The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 449 Taifeng Restaurant

Zhao Cheng'an observed Qin Huai carefully for three days and, after confirming that Qin Huai had not suddenly made rapid progress as if he had taken some kind of magic pill, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, he only gave the impression that he had figured it out, not that he had actually figured it out.

If this guy really does have breakthroughs every few days, how are we ordinary geniuses supposed to survive? Has he even considered the fate of us ordinary geniuses?

If Qin Huai knew what Zhao Cheng'an was thinking, he would probably pat him on the shoulder and comfort him: Don't worry, it's just a minor enlightenment, it won't lead to anything big.

Once you've maxed out your proficiency, I'll unleash a big one all at once.

Amidst the mundane grind of leveling up proficiency, July 14th arrived quickly.

By the way, Qin Luo's final exam results came out on July 7th. She did quite well, not at the bottom of the class, which made Qin Congwen and Zhao Rong very happy. They were so happy that they called Qin Huai that night to say that their daughter had really grown up and become sensible, and that she was finally not in the bottom ten of the class!
It's the thirteenth from the bottom!
Considering that Qin Luo's class only has 30 students, he could be considered the eighteenth.

Qin Huai was also very pleased. Sometimes, the contrast in children's academic performance is what makes it painful. Although Qin Luo's grades were still a bit poor, compared to Shi Dadan's two children, he was simply excellent in both character and academics.

Overjoyed, Qin Huai felt that the tutor recommended by Gong Liang was indeed useful. Under the pressure of increasing the amount of money, he hired the tutor to come to Shanshi. He also sent He Cheng to Shanshi to tutor Qin Luo together.

Qin Huai said that as He Cheng's cousin, there wasn't much he could do for his younger cousin. He'd earned a little money in the past two years, and while he couldn't offer anything else, he'd cover the tutoring fees!

Judging from the fact that Qin Luo hasn't posted on WeChat Moments for 5 days, it seems that the child's tutoring has been quite effective during this period.

Sorry for digressing, let's get back to the main topic.

八宝斋举办的交流会的时间是7月15日~7月16日，7月15日上午9点就要开始开会，秦淮和赵诚安14号下午就要出发。

Given Zhao Cheng'an's personality, since he had to catch a flight on the afternoon of the 14th, it was impossible to expect him to go to Zhiweiju to make pastries in the morning. At Zhao Cheng'an's sincere invitation, Qin Huai also chose to sleep in on the morning of the 14th and pack his luggage, and then set off for the airport with Zhao Cheng'an in the afternoon.

Having already spent so much time grinding for proficiency, Qin Huai only took one day off during the entire process. On that day, he stayed home making snacks for Shi Dadan. It can be said that he didn't stop for a moment.

It's reasonable to spend half a day idly catching fish.

Master Zhou was very understanding of Qin Huai's slacking off, believing that a balance between work and rest was the best way to practice. He not only thoughtfully prepared pastries that Qin Huai could take on the plane, but also told him with a smile that if one day in Beiping wasn't enough, he could stay for a few more days.

If you feel you haven't had enough of the food at Fenyuan, just call him and Chef Zhou will immediately use all his connections to book another table for Qin Huai.

Zhao Cheng'an asked Master Zhou if he could have a third meal if he hadn't had enough after two meals.

Master Zhou told him to get lost.

Zhao Cheng'an obediently rolled onto the plane, taking the opportunity to count the snacks that Master Zhou had given to Qin Huai.

"Holy crap, egg yolk pastry, peach blossom pastry, lotus blossom pastry, peach pastry, jujube paste pastry, egg tart, mille-feuille cake, yam cake, eight-treasure cake, dragon beard candy... This is obviously something Master Hua smuggled in. Wait, why didn't I get this kind of treatment when I traveled abroad before?"

“My master would never stuff so many pastries into my hands. I have to shamelessly ask for them! If I ask, he’ll only make me one or two kinds. My master wouldn’t be worried that you’ll choke to death if he makes you so many! Oh right, there’s water on the plane so you won’t choke.” Zhao Cheng’an said, carefully picking out the egg tarts that needed to be eaten while they were hot from the dry pastries, and casually waving to the flight attendant to get him a glass of orange juice.

Looking at Zhao Cheng'an, who started eating without warning, Qin Huai felt a strong sense of familiarity, as if Shi Dadan was sitting next to him.

The flight attendant was clearly well-traveled and accepted Zhao Cheng'an's habit of eating before even fastening his seatbelt. She not only refilled his orange juice but also handed him the beverage menu.

Zhao Cheng'an ordered a cup of green tea for Qin Huai and drank it for him as well.

"Is it possible that Chef Zhou specially prepared so many pastries, half of which were for you?" Qin Huai said.

Qin Huai had long since realized that although Master Zhou often complained about Zhao Cheng'an verbally and in his heart, he still liked Zhao Cheng'an the most among his three apprentices.

Zhao Cheng'an chuckled and continued eating his egg tart.

"What's our itinerary for this trip to Beiping?" Qin Huai only started asking about the next two days' schedule after boarding the plane.

"I'm not entirely sure either." Zhao Cheng'an took out his phone and glanced at it. "Boss Su sent me a file, but I didn't look at it carefully."

"I remember we'll have a meeting at Babaozhai at 9 a.m. tomorrow, have lunch at Babaozhai, and the day after tomorrow we'll be doing some field trip or something, like visiting the Great Wall."

"All meals and accommodations are included, even round-trip airfare. There must be a lot of people attending this exchange meeting! As expected, Hong'an Restaurant is making more money. Babaozhai is really generous. When we held exchange meetings before, Zhiweiju only reimbursed train tickets, and that was only for second-class high-speed rail seats."

"What will be discussed at the exchange meeting at 9 a.m. tomorrow? Cooking tips?" Qin Huai asked curiously.

"I don't know." Zhao Cheng'an was obviously clueless, his eyes only showing his longing to go to Beiping and eat at Fenyuan, and he didn't care about the exchange meeting at all. "Maybe it's just a stroll around the kitchen of Babaozhai? I don't know how they exchange their red-cooked dishes. If it's an exchange meeting like our Zhiweiju, it's just a stroll around the kitchen, where each chef directly makes pastries and then tastes each other's pastries."

Qin Huai: Sure, that's very Zhiweiju.

Even the pastry chefs who come to participate in the exchange meeting have to go into the kitchen to make two kinds of pastries before they can leave.

Unable to get any information about the exchange meeting, and given that Qin Huai himself wasn't particularly interested in it, he was far more interested in going to Beiping with Zhao Cheng'an than in the exchange meeting with Babaozhai.

"I looked up where Taifenglou is," Qin Huai said abruptly. "Our flight lands at 4 p.m., so we still have plenty of time. Let's go to Taifenglou first, take some photos, and then go eat."

Zhao Cheng'an was still eating his snacks with gusto when he heard Qin Huai say this. He nodded in agreement and took another bite before belatedly realizing what Qin Huai meant.

What is Taifenglou?
Oh right, the restaurant that Qin Huai mentioned before that closed down.

What's so great about visiting a closed restaurant? It's not like it's a tourist attraction.

Forget it, I don't understand, it's not important. Let Qin Huai go wherever he wants. Maybe this is just another mission issued by his stupid game system. He's crazy, I can understand him going wherever he wants.

Zhao Cheng'an felt that he was a really thoughtful and good colleague.
.
Zhao Cheng'an ate and drank throughout the entire flight, trying every drink on the beverage menu. In the middle of the flight, he didn't forget to complain to Qin Huai that the flight attendants' tea-making skills were terrible, and that their green and black teas were not as good as those of An Youyou, who had just learned how to make tea.

The price of his gluttony was that Zhao Cheng'an was already stuffed before the plane even landed.

Those who knew him would think he was there to catch a flight, but those who didn't would think he was there for an in-flight buffet.

"Hiccup." Zhao Cheng'an let out his first hiccup since landing in Beiping. He searched the map and said, "Hey, Qin Huai, the Taifeng Restaurant you're going to is quite close to Babaozhai and the hotel we're staying at. They're both within the Second Ring Road."

"Really?" Qin Huai nodded. "Then let's go to the hotel to drop off our luggage first, and then head straight to Taifeng Restaurant. I just messaged Master Zhou to let him know we landed safely. Did you message him too?"

Zhao Cheng'an: ...They actually have to report that they're safe. Damn it, we've lost another step.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Qin Huai gained a completely new understanding of the immense wealth and power of Babaozhai, as Zhao Cheng'an had described.

Even if Qin Huai had never been to Beijing, he could guess the approximate price range of the executive suites in high-end hotels within the Second Ring Road. Ling Guangzhao, the new owner of Babaozhai, is truly keen on throwing money around.

The wealth of the top-tier red-lacquered dishes was enough to make the white-lacquered dishes of Qinhuai grind their teeth in envy.

Zhao Cheng'an was also slightly shocked: "Holy crap, how much money does Babaozhai make in a year? They're such big spenders, making Zhiweiju look like poor beggars from the countryside." "Don't say that," Qin Huai comforted him, "Only you are from Zhiweiju, I am not."

Zhao Cheng'an: ?

The hotel is only 2.4 kilometers away from Taifeng Restaurant. Zhao Cheng'an had eaten too much on the plane and needed to digest his food. He checked the temperature and thought that 30°C was not a big problem. He boldly suggested, "Why don't we just walk there?"

Qin Huai: ?
Is this how you mayflies experience all aspects of life?

Qin Huai didn't understand, but respected the agreement and nodded in consent.

The two of them, one truly bold in his words and the other truly bold in his actions, set off from the hotel on foot towards Taifeng Restaurant with great pride and high spirits. Along the way, Qin Huai felt that he should theoretically have walked these routes in Zhao Cheng'an and Chen Huihong's memories, after all, Miss Crazy used to do citywalks in the inner city every day, exploring almost every corner of the inner city.

The area within 2 kilometers of Taifenglou must be Miss Crazy's regular activity range.

A century has completely transformed the inner city of Beiping. Skyscrapers have replaced low-rise houses, asphalt roads have paved the former dirt tracks, and street vendors have become prime shops. Although the sky wasn't as blue as before and even looked somewhat gray due to poor air quality, Qin Huai felt it was much brighter than he remembered.

Everywhere you look, there's a constant flow of traffic, with traffic jams stretching as far as the eye can see, and you can no longer spot any beggars begging along the streets. Whether the pedestrians are wearing new or old clothes, they're not tattered or patched garments. The people squatting in the corners aren't terminally ill or dying, but rather young people looking for shade to play on their phones because the sun is too strong.

The inner city remains bustling and lively, but it is not the same kind of bustling and lively place.

Qin Huai had seen Beiping many times in her memory, in winter, autumn and summer, but this was the first time she had seen Beiping like this.

"I was just joking. Qin Huai, why are you acting like it's your first time in the city?" Zhao Cheng'an teased, seeing Qin Huai looking around.

"This is indeed my first time in Beiping," Qin Huai said with a smile. "Just as rumored, the traffic is terrible."

Zhao Cheng'an remarked with deep feeling: "Luckily, we took the subway instead of a taxi, otherwise we would still be stuck in traffic. The navigation showed that we would reach Taifenglou by turning left 100 meters ahead. Isn't it strange that this restaurant has been closed for decades, yet it can still be found on the navigation?"

"No, it should be this location. It's incredible that a restaurant here has been closed for decades. How much rent would they collect a year if they rented it out?"

As he spoke, Zhao Cheng'an led Qin Huai forward, turned left, and Taifeng Restaurant came into view.

Qin Huai stopped in his tracks.

He never imagined that, nearly a century later, Taifeng Restaurant would look like this.

It was almost exactly the same as what he had seen in Chen Huihong's memory.

The exterior was exactly the same, the signboard was exactly the same, even the carvings on the window frames, the steps at the entrance, and the pillars next to the plaque were exactly the same as what Qin Huai remembered.

It wasn't until he actually saw the restaurant that Qin Huai realized how deeply impressed he was with Taifenglou.

He remembered many details of Taifenglou: its old-fashioned plaque, the tall and magnificent pillar at the entrance after being painted, the carvings on the window frames on the first floor, the double-line carvings on the edge of the small table by the window, the style of the tea set the waiter used to serve tea, the ivory chopsticks specially supplied to Miss Feng, and the abacus in the accounting office with a missing bead.

Qin Huai especially remembers that back then, the two-story Taifeng Building stood out in this area, a true standout among the surrounding bungalows and low houses.

The former Crane, now located in the CBD area and surrounded by high-rise buildings, looks like a protected ancient building.

"Wow!" Zhao Cheng'an exclaimed, "No wonder you wanted to come here to check it out, Qin Huai! Turns out Taifeng Restaurant is a tourist attraction!"

"I just don't know if I'll be able to get in."

"No entry." A clear male voice came from behind Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an. The two turned around and found that the person who answered their question was a handsome young foreign man who looked to be over 185 cm tall.

"This is not a tourist attraction; it is privately owned and not open to the public."

After the handsome young man finished explaining in a clear and articulate voice, he took a few photos of Taifeng Restaurant and left.

Qin Huai: "Wow, the foreigners in Beiping speak Chinese so well, their Mandarin is even more standard than my grandfather's."

Even though Mr. Qin is a native of Guangdong Province, he might not be able to pass the Level 2B Mandarin proficiency test.

Zhao Cheng'an stared at the handsome man's back for a moment, then said, "Hey, this, um, just now... this person seems to be Zhang... Zhang something?"

"His name was something like Zhang..."

"You know him?" Qin Huai asked curiously.

He hadn't expected that Zhao Cheng'an had acquaintances in Beiping, including foreign friends.

"I don't know him, but I've heard of him, or rather, I've seen his picture. His name is something like Zhang, oh dear, I can't remember. He's Mr. Xia's apprentice!"

"Mr. Xia from Fenyuan?"

"Correct!"

Upon hearing Zhao Cheng'an's words, Qin Huai knew who it was; Dong Shi had mentioned it to Qin Huai when they were gossiping.

"I've heard of him. Isn't he studying in Japan now?"

Zhao Cheng'an shook his head: "I don't know. Maybe Mr. Xia is unwell and came back recently. I heard that he started learning martial arts from Mr. Xia when he was less than ten years old. I think he's a relative of Mr. Xia or something. Mr. Xia has no children, so if he's really unwell, he'll definitely come back to take care of him."

"Does Mr. Xia have foreign relatives?"

"He is of mixed Chinese and French descent; his father is a famous French chef."

Qin Huai craned his neck, wanting to catch another glimpse of the legendary Master Xia's apprentice, only to find that the handsome man, tall and long-legged, had already vanished in a flash.

"Then why did he come to Taifenglou to take pictures?" Qin Huai murmured.

"I don't know, maybe I'm like you, taking pictures of Taifeng Restaurant as a tourist attraction." Zhao Cheng'an said, taking out his phone and snapping photos of Taifeng Restaurant. "Such a prime location, a standalone restaurant, is privately owned and not open to the public. The annual maintenance alone must cost a lot of money. They're really rich and willful."

As soon as Zhao Cheng'an finished speaking, a game notification sounded in Qin Huai's mind.

"Ding! Congratulations on discovering a hidden quest. Please check it in the quest panel."

Eh?
Hidden quest.

This game system even has hidden quests.

(End of this chapter)