The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 266 It’s time for Qinjia Village to taste the flavor of Gusu’s New Year

In the kitchen, all the soldiers from the Qin family were deployed.

All the soldiers in the village who could go up also went up.

As everyone knows, Qin Huai returned home late this year, so many ingredients for making snacks need to be prepared in advance.

In previous years, in addition to returning to the countryside for dinner on the day of the Little New Year, Qinhuai would return to the countryside on the 15th at the latest to prepare supplies for the upcoming -day long battle.

This year, Qin Huai did not go to the countryside until New Year's Eve. Many villagers in Qinjia Village were worried that Qin Huai had made a lot of money outside and didn't want to work anymore, so he planned to be lazy during the New Year.

Everyone was relieved when they saw Qin Huai went straight to the kitchen as soon as he got home.

In the kitchen, the helpers have already taken their positions.

Before, when they were on the minibus, Qin Huai had already told Qin Luo about the snacks they were going to have tonight. In addition to the snacks he mentioned, Qin Huai also planned to make tangerine peel tea, stew Gastrodia elata and pigeon, and stir-fry cabbage and meat to put a perfect end to this year.

Due to the tight time schedule and heavy workload, the helpers that the family has trained for many years are obviously not enough at this moment. Qin Huai asks Grandpa Qin and Grandma Qin to issue an emergency call in the village to find helpers with excellent business capabilities and rich work experience.

The salary is a bag of blind box snacks.

Big bag.

There was an aunt from a family at the entrance of the village who ran a hand-made beef ball shop in the town. When she heard about this good thing, she immediately decided not to prepare her own New Year's Eve dinner and came to Grandpa Qin's house with a kitchen knife.

Master Qin, who had just returned from further studies in Suzhou, began to assign tasks to the helpers.

"Mom and Dad, you are all familiar with the ingredients of three-diced buns, five-diced buns, meat buns, barbecued pork buns, vermicelli buns, mushroom buns, and radish buns. Your task today is to lead your aunt, younger aunt, second uncle, and second cousin to prepare these ingredients, and then wait to help make the buns."

"Uncle, Luoluo, your task today is to chop firewood. If you don't have enough firewood, you can chop firewood anytime. It's obvious that grandpa and grandma didn't prepare enough firewood today."

"Grandma, when the steamer starts steaming, you should use your phone clock to keep track of the time. Time is very important. Whether the dim sum steamed today is delicious or not depends entirely on you."

"By the way, is the chicken soup I asked you to help cook yesterday ready? You stewed seven old hens. Is it not enough? That's enough."

If we stew the chickens at home again, all the chickens we raised this year will be killed.

"Grandpa, your task is to chat with the village chief and others outside and accept gifts. Don't let them into the kitchen today. The kitchen is too busy to spare time for greetings."

"Aunt Wang, your task is the most important. You should chop the meat for hand-made beef balls in the same way as you did in the early stage. But it cannot be made too tight. It should be a little loose. Do you understand what I mean?" Qin Huai asked.

Aunt Wang, who applied for the job with a kitchen knife, nodded heavily.

"Third aunt, Sixth aunt, the important task of lighting the fire is now handed over to you."

Seeing that Qin Huai had assigned tasks to everyone, He Cheng, who was suddenly unemployed, was a little confused. In previous years, he chopped wood and made fire at the same time, so why was he unemployed this year?
"Brother, what about me?" He Cheng asked for a job.

"Your task is also very important. You are mainly responsible for making and serving tea."

He Cheng:?
He Cheng didn't understand, so he went to his grandfather's room to look for tea leaves.

Under the command of Chef Qin, the helpers in the kitchen each did their own job and began the intense preparation of dim sum.

The first thing Qin Huai had to do was, of course, knead the dough.

Although his main task for the New Year this year is to make the Four Joys Tangtuan A-grade, today is New Year's Eve, and the New Year's Eve snacks must be rich and colorful. Among the snacks that Qinhuai is good at, noodles still account for the majority.

Qinhuai first kneads the dough for the fermented glutinous rice steamed buns.

We need to make more fermented glutinous rice steamed buns, which are unique, take a long time to ferment, and are simple. Today, there are so many relatives and villagers who come to help, so we can make more for everyone to take back, which can also be regarded as promoting Huangji's special fermented glutinous rice steamed buns to Qinjia Village.

When Huang's was still a state-owned restaurant and Master Jing was still around, it was very popular for nearby residents to go to the state-owned restaurant before the New Year to buy fermented glutinous rice steamed buns to eat during the New Year. Huang Shengli and Zheng Da said that when they were young, the taste of fermented glutinous rice steamed buns was basically synonymous with the taste of the New Year.

Having a plate of braised pork at home during the Chinese New Year is not considered awesome. Having a large pot of fermented glutinous rice wine steamed buns at home during the Chinese New Year is truly awesome.

This year, it is time for the villagers of Qinjia Village to have a taste of the New Year atmosphere that the people of Suzhou celebrated decades ago.

Qin Huai began to knead the dough skillfully.

The task was to light the fire. The third and sixth aunts, who had not yet started working, began to praise skillfully.

"Huai Huai's craftsmanship must be very good. Just looking at the way he kneads the dough, you can tell his skills must be very good." Third aunt praised.

The Sixth Aunt was not to be outdone: "That's not the case. I've known Huai Huai is different since he was little. The movements of kneading the dough are the same as those in the TV series."

"Yes, yes." The third aunt couldn't think of a better word for a moment, so she could only agree.

The third and sixth aunts were just brainless flatterers, but Qin Congwen was really confused.

If we have to find a second person in this kitchen who can barely be called a pastry chef, that person must be Qin Congwen.

To be honest, Qin Congwen feels that his bun-making skills have improved this year.

Before, Qin Congwen only knew that his son was good at making dim sum and that the dough he kneaded was delicious, but he couldn't learn how to do it and didn't know what was so good about it. When he asked Qin Huai, Qin Huai couldn't explain it either.

Qin Huai could only tell Qin Congwen that he felt that this was the way to rub it, and that it was right if it felt right. This kind of stream-of-consciousness communication was only possible between Qin Huai and Zheng Da.

Unable to learn his son’s skills, Qin Congwen’s technique of making buns has remained the same for decades.

This year is different. This year I really learned some skills.

At the beginning, he secretly learned the skills from Chen An. Chen An's buns are better than Qin Congwen's, and he is a professional breakfast chef.

People are like this. If someone is much better than you, you can't see what his strengths are, because you simply can't understand it. But if someone is only slightly better than you, you can still see a little bit.

Qin Congwen made gradual progress by relying on these two things.

After Pei Xing and Li Hua came to Yunzhong Canteen, they made rapid progress. These two were professional white pastry chefs, from Zhiweiju, regular soldiers, and professionally trained. They were not on the same level as breakfast chefs like Chen An. They had theoretical knowledge, understood the white pastry system, and most importantly, had substance in their words, so it was no problem for them to teach Qin Congwen.

As the boss, Qin Congwen humbly asked for advice and accepted the teaching.

Pei Xing and Li Hua were still hoping that Qin Huai would come back from the exchange and teach them well.

Under the guidance of Pei Xing and Li Hua, Qin Congwen's pastry cooking skills have improved by leaps and bounds, and he has the potential to become a professional breakfast chef.

As his level improved, Qin Congwen could see more.

Qin Congwen didn't know if it was because he hadn't seen his son kneading dough for a long time, or if he could understand it after his improvement, but he felt that Qin Huai's dough kneading skills had improved a lot compared to before.

The phrase "things are different now" was not first used to describe him.

Qin Congwen rubbed his eyes and asked Zhao Rong in a low voice: "Wife, do you feel that Huai Huai is different from before?"

"Of course. Look at how fast Huaihuai works now and how skilled he is in assigning tasks. How much work has he done at Huang's? It's a good thing we didn't send him to Zhiweiju, otherwise our son would have been exhausted to death." Zhao Rong said.

Qin Congwen: ...I want to discuss some professional knowledge with you, and you want to express your emotions to me?
"Yes." Qin Congwen felt distressed instantly, "Our Huai Huai must have suffered a lot at Huang's!"

Qin Huai, who had suffered a lot at Huang's, was kneading the dough while thinking to himself that He Cheng was too unprofessional in making tea. How come he didn't serve the tea for so long when such an important task was given to him?

Master Qin worked in such a big kitchen and didn't even have a sip of tea for such a long time. Is that right?

Master Qin continued to knead the dough uncomfortably.

On the other side, in the yard, since Qiu County was not very cold in winter, it was a bit hot to sit in the yard in the sun for a long time wearing a cotton jacket. Old Man Qin did not have the habit of chatting in the house.

Old Master Qin was completing his task conscientiously and chatting with the villagers who came to visit and inquire about the progress of the kitchen and those who brought gifts to wish a happy new year in advance.

Since we are chatting, we naturally need some tea.

When Mr. Qin saw his grandson making tea, he was overjoyed and immediately told him to boil some water to make tea for the guests.

There was no need to go to the big kitchen to boil water, there was a small kitchen at home for normal cooking, so you could just go to the small kitchen to boil water. Under the orders of his cousin and grandfather, He Cheng could only transform himself into a ruthless water-boiling machine, boiling water like crazy to make tea.

Unfortunately, I had no experience, and I put too much tea leaves in the first few times I brewed tea. There was almost half a cup of tea leaves in a paper cup, and the tea was so strong that every customer who came to drink it grinned.

He Cheng took a sip and grimaced.

Of course, he was burned.

How could He Cheng dare to serve such tea to his dear brother? He quickly took out his mobile phone in the small kitchen and searched online for how to make tea. Then he found out that the first brew of tea had to be poured out. Different teas required different methods, and the water temperature also required different methods.

The trick was too complicated and He Cheng was exhausted from studying it. Fortunately, there were enough customers who loved drinking tea for some reason, so he had enough guinea pigs to experiment with.

As for the guests who came to visit...actually, everyone had no objection to the tea brewed by He Cheng.

Tea is not important.

The shortbread that Old Man Qin took out is so delicious!
Although I don’t know why the biscuit was broken into crumbs and everyone was eating the crumbs, the crumbs were so delicious.

It was so delicious that I didn’t even want to go home.

I just wanted to sit in the yard and have an awkward chat. In order to appear that I wasn't here just to eat the pastries, I had to drink a sip of tea from time to time. I even wanted to call my family over to have the awkward chat.

For a moment, the Qin family's yard was very lively, with only He Cheng going in and out frantically handing out tea.

In the kitchen, Qin Huai was really thirsty.

Qin Huai didn't eat breakfast in the morning and didn't drink much water. After arriving in the countryside, he started working as soon as he entered the kitchen, without stopping.

Didn't he miss breakfast? I have to make some steamed buns to fill his stomach.

As a result, the steamed buns were now in the steamer, and the dough for making the bun skins had been kneaded several times. Qin Huai had started to mix the stuffing in a large basin and was about to give the prepared stuffing to Qin Luo to stir, but the tea had not been brought in yet.

"Luoluo, go and pour me a cup of hot water. If there is no hot water, warm water will do. Orange with pulp, Coke, or Sprite will all work. If that doesn't work, fruit juice will work." Qin Huai said.

When Qin Luo heard Qin Huai say this, he knew that his brother was really thirsty, and immediately ran out of the kitchen to find He Cheng.

He Cheng was too outrageous. Her non-blood-related sister was busy in the kitchen, while He Cheng, her non-blood-related cousin, was sneaking around outside.

In the small kitchen, He Cheng was making tea so hot that sparks were almost coming out.

Seeing Qin Luo coming, He Cheng hurriedly said, "Luoluo, come and help me see which of these cups of tea is more normal. I have been researching online for a long time but have not learned how to make a good cup of tea. I think they are all so unpalatable."

Qin Luo:?
Qin Luo took a sip from each cup: "They are all the same."

"You don't like tea?"

He Cheng:?
Thirty seconds later, Qin Luo returned to the kitchen with a cup of warm tea. Qin Huai drank it all in one gulp and said, "Luoluo, get me a bottle of Coke."

At this moment, Qin Huai realized that it was not that he loved drinking tea, but that the tea brewed by the people in Zhiweiju suited his taste.

Next time I have to ask Tan Weian what kind of tea the people at Zhiweiju made for him.

After 10 minutes, the fermented glutinous rice steamed buns are ready.

Almost at the moment the steamed buns come out of the pot, the aroma of fermented glutinous rice fills the air.

The villagers of Qinjia Village had never seen such a scene before. The villagers who had gathered in the yard to chat and eat the shortbread crumbs stopped eating even the shortbread crumbs. They took a deep breath and asked blankly:
"What does this smell like?"

“It smells like rice wine.”

"No, no, it smells like steamed buns, like steamed buns with wine."

In the kitchen, the third and sixth aunts who were in charge of making the fire were also stunned.

Of course, it’s not that the others were not shocked, but it was mainly because these two had the least time, so they had time to be stunned.

Qin Luo picked up the buns swiftly and asked as he picked them up: "Brother, are we going to eat these buns now?"

"Yes, if you think the temperature is about right, pass me two. I'm starving this morning."

Qin Luo directly handed over two.

Qin Huai: ...Luoluo, your brother’s tongue is not as resistant to heat as yours.

Then Qin Luo gave two buns to everyone in the kitchen equally. The first batch of steamed buns was larger, and several rural earthen stoves were used to steam them together. The steamed buns were enough to sell in the breakfast shop for a while.

After asking Qin Huai, Qin Luo went out to distribute the steamed buns. The villagers in the yard were suddenly ecstatic. They didn't expect that today they could not only eat broken biscuits, but also steamed buns fresh from the pot.

Life is really getting better now. I can even eat Qinhuai’s freshly steamed buns on New Year’s Eve!

Qin Luo went out and distributed the buns, and put away the ones that were not distributed. These buns had to be distributed in the evening. There were a lot of relatives at the He family who were counting on Qin Xiuli and others to return with full loads before dinner.

Qin Huai is eating steamed buns made with fermented glutinous rice wine.

The people in the kitchen were also eating fermented glutinous rice steamed buns.

People outside the kitchen were also eating fermented glutinous rice steamed buns.

At this time, the unique sweet aroma of fermented glutinous rice steamed buns conquered everyone's taste buds.

All those who are eating Grade B fermented glutinous rice steamed buns for the first time have only one thought in their mind at this moment: Can we only eat this for the New Year’s Eve dinner tonight?
Family members, this is the taste of the Chinese New Year!

He just sat there in the yard and refused to leave. He drank a lot of tea and wanted to go to the toilet but he didn't leave. It was indeed a wise decision!

(End of this chapter)