The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 454 Life and Death (Part 5)

When Qin Huai looked up, he saw the shattered body of Ling Guangzhao.

Qin Huai: ?
How much did Ling Guangzhao eat? He's so full; he looks like he's about to pass out.

Adhering to the principle of going all the way with the act, Qin Huai lowered his voice and slowly asked, "Do you think there's anything about my pastries that can be improved?"

Ling Guangzhao silently swallowed his tears and shouted in his heart: Apart from these pastries not being sold at Babaozhai, there is nothing that needs to be improved.

But Ling Guangzhao didn't say anything. He just forced a smile that wasn't very good at hiding his true feelings, looking like he was feeling nauseous from eating too much. He said, "It's very good. I haven't eaten many desserts in the past few years while I was abroad. The desserts you make are the best I've ever had."

"Mr. Ling, you're so kind. I know my pastries still have a lot to improve, and you're trying to encourage me. If you hold another exchange meeting next year, or if I have the opportunity to come to Beiping again, I hope you can taste my pastries for me like you did today. By then, my skills should be even better," Qin Huai said with a smile.

Ling Guangzhao: Waaaaaah!

Master Qin praised me for being a good person. Oh, my master chef of pastry, Huang Ji, I hate you!
Ling Guangzhao forced a smile: "Definitely."

Tong Deyan: ...

What are these two doing? He felt like they were putting on an act in front of him, but he couldn't quite understand what they were acting out. Everyone seemed completely absorbed in their own role.

Tong Deyan took a bite of the Five-Ingredient Bun with a blank expression. The bun was soft, juicy, and savory. It was an absolute masterpiece that would stand out in any restaurant.

Tong Deyan stared at Qin Huai.

This kid is improving so fast, it's almost against the basic principles.

Is this the advantage of having a mental problem? Although Ling Guangzhao has some mental issues, he is indeed quite good at doing business.
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Qin Huai, of course, had no idea what Tong Deyan and Ling Guangzhao were thinking, nor did he really care. He simply thought that both of them were quite nice, especially Ling Guangzhao.

Qin Huai and Ling Guangzhao added each other on WeChat. When Ling Guangzhao heard that Qin Huai and Zhao Chengan would stay in Beiping for a few more days, he immediately extended their hotel stay. He also said that Qin Huai could stay as long as he wanted, and Babaozhai would cover his return flight no matter how late it was.

They practically have the words "wealthy and powerful" written all over their faces.

Qin Huai was deeply moved by Boss Ling's magnanimity. He silently opened Ling Guangzhao's Moments and liked all the visible posts.

With the hidden mission complete, Qin Huai was eager to return to the hotel to review Zhao Cheng'an's memories. Meanwhile, Tong Deyan, halfway through preparing the dishes, went on strike and ran to Qin Huai's side to watch intently. The dishes, originally scheduled for completion at 5 PM, would now be delayed until at least 6 PM.

Qin Huai made an excuse that he hadn't slept well the night before and asked Tong Deyan if he could go back to the hotel to rest for two hours first, and then come to Babaozhai around 6 o'clock.

Tong Deyan didn't care about these things and nodded in agreement. Ling Guangzhao, who was listening from the side, almost burst into tears again.

Waaaaaah, Chef Qin didn't get enough rest. He came to our Babaozhai to make pastries this afternoon as promised. How come the best pastry chef isn't mine? Waaaaaah!

On the way back to the hotel, Qin Huai couldn't help but secretly send a WeChat message to Tong Deyan, asking if something had happened to Ling Guangzhao recently, such as his stocks turning red, his investments failing, or his girlfriend dumping him. He felt that Ling Guangzhao's emotions had been quite volatile this afternoon, acting very easily startled.

Tong Deyan calmly replied to Qin Huai that he didn't need to worry about him and continued cooking.

After returning to the hotel, Qin Huai first announced the good news that he had completed the hidden mission in the group chat of "A Loving Family". Then he put down his phone, locked the door, opened the game panel, and selected "Zhao Cheng'an's Dream".

Select Yes.
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The aroma of the food arrived even before the visuals.

The kind that smells delicious.

There was no difference in the previous memory, except that his clothes were cleaner and he was fairer. He was no longer a little mud doll. Every fingernail was clean and he didn't look so much like a fool. Zhao Cheng'an was holding a large, chipped bowl, which was more than half full of rice and beans with vegetables that were almost overflowing. He was squatting at the kitchen door eating.

It wasn't the kitchen entrance of Taifenglou, nor was it the kitchen entrance of Chen Qiusheng's house; it looked like the kitchen entrance of that wealthy family's house.

The kitchen was large, and there were quite a few people working inside, both men and women. Outside the kitchen was a yard, the ground of which was very clean. The yard was paved with bluestone slabs, and there were no clutters. There were even some not-so-pretty flowers planted there.

The enticing aroma of the food that Qin Huai smelled didn't come from Zhao Cheng'an's large bowl, but from the kitchen. Judging by the aroma alone, Qin Huai could smell the fish soup, braised mutton, and pork knuckle. Such a meal was something only wealthy families could afford in those days.

However, Qin Huai showed no intention of going into the kitchen to take a look; his attention was entirely drawn to the boy next to Zhao Cheng'an.

A man, just like Zhao Cheng'an, squatting at the kitchen doorway eating with an expressionless face, holding the same large, undamaged bowl, dressed just as neatly, and just as clean—the change was so drastic that Qin Huai almost didn't recognize him.

Xia Sheng.

Xia Sheng has changed a lot.

He's grown taller; even when he's squatting, Qin Huai can clearly see that he's much taller than before. If Xia Sheng before was a severely malnourished child who looked no older than nine, then Xia Sheng now could be considered a robust teenager in this era, or even an adult.

Zhao Cheng'an and Xia Sheng had the same food in their bowls: stir-fried bok choy in lard, a vibrant green that looked very fresh. On top of the bok choy was a piece of tofu drizzled with sesame oil, the tofu white and tender. Next to the tofu was stir-fried dandelion greens with cured pork; the cured pork was thinly sliced, clearly eight parts fat and two parts lean, the kind that was very oily but didn't look very appealing. In the corner, there was also a clump of scrambled eggs with chives, the kind with more chives than egg.

Even the soybeans underneath the dish are a mix of soybeans, barley, and white rice—a truly luxurious version of bean rice. A very good meal.

Qin Huai could tell from Zhao Cheng'an's satisfied expression that he was very pleased with today's meal. He scooped up every spoonful, stuffed it into his mouth until his cheeks bulged, and ate in big mouthfuls. While he didn't exactly wolf down his food, he ate very quickly, which could be described as devouring it like a whirlwind.

"Xia Sheng, to be honest, I've found that the food at the Li family's place here is really good. The tofu is soft tofu, and the vegetables are all stir-fried, not boiled. You can't find many places in the whole of Beiping that serve this kind of food! When we were at Taifeng Restaurant, we couldn't get tofu like this; we always ate it in pieces."

"I wonder if I can get a piece of pork knuckle skin from tonight's leftovers. Did you see those pork knuckles today? They were huge. The pig they slaughtered today must have been really fat. I saw Chef Chen stewed them for an extra half hour. If I could get a piece of pork knuckle skin... slurp." Zhao Cheng'an was so excited talking about it that he stuffed a big mouthful into his mouth to satisfy his craving.

Xia Sheng glanced at Zhao Cheng'an with some disdain and ignored him.

Zhao Cheng'an continued, "Even if there's no skin left, some meat will do. If all else fails, the broth will do. I can dip sweet potatoes in the broth and eat them. Sigh, I wish today were the fifteenth of the month, so I could eat white rice on the fifteenth of every month."

"This white rice goes well with everything, whether it's soaked in fish soup, mixed with pork knuckle, or even with lard."

"But what day is it today? We've been at the Li residence for two months now, and we've never seen such good food before. There's braised pork knuckle, fish soup, and I even see bird's nest, sea cucumber, venison, and other delicacies. If I hadn't promised Chef Chen that I would never steal anything from the master's house, I would have been tempted to sneak a sip of the fish soup just now."

Xia Sheng glanced at Zhao Cheng'an speechlessly: "I heard that the eldest daughter of the Li family who was about to get married published a divorce notice in the newspaper. She came back today. Young Master Li said that it's not a happy event, but it's not a bad one either. Since she's back, we should hold a banquet to welcome her back."

Zhao Cheng'an didn't listen to Xia Sheng at all and continued, "When do you think I can live a life where I can eat white rice every day? Even Master Chen can't live like that. No, Master Chen could have lived like that. Ping An's medicine is too expensive. Our combined monthly income isn't even enough to cover Ping An's monthly medicine costs."

“If it weren’t for the high cost of Ping An’s medicine, Master Chen wouldn’t have left Taifeng Restaurant for the Li family. But I think the Li family is pretty good too. The food is good and there’s less work. Actually, Taifeng Restaurant is not bad either. Although they don’t let us eat leftovers, we can still eat meat three days a month. The only downside is that Boss Lu doesn’t want to name me.”

"Isn't Mr. Lu educated? Is it that hard for him to name me? I feel like Mr. Lu has been avoiding me a bit these past two years."

Faced with Zhao Cheng'an's incessant chatter, Xia Sheng swallowed the last bite of his food and couldn't help but complain: "Is it because Boss Lu didn't want to name you? Boss Lu gave you five names and you weren't satisfied with any of them. You either thought they were too simple or too complicated. My master gave you two, Master Jiang gave you three, Miss Huiqin gave you seven, Young Master Wei Jin gave you one, Young Master Wei Ming gave you three, and Young Master Ping An has given you countless names over the years, but you didn't want any of them."

“Now, whenever someone in Taifeng Restaurant hears your name mentioned, they wish they could take a detour. At first, when my master told everyone that you had a problem with your brain, no one believed him. Now, when my master tells everyone that you actually have no problem with your brain, no one believes him either. Sometimes I can’t even tell whether you have a problem with your brain or not.”

“Young Master Ping’an taught you to read, and you learned much faster than I did. Your master taught you a trade, and you learned just as well as I did. Your master warned you not to steal anything while you were working. You didn’t steal anything at Taifeng Restaurant, and you didn’t steal anything at the Li residence either.”

“But every autumn you insist on going outside the city to steal food from slave traders. You steal offal, sweet potatoes, and even black beans. Sometimes the restaurant is busy and you get off work late, so you sneak out to steal in the dark. The slave traders outside the city thought you had seen a ghost and asked a Taoist priest to perform a ritual. In the end, you even stole the Taoist priest’s food.”

"I'm just practicing my skills. I've been rusty since I last learned to cook. What if I can't work as a chef someday? I can't lose my last skill for making a living!" Zhao Cheng'an said confidently.

Xia Sheng:......

Now it was Xia Sheng's turn to ignore Zhao Cheng'an and continue: "Master took a liking to you and wanted to take you as his apprentice, but you disagreed. Your reason was that Master was good at hot dishes but not white dishes, and you didn't want to be a hot dish chef because you loved eating white steamed buns. You even said that the hot dish chefs at Taifeng Restaurant worked much more hours than the white dish chefs. It's not worth it to do twice the work for the same apprentice's pay. Master was so angry that he almost kicked you out of the house."

"You think Master Jiang's skills in both hot and cold dishes are better than your master's, and you want to become Master Jiang's apprentice. So you go to Master Jiang directly and bluntly. As soon as you finish saying that you want to become his apprentice, the next thing you ask is if Master Jiang can give you a name."

"On the second day, Master Jiang recommended two famous doctors to my master and asked if my master's illness had worsened after hitting his head."

"If you say you're stupid, everyone thinks you're not mentally sound. But if you say you're not mentally sound, sometimes you're very smart."

"At first, your master didn't want to bring you to the Li family, fearing that you wouldn't understand the rules of a wealthy household and might offend the noblemen and be thrown out. Later, it was because the Li family was short of a pastry chef, the old lady of the Li family liked your bean flour buns, and Miss Huiqin had married into the Li family as the eldest young mistress. Your master felt that Miss Huiqin and you had a fairly good relationship, and no matter what, he wouldn't let you come in upright and leave horizontally. You were only focused on the monthly allowance from the Li family, so that's why I brought you here."

"Xia Sheng, I feel like what you just said wasn't a compliment, but an insult," Zhao Cheng'an said with dissatisfaction. "Normally, after insulting me for so long, shouldn't you be praising me now?"

Xia Sheng had already learned to completely ignore Zhao Cheng'an's words and continued to speak on his own, his expression somewhat complicated: "You clearly valued the monthly allowance that the Li family gave you, but you still, like before, gave the money to your master as soon as you received it each month so that he could buy medicine for Young Master Ping'an."

Zhao Cheng'an said with a grin, "I do like money, but it's useless for me to have a monthly allowance. Master Chen is short of money. Ping An has to pay for medicine and tuition every month. It costs more to support him than to support the two of us. Master Chen doesn't have my skills. If I really want something, I can just steal it. Master Chen can't steal it."

"I gave Master Chen money mainly because I don't recognize medicinal herbs. If I did, I would have just gone to the pharmacy and stolen the herbs for Ping An. Let me tell you, you really can't just steal these herbs randomly. If you steal the wrong ones, you could really die from them."

Xia Sheng:......

Xia Sheng took a deep breath. From his expression, Qin Huai could easily tell that Xia Sheng was questioning himself about how he could have thought Zhao Cheng'an was not mentally unstable.

Zhao Cheng'an has never been mentally sound!
The fact that it could make the usually expressionless Xia Sheng so expressive shows that the mayfly is quite something.

"By the way, Xia Sheng, I overheard Chef Chen and Young Master Li talking yesterday, and they said..." Zhao Cheng'an was interrupted by a loud shout from the kitchen before he could finish speaking.

"Hey, are you done eating? If you are, come in and get to work. The old lady wants jujube paste buns and specifically asked you to make them."

Zhao Cheng'an quickly stood up, shoveled the remaining beans from the bowl into his mouth, and replied, "Coming, coming!"

Xia Sheng was left with no choice but to get up and say in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, "You can't steal anything, and you can't even eavesdrop."

"Forget it, you're out of your mind. Even if you were eavesdropping, people would just think you were passing by."

(End of this chapter)