.

The progress Qin Huai made over the entire New Year period was greater than he imagined and had ever seen before.

"Si Yuan, Zheng Siyuan! Have you listened to what your dad is saying? I'm telling you, the problem now is very crucial. You have to find out properly, this society is not like back in the day, back then it was all..."

Zheng Siyuan swallowed the last bite of the bun and said helplessly, "Dad, stop thinking about it. Although I didn't get a good look this afternoon, I still heard something."

"The skill level of this Master is definitely high, and willing to spend time and effort to teach personally; they can't be a fraud."

"If this Master wants to take Qin Huai as an apprentice, then there's no chance for you."

Zheng Da: ...

"So stop overthinking and asking around. This Master didn't retire in recent years; she retired decades ago. Back then, with underdeveloped information, you couldn't possibly know every retired master chef."

Zheng Da was shocked: "What? She retired decades ago after making enough money?! What kind of cuisine was she making to earn so much money? Is Cantonese cuisine really that profitable?"

Zheng Siyuan: ...

"Enjoy your holiday, and don't contact me unless necessary."

"If something comes up, I'll call you. Unless something unexpected happens, Qin Huai and I will start working on the Double Crab Bun from tomorrow. If there are any issues, I'll call you. I'm going to sleep now, bye."

With that, Zheng Siyuan hung up the phone mercilessly.

On the other end of the phone, Zheng Da: ...

"This unfilial son!" Zheng Da said angrily, "He calls me when there's something up, but when I have something, I can't call him. It's simply absurd!"

Zheng Da's wife was applying a facial mask and gave her husband a glance, complaining, "Don't you know our son's character? If he starts working as a spy and still listens to you, then there's something wrong with him."

"The son's right, stop overthinking. I've also seen Xiao Qin and tried his Four Happiness glutinous rice, and his skills are very good, not much worse than yours. The key is that he's smart. Trying to take him as an apprentice is out of the question; get some sleep early. Rather than doing this, why not find some suitable girls for your son? Those you introduced to him before were not suitable."

"Doesn't the son like those in the same industry? There are many female pastry chefs, think of a way to introduce a few more."

With that, Zheng Da's wife went to remove her facial mask.

Zheng Da: ... It's not that easy. The last time I introduced the daughter of the Zhiwei Restaurant's boss, this unlucky son of mine rejected her because he didn't think her snacks were any good. It almost made the Su family tear him apart.

How did Zheng Da get saddled with such an unlucky son? These days are really unbearable!

Saddened and angry, Zheng Da opened a food delivery app on his phone and ordered a herbal jelly to cool off.

.

The next morning, when Qin Huai arrived at the Yunzhong Restaurant, Zheng Siyuan had already finished wrapping the wontons.

The morning joggers, both grandpas and grandmas, had all started eating.

They were delighted, offering praise, all saying that coming early was indeed worth it. Although Master Qin was unlikely to show up in the morning, Master Xiao Zheng was here!

With Master Xiao Zheng here, there's hope for breakfast.

The elders had it all planned out, taking turns to compliment. The compliments had to be professional and at a high level without repeating; the duplication rate had to be low to ensure Master Xiao Zheng stays for breakfast.

"Why are you here so early? Didn't I tell you yesterday afternoon that Chen An is in charge of breakfast at our canteen? You don't have to come early to make breakfast." Qin Huai said while cooking wontons.

Zheng Siyuan said, "I'm used to it."

"I don't know why, but once I come here, once I sleep in that room, I can't help but want to get up early to make wontons."

Qin Huai: ...

Sorry, Zheng Siyuan, it's all your brother's fault for turning you into a workhorse, triggering key actions when you enter specific scenarios.

With the wontons in the pot, Qin Huai asked An Youyou to keep an eye on them and lift them out when ready. Cooking wontons doesn't require very high fire control skills, just the right timing.

Qin Huai went to knead the dough.

Chicken Soup Noodles don't require proofing, so making them is really quick. The broth was prepared by Zheng Siyuan yesterday afternoon and is still simmering on the stove, ready to use.

Qin Huai thought that noodle dough is more basic compared to bun and bread dough, as it doesn't require proofing, making it more forgiving. Its upper and lower limits are both very low, so many noodle-loving families make their noodles themselves.

"Youyou, I remember yesterday you said you know how to knead the dough but not very well." Qin Huai intended to promote An Youyou, offering her additional training to enhance her skills, making it easier for promotion, a raise, reaching the peak of life, and then awakening.

An Youyou was still by the pot of boiling wontons and nodded, "Yes, my dad usually doesn't let me knead the dough. He makes me help with wrapping buns or chopping vegetables. I can knead the dough, but not as well as my dad, and my dad isn't as good as Master Qin."

A very illustrative progressive relationship.

"Kneading dough requires strength; you have the strength, but you haven't learned the skillful way to use it." Qin Huai slowed down his actions on purpose, "Look, when kneading dough, the actions seem fast, like you're just using brute force to knead the dough ball, but it's actually a slow process that can be broken down into several steps."

"From your palm to the center of your palm, every part should touch the dough. Different points exert different forces, and the direction of the force also varies. Just like learning to hold a knife is essential before cutting vegetables, learning to knead dough should come first when making snacks, starting with learning how to use your strength."