The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 452 Warmth for Boss Ling All Day
After giving his instructions, Tong Deyan completely ignored Qin Huai. Qin Huai could tell that he was busy, but he didn't know what he was busy with, so Qin Huai wisely left without bothering Tong Deyan any further.

This scene, as observed by Pei Shenghua, who is always alert and observant, turned into the introverted and socially awkward Master Qin mustering the courage to approach Tong Deyan for a chat. Tong Deyan's indifferent response caused the socially awkward Master Qin to leave heartbroken, no longer daring to engage in any further social interaction, and he could only remain a bystander in such a perfect place to watch the drama unfold.

Oh, Xiao Qin, you're really unlucky. You got off to a bad start, picking such a difficult person to talk to on your very first conversation.

Sure enough, the rumor that Tong Deyan treated Qin Huai differently was just that—a rumor. How could someone with Tong Deyan's bad temper possibly treat others differently? It would be good enough if he didn't look at them coldly.

Pei Shenghua briefly felt sorry for Qin Huai for five seconds before actively engaging in his gossip-watching business. Such a large-scale exchange was rare; this Mr. Ling from Babaozhai was truly a good person. It would have been even better if his intention to poach talent hadn't been so obvious.

On the other hand, Qin Huai indeed had no intention of continuing his social activities.

Time-limited tasks are a high priority for him, since there are only two days to complete them, and if he misses them, they're gone. Qin Huai extracted many key pieces of information from his conversation with Tong Deyan.

First, Tan Weian and Zang Liang spread rumors that he had mental problems.

Secondly, Ling Guangzhao also has mental problems.

In the end, Ling Guangzhao really did hold this exchange meeting to poach talent.

Since they were all patients with mental problems, things became easier. Ling Guangzhao was very confident, even a bit arrogant, perhaps because he had just returned from studying abroad or because of his upbringing; you could tell from his expression when he spoke.

Even when asking for favors, he would raise his chin slightly when speaking, as if he would never bow his head in his entire life.

Qin Huai pondered what kind of snacks to make for the afternoon.

I definitely can't make anything too complicated or troublesome to prepare. It's not that I'm unwilling to make it, but mainly because Babaozhai no longer sells pastries. For example, fillings that require advance preparation, such as red bean paste or sesame sugar filling, are definitely not available at Babaozhai. If you want to buy them on the spot, you can only buy the popular ones on the market.

For most of these sweet pastries, the main flavor and the finishing touch lies in the filling itself. Take Four Happiness Tangyuan as an example: if the red bean paste and sesame sugar fillings are not specially made by Qinhuai, the Four Happiness Tangyuan will lose its flavor and definitely cannot be rated A.

Considering Ling Guangzhao's hometown, experience, and personality, Four Happiness Tangyuan is essentially a commoner's snack, and it's obvious at a glance that it's just tangyuan without much fancy origin. Ling Guangzhao might not be too fond of it.

Qin Huai thought his buddy might like something a little flashy.

He also has all sorts of fancy and flashy things here.

The fancy-looking dough balls, the fancy-originating Five-Ingredient Buns, and the Four Happiness Flower Rolls—both their shapes and origins can be described as fancy.

Of course, it's textbook-perfect, but we also have to count the rice cakes that Qinhuai can't make in a textbook version.

These are the four!
With another cup of comforting tangerine peel tea, Qin Huai was determined to warm Ling Guangzhao's heart this afternoon.
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As Tong Deyan said, the Chinese food was a Western-style buffet, mostly cold dishes. The few hot dishes were made by ordinary chefs from Babaozhai. Ordinary people might find it okay, but everyone here is a professional, and they could spot at least eight minor problems after just one bite.

Everyone understood and didn't care; Tong Deyan was at the exchange meeting, so why would he expect to eat anything good?

During meals, Ling Guangzhao was like a butterfly, flitting among the chefs with his tray, chatting with them, especially those who looked younger or who seemed to be short of money; he was incredibly enthusiastic with them.

Ling Guangzhao from Qinhuai also came over to say hello and inquire about Huang Anyao's situation. Perhaps because he wasn't very interested in pastry chefs, Ling Guangzhao only chatted warmly for a few words, praising Qinhuai's pastries for being featured on the cover of Zhiwei's New Year's issue, saying it was truly a young man's achievement.

It can only be said that Qin Huai is indeed a rare genius in the world of white-cooked dishes, but at this exchange meeting that brings together top red-cooked dish masters from all over the country, the young white-cooked dish genius is really not up to par.

Ling Guangzhao's goal is still to poach chefs who have been famous for many years, have stable representative works, whose dishes can sell for high prices, and whose job changes can generate huge hype.

Boss Ling was so bold that even Pei Shenghua wanted to poach him; in a sense, he was like a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger.

After finishing his meal, Qin Huai messaged Tong Deyan, asking if he could come to the kitchen of Babaozhai at 2 p.m., as it might take him a while to make the pastries.

Half an hour later, Tong Deyan replied "okay," and Qin Huai stayed in the hotel room watching video tutorials on making rice cakes. Although the process of making rice cakes seemed simple, Qin Huai had been watching these video tutorials repeatedly and finding new insights.

As his proficiency in basic skills continued to improve, he was able to glean more and more from these short video tutorials. The principle that the simplest things are often the most difficult is vividly demonstrated in Mi Gao's video tutorials. The idea that teachers teach students from a young age that nothing will be useful if the foundation is not solid is also fully reflected in these video tutorials.

Qin Huai watched the tutorial until 1:50 PM. During that time, Zhao Cheng'an called Qin Huai to ask if he wanted to visit Prince Gong's Mansion. Everyone felt there was no need to participate in the afternoon's exchange meeting, and many planned to head straight to the tourist attractions to start their sightseeing.

Qin Huai declined, saying he had things to do in the afternoon. He washed his face to make himself look more refreshed before heading to Babaozhai.

Although Qin Huai didn't want to change jobs, he still had to pack up in order to complete the time-limited task.

At 2 p.m., chefs were already busy in the kitchen of Babaozhai.

Established restaurants like Babaozhai, which leans towards trendy, internet-famous establishments, are never short of customers. The head chefs are the main force, and the kitchen is like a battleground when things get busy. The head chef can't possibly work as leisurely as the head chefs at Zhiweiju, who can leave whenever they want.

Even when holding exchange meetings, Babaozhai is still open for business as usual. The exchange meetings only occupy the banquet hall, which is not available for individual guests when wedding banquets are not being held.

While picking up food at lunchtime, Qin Huai overheard the chefs chatting by the ham platter mentioning that since Babaozhai started its marketing efforts, it has taken on many wedding banquets, birthday banquets, and graduation banquets. The interior has also been renovated, reducing the number of private rooms and freeing up two banquet halls.

If Huangji Restaurant avoids accepting banquets whenever possible, then Babaozhai Restaurant accepts them whenever possible. Although Babaozhai's banquets are expensive, they have no barriers to entry. Unlike other established restaurants where reservations are extremely difficult, requiring referrals from acquaintances or high-level membership cards, at Babaozhai, if the schedule is available and the money is right, everything is fine.

Furthermore, it is guaranteed that Tong Deyan is the head chef, and no ordinary chefs will be used to fill in the gaps.

From this perspective, Babaozhai has indeed made it easier to book banquets, but it's tough on their only head chef, Tong Deyan.

No wonder Ling Guangzhao was so eager to poach people. If Master Tong continued like this, he would be turned into a complete beast of burden.

Qin Huai inexplicably began to understand Ling Guangzhao.

When Qin Huai arrived at the kitchen, Tong Deyan had already prepared a cooking station for him, with basic tools for steaming pastries, such as steamers, steam ovens, and ovens. He simply explained their location and usage, and told Qin Huai that Babaozhai no longer sells pastries at all, and that this was the only option; they didn't have any more advanced machines.

Qin Huai felt that was enough.

As a breakfast shop chef, as long as Babaozhai has the necessary equipment for a breakfast shop, Qin Huai can make all the pastries he can make.

It's just a bit slower.

Qin Huai began kneading the dough.

While Qin Huai was kneading the dough, Tong Deyan was chopping and preparing the ingredients at the kitchen counter next to Qin Huai. Other chefs and apprentices in the kitchen were also preparing ingredients or doing odd jobs, and the sound of chopping vegetables could be heard everywhere.

"Master Tong, Boss Ling has been trying to poach people from all over the place today. Has he managed to recruit anyone?" Qin Huai asked curiously.

Upon hearing this, the chef who was close enough to Qin Huai to hear him clearly trembled as he was cutting meat, nearly cutting his own finger.

Tong Deyan's expression didn't change, but he looked up at Qin Huai with a somewhat speechless expression. He found that Qin Huai was just in his usual gossip mode, not even looking up while kneading dough. He paused and said, "I've got my eye on quite a few."

After saying that, Tong Deyan sneered, "But no one has taken a liking to him." "I told you, Ling Guangzhao is also out of his mind. He thinks that if I can poach him with money, he can poach other chefs with money too. How is that possible?"

"When they were poaching people, they were too arrogant and set their sights on the head chefs of major restaurants. They hadn't even poached many ordinary chefs yet, and they wanted to poach the head chefs. That was wishful thinking."

Qin Huai: ...Master Tong, although you are just scolding Ling Guangzhao, it seems like you are giving him advice while scolding him.

The other chefs could only chop vegetables silently, not daring to speak, and even their movements were slow and gentle, so as not to make too much noise and attract the attention of these two great masters.

"Then why was you poached by Boss Ling, Master Tong?" Qin Huai asked again.

Tong Deyan paused for a long time, but still said, "I have a bad reputation and a bad temper. I have worked in many restaurants and hotels, and I can't get along with my colleagues in any of them. It's the same no matter where I go."

“The most crucial thing is that I bought an apartment in the Second Ring Road four years ago, and the mortgage is not yet paid off, while Ling Guangzhao is paying a high salary.”

"School district housing?" Qin Huai asked curiously. When he overheard Zhou Yan and Wang Jiayi chatting at Zhiweiju, the two talked most about school district housing for their children.

Tong Deyan: ...?
"Yes."

"Wow, that's very expensive. How old is your child, Master Tong?"

"First grade of elementary school."

"Are your grades good? Have you enrolled in any extracurricular classes, like abacus, violin, or taekwondo?"

"I learned piano from a teacher recommended by Ling Guangzhao."

"Wow, Mr. Ling is such a nice person. I heard that it's hard to get into classes taught by such skilled teachers these days, but I didn't expect Mr. Ling to have such resources."

As soon as Ling Guangzhao entered the kitchen, he heard Qin Huai praising him as a very good person.

Ling Guangzhao, who had been secretly cursed by several business owners at the conference and was about to be infamous for all time, also suffered a setback when trying to poach talent. The number of chefs attending the afternoon session was even smaller. Feeling that the conference had been somewhat presumptuous and ultimately botched, and unwilling to admit it, Ling Guangzhao almost burst into tears upon hearing Qin Huai's words.

Who was it? Which thoughtful employee praised him like that? I'm going to give him a bonus and a red envelope!
Ling Guangzhao quickly stepped forward and discovered that the person speaking was Qin Huai.

Ling Guangzhao had an impression of Qin Huai. As an arrogant young boss, Ling Guangzhao was quite capable. He was smart and had a good memory.

He remembered that Qin Huai originally came to the meeting with people from Zhiweiju, but he was a chef at Huangji, and the young master of Huangji was unable to attend due to gastroenteritis, so he temporarily took his place.

Ling Guangzhao originally didn't value Qin Huai much.

There are so many big names attending this event. Qin Huai is just a small fry. Even if he has been on "Taste of China," which chef here hasn't been on "Taste of China"? There are also many chefs who have been on "Taste of China" several times, and quite a few have even been on the cover.

Tong Deyan has appeared on it two or three times.

Qin Huai's advantage is that he is young and he is a white-collar worker, and there are relatively few white-collar workers.

However, for Ling Guangzhao now, Qin Huai's greatest advantage is his discerning eye; he saw through Ling Guangzhao's wealthy appearance and recognized the sincere soul within him.

Ling Guangzhao walked to the Qinhuai River and began to watch him knead dough.

Ling Guangzhao didn't really understand it; he couldn't even understand cooking, let alone kneading dough. But he thought Qin Huai's movements were very smooth, beautiful, and showed the style of a master.

When Tong Deyan told him at noon that Qin Huai wanted to ask him to come over for some snacks in the afternoon, Ling Guangzhao didn't pay much attention. He just nodded in agreement, thinking it was just a matter of having a couple of bites.

Now Ling Guangzhao felt he had to give it a good taste.

If Qin Huai's culinary skills are decent, even if he has only been on Zhiwei once, even if he is not ranked in the list of famous chefs, even if he seems to be unable to market anything, even if Babaozhai removed its pastry chefs many years ago, Ling Guangzhao is still willing to offer Qin Huai a tempting job, poaching him from Huangji with a high salary to become Babaozhai's pastry chef.

Not for any other reason than that one sentence: "Boss Ling is a really good person."

very good!

What an insightful prospective employee!

Ling Guangzhao's eyes were now filled with admiration as he looked at Qin Huai.

Tong Deyan: ...These two idiots have gotten together. Although Qin Huai's illness sounds more serious, why does he feel that Ling Guangzhao is more seriously ill now?
Ling Guangzhao went crazy after failing to poach anyone?

Ling Guangzhao had already calculated in his mind how much money he would have to pay Qin Huai each month, and what his share of the snacks would be.

"Master Qin, Master Tong told me at noon that you wanted me to try some snacks for you. I was wondering what you'd like to make..."

"Five-ingredient buns, apple noodles, four-happiness flower rolls, and rice cakes." Qin Huai readily agreed, "Boss Ling, you are the owner of Babaozhai. You have managed Babaozhai so successfully in the past two years. You must have unique insights from the perspective of the owner."

"I usually get feedback from ordinary diners and fellow chefs. Now that I have this rare opportunity, I'd like to hear your comments from a professional manager like yourself."

"I also brewed some dried tangerine peel tea, which should be cooled down by now. Would you like some?"

Ling Guangzhao felt he no longer needed to drink. Just listening to Qin Huai's words made him feel refreshed, warm, and sweet inside.

"Master Qin, of course I have to try what you've cooked!"

The apprentices at Babaozhai were also very perceptive. Without Qin Huai having to lift a finger, they brought Ling Guangzhao a bowl of tangerine peel tea that had been cooled for a few minutes and was ready to drink.

Ling Guangzhao looked at the tangerine peel tea in front of him: ...?
This is... aged tangerine peel tea?!
Isn't this supposed to be a soup made with dried tangerine peel, white fungus, and lotus seeds? Or is it that the name for white fungus and lotus seed soup is different in Suzhou than in Beijing? They call soup "tea."

Ling Guangzhao didn't understand, but he gave Qin Huai face and picked up the bowl, scooped up a large spoonful, and put it in his mouth.

Well, it's decent, nothing special.

Ling Guangzhao smacked his lips, finding the taste nothing particularly amazing, but inexplicably felt warmer inside.

Not only did my heart feel warm, but my body also felt warm.

Hmm, the basic salary I just imagined was a bit low. I should increase Master Qin's salary by another 10%.

Look how versatile he is! This pastry chef can also cook tangerine peel, white fungus, and lotus seed soup!

(End of this chapter)