NOVEL NEXT Chapter 171
The afternoon in Haishi was a bit hot, and the three of them stayed in the hotel room without going out. Little Lu Xiyao, who had just gotten a flick on the forehead, was a bit sulky. Her pouting lips looked like they could hang an oil bottle.
"Yaoyao, want to watch Detective Conan?"
The previous cartoon Tom and Jerry had just finished. Shen Muyan held the remote, unsure of what to play next. But the little one was still upset about getting flicked. Her face was stiff, and she didn't look like she could be coaxed without at least one popsicle.
"Hmph hmph hmph~!"
The little girl hugged Lu Qin's arm, curled up on the sofa, and gave Shen Muyan a glance, her stubborn little temper flaring. She never got mad at Lu Qin, but as for Shen Muyan—well, she figured it was fine to act a bit wild around her.
Seeing Lu Xiyao's intentionally scrunched-up face and her grumbling noises, Shen Muyan couldn't help but laugh. Her smile bloomed like a flower. This made the little one even more upset. She kicked her little feet and shook Lu Qin's arm.
"Daddy, look at Mommy~!"
She was still angry, and Mommy was laughing. Lu Qin smiled. He also thought her pouty expression was funny, but he gave Shen Muyan a knowing look. Kids just needed a little coaxing.
"Alright, Yaoyao, don't be mad. Mommy will take you shopping tonight."
"Hmph hmph hmph~!"
The little one wasn't very interested in shopping. Lu Qin quietly took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to Shen Muyan.
Shen Muyan glanced at her phone and then said to Lu Xiyao with a smile, "Haishi has a local orange soda in glass bottles, it's pretty good. Yaoyao, want some?"
Orange soda?
The little girl's eyes lit up, and her pretend unhappiness instantly disappeared.
"Yes~!"
Lu Qin and Shen Muyan exchanged smiles. When it came to their little girl, nothing couldn't be solved with one popsicle. If one didn't work, then two. Or you could swap popsicles with other snacks or drinks. Shen Muyan made a call to the front desk. The hotel's dining department had the orange soda. Soon, a server delivered three bottles.
The soda came in glass bottles and was not like the artificial ones from the 70s and 80s that cost 50 cents a bottle. This local Haishi brand was made with real fruit juice and even had orange pulp inside. The ingredients were clean. A small 300ml bottle cost 12 yuan. All three were ice-cold. The soda was tangy and sweet with a fizzy kick—pretty tasty.
"This orange soda is pretty good. We should bring some back," said Lu Qin after taking a sip.
Xiyao happily gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Bring more! Yaoyao loves it~!"
Lu Qin playfully tapped her little nose.
Shen Muyan usually didn't drink sugary beverages, but lately, their little girl had been obsessed with osmanthus oolong milk tea. Even though Lu Qin made it himself, it still had some sugar, which wasn't ideal for a child.
So Shen Muyan often took half of it to reduce the load. Eventually, she developed a taste for drinks too. But only the ones Lu Qin made—like the osmanthus oolong or iced mung bean smoothie. She didn't like store-bought ones. This orange soda was okay, but not as good as Lu Qin's drinks.
After finishing the soda, the two adults watched an episode of Detective Conan with the little one. It was the "Mountain Villa Bandaged Man" episode—a childhood nightmare. It scared the little girl so much she covered her face and buried herself in Lu Qin's arms.
"Daddy, it's so scary~! Boo hoo hoo~!"
After twenty minutes, the culprit was caught, and she finally stopped being scared. But then her tummy grumbled.
"You hungry?"
Lu Qin looked down at her.
"Mm~!"
She nodded.
"I'm hungry too," Shen Muyan said coolly.
Lu Qin thought for a moment and asked, "How about Persian pastry?"
"Persian pastry?"
"Is it new?"
Both Shen Muyan and Lu Xiyao's eyes lit up.
It already sounded delicious!
The little one blinked and asked, "Daddy, what's Persian pastry~?"
"It's a dessert. You mix lard into flour, wrap it with sweet filling, and fry it until crispy. Eat it hot with rock sugar white fungus soup—tastes amazing."
As soon as Lu Qin said that, mother and daughter instantly craved it.
Persian pastry… sounded so good!
Anticipation was maxed out!
Lu Qin called the manager of the Kailuo Hotel—who was the one that had welcomed them to Haishi. Since the three were guests of Ouyang Lin, the hotel manager was especially attentive.
"Manager Xu, could you check if your kitchen has the ingredients—high-gluten flour, candied dates, and rose preserves? My daughter wants to eat something I'll cook. I'd like to borrow the kitchen to make a dessert."
As soon as he heard it was just borrowing the kitchen, Manager Xu happily agreed. He called the kitchen, then quickly called Lu Qin back and told him it was all arranged—just head to the third-floor kitchen.
"You two wait here. I'll go make the Persian pastry."
"Okay~!"
Shen Muyan and the little one nodded like obedient bunnies. When Lu Qin arrived at the kitchen, a young staff member was already waiting. It wasn't meal time, so the kitchen wasn't crowded. Besides prep and cleaning, only two chefs were present—one pastry chef and one dessert chef. The ingredients Lu Qin needed were common, so the kitchen had them.
As soon as Lu Qin stepped in, a bunch of staff came to watch him. The chef circle was small. Word spread fast. Especially since Lu Qin had just impressed everyone at Wangjing No. 1.
People heard that the chef Ouyang Lin brought from Jiangcheng to make liver paste soup was actually a young guy named Lu. He had made a classic Sichuan dish—twice-cooked pork—and outshone Head Chef Gu. In just half a day, Lu Qin's reputation had spread.
"Chef Lu, please come in."
"Manager Xu said you're making dessert for your daughter? What a great dad!"
The two chefs welcomed Lu Qin in. They were excited to see his skills. They'd only heard about him before—now they could witness it.
Lu Qin noticed them all watching and asked, "You all know me?"
"Haha, we heard what happened at Wangjing No. 1. Chef Gu is one of the top Sichuan chefs in Haishi, and you beat him so easily—amazing!"
Hehe, just lucky,Lu Qin thought,So that's why.
All the ingredients were already prepared on the counter.
The pastry chef smiled and said, "Chef Lu, here are the ingredients you asked for—high-gluten flour, sugar, candied dates, rose preserves, and lard shortening."
"Need anything else, just say the word."
Lu Qin nodded.
"You're the pastry chef, right? Can you help me steam the dates?"
He had noticed some flour on the middle-aged man's clothes—clearly a pastry chef.
"My pleasure," the man said and rolled up his sleeves at once.
Being experienced, he knew that if the dates were to be used as filling, the pits had to be removed before steaming. So he got to work.
Lu Qin began preparing the dough.