The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 459 Where's my dinner?

Qin Huai said he would make yam cakes, and he really only made yam cakes. He spent the whole day making yam cakes with the name "Chen Sheng" on them, the kind that are plentiful and filling.

Qin Huai told Ling Guangzhao that the yam cakes he made could be sold anywhere, just like the snacks that Master Qin dropped at Babaozhai, since they would only be dropped for one day anyway.

Ling Guangzhao did not sell the yam cakes made by Qin Huai, but instead gave them away as gifts to his regular customers, VIP customers, and shopkeepers in Beiping with whom he had good relationships.

Since it's a gift, it can't be as simple as just putting a few pieces of yam cake in a plastic box. Babaozhai sells some gift boxes of dishes during festivals. Ling Guangzhao took out these gift boxes and found they were all filled with yam cakes, giving the impression of putting 8.8 yuan worth of yam cakes in a 188 yuan gift box.

As for why the words "Chen Sheng" were on the yam cake, Qin Huai did not explain it to Zhao Cheng'an, but gave Ling Guangzhao a standard answer.

Qin Huai told Ling Guangzhao that his family had a copy of "The Complete Book of Dim Sum" that he had bought for a huge sum of one yuan at a flea market when he was in elementary school. It contained many precious dim sum recipes, and Qin Huai learned most of the dim sum recipes from "The Complete Book of Dim Sum".

The recipe for this yam cake wasn't in the table of contents of "The Complete Book of Dim Sum," but it was tucked inside the book. When Qin Huai found the recipe in the book, the paper on which the recipe was written was already yellowed, clearly indicating that it was an old recipe from many years ago.

Previously, Qin Huai had never been able to make the yam cake in this recipe because his skills weren't good enough, and he had forgotten about the recipe over time. Yesterday, in the hotel, Qin Huai suddenly remembered it, found the electronic version of the recipe on his phone, studied it for an afternoon and an evening, and finally had an epiphany. That's why he borrowed the kitchen of Babaozhai today to try making it.

The story that Chef Qin's culinary skills come from the ancient book "Complete Collection of Dim Sum" is well-known in Yunzhong Community, Huangji, and Zhiweiju, but it is obviously a new story in Babaozhai, at least Ling Guangzhao has never heard of it.

Ling Guangzhao was dumbfounded.

He felt that the old-fashioned plots he had been obsessed with as a child—where the protagonist falls off a cliff, finds a martial arts manual, trains diligently for 10 years, and then shocks the world—were now coming true.

Zhao Cheng'an was also dumbfounded. After returning home, he quietly asked Qin Huai, "Didn't you say you were watching video tutorials? How come there's another recipe tucked inside 'The Complete Book of Desserts'?"

"Yes, yes, both. Boss Ling hasn't heard my 'Complete Collection of Dim Sum' version of the story. I've given him a little artistic embellishment to give him a small 'Complete Collection of Dim Sum' shock," Qin Huai said. "When you ate the yam cake, didn't you really feel anything special?"

"What special insights could there be?" Zhao Cheng'an opened the gift box he had taken from Babaozhai and picked up a piece of yam cake to eat.

Actually, he could have just packed it in a plastic box, and if that didn't work, he could have just taken a plate back to the hotel and Ling Guangzhao wouldn't have said anything. But Zhao Chengan thought the gift box was particularly exquisite and really wanted it, so he insisted on taking one with him.

"I just think it tastes pretty good, it's delicious. Your yam cake isn't anything earth-shattering or awe-inspiring, so what else could I possibly find amazing?"

"You don't expect me to write an 800-word review of your food, do you? I heard from Tan Weian that when you were making Four Happiness Tangyuan, you really liked having people write reviews of your food. The old folks in your neighborhood were writing such long essays. Let me tell you, I can't do that. I've never liked writing essays since I was a kid."

Zhao Cheng'an ate one piece after another, and in the blink of an eye, he had finished half a box of yam cakes.

Seeing that Zhao Cheng'an hadn't managed to extract a single side quest after a whole day of eating, Qin Huai knew that it was probably hopeless to try and get the last quest and the final dream from Zhao Cheng'an.

Qin Huai casually moved the gift box closer to himself, picked up a piece of yam cake, and asked, "Are you looking forward to having dinner at Fenyuan tomorrow?"

"Of course I'm looking forward to it!"

"This is Fenyuan, a restaurant that costs 18000 yuan per person. I've never eaten such an expensive meal in my life. You probably won't eat anything tomorrow morning or at noon, right? Anyway, I'm not planning to eat anything. I'm definitely going to post a lot on my WeChat Moments tomorrow night. I just wonder what dishes will be included in the set meal."

"The signature dishes that Mr. Xia said he would definitely have are either braised pork intestines or sweet and sour carp. I don't expect dishes like shark fin soup or clear soup with willow leaf swallow's nest. I would be satisfied if you could give us an extra dish of braised sea cucumber with scallions or stir-fried double crispy vegetables."

"This is the work of a chef ranked in the top 10 of the Chefs List. My master didn't even make the top 30. I can't even imagine how delicious the work of a top 10 chef must be."

Qin Huai: ...

He didn't even dare to think about whether Zhao Cheng'an would be able to eat at Fenyuan tomorrow if he recorded this conversation and sent it to Master Zhou.

Qin Huai himself doesn't mind eating a two-person meal by himself. Although he doesn't have the appetite of Qin Luo, Ouyang, and Shi Dadan, he can eat when necessary.
.
On the second day, Qin Huai slept in late, which was quite rare for him, and didn't wake up until the sun was high in the sky.

When Qin Huai woke up, Zhao Cheng'an had already gotten up and was sitting on the sofa, tapping the electronic wooden fish and praying to the electronic Guanyin statue. He was making a wish, muttering that the Bodhisattva would bless him and that the believer would get a clay pot of shark fin soup when opening a blind box tonight.

Look, I still crave shark fin soup.

"Is Mr. Xia's casserole shark fin really that delicious?" Qin Huai asked, puzzled. "Even better than braised shark fin?"

The most extravagant way Qin Huai ate braised shark fin was at Cao Guixiang's house. Braised shark fin mixed with rice was a dish that would make countless gourmets furious and scold Qin Huai for wasting such a precious food. Qin Huai had learned it from Zhang Zhiyun.

To be honest, Qin Huai thought this way of eating was pretty good; it went very well with rice.

Zhao Cheng'an glanced at Qin Huai with a look that said, "What exactly are you doing at Versailles?" and said, "How would I know? I've never eaten braised shark fin."

"I've only seen customers post pictures of Fenyuan's shark fin casserole on WeChat Moments. It's a huge portion, literally a whole casserole. It costs 58000 yuan a serving, and the entire pot of shark fin is simmered in clear broth. The shark fin covers the entire casserole, and the ingredients include bamboo shoots, ham, shiitake mushrooms, and bamboo shoots. I've heard that this is the original version. Master Xia also has an upgraded version, which costs 68000 yuan a serving. It adds fish balls, beef balls, shrimp balls, dried scallops, bok choy, and tofu to the original version. All of those meatballs are made by Master Xia himself."

"Why does it sound like hot pot?" Qin Huai said.

"It's just hot pot. At first, the casserole shark fin wasn't Master Xia's signature dish. It was his apprentice, Zhang... Zhang something, who loved to eat it. So Master Xia made it every day, turning the casserole shark fin into a big pot of hot pot. His apprentice would add whatever side dishes he liked to eat, and that's how it ended up like this."

"Using shark fin soup in a clay pot as a hot pot base, how come that guy surnamed Zhang is so lucky?"

Qin Huai: ...

Although Qin Huai wanted to agree with Zhao Cheng'an, considering that he was someone who ate braised shark fin with rice, Qin Huai felt that he really had no right to speak in this situation.

Hmm... how should I put it?

It's actually quite normal. The chef is very skilled and can make whatever he wants. It's understandable that he would turn the casserole shark fin into a hot pot ingredient.

Zhao Cheng'an: ...?
Why are you silent? Shouldn't you be on my side at a time like this, indignant and condemning that Zhang guy for being so lucky?
You little brat, you secretly betrayed your class behind my back?

Zhao Cheng'an stared intently at Qin Huai, who forced a slightly guilty smile before slipping to the sink to wash up.

In the following days, Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an spent their time frantically researching Fenyuan's signature dishes online.

Believe it or not, Fen Yuan has quite a few signature dishes. As the premier private restaurant in Beiping, Fen Yuan has been operating in Beiping for many years, and its signature dishes have been constantly updated and iterated. In the earliest days, Fen Yuan's signature dishes were some dishes that are no longer on the menu, such as orchid bear paw.

Later, Xia Murui discovered that entertaining foreign guests was a good way to make money, so the signature dishes became some dishes specifically designed to fool foreigners, such as Peach Blossom (crispy rice with sauce), Jade Fan (a cold vegetable dish arranged in the shape of a fan), Treasures Hidden in Snow (stir-fried eggs with shrimp, ham and crab meat), and Dark Clouds Supporting the Moon (pigeon eggs stewed with seaweed). These were all dishes with very high-end names, beautiful presentation, and decent taste, but extremely low cost performance.

It wasn't until Xia Murui took on an apprentice that Fenyuan's signature dishes became more normal, turning into genuine Shandong cuisine with precious ingredients and extremely high preparation difficulty. Abalone, shark fin, sea cucumber, and bird's nest began to become permanent signature dishes on Fenyuan's menu.

As for which dishes are always on the menu, it's generally determined based on Zhang Guanghang's tastes. When Zhang Guanghang became Xia Murui's apprentice, he was just a child, a foreign child of mixed Chinese and French descent, so his tastes were definitely different from those of local children in Beiping.

From the candied hawthorn and candied sweet potato that inexplicably appeared on the restaurant's menu many years ago, as well as some dishes whose names clearly indicate they are not Shandong cuisine but rather a strange combination of Chinese and French cuisine, it's easy to see that Mr. Xia went to great lengths to please his apprentice back then.

Normally, Qin Huai wouldn't be hungry if he skipped breakfast and lunch, but today he was a little hungry.

Looking at Fen Yuan's signature dishes over the years has made me hungry.

Master Xia is truly an all-rounder.

As a Shandong cuisine chef, Master Xia's forte is naturally Shandong cuisine, but in his early years, in order to make money, he also dabbled in Cantonese and Fujian cuisine. In addition, he later took on a foreign apprentice of mixed Chinese and French descent, so Qin Huai felt that Master Xia should also have some knowledge of French cuisine. His signature dishes could fill a book of signature dishes.

Listen to this complete list of signature dishes.

This is the source of a master's confidence.

Qin Huai wasn't really looking forward to the blind box package that evening. After all, Ling Guangzhao and Tong Deyan had already prepared them mentally, as Master Xia hadn't been in a good mood for the past two years, and the probability of getting gold from the blind boxes was practically zero.

Let alone shark fin soup, braised sea cucumber with scallions hasn't been served for 10 months. If it weren't for Chef Xia's basic professional ethics, when he's in a bad mood, even tofu with scallions might be considered a dish.

Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an's hotel wasn't too far from Fenyuan; a taxi ride, including traffic, would take at most 40 minutes. Just in case, the two set off from the hotel at 5 a.m., carrying a phone album full of photos of Fenyuan's signature dishes over the years, and set off with high spirits.

"Qin Huai, what kind of dishes do you think we can serve tonight?"

"I don't know, but I kind of want to eat crispy apples."

"How can you be so spineless? Can't you just want to eat Wanfu meat? If all else fails, oil-drenched silver carp will do too. I don't know why, but I really want to eat fish today."

Two young people with dreams got into a taxi to Fenyuan.

Meanwhile, the kitchen at Fen Yuan, which was not yet open for business, was already bustling with activity.

As a private restaurant located in a three-courtyard siheyuan (traditional courtyard house), Fenyuan has no waiters or kitchen helpers. The daily cleaning and tidying work at Fenyuan is done by hourly workers, while all the work in the kitchen, from the handling of ingredients to the cooking of dishes, is handled by the master and apprentice.

Due to limited staff, Fen Yuan only accepts a limited number of tables for reservation each day, with no more than 18 tables for lunch and dinner combined, and large tables with more than 6 people are not accepted.

Even if she only receives this many guests each day, this workload is still astonishing for Xia Murui, who is already 90 years old.

In the kitchen, Zhang Guanghang, who had met Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an at the entrance of Taifeng Restaurant a few days ago, was diligently assisting Xia Murui and reporting on the situation.

“Master, Mr. Ling from Babaozhai just replied to me, saying that the yam cake was made by Master Qin from Huangji in Suzhou. The recipe was found in a book called ‘Complete Collection of Dim Sum’ that Master Qin bought back then. As for the two characters ‘Chen Sheng’ on the yam cake, it’s probably written like that in the recipe. Master Qin even restored the style when he was making it.”

Xia Murui, who was managing several stoves at the same time, paused when she heard Zhang Guanghang's words: "A recipe tucked in a book?"

"What was the name of that pastry-making kid you just mentioned?"

"Qin Huai, Qin Huai from Huang Ji in Suzhou. He has a dim sum called Guo'er, which was featured on the cover of Zhiwei Ju's New Year's issue this year. He's not exactly an unknown dim sum chef," Zhang Guanghang said. "There's another thing. Boss Ling said that this Chef Qin and Chef Zhao from Zhiwei Ju are coming to our Fenyuan restaurant tonight. They've booked a set meal for two. Boss Ling asked if he could add an extra dish to their set meal for an extra fee."

Xia Murui sneered: "He wants me to add money? Do you think I'm short of money for Ling Guangzhao's dishes? He sent a box of yam cakes and expects me to add another dish? Ling Guangzhao has quite the nerve."

Zhang Guanghang was used to Xia Murui's attitude, so he didn't say anything and continued working with his head down, without paying attention to Xia Murui's expression.

While keeping an eye on the cooking of several dishes on the stove and seasoning the sliced ​​meat, Xia Murui kept talking: "This yam cake wasn't made by the chefs at Babaozhai either. Ling Guangzhao really knows how to pat himself on the back. I'm not sending dishes because of Ling Guangzhao."

Zhang Guanghang: ?

Zhang Guanghang looked up blankly.

Then Zhang Guanghang looked at his master, whose mood had been consistently bad since last year, leading to a very unstable temper, and said in a harsh tone:

"Are there any leftover ingredients today?"

Zhang Guanghang: "...If there are too many, making one more dish of stir-fried double crisp, premium tofu, or cuttlefish egg soup is definitely not a problem."

"What's the point of making another dish like this? We ate their yam cake, and all we get in return is this little bit. Doesn't that make me, Xia Murui, seem stingy? Guanghang, you should have eaten something this afternoon to tide you over, right?"

"...I should eat it now."

"In that case, you don't need to eat the shark fin soup tonight. When the guests arrive, bring up the shark fin soup first and let them have some side dishes."

"Make two more cold dishes, and make them look nice, so as not to embarrass Fenyuan."

Zhang Guanghang: ...?
Yam cakes have become so precious in China.

So expensive that he couldn't even afford dinner?

“Yes, Master.” Zhang Guanghang didn’t understand, but he nodded, indicating that he would do as he was told.

(End of this chapter)