The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 413 Vacation
Finally, Qin Huai followed Tan Weian's advice and ordered dumplings for delivery, and also ordered an extra serving of kimchi.

The kimchi tastes pretty good, especially the pickled radish. It might not go well with dumplings, but it's surprisingly delicious on its own. Qin Huai even thinks the owner shouldn't have opened a dumpling shop; he should have opened a shop specializing in kimchi, and it would definitely have been a huge success.

Of course, this sales method of giving away kimchi with the purchase of dumplings, where kimchi cannot be ordered separately and dumplings must be purchased, may also be a marketing tactic of the owner.

Anyway, Qin Huai was quite willing to pay for the kimchi. Qin Huai even sent a message to Boss Su asking if the staff meals could include dumplings from this restaurant, especially kimchi. Boss Su said he would communicate with them.

Tan Weian ultimately couldn't stay at Qin Huai's house. Before leaving, he took a bag of cheese sticks with him and left quite early, before 8 o'clock.

No sooner had Tan Weian left than Qin Huai called Boss Su to discuss the specifics of his exchange.

Although Qin Huai had already visited Zhiweiju today and met most of the master chefs (two of them were off today), and knew his own cooking station and setup (one assistant to brew tea and two to three assistants to help him), and had arranged to learn from Master Zhou in the future, Qin Huai still did not know the specific process and content of this exchange.

Well, it was quite sudden.

Qin Huai just wanted to eat an egg tart, but while eating it, he went to work. He didn't even see the real owner of Zhiweiju, Boss Su, Su Qi, from beginning to end.

Even if you can't see the person, you should still make a phone call to communicate.

When Qin Huai called Boss Su, Boss Su hadn't even gotten home yet. On his way back to Zhiweiju, Qin Huai could hear car horns coming from the other end of the phone.

"Chef Zhou has already shown you the cooking station and introduced the basic situation of the kitchen. You also have a general understanding of the staffing. I believe Xiao Tan has also told you about the other miscellaneous things. There is not much I can introduce here."

"The most crucial thing is that no one has told me yet," Qin Huai said. "Boss Su, my visit to Zhiweiju this time was actually quite sudden. I sent my dim sum order to Su Qian the day before yesterday, and Su Qian said that you need to set prices. I wonder if your prices are satisfactory? I'd like to formally discuss which dim sum items to make tomorrow?"

"Master Qin, you can make whatever pastries you want, or it's okay if you don't want to. It's all about exchanging ideas," Su Qi said cheerfully.

Qin Huai: ?
"Huh?" Qin Huai didn't quite understand.

Su Qi was also taken aback: "Didn't Xiao Su and Xiao Tan tell you this most crucial thing? Maybe they forgot. At Zhiweiju, the master chefs don't have a menu. They can make whatever they want, even desserts they've never made before. As long as the master chefs want to try, they can make them."

"As for the price, all the dim sum at Zhiweiju is priced the same. Master Qin, you have some special dim sum, which we will sell according to the prices set by Huangji."

"Moreover, unlike Huang Ji, which is a traditional red-cooked restaurant with very fixed business hours, Zhiweiju opens at 9 am and closes at 7 pm every day. Under normal circumstances, only the direct disciples and a very small number of apprentices who are qualified to sell dim sum have a fixed dim sum menu. The master chefs sell dim sum randomly."

"Master Qin, didn't you buy Master Zhou's egg tarts today? Master chefs' pastries are basically made this way. It's just that some master chefs make pastries in a very regular way, like Master Zhang's shrimp dumplings and Master Hua's noodles. Many regular customers can use their experience to judge when their favorite master chef's pastries will be baked, and they queue up at the right time to try their luck."

"Most masters don't have a fixed time to make pastries because they have to take on apprentices. It depends on their mood and when they have free time. Especially Master Zhou. I don't know if you've heard of him, Master Qin. Master Zhou is very strict in accepting apprentices, but in return, as long as you can become his personal disciple, he will definitely teach you everything he knows and teach you seriously."

"Master Zhou spends more than 70% of his day with his apprentices, and the rest of his time is spent researching new pastries. He doesn't actually make many pastries. Sometimes Master Zhou might only make one or two batches of pastries a day. Making two batches of egg tarts like today is quite rare."

"If you follow Zhiweiju's social media, you've probably seen many posts from customers who opened blind boxes and found what appears to be Master Zhou's dim sum."

"I don't know if you can understand what I'm saying. It's not that I didn't spend time arranging your dim sum menu; it's just that this is the current model for Zhiweiju."

"Moreover, Master Qin, you are here for an exchange, unlike the other master chefs at Zhiweiju who have a minimum workday of 6 hours. The other master chefs have early and late shifts; some people prefer to make dim sum in the morning and will arrive a little earlier, while others prefer to make dim sum in the afternoon and will arrive a little later."

“I heard that Chef Zhou told you today that he would be at Zhiweiju at nine o’clock tomorrow morning. I think that time is also very suitable for you. Just keep an eye on the start time and arrive at nine o’clock every morning. Our morning meeting at Zhiweiju is at 11 o’clock. As for when you get off work, it depends on your personal situation. For the chefs who are exchanging ideas, we do not have a six-hour workday limit.”

"Of course, we will continue to distribute your dim sum share to you as usual. I have also inquired with Wong Kee about their dim sum share for you. We will settle accounts with them monthly, following the same share distribution as Wong Kee."

"As for the menu you sent me earlier that you wanted to order for tomorrow, I've already contacted the restaurant. These dishes were recommended by Xiao Tan, right? You can try these dishes on the first day, but that restaurant has many other signature dishes. I recommend that you try other dishes starting the day after tomorrow. Or if you have any favorite restaurants, like the dumpling restaurant we visited today, feel free to let me know and I'll help you contact them."

Do you have any other questions?

"No," Qin Huai said.

His only question was whether the chefs who had previously come to Zhiweiju for exchanges were very reluctant to leave, wishing they could stay at Zhiweiju forever as head chefs.

Being a head chef at Zhiweiju must be so great! No wonder everyone there is so relaxed; it's hard not to feel relaxed.

"Then I look forward to meeting you at Zhiweiju at 9 a.m. tomorrow." Boss Su concluded the call, which sounded like a customer service representative resolving a customer's problem, with a standard customer service tone and reply.

After hanging up the phone, Qin Huai sat on the sofa in a daze for a long time.

Qin Huai really didn't expect the exchange at Zhiweiju to be like this.

What kind of place is Zhiweiju? It's the most famous restaurant for white-themed dishes, a gathering place for all the masters of scrambling. Whether you're still scrambling inside or have already finished scrambling, you're a true master of scrambling. There's no limit to how much you can scramble.

If someone tells you that you came from Zhiweiju, people will look at you with more respect. No matter what they praise you for, they will always say: "You must be very hardworking."

Qin Huai always thought that during his time at Zhiweiju, he spent his days and nights making pastries, regardless of day or night, and that he was trying to look like Gu Li.

He had prepared himself mentally.

For the sake of finger techniques, for the sake of the Four Joys Roll, and for the sake of Shi Dadan's mission, Qin Huai was prepared to fight to the death at Zhiweiju.

Su Qi told him he didn't need to roll up the paper; he just needed to come to work at 9 a.m. every day.

What does it mean to start work at 9 a.m.? Qin Huai has never started work at 9 a.m. in his life; he started out as a breakfast shop chef.

Qin Huai usually sleeps in late, and even if he oversleeps, he'll still be at work around 8:30. Starting work at 9:00 is something he simply can't imagine. What kind of idyllic life is this?
Qin Huai began to wonder if this was his destiny.
I wanted to improve my cooking skills but ended up improving my filling skills; I wanted to improve my thickening skills but ended up improving my knife skills. I told the truth and lied every day but my skills improved rapidly. I thought I was here to participate in the King of Lies training camp and was destined to suffer. But when I arrived, I was told to relax and that this was a resort for resting and lying down.

Qin Huai didn't understand, so he decided to start a video conference in the "We Are a Loving Family" group to discuss the issue with everyone.

Luo Jun was utterly disdainful of this, thinking that Qin Huai was truly out of his mind. This old bird was nearing the end of his life, yet he still had to waste his precious TV time spouting such nonsense.

Qu Jing thought it would be nice for Qin Huai to relax at Zhiweiju, as she couldn't rest lately because the hospital had been unusually busy. Even though Luo Jun, the professional troublemaker, had stopped causing trouble, at least 20 more had appeared, and Qu Jing was receiving complaints every day, leaving her overwhelmed.

Upon hearing this, Luo Jun flew into a rage. He had stopped causing trouble at the hospital, yet someone else had taken over his job. This was intolerable. He immediately declared that he would go to the hospital the next day to confront those troublemakers and see what kind of people they were.

Chen Huihong became curious about how Luo Jun had previously caused trouble at the hospital, as she had never witnessed it firsthand.

Luo Jun began his narration.

Qu Jing added.

Chen Gong joined the group chat.

Shi Dadan was eating wontons, listening to the conversation as he ate, but he didn't speak, so he remained completely silent.

No one cared about Qin Huai, and Qin Huai himself wasn't particularly concerned either. He listened with great interest to Luo Jun's story of causing trouble at the hospital, genuinely believing that Qu Jingzhen truly deserved to be the backbone of their hospital. No wonder the hospital leaders valued her so much; someone who could handle Luo Junzhen was no ordinary person, even if she was a freak, she was no ordinary freak.

At the end of the conversation, Shi Dadan suddenly asked, "Qin Huai, after you started working at Zhiweiju with Master Zhou, did you only communicate with Master Zhou, or did you work alongside him?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Huai was almost moved to tears. He had completely forgotten who initiated the video call today, but he actually remembered that Shi Dadan had been eating wontons the whole time.

Is this Dang Kang? Is this an auspicious beast?
My family is so touched!
"I'm not entirely sure about that. I think I mainly communicated with Chef Zhou. I came to Zhiweiju this time specifically for Chef Zhou," Qin Huai said. "We'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out the specifics."

"Old Shi, how many more days are you going to stay in Suzhou? When are you coming to Hangzhou?"

"I'll probably have to eat for another seven or eight days," Shi Dadan said. "I've never been to Hangzhou, so I don't know much about the restaurants there. I need to find out first and plan what to eat before I go."

Qinhuai: 6
After a pleasant video call, Qin Huai quickly washed up and lay in bed, playing on his phone for several hours straight. He stayed up until midnight, which was quite unusual for him, fully experiencing the joy of a vacation before falling into a deep sleep.

At 8:55 a.m. on the second day, we arrived at the side gate of Zhiweiju from the Qinhuai checkpoint.

Qin Huai pushed open the door and went straight to the changing room to change his clothes. At 8:59, Master Qin made a dazzling appearance.

Yesterday, Su Qi told Qin Huai that Zhiweiju's business hours start at 9 a.m. This means that most of Zhiweiju's employees have to arrive at the store around 7 a.m. to start working. When Qin Huai walked into the kitchen, it was already bustling with activity, and people were practically running around like crazy.

"Hello, Master Qin." A student named Qin Huai looked very familiar, but he still couldn't remember his name. He seemed to have been an apprentice at the Cloud Canteen. He greeted Qin Huai subconsciously, but then realized that this was not the custom of Zhiweiju, so he quickly shut up.

Although Qin Huai didn't remember his name, she remembered the pastries he made, and asked, "How are your white sugar cakes? Did you make any today?"

Upon hearing this, the apprentice almost burst into tears.

Master Qin has me in his heart; he remembers my white sugar cake!

The apprentices who were working quietly on the side were stunned. They looked up at Qin Huai and glared at the apprentice Bai Tang Gao, their faces saying, "You've been living such a good life in the Cloud Canteen behind our backs."
"I've done it, I've done it!" the apprentice replied hastily.

"Then bring me a piece later so I can try it," Qin Huai said casually.

He really wanted to eat white sugar cake.

"Did the guy who usually makes soup dumplings make them today? If he did, please let him know and ask him to bring half a basket for me to try later."

"Yes, Master Qin!" The apprentice making white sugar cakes was almost choked up.

Qin Huai began searching for Master Zhou's whereabouts, but before he could find him, Master Zhou had already located him. Master Zhou strode towards Qin Huai, a gentle and kind smile on his face, twice as kind as yesterday, but not as kind as Master Hua.

"How did you sleep last night?" Master Zhou asked gently.

Qin Huai replied respectfully, "I rested quite well. May I ask what I should do now, Master Zhou? Should I make a few of the pastries I'm good at to show you, or would you like me to specify a particular pastry?"

Seeing Qin Huai's eagerness to make pastries, Master Zhou's smile widened, and he waved his hand: "No rush, this morning you can follow me and see how Su Qian and the others make pastries."

"Huh?" Qin Huai didn't expect the process to be like this.

“Learning something often doesn’t necessarily require hands-on practice; you can learn just by watching. I saw your general level yesterday. Your basic skills are fine, but your finger technique is relatively weak because no one has taught you step by step.”

"For you, practice is not the main thing; the main thing is to observe. You need to learn how to observe things."

"I have the fewest direct disciples at Zhiweiju. I have three direct disciples and Su Qian, who hasn't taken on any apprentices yet. Before the morning meeting today, your job is to stay by my side and watch how they make pastries. If you see any problems, feel free to point them out."

"Have you had breakfast? I came early today and made some soup dumplings. They'll be ready in about two or three minutes. I heard from Xiao Tan that you like to eat these in the morning."

Qin Huai: !
Being able to eat Master Zhou's soup dumplings first thing in the morning, what a wonderful life! Is he dreaming?
Qin Huai suddenly lost his appetite for the white sugar cake and the soup dumplings made by the other apprentice.

Is this what vacation feels like? So much fun!
(End of this chapter)