The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 400 Taking the blame
"belch."

"belch."

"belch."

After letting out three loud burps, Dong Shi swallowed the Four Happiness Roll in his mouth with difficulty. He looked at the small half of the Four Happiness Roll in his hand with some difficulty and cast a pleading look at his older brother.

His eyes were filled with pleading: "Save me, save me, brother, can you eat half of it for me?"
Dong Li also had half a Four Happiness Roll in his hand. Ignoring his younger brother's pleas for help, he continued to eat it on his own, his eyes glazed over and his expression numb. There was no appreciation for the delicious food, only an urgent desire to finish the snack in front of him.

Everyone in Huang's kitchen was eating Four Happiness Rolls. Everyone's situation and state of mind were different, but the feeling they expressed was the same.

Can't eat.

Only one person was different.

That's Shi Dadan, who sits at the entrance of the kitchen, already having his own little stool, a little table, and a seat.

As for why Shi Dadan was able to obtain treatment that even a shareholder like Gong Liang couldn't, it was naturally due to his own abilities—

Appetite.

It all started on that morning when Zheng Da was crying his eyes out.

That day, Qin Huai realized the importance of finger technique, as well as the difficulty of cloud patterns and the high value of the Four Happiness Scroll.

He finally understood why Zheng Da had been muttering to Gu Li that morning about how they had messed things up the day before. Given the difficulty of the Four Joys Scroll, if Gu Li were to actually teach them cloud patterns, he would truly lead them astray.

After all, Gu Li's abilities are limited. He might be good as a commentator, but he's not qualified to be a teacher.

With an explanation provided, Master Zheng would be a very qualified teacher.

Realizing the difficulty of the Four Happiness Roll, Qin Huai began to practice diligently, and while practicing, he also found a teammate for himself—Gu Li.

Qin Huai told Gu Li about his new understanding of cloud patterns from that day. Gu Li didn't react much after listening, but starting from the second day, he obviously reduced his practice of other pastries and devoted more energy to learning and making Four Happiness Rolls.

Tan Weian and Zheng Siyuan, on the other hand, didn't go to such extremes. For them, the Four Happiness Rolls were not the only thing they practiced.

Zheng Siyuan's interest in the Four Happiness Roll was not as strong as that in the Double Crab Bun. Qin Huai guessed that it might be because the Double Crab Bun was a truly difficult dessert to make, difficult in every aspect.

It's very challenging and requires balanced development, making it suitable for a well-rounded player like Zheng Siyuan. However, the difficulty of the Four Happiness Roll lies entirely in the cloud pattern technique, which leans towards finger techniques. Zheng Siyuan, who is too unbalanced and doesn't know how to do cloud patterns at all, and also doesn't have much interest in them, isn't very interested in the Four Happiness Roll either.

As for Tan Weian, he was actually quite interested in the Four Happiness Roll, but he was also self-aware enough to know that he simply couldn't make it.

LOL, it's not like he hasn't learned cloud patterns before. His own grandfather was a master at making cloud patterns, so he could just practice casually. Anyway, he can't learn the Four Happiness Scroll.

As for Zang Liang, after briefly observing how the Four Happiness Rolls were made, he devoted himself entirely to the preparation and exchange of dishes, completely integrating with the chefs of Huang's restaurant. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was one of Huang's chefs.

As for our protagonist, Mr. Qin Huai.

Of course, that meant starting the arduous practice of making Four Happiness Rolls. The first thing to do every day at Huang's was to make a batch of Four Happiness Rolls, then shake lotus root starch balls, and then alternate between making Four Happiness Rolls and Double Crab Buns. To prevent making too many of these two kinds of snacks and getting bored, some simple snacks that Qin Huai wanted to make would be randomly dropped in the middle.

Doesn't it sound similar to the process of making all the pastries that Qin Huai practiced at Huang Ji's?
Is this how crab roe shumai and four-happiness glutinous rice balls are made?

Different.

Although the crab roe shumai and four-happiness glutinous rice balls both failed miserably in the early stages, these two typical dishes are far more complicated than the four-happiness rolls. Simply put, these two desserts are more time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Crab roe shumai requires fresh crab roe, and the process of extracting the crab roe is very troublesome. At least three helpers are needed in Qinhuai to extract the crab roe, not to mention the need to season the crab roe. This step cannot be omitted or rushed.

Needless to say, the Four Happiness Tangyuan come in four different flavors of fillings, some of which can be prepared in advance and others that need to be made fresh. It takes a lot of time to make the fillings every day.

Four Happiness Rolls are essentially pretty flower-shaped rolls.

What are the characteristics of steamed buns?
Eat a lot and be full.

When Qin Huai was practicing making double crab buns, she would intentionally control the quantity of each batch, because double crab buns are a high-end product. Qin Huai had to make them in small batches multiple times to determine how and in which direction the double crab buns needed to be modified.

However, Four Happiness Rolls are different. In Qinhuai, the key to making Four Happiness Rolls is not making the dough or preparing the filling, but the finger technique.

Finger technique requires a lot of practice; to put it bluntly, it's about grinding down your proficiency.

With Qin Huai's current intermediate finger technique, it's simply impossible for him to create cloud patterns that meet the requirements of the Four Joys Scroll. Even if he mastered the technique, he still wouldn't be able to make it. Qin Huai is well aware of this.

Qin Huai's finger technique definitely needs an upgrade.

When Qin Huai first met Shi Dadan at Cao Guixiang's house, his finger technique was only 600 points away from reaching the advanced level. Later, Qin Huai kept practicing double crab buns, and his finger technique proficiency stagnated. In addition, Qin Huai had never paid much attention to his finger technique, which caused his proficiency to remain stuck on the edge of leveling up and never reach the advanced level.

At this point, some people might be wondering, if you're just practicing finger techniques, why did you end up like this with Dong Shi, Dong Li, and the rest of Huang Ji?

That's because steamed buns are plentiful and filling.

When practicing Four Happiness Rolls, you can't control the amount of practice like you would with Double Crab Buns; you have to do as many as possible.

The result of practicing so much is that Huang Ji steams up four-happiness rolls one tray at a time every day, but unfortunately, these four-happiness rolls are only acceptable in taste and seriously unacceptable in appearance. The worst part is that this is Huang Ji, and there are many real old customers who have been patronizing the restaurant since the days of state-run restaurants.

These guests had eaten Master Jing's Four Happiness Rolls and Zheng Da's Four Happiness Rolls. No one was sure that every regular customer could recognize Qin Huai's flower rolls as Four Happiness Rolls as Gong Liang could at a glance, but what if they could?
What if a guest really does have such a good memory?
Master Qin's Four Happiness Rolls are just as good as Zheng Da's when he first started working, or even worse. If this gets out, how will Master Qin save face? How will he ever be able to hold his head high at Huang's again?
Zheng Da believed he had seen similar experiences before, and even though he fully trusted Qin Huai's mental fortitude, he felt that Qin Huai didn't need to endure all of this.

Every dim sum chef will make mistakes when learning a new dim sum dish, and the dishes that fail at this stage will never be sold in the restaurant. Qin Huai has already made a name for himself at Huang Ji, and this reputation is not limited to Huang Ji. Now the entire dim sum circle in the south knows Qin Huai's name, and many dim sum chefs have even secretly come to Huang Ji to buy Qin Huai's dim sum.

However, the current situation is special. Qin Huai made a Four Happiness Roll that tasted acceptable, but the presentation was a complete disaster.

If these Four Happiness Rolls were made by Tan Weian, the guests would all praise him, saying that his skills had really improved and that the rolls he made were so delicious.

Unfortunately, these Four Happiness Rolls were made by Qin Huai. As a chef, Qin Huai may make a pastry taste acceptable, but if the shape is seriously off, it will still be a disaster and damage his reputation.

This will inevitably attract some negative comments, or even criticism.

Zheng Da felt that Qin Huai didn't need to go through all this.

Whether it's Master Qin or Little Master Qin, as long as they are the chosen ones and receive everyone's praise, that's what Zheng Da, who was once Little Master Zheng, enjoys most. As for the criticisms and disappointments that used to make Little Master Zheng sad and secretly cry at home, let the former Little Master Zheng experience them; there's no need for the current Little Master Qin and Master Qin to go through them.

For the sake of Master Qin's experience in making pastries, Huang Shengli and Zheng Da discussed it and both felt that Four Happiness Rolls were not suitable for sale until Qin Huai could make a decent Four Happiness Roll.

It can only be digested internally.

However, while Four Happiness Dumplings and Crab Roe Shumai can be digested internally, Four Happiness Rolls are really hard to digest.

It's so filling, it's a steamed bun!

Since Qin Huai started making Four Happiness Rolls, Huang Ji's employee meals have changed. Chicken noodle soup, Yangzhou fried rice, rice, and fried noodles have all disappeared. The only staple food is Four Happiness Rolls, which are served from breakfast to dinner. If employees want, they can also pack them up to take home as a late-night snack.

At first, everyone was very happy, after all, although the appearance of Qinhuai's Four Happiness Rolls was not great, the taste was top-notch, and the version of the answer would not be bad.

After eating it for a week, Huang Ji's employees couldn't eat it anymore.

After about two weeks, the situation described at the beginning reappeared: even the most delicious Four Happiness Rolls became hard for everyone to swallow. After all, no matter how delicious they are, you can't eat them every day, at every meal. Now, Dong Shi feels full just seeing Four Happiness Rolls every day when he goes to work.

At first, Gong Liang would excitedly come to Huang's kitchen every day to enjoy the hot Four Happiness Rolls, but after a few days, work suddenly became busy, and he disappeared. When asked, he was told it was business and he couldn't explain it in a short time; he just couldn't come. It's a real pity he can't eat Chef Qin's Four Happiness Rolls anymore.

Only Shi Dadan persevered, sitting at the entrance of Huang Ji's kitchen every day, rain or shine, to share the burden with everyone. He never got tired of eating there, and his love for staple food was etched on his face.

It's fair to say that all the employees at Huang's Kitchen, for the sake of Master Qin's reputation, not only ate so many Four Happiness Rolls that they almost threw up, but their entire families did too.

For this, Zheng Da even took the blame for Qin Huai a little. If anyone asked who made the steamed buns, the answer would be Zheng Da.

As for why Master Zheng, who was usually lazy, suddenly became like he had taken the wrong medicine, making so many strangely shaped steamed buns every day.

The answer is that Master Zheng has gone mad.

So, did the efforts of Huang Ji's staff and Master Zheng pay off?
Qin Huai thinks so.

Another batch of Four Happiness Rolls came out of the pot. Qin Huai cut each Four Happiness Roll open to look at the cloud pattern, and found that it was still not very good.

Looking at Guli's batch next door, I realized that Guli's Four Happiness Rolls were much better looking than mine.

However, people still prefer the ones made by Qin Huai, because Qin Huai's Four Happiness Rolls are delicious. If they were destined to eat Four Happiness Rolls every day until they were sick of them, they would still prefer the delicious ones.

The last batch of Four Happiness Rolls that came out of the pot hasn't been finished yet.

Tan Weian, munching on a Four Happiness Roll, sidled up to Qin Huai and counted how many had been cooked in this batch. He looked troubled. "Qin Huai," he said, "if all else fails, let's sell some Four Happiness Rolls. Or we can donate some, consider it charity, and send them to orphanages, nursing homes, or similar places. I'll cover the cost!"

"Or you could say that I made this Four Happiness Roll."

Qin Huai was still looking at the cloud patterns, and without looking up, he said, "Your skill level isn't that good."

Tan Weian: ...

Sometimes I really want to fight you Qin masters to the death.

Seeing that Tan Weian did not reply for a long time, Qin Huai added: "My finger technique will be upgraded soon, and Master Huang, whom you just mentioned, has actually thought about it a long time ago. However, Huang's has no precedent for donating to welfare homes or nursing homes, and none of Huang's employees are children like me who came from welfare homes."

"Donations of food, whether to the elderly or children, must be made with utmost care. Huang Ji is a well-known restaurant, and any scandal in this area would have a significant impact on its business. Therefore, after learning more about the matter, Chef Huang decided to forgo such donations."

As he spoke, Qin Huai picked out the most visually appealing four-happiness roll from among the many rolls with no discernible cloud patterns, took a bite, and then burped.

"Burp, I know everyone's been having a hard time eating Four Happiness Rolls lately."

"Mr. Zheng's neighbor's dog was hospitalized with gastroenteritis again last week."

"I've talked to Chef Huang these past few days. If all else fails, we can call this pastry 'Four Happiness Flower Roll' and set the price a bit lower. Once we make a decent-looking Four Happiness Roll, we can launch an upgraded version called 'Four Happiness Flower Roll' and set the price a bit higher."

“I’ve told Master Zheng many times that I’m really not afraid of being cricketed, but Master Zheng just doesn’t believe me.”

"Hang in there for two more days. I feel that the Four Happiness Flower Rolls should be on the shelves in two days at most."

After Qin Huai rambled on and on, Tan Weian managed to extract one important piece of information from his words.

"Your imagined game system even has a finger technique skill, and it needs to be upgraded? How did you determine that it needed to be upgraded?" Tan Weian exclaimed in surprise.

Qin Huai: ...

Qin Huai took a bite of the Four Happiness Roll, feeling speechless. He thought that Tan Weian was indeed Zang Liang's good brother; in some ways, both of them had some problems with their brains.

"Level up when you have enough proficiency." Qin Huai said, opening the game panel. He could see the finger technique proficiency level, but Tan Weian could never see it. "My current finger technique is intermediate. I can level up to advanced when I have 1 proficiency points. I'm still 37 proficiency points short."

Tan Wei'an was dumbfounded.

"So... what will happen after the upgrade?"

"I don't know, but the Four Happiness Rolls will definitely be even better." Qin Huai smiled slightly and handed Tan Weian another Four Happiness Roll. "Don't worry about the details. Try this batch of Four Happiness Rolls. I feel they are a little better than the last batch."

Tan Weian left in shock with the Four Happiness Roll, wanting to find someone to complain to but not knowing who to complain to, since his best comrade-in-arms, Zang Liang, was already engrossed in the Red Case.

Tan Wei'an thought for a moment, then walked over to Gu Li and said to his dear junior brother, "Qin Huai has gone mad."

Gu Li nodded without looking up: "Oh."

"Third Brother, can you still eat? If you can, could you try this batch of Four Happiness Rolls for me? I feel like I made a mistake when I was seasoning them," Gu Li said.

Tan Weian: ...

Oh no, his beloved junior brother has gone mad too.

belch.

(End of this chapter)