Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle

"Getting guidance from a master every day, ordinary apprentices can't be happier. Not to mention that you don't have to pay them a salary, even if you ask them to pay you a little money each month, I believe they'd be willing."

Zheng Siyuan had put it this way, and Qin Huai had no reason to feel embarrassed or worried. The apprentices at Zhiwei Restaurant were indeed hard-working, diligent, professionally skilled, and brewed tea well, serving it frequently. They were always thanking Master Qin and saying they were bothering Master Qin, which made it hard not to like them.

"I'll finalize this matter with Boss Su on WeChat later. How many helpers do we roughly need here?" Qin Huai asked.

Zheng Siyuan glanced around the kitchen, counted the number of cooking stations and stoves.

"Yunzhong Restaurant's kitchen is quite large, maybe 5 to 8. You are a bit short of hands here; the staff isn't low in number, but their efficiency is lacking."

"Tell Boss Su to pick two or three with decent skills, at least ones who can handle some simple pastries independently, plus 5 regular apprentices. This way, even if both of us have to devote ourselves to researching Double Crab Buns in the future and don't have much time to make snacks, Yunzhong Restaurant can still ensure regular snack supply, albeit with slightly lesser taste."

"I can also make fewer buns and steamed buns."

Zheng Siyuan said the last sentence with a smile. From his smile, Qin Huai saw the heart of Little Zheng, the pastry maker who had returned to the leisurely life at the entrance of the district, unwilling to be overburdened.

It was evident that after being relaxed for over a month, Little Zheng found it challenging to adapt to the current high-intensity work.

Indeed, this kind of workload increase must be gradual.

Qin Huai also reflected internally that he shouldn't have handed over all the Three Meat Buns and Fermented Rice with Steamed Buns to Zheng Siyuan. The group of elders in Yunzhong District were skilled at flattering; they quickly figured out Zheng Siyuan's temperament, giving daily false praises that increased Zheng Siyuan's workload day by day.

Ultimately, Little Zheng bore all the burden.

Qin Huai glanced at the seniors sitting seriously in the hall, all eagerly looking at the window, anticipating the fresh meat mooncakes to come out.

"Don't worry, I will talk properly with Boss Su and try to get a couple of exchange students like Tan Wei'an over!"

"We must get Tan Wei'an over!"

The recipes in Tan Wei'an's Treasure Bag are numerous, occasionally pulling out an impressive one. Getting him here is not only a good pastry helper but also an important member of the Double Crab Bun research team.

Moreover, Tan Wei'an has a good palate; he made significant contributions during the Four Happiness rice testing, and this time, he can taste for the Double Crab Bun research.

After the discussion, Qin Huai returned to the cooking station to continue chopping radishes while taking an online class, sharing the recent happenings with Cao Guixiang.

It's only fitting that Zhiwei Restaurant is the most famous pure pastry restaurant in the country, even Cao Guixiang, who retired years ago far away in Qiu County, heard of Zhiwei Restaurant's name.

"If that's the case, aren't you going to Zhiwei Restaurant for an exchange in the latter half of the year?" Cao Guixiang was very interested in the exchange with Zhiwei Restaurant, "This is a good opportunity, back when I was learning to cook, there was no chance for everyone to exchange skills with each other."

"Why?" Qin Huai was curious. In his view, it's normal for chefs to exchange ideas, and it seems chefs are quite willing.

His previous exchange at Huang Ji was very pleasant, and they paid him a handsome salary at the end, a combination of learning skills and earning money.

"Afraid of stealing skills," Cao Guixiang laughed, "At that time, information wasn't developed, and exchanges among chefs were minimal. Each household and faction had their unique skills and secret recipes. Some secrets are very simple, and if one wants to steal, they can definitely learn it."

"Incidents where a longstanding business closed due to stolen secret recipes were common. Skills were the basis for livelihood, some masters feared teaching apprentices lest they learn too much and surpass the master, let alone exchanges between different restaurants."

"It's understandable that people were cautious with each other during those days; I was born in peaceful times, but my master's and master's master's generation lived in turbulent times. Things couldn't be guaranteed; disaster could strike at any time, so people cherished whatever they had and guarded it tightly."

"Back then, if a master voluntarily suggested exchanging and learning from each other, it was a blessing, and everyone was extremely happy and expectant, eager to welcome them with open arms."

"Did such masters exist?" Qin Huai asked curiously.

"Yes." Cao Guixiang nodded with a smile, "There were quite a few, but many exchanges were very superficial. Thorough, deep exchanges involving each house's unique skills, as far as I know, there was only one."

"But that master was from my master's master's generation, my master met him, but I didn't. When I was learning to cook, I heard from my master about that master's deeds and really admired him."

"In times when all restaurants in Beiping guarded their secrets jealously, fearing others would steal their recipes or unique skills, Jiang Chengde from Taifeng Building took the initiative to visit all major restaurants in Beiping for learning and exchange, the first one he sought was my master's master."

"It was indeed unprecedented, during visits, he directly proposed exchanging the Jiang family's unique skills for my master's master's Tan Family Cuisine's techniques."

Qin Huai was stunned hearing Jiang Chengde's name, he knew very well how impressive this chef was; he still couldn't fully understand Jiang Chengde's locust flower buns video teachings.

"Did your master's master agree?" Qin Huai quickly asked.

"He agreed." Cao Guixiang said, "My master said back then, because my master's master set a good example by mutually promising to exchange unique skills without leaking, and they indeed kept that promise. Other masters from different restaurants gradually agreed to learn and exchange with Jiang Chengde, enabling Jiang Chengde to integrate multiple skills, learn from the best, and become Beiping's undisputed number one chef."

"Actually, some say my master was Beiping's number one chef, but my master told me he couldn't claim that title because he had seen the true skills of the real number one chef. He understood what it meant to look up to someone and never reach their level, hence he never assumed that title."

"What happened to Jiang Chengde later? His successors or apprentices should be remarkable too, right?" Qin Huai marveled.

Cao Guixiang shook her head: "I don't know."

"Later, due to war and Beiping's fall, his whereabouts became unknown. My master said he had 7 sons, but their whereabouts were also unclear; at least, by the time I left Beiping, there was no news of their future developments."

"The constant turmoil and unrest in those days made the major restaurants in Beiping very willing to learn and exchange, but gradually they reverted to their old ways. During my cooking days, there were occasional exchanges, but it wasn't frequent. Usually, it was with someone they were very close to or trusted completely."

"So Xiao Qin, you must cherish the opportunity to exchange at Zhiwei Restaurant; it's something many chefs dream of."

"Without an inheritance, to some extent, it's both a disadvantage and an advantage. If you had a lineage, during exchanges, others might have reservations. But you don't, which is why I, Master Huang you mentioned before, and Master Zheng are willing to share our knowledge openly."

"A blank slate is the easiest to educate; otherwise, different households' philosophies and schools might create chaos if taught carelessly, much like martial arts novels suggest, one might fall into a trap if not careful."

"I understand, I sincerely thank you, Master Cao."

"Don't just thank me; next time you come back, make sure to prepare some snacks. Grandpa Zhang loves them."

"Definitely!"