Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle

Zang Liang's cooking skills made the two meat chefs at Yunzhong Restaurant fall into self-doubt, suspecting that Zang Liang wasn't there to exchange skills at all, but was a new chef hired by the boss to warn them to improve their cooking skills, or else they'd be fired in two months.

Since Cao Guixiang had instructed Qin Huai not to practice thickening himself and instead directly learn in Guangdong Province in a couple of days, Qin Huai held back his urge to thicken sauces and left all the thickening opportunities to Zang Liang.

At this point, friends with good memories might still remember that when Zang Liang came to work this morning, he directly mentioned that he seemed to have grasped a bit of the feeling for thickening. So, did he find the feeling?

Zang Liang felt he did.

Qin Huai felt that Zang Liang still needed some integration to join their feeling faction.

Zheng Siyuan felt that the Crab Yellow Sauce made by Zang Liang's thickening wasn't what he wanted.

Tan Wei'an thought, "What nonsense, even if your thickening skill is good, does Zang Liang understand Crab Yellow Sauce? Does he understand the value behind three generations of sauce making?"

Before Tan Wei'an could give his culinary critique, he just furrowed his brows slightly and said, "I don't think it's quite right," and before he could continue, Qin Huai nodded as if he understood, and directly took the Crab Yellow Sauce to Wang Gen Sheng for tasting.

Tan Wei'an: ...

No, wasn't his role in the team essentially reduced to just tasting Crab Yellow Sauce? Now he doesn't even need to taste it?

Who is this Uncle Wang? He doesn't look like a chef; he doesn't have muscle-bound arms or the calluses a chef should have on their hands. Is he a food critic? Is there any food critic in the country who has extensive knowledge of Crab Yellow Sauce?

Why did Qin Huai ask him to taste the Crab Yellow Sauce? Does he really understand it?

Tan Wei'an almost ground his teeth to bits.

Zheng Siyuan glanced at Tan Wei'an lightly, feeling that Tan Wei'an not only needed to practice his cooking skills but also needed to work on his mindset. Pointing to the Crab Yellow Sauce that had come out of the pot over twenty minutes ago and wasn't ideal for making Double Crab Buns due to its thickening status, he said:

"Qin Huai just kneaded some noodles."

The implication being, if you want to eat noodles with Crab Yellow, cook them yourself.

Gritting his teeth, Tan Wei'an went to cook noodles.

On the other side, Qin Huai and Zang Liang were waiting for Uncle Wang to taste the results.

To be fair, Wang Gen Sheng wasn't a person with strong language skills; his ability was just at an average level. Plus, he wasn't a food critic, and he had nothing to do with the chef industry, which directly led to his somewhat limited language when it came to critiquing food.

Of course, it's still somewhat more than Qin Huai and Zheng Da.

Qin Huai and Zang Liang both watched Wang Gen Sheng very expectantly.

Qin Huai was expectant because he knew Wang Gen Sheng was the only person who had tasted the version of the Double Crab Bun he wanted to make, and all the explanations depended on Wang Gen Sheng. If he nodded, it was okay; if he shook his head, no matter how delicious it was, it wouldn't work.

From a purely technical standpoint, Zang Liang's thickening had no issues. His thickening was standard, straightforward, and with no fancy techniques. As a disciple of the Huaiyang cuisine master Zang Mu, both his skill level and talent were top-notch among the younger generation.

Neither Qin Huai nor the others found Zang Liang's thickening satisfactory, not because they felt his techniques were lacking, but because they felt he hadn't captured the essence that Crab Yellow Sauce thickening should entail.

But these were just their feelings; Qin Huai needed Wang Gen Sheng to taste and prove that their thoughts were correct, so as to convince Zang Liang.

After all, Zang Liang felt his thickening was quite good.

And Zang Liang's anticipation was purely because he didn't know who Wang Gen Sheng was. He thought Wang Gen Sheng was someone Qin Huai had invited specifically to taste the Crab Yellow Sauce, and subconsciously assumed Wang Gen Sheng was a very professional food critic, without considering whether there was such a food critic domestically.

Under the expectant gazes of both individuals, Wang Gen Sheng took bite after bite.

Uncle Wang was quite tense at the moment.

As a Xiezhi, fairness, justice, and honesty were practically etched into Wang Gen Sheng's bones, giving him a strong sense of responsibility. When Qin Huai invited him to taste the Crab Yellow Sauce at the kitchen door, Wang Gen Sheng instinctively wanted to do the task well and identify something unique, preferably writing an on-the-spot review that was no less competent than those Xu Tuqiang posted on friends' circles.

But Wang Gen Sheng found it challenging to achieve what he wanted.

Because he felt that something seemed a bit off with this Crab Yellow Sauce.

Wang Gen Sheng showed a troubled expression.

"Uncle Wang, don't be nervous. Just speak your mind. Even if you find it lacking, boldly say so; only then can it be improved." Qin Huai comforted him.

Wang Gen Sheng nodded and boldly said, "I don't think this Crab Yellow Sauce is quite right."

Zang Liang: ?

Are food critics' languages always this sharp nowadays? Criticizing with no preamble?

"Where does it go wrong?" Qin Huai pressed on.

Wang Gen Sheng pondered, narrowing his eyes, with more wrinkles appearing at the corners and forehead, attempting to pin down something with his face practically writing 'I can't figure it out' across it.

"It just... feels a bit different."

Qin Huai keenly picked up on the keyword.

"A bit different, you've tasted the Crab Yellow Sauce used for making Double Crab Buns, right?" Qin Huai asked.

Wang Gen Sheng nodded, "Didn't I tell you? Maybe I forgot, but honestly, I can't quite recall. That was many years ago."

"After eating the buns, my friend even gave me two cans of Crab Yellow Sauce, saying they were leftovers from making the buns for me to mix with rice at home."

"Actually, I understood his kindness. At that time, I had just started working, and the family situation wasn't great. Most of my monthly salary had to be sent back home, so to save money, I naturally cut back on food and drink. In those days, cafeteria meals could be bought with meal tickets for the main course, a free serving of cabbage was included, and other dishes required extra money."