The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 339 Any questions?

Soon, the news that Master Qin was about to go on a business trip for three days spread throughout the circle of diners at Yunzhong Canteen.

The response from diners was...

Nothing happens.

It's only three days, as long as you're not away for months, everyone can accept it. Life is so good now. In the morning, there is a rich breakfast in addition to the snacks made by Chen An. At noon, you can eat four-happiness dumplings as a main meal. At night, you can eat crab roe noodles as a main meal. There are 20 to 30 kinds of snacks randomly dropped throughout the morning, afternoon and even dinner.

It doesn’t matter if you think the crab roe noodles and four-happiness dumplings are too expensive. The affordable mung bean cakes and radish cakes are the favorites of diners with tight wallets.

It doesn’t matter if you feel that work is too tiring and too hard, as long as your hands are fast enough and your luck is good enough, you can grab a cup of tangerine peel tea, and the client asks you to revise the 17th version of the material and then tells you that the 1st version is still better, you will be able to smile... Well, you can't smile at all, you can only accept it reluctantly, and in your heart throw all these 17 versions of the plan in his face and slap him seventeen times.

Even if Master Qin’s dim sum is hard to get, there are still Master Zheng’s shortbread, fermented glutinous rice steamed buns, three-diced buns and fresh meat mooncakes. These four dim sum are Zheng Siyuan’s regular dim sum.

Zheng Siyuan is not like Qin Huai, who feels uncomfortable after making the same dim sum for several days in a row. He really enjoys this monotonous life of making the same dim sum every day. He even wants to fix the time and what kind of dim sum to make every day.

Tan Weian secretly complained to Qin Huai more than once that Zheng Siyuan must have obsessive-compulsive disorder. At least when it comes to making snacks, his obsessive-compulsive disorder is very serious.

The rich variety of dim sum allowed the guests of Yunzhong Canteen to accept the reality that they would not be able to eat dim sum made by Chef Qin for a few days. After hearing the tragic news, they just said "oh" and continued to eat dim sum.

Yes, this is the performance of Uncle Xu Tuqiang, the most loyal customer of Yunzhong Canteen.

Xu Tuqiang was eating glutinous rice cake when he heard the news.

What Xu Tuqiang ate was the last portion of glutinous rice cake sold in Yunzhong Canteen today. It was specially reserved for him by Qin Huai. It was a precious little dish and he felt warm inside while eating it.

Moved by Xu Tuqiang's love and persistence for glutinous rice cake, Qin Huai decided to temporarily add glutinous rice cake to his regular snack, making rice cake every afternoon and selling it in the morning.

Since rice cakes have to be made one day in advance, Qinhuai will not use all of the rice cakes to make glutinous rice rice cakes every day. Some of them will be made into rice cake soup and sold in the evening.

Qu Jing has not had any night shifts recently and has been working the day shift on a regular basis. She comes to the Yunzhong canteen on time every night for dinner and takes the snacks Qin Huai leaves for her home to have as breakfast the next morning.

"Xu Tuqiang, when did you become so close to Master Qin?" Uncle Qian looked at Xu Tuqiang with suspicion, his eyes full of questions as to whether he had violated the convention.

Xu Tuqiang ate rice cakes with big mouthfuls without saying a word. If he spoke at this time, he would easily choke to death and need to be rescued in the hospital.

After finishing the rice cakes on the plate, Xu Tuqiang took two sips of tea and said slowly: "What do you mean when did I become so close to Master Xiao Qin? Master Xiao Qin and I have always had a good relationship. Mr. Qian, don't forget who first discovered Master Xiao Qin's craftsmanship and who brought you here for breakfast."

After saying that, Xu Tuqiang glanced indignantly at Uncle Wang who was already standing at the door of the kitchen and was about to eat in the kitchen: "Don't be sarcastic to me here, if you have the guts, go and be sarcastic to Wang Laogen. Who is as lucky as him? We all sit outside to eat, and he sits inside to eat."

As soon as these words were spoken, the conflict immediately shifted. Uncle Qian at table 9, Aunt Ding and another uncle who did not have a name all looked at Wang Gensheng who was standing at the kitchen door with envy and jealousy, and their faces were filled with the wish to replace him.

"Why is Wang Laogen so lucky? He has been blessed with all kinds of good things, including demolition, a trip to Suzhou, and a small kitchen. What a blessing." Grandma Ding's once peace and love face was filled with jealousy. "Why did Chef Xiao Qin ask him to taste the crab roe sauce? I also know a lot about crab roe sauce."

"There was a teacher in our kindergarten whose aunt's in-laws' neighbors sold crab sauce."

Everyone:...

Let's not even talk about this kind of relationship which is not even considered a distant relative.

Everyone could only continue to stare at Wang Gensheng with envy, jealousy and misunderstanding.

In fact, not only were there many people in the lobby staring at him with this look, but there was also someone in the kitchen staring at him with this look, and that person was Tan Weian.

Zang Liang was still in charge of thickening the crab sauce today. By the way, because Zang Liang mistakenly entered a community canteen that mainly served white-case dishes, he couldn't find what job he should do for a while, and he felt uncomfortable if he didn't work, so he took over the work of two chefs who served red-case dishes in the canteen in the morning and at noon.

Half of the dishes in the cafeteria at noon today were cooked by Zang Liang.

The diners who ordered the dishes cooked by Zang Liang all felt that they had a sudden increase in appetite at noon today. They used to be able to eat only one pound of food, but now they wanted to eat four pounds. They felt that summer was coming and they had to start losing weight and control their diet. Those who were trying to lose weight and couldn't move their legs wanted to slap themselves in the face while eating.

While cursing myself for being so greedy and wanting to eat everything when I start to lose weight, I bury my head in the food and if one meal is not enough, I have to have another one.

Zang Liang's cooking skills made the two famous chefs in Yunzhong Canteen feel autistic. They suspected that Zang Liang was not there to exchange ideas, but was a new chef specially invited by the boss to warn them that if they didn't cook well and hone their cooking skills, they would be fired in two months.

Since Cao Guixiang told Qin Huai not to practice thickening on his own and to go back to Guangdong Province to learn it in two days, Qin Huai resisted the urge to thicken the sauce even though he really wanted to, and left the opportunity to do so to Zang Liang.

At this time, friends with good memory may still remember that when Zang Liang came to work this morning, he directly expressed that he seemed to have found a way to thicken the sauce. So did he find it?
Zang Liang felt that he had found it.

Qin Huai felt that Zang Liang still needed some adjustment before joining their faction.

Zheng Siyuan felt that the crab roe sauce thickened by Zang Liang was not what he wanted.

Tan Weian felt that he had found nothing. So what if he had good thickening skills? Did Zang Liang know crab roe sauce? Did he know the value of three generations of sauce making?

As a result, before Tan Weian could give his food review, he just frowned slightly and said, "I don't think it's very good." After he started, Qin Huai nodded to show that he understood, and went straight to Wang Gensheng with the crab roe sauce to let Wang Gensheng taste it.

Tan Wei’an: …

No, his only role in their team was to taste the crab roe sauce. Now he doesn't even need to taste it?

Who is this Mr. Wang? He doesn't look like a chef. His arms are muscleless and his hands don't have calluses that a chef should have. Is he a food critic? Are there any food critics in China who are very knowledgeable about crab sauce?

Why did Qin Huai ask him to taste the crab roe sauce? Does he know a lot about crab roe sauce?

Tan Weian’s teeth were almost broken.

Zheng Siyuan glanced at Tan Weian calmly, thinking that Tan Weian needed to practice not only his cooking skills but also his mentality. He pointed to the crab sauce that had been out of the pot more than 20 minutes ago, which had not been used to make double crab buns because the thickening state was not ideal, so no one had asked for it yet. He said:
"Qin Huai just kneaded some noodles."

What this means is that if you want to eat crab roe noodles, you have to cook it yourself.

Tan Weian gritted his teeth and went to cook noodles.

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

To be fair, Wang Gensheng is not a person with strong verbal expression ability. His ability to express himself is just at the level of a normal person. In addition, he is not a food critic and has nothing to do with the chef industry, which directly leads to his lack of language when reviewing food.

Of course, it is richer than Qinhuai and Zhengda.

Qin Huai and Zang Liang stared at Wang Gensheng with great anticipation.

Qin Huai was looking forward to it because he knew that Wang Gensheng was the only one who had tasted his version of the double crab buns, and all the right of interpretation was in Wang Gensheng's hands. If he nodded, it was ok, but if he shook his head, it would be ok no matter how delicious it was.

From a technical point of view, there is no problem with Zang Liang's thickening. His thickening is standard and ordinary, without any fancy techniques. As an apprentice of Huaiyang cuisine master Zang Mu, Zang Liang is superior in both level and talent among the younger generation.

Several people in Qin Huai felt that Zang Liang’s thickening was not good. It was not because they felt that his skills were not good, but because they felt that he did not get the feeling that crab roe sauce thickening should have.

But these are just the opinions of Qin Huai and his people. Qin Huai needs Wang Gensheng to taste it to prove that their ideas are correct, so as to convince Zang Liang. After all, Zang Liang thinks that his thickening is quite good.

Zang Liang was looking forward to it because he didn't know who Wang Gensheng was. He thought Wang Gensheng was specially invited by Qinhuai to taste the crab sauce, and subconsciously thought that Wang Gensheng was a very professional food critic, and he didn't think about whether there was such a food critic in China.

Under the expectant gaze of the two people, Wang Gensheng took bite after bite.

Uncle Wang is very nervous now.

As a Xiezhi, Wang Gensheng's pursuit of fairness, justice and honesty is basically engraved in his bones, and he has a strong sense of responsibility. Qin Huai invited him to the back kitchen to taste the crab sauce, and Wang Gensheng subconsciously wanted to do this job well, taste something different, and preferably write a food review on the spot that is not inferior to the one Xu Tuqiang posted on WeChat Moments.

But it is difficult for Wang Gensheng to do what he wants.

Because he felt that there was something wrong with the crab sauce.

Wang Gensheng looked embarrassed.

"Uncle Wang, don't be nervous. Just say whatever you want to say. Even if you think it's not okay, just say it boldly. Only if it's not okay should you make changes." Qin Huai comforted him.

Wang Gensheng nodded and said boldly: "I don't think this crab sauce is good."

Zang Liang:?
Are all food critics' language so sharp nowadays? They just start scolding without any preparation?
"What's wrong?" Qin Huai asked.

Wang Gensheng thought about it, his eyes narrowed, and several wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes and on his forehead. His facial features were almost brought together, and the words "I can't think of this" were almost written on his face.

"It just... feels different."

Qin Huai keenly grasped the key words.

"It's a little different. You've tried the crab roe sauce used to make double crab buns, right?" Qin Huai asked.

Wang Gensheng nodded: "Didn't I tell you? Maybe you forgot. Actually, I don't remember it very clearly. It was many years ago."

"After I finished eating the buns, my friend gave me two cans of crab sauce, saying it was leftover from making the buns and I could mix it with rice."

"In fact, I know his intentions. At that time, I had just started working and my family was not doing well. I had to send most of my monthly salary back home. Naturally, I had to save money on food and drink. At that time, you could use meal tickets to buy staple food in the cafeteria and get a portion of cabbage for free. Other dishes cost extra money."

"I was reluctant to spend money, so I had cabbage with rice every day. The canteen where we cooked cabbage had a very watery soup, almost without any oil or water. My friend saw me eating like that every day and was afraid that I would starve to death, so he stuffed me with two cans of crab sauce to go with my rice."

"I originally wanted to eat it sparingly and finish it in a year."

"As a result, my friend told me that the crab roe sauce cannot be kept for long, and asked me to finish it in two months. I felt so sad..." Wang Gensheng smacked his lips as he spoke. He didn't look sad, but he looked a little greedy.

"So what are the specific differences between the crab roe sauce you ate before and the one you have now?" Qin Huai asked.

Wang Gensheng tried to think again, and said uncertainly: "Taste... taste? It's not a taste, it's indeed the taste of crab roe sauce, without any taste of spices, but it is definitely different, different in... in..."

"That one is lighter. No, it can't be said to be lighter. It tastes mellow, but... it's lighter."

It can be seen that Wang Gensheng really wanted to use more vivid language to describe it, but his ability was limited. His lips were shaking when he was in a hurry to speak, and he wished he could slap himself in the face to make the dead mouth speak faster.

"Does it feel different?" Qin Huai asked, "This crab sauce doesn't have the same feeling as the one you had before. It has nothing to do with saltiness. The taste is basically the same. I can probably understand the light and mellow taste you mentioned. It should be a problem with the thickening. Is it that the final thickening did not give you the feeling you wanted?"

“Yes, yes, yes.” Wang Gensheng nodded repeatedly, “It’s just what you said just now, Master Qin. There is no feeling, not the same feeling as the crab roe sauce I had before.”

"In fact, the crab sauce doesn't go well with rice, but I thought it was really delicious when I ate it. Dip a little crab sauce in the cabbage soup with rice, and the cabbage soup, which was originally watery and without any oil, suddenly became delicious. It really works better than any pickles."

"You want to say that it tastes as strong as pickles? No, that's not the case. The pickles we had back then were really salty. They were just for eating with rice. A little pickle could go with a whole bowl of rice."

"That crab sauce is different. You need to dip it in a little bit, eat a mouthful of crab sauce with a mouthful of rice. The rice soaked in cabbage soup is soft and fluffy. Take a big bite and it slides down your throat. It's delicious."

As he spoke, Wang Gensheng smacked his lips again.

"But there were only two cans, and they were all gone in less than three months. Later, my friend gave me two more cans of kimchi, saying they were made in Shu. I don't know where they got them from, but they were also very delicious and went well with rice."

It can be heard that Xu Nuo was quite well-connected, as he was able to get pickles from Shu in Gusu in that era.

After Uncle Wang finished his comments, he looked at Qin Huai eagerly, wanting to know how he performed today and whether he could barely be given a passing score.

Qin Huai smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Wang. I'll trouble you to stay in the cafeteria for a few more hours. There will be double crab buns for you to try later."

"I know the crab sauce may not be right now, but it takes time to correct it. Please try it first and tell me if you have any questions. Feel free to tell me if you think of anything."

"Okay, okay." Wang Gensheng nodded repeatedly, "Oh, yes, later my friend also gave me two jars of pickled vegetables, saying they were made in the north."

Qin Huai: ...There's no need to say more when you think about this. Let's think of something related to double crab buns, Uncle Wang.

Wang Gensheng left the kitchen door, found an empty seat and sat down to wait for his buns.

Qin Huai looked at Zang Liang and said, "Do you understand? It's still a matter of feeling. There must be something wrong with the thickening. You didn't get the feeling for the thickening."

"But I think the most urgent thing is not to find the feeling of thickening, but to find the feeling of crab roe sauce first."

"You can thicken the crab roe sauce first, don't worry about wasting it. As you can see, many of our customers are happy to eat crab roe noodles and crab roe rice. If all else fails, you can just sell the crab roe sauce directly. I believe there are many customers willing to buy the crab roe sauce, so there will be no worries about sales."

"You still need to practice more to find the feeling."

"Try to find the feeling before I come back. By then, I will have learned the technique of thickening from Master Cao, and you will have found the feeling of crab sauce. Then we can study thickening together. Your technique is better than mine, so you will definitely be the one doing the thickening."

"Zheng Siyuan and I are responsible for the processing of sea cucumbers. I have also practiced a lot in this period. My level is not as high as Zheng Siyuan's, but it should be enough for making steamed buns. The requirements for the processing of sea cucumbers for double crab buns are not very high. The main difficulty lies in the seasoning."

"Let's do it this way for now. You should practice more to get a feel for it. Any problems?" Qin Huai looked at Zang Liang.

Zang Liang: ...

something wrong.

What did Mr. Wang say just now? He clearly didn't say anything, but how come you said one feeling and he said one feeling at the same time?

Zang Liang felt that he had a certain feeling when thickening the sauce today. What was that feeling exactly? Which feeling was he looking for? Was the feeling you were talking about the same as the feeling he felt?

Why do I have so many feelings?

(End of this chapter)