The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 444 Exchange Meeting

"Master Zhou, these are the pig-shaped buns and hedgehog-shaped buns I just steamed. Could you please take a look at them?"

At Zhiweiju, Qin Huai, as always, frantically practiced her skills, showing the newly made pastries to Chef Zhou for inspection.

Qin Huai still remembered that his purpose in coming to Zhiweiju was actually to improve his finger technique proficiency. Although an unexpected turn of events had occurred, and he was now improving all kinds of proficiency, finger technique was undoubtedly the most important. After all, the side quest for the Four Happiness Roll was there, and improving his finger technique proficiency was indeed necessary.

Therefore, Qin Huai made all the other dim sum blindly, only the dim sum that required finger techniques and styling would be reviewed by Chef Zhou after completion.

Master Zhou's smile never left his face.

Now, Master Zhou always smiles whenever he sees Qin Huai. Before, he might sometimes be sarcastic or caught in a fit of anger, unable to switch his expression. Now, that's no longer an issue; Master Zhou's expression changes faster than his mood when he sees Qin Huai.

"Very good, very standard." Chef Zhou looked at the pig-shaped buns and hedgehog-shaped buns in the steamer, which were so perfect that they looked like they had just come off a factory assembly line, and nodded with great satisfaction.

If it were before, Master Zhou would definitely have been dissatisfied with Qin Huai's pastries, and would have directly or indirectly pointed out that such pastries lacked distinctive features, soul, and personal style.

Not anymore.

The more you practice Qin Huai's outrageous dishes, the more you improve. All the shortcomings stem from not maximizing the stats. The saying that textbooks are the best form of aesthetics deeply impressed Chef Zhou, to the point that now when Chef Zhou sees Qin Huai's copy-and-paste style desserts, he thinks that this is Qin Huai's style.

This is also a form of aesthetics.

Well, I have great scholars to debate the classics for me.

The steamer next to Qinhuai was filled with Zhao Cheng'an's pastries. Just then, the time came, and the apprentice who kept track of the time turned off the fire and lifted the lid of the steamer, revealing the Four Happiness Flower Rolls inside, which looked just like they were produced on an assembly line.

Master Zhou frowned as he looked at Zhao Cheng'an's Four Happiness Flower Rolls.

As Master Zhou's personal disciple, Zhao Cheng'an doesn't have any KPIs to meet at work. He has already learned all the basic skills and techniques he can learn. Master Zhou doesn't require him to practice or do anything, and he is basically managed in a laissez-faire manner.

Even if they don't let him roam free, it won't work. Zhao Cheng'an is naturally lazy, and if they really put him under military-style high-pressure management, he really will betray his master. To be precise, they don't even need to militarize him. Now that Zhao Cheng'an has a "scrutiny king" standing next to him, his daily workload has increased, and he can't come to work at 9 o'clock anymore. He has to get up at 7 o'clock, and Zhao Cheng'an is already thinking about betraying his master.

Faced with his young apprentice's behavior, Master Zhou was at a loss. He was a strict teacher who taught according to aptitude, and his apprentice was just lazy. He had beaten him, scolded him, talked to him, and tried to persuade him when he was young, but nothing had worked over the years. Laziness was ingrained in his bones. Letting him be and admonishing him when necessary was the best educational method Master Zhou could think of.

After all, good apprentices are hard to find these days, and those with talent and high comprehension are even harder to find. Hard work can be cultivated, but talent is truly innate. One cannot have it all. Having such an apprentice is already a rare find, and we should be content.

Before witnessing what Qinhuai River looked like when it was rolled up, Master Zhou always comforted himself with this thought.

Until recently, when the Qinhuai River opened its book fair, even Master Zhou found it difficult to roll the scrolls anymore.

顺带一提，现在5点上班已经不能满足秦淮了，秦淮基本上每天4点30分~4点40分就会抵达工位，连带着安悠悠每天3点就会来备料。

The master chefs at Zhiweiju no longer saw Qin Huai with golden eyes, but rather with green ones. Sometimes they would stare straight at Qin Huai, their eyes saying, "Isn't this my long-lost apprentice? Where have you been all these years?"

Intelligent and quick-witted, she can find her own extraordinary path without much guidance. Most importantly, she is both proud and humble, and even diligent. And not just ordinary diligent, but exceptionally diligent—the kind of diligence that allows her to get up at 4 a.m. to make desserts!

The only downside is that my mind isn't quite right; I always fantasize about having a game system. But that's okay, it's not important. Being mentally unstable doesn't affect my ability to make desserts or live a normal life.

As the variety of breakfast options in Qinhuai has increased, including rice noodle rolls, wontons, plain noodles, sesame balls, various kinds of flatbreads and pancakes, and sometimes even two pancakes when they get tired of making other breakfasts, the chefs at Zhiweiju have come to realize just how deep Qinhuai's dim sum pool is and how wide the range of varieties they can cover.

Let's put it this way: right now, all the master chefs at Zhiweiju feel that Qinhuai can specialize in their area, shine, and become the best.

What? You're saying Xiao Qin isn't actually very good at this kind of pastry, that it's not his specialty? What do you know! He's not good at it because he hasn't put in the time and effort before, and hasn't met a master chef specializing in this type of pastry. If Xiao Qin wanted to, he would definitely be very good at it!
Many master chefs, whose skills and fighting abilities were inferior to Master Zhou's, began to mutter to themselves, "What makes Zhou Guanghai so special? Are you that great? Aren't you just the number one chef? You weren't number one chef from the start; you worked your way up over the years. You're not the absolute number one, so you're not that amazing."

How dare you monopolize Xiao Qin? Xiao Qin didn't even become your apprentice. It's just that sometimes she omits the "Zhou" part in private and calls you "Master." In public, she still calls you Master Zhou.

You, Zhou Guanghai, at least have some self-respect and know your place; you didn't try to trick Xiao Qin into becoming your apprentice.

So what if I'm the best at making pastries? I'm really nothing special. When it comes to xx type of pastries, I'm the one. You, Zhou Guanghai, have been teaching for long enough. Move aside, it's my turn to teach!
Some master chefs think this way, while others do it secretly.

Qin Huai makes so many basic breakfast items every day, there's bound to be one that happens to be in the area of ​​expertise of the master chefs. Of course, it's not good to disturb Qin Huai when he's making pastries, but he doesn't make pastries during morning meetings, so many master chefs take advantage of the morning meetings to shove their notes into Qin Huai's arms and then launch into a long, rambling monologue.

Currently, during morning meetings, Boss Su mainly mediates conflicts caused by the head chefs randomly handing out pamphlets.

Some master chefs only insert the needle once every three or four days, while others do it once a day. Naturally, those who do it every three or four days feel dissatisfied seeing it done daily; they think they're just deliberately trying to get attention and wasting Qin Huai's time. What experience do they have to draw from that? You're only at that level, aren't you? What can you possibly learn?
Then old grudges and new ones will come together, arguing about things from small booklets to the other person being less skilled than oneself, then arguing about snacks, with neither willing to admit defeat, and the argument continues.

The morning meetings used to last only 20 minutes, but now they have to last 40 minutes because there are too many conflicts to resolve.

Of course, these were all just insignificant little incidents.

At least that's how it is for Master Zhou. As the master chef who is now officially training Qin Huai, Master Zhou doesn't need to stuff Qin Huai with booklets every day like other master chefs do. He can give Qin Huai guidance however he wants, and Master Zhou can even give him a live demonstration if Qin Huai is willing.

Of course, Master Zhou rarely does this.

Masters teach apprentices step by step, usually at the beginning of an apprentice's learning journey, as imitation is the best teacher. Qin Huai isn't learning anything new right now; he's just leveling up his skill proficiency. Although Master Zhou doesn't quite understand what Qin Huai's imagined game system proficiency specifically refers to, he can roughly tell that Qin Huai is currently in the final stage of accumulating knowledge and experience for a powerful breakthrough.

He doesn't need to learn anything new or any new skills; he just needs to continuously consolidate what he already knows and build a more advanced foundation.

This is also why Master Zhou has been smiling all the time when he sees Qin Huai lately. He is so insightful, knows exactly what he wants to do, and is also so diligent, persistent, and persevering.

Compare it to his third child.

Master Zhou couldn't help but sigh.

"Master Zhou, what's wrong?" Qin Huai asked, following Master Zhou's gaze to the Four Happiness Flower Rolls next door.

Since Master Zhou never interfered with what kind of pastries Zhao Cheng'an made, he always did whatever he wanted. Before, he would make whatever was simple, but now... he makes whatever Qin Huai is good at.

I made three-ingredient buns all day the day before yesterday, four-happiness glutinous rice balls all day yesterday, and four-happiness flower rolls all day today.

In other words, Zhao Cheng'an doesn't know how to make double crab buns yet. Otherwise, in two months when crabs are in season, the aroma of double crab buns would probably fill Zhiweiju.

Even Qin Huai, who was obsessed with grinding for skill points every day, had a vague feeling that Zhao Cheng'an seemed to be a bit abnormal.

Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. Mayflies are inherently lazy and love to try new things and experience life. It's already touching that Zhao Cheng'an, as a mayfly who isn't short of money, is still willing to go to work. Making him go to work at 7 a.m. every day is worse than letting him be reincarnated and start over.

Qin Huai felt he had to say something for Zhao Cheng'an.

"Brother Cheng'an's four-happiness flower rolls are quite beautiful. I had only seen him make auspicious cloud pattern pastries before, so I knew he could make cloud patterns, but I didn't expect his cloud patterns to be so good. They are much better than mine," Qin Huai said.

Master Zhou said, "The third brother also learned the craft from Master Tan for a few years back then, otherwise how could he have such a good relationship with Xiao Tan? Cloud patterns are Master Tan's specialty, so the third brother naturally learned them as well."

"Why does this pastry still have such a strong sense of craftsmanship?" Master Zhou looked at the Four Happiness Flower Rolls, completely puzzled.

Qin Huai had no way to refute Master Zhou's words.

Zhao Cheng'an's pastries are indeed crafted with great skill. His approach, ideas, and hobbies in making pastries are very similar to those of Qin Huai, but he lacks one thing—he has never seen the pastries made by Jiang Chengde.

Zhao Cheng'an must have met her in his first life, but he doesn't remember it now.

Qin Huai had seen the authentic version of the answer, so his textbook-style pastries were genuine. Zhao Cheng'an, on the other hand, had never seen the authentic version of the answer, and because of the subconscious remnants from his first life of learning the craft, he was following this direction, but had never seen the authentic textbook, so his pastries were like pirated versions.

Reprinted.

At first glance, it seems alright, but upon closer inspection, something feels off.

Qin Huai could only express his helplessness in this regard. Unless Zhao Cheng'an woke up and remembered his first memory, or a peerless genius from the White Case World made a batch of guaranteed S-grade pastries for Zhao Cheng'an to see, the possibility of Zhao Cheng'an having an epiphany was really not high.

“He’s been thinking about going abroad for fun again these past few days. He just can’t seem to settle down.” Master Zhou could only sigh. “Going abroad is definitely out of the question. He just got back from his trip not long ago. But there’s an exchange meeting in Beiping next month that he can attend.”

"Xiao Qin, are you going with Lao San?" Master Zhou asked.

"Me? An exchange meeting? What are we exchanging? What am I representing?" Qin Huai was a little confused.

He had heard Huang Anyao mention the exchange meeting when he was at Huang's restaurant, but Huang Anyao was only a half-baked chef. He couldn't exchange cooking skills with the chefs at the exchange meeting, and no one talked to him. He could only eat, drink, and comment on which restaurant hosted the exchange meeting and whose food was the best.

"I don't know what they were thinking when the new owner of Babaozhai held an exchange meeting and sent the invitation to Zhiweiju," said Chef Zhou. "I heard from Xiao Tan that the owner studied abroad a few years ago and learned some new management methods or something. As soon as he came back, he carried out sweeping reforms. Babaozhai's good performance in the past two years should also be due to his good reforms."

“Previously, it was always red-themed exchanges between red-themed restaurants and white-themed exchanges between white-themed restaurants. Now that the invitation from Babaozhai has arrived, it wouldn’t be good for Zhiweiju not to go. Xiao Su is going to Suzhou next month to discuss factory matters with Zheng Da and can’t find the time. We originally said that in a few days, we would draw lots at the morning meeting to decide who would go, but Lao San heard about it and insisted on going.”

“I think he’s not really in the mood to make pastries anymore. Giving him something to look forward to and making pastries properly during this time is a good idea.”

"I heard from Xiao Tan that you know Tong Deyan from Babaozhai and you two are quite close. Do you want to go with Lao San?"

“If you’re going, I’ll use my connections to book a table at Fenyuan for you and Lao San. It seems like Old Xia’s health has been a bit off this year; he has to rest every few days. It’s getting harder and harder to book a table at Fenyuan. It’s one of the top private restaurants in the country. Xiao Tan told me that you’ve never eaten at Fenyuan, and neither has Lao San. He couldn’t get a table when he went to Beiping last time, so he definitely has to eat there when he goes to Beiping.”

"There are many art exhibitions in Beiping. If you're going, Xiao Qin, take Lao San to visit some exhibitions and keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't buy too many paintings."

"Can he possibly see all 88 paintings he buys at once?"

Upon hearing Master Zhou's words, Qin Huai was instantly tempted, but still hesitated.

"Cheng'an will definitely have no problem representing Zhiweiju, so what if I go too...?"

"Xiao Su will take care of it for you."

Since Master Zhou had already put it that way, Qin Huai naturally wouldn't refuse. He had originally planned to go to Beiping, but not to eat at Fenyuan, but to have a meal at Babaozhai, a restaurant where Tong Deyan would personally cook his signature dishes.

"When is the exchange meeting approximately?"

"We'll be open for two days starting July 15th. You and Lao San can spend another day in Beiping. Just come back on the 18th or 19th."

"Okay, thank you for giving me this spot, Master Zhou," Qin Huai said with a smile.

Master Zhou smiled and offered a concerned reminder: "It's fine to grind for proficiency, but I don't really understand what you're talking about. Don't rush things and tire yourself out."

"Sometimes I need to learn from Lao San and Xiao Tan. I need to learn to be lazy, to balance work and rest, and to relax myself."

"Just keep those notebooks that other people gave you and look at them casually. They can't really summarize anything. If you don't understand something, just ask them. There's no need to learn what they're teaching you on their own initiative."

"Zhou Guanghai, what do you mean?!" Master Hua's angry roar came from afar. "What do you mean, 'Just keep it and take a look'? That's all my hard work!"

Master Hua strode up to Qin Huai, first giving Master Zhou a fierce glare in his mind, then smilingly looking at the pig-shaped buns and hedgehog-shaped buns in the steamer, praising, "Little Qin, your pastries are getting better and better."

Finally, the true intentions were revealed.

"I remember you haven't made noodles today, have you? Are you planning to make pulled noodles, hand-pulled noodles, or hand-kneaded noodles? Feel free to ask me if you have any questions. What you said earlier, Chef Zhou, makes sense too. Ask me if you don't understand anything. I have plenty of time."

"I really have plenty of time!"

(End of this chapter)