The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 465 No need to eat so fast
Xia Murui didn't understand, but he didn't say anything.

Anyway, he's the big boss, and Fenyuan is his restaurant. As long as he watches Qin Huai knead the dough without saying a word, no one dares to ask him anything.

Xia Murui stood by the Qinhuai River for five or six minutes, then turned her gaze to Zhao Cheng'an and frowned.

It's not that Zhao Cheng'an's skill level is inferior to Qin Huai's. To be precise, their skill levels are now about equal, each with their own strengths. It's just that Qin Huai is a cheat code who is constantly improving (by grinding proficiency), and his daily performance is much more stable than Zhao Cheng'an's. Therefore, the pastries he makes always seem to be slightly better than Zhao Cheng'an's.

If Zhao Cheng'an were to make his specialty, puff pastry, and perform exceptionally well, he could also produce an A- grade pastry.

Xia Murui frowned because he noticed that Zhao Cheng'an was clearly slacking off. He was only doing very basic, menial tasks, which meant there was no challenge. As the direct disciple of the top expert in the White Case, Zhao Cheng'an's lack of challenge meant he was slacking off.

Xia Murui frowned instinctively when she saw someone slacking off.

"Aren't you going to make any snacks?" Xia Murui asked, her tone not particularly harsh, but it still made Zhao Cheng'an's hand tremble.

"I...I...I should...do...what kind of desserts did I have to make in Qinhuai?" Zhao Cheng'an's voice trembled with fear.

Qin Huai quickly came to the rescue: "Weren't you making brown sugar steamed buns? Thank you for helping me with these things, Brother Cheng'an. I'll take care of the rest. You can make the desserts you want."

"Yes, yes, brown sugar steamed buns." Zhao Cheng'an slipped away and went to find brown sugar. He accurately took out a bag of brown sugar from the cabinet, clearly having remembered where each ingredient was when he was checking the inventory.

Xia Murui didn't speak, but stood quietly to the side watching Zhao Cheng'an knead the dough for a good ten minutes before finally saying in a hoarse and low voice:
"I just wanted to see your cooking skills."

The sentence was spoken in a plain tone, but Qin Huai detected a hint of grievance and apology in it.

After saying that, Xia Murui quietly left and went to the cooking station next to her to prepare dinner, keeping a distance from the two of them.

Qin Huai glanced at Zhao Cheng'an again, only to find that Zhao Cheng'an seemed not to have heard what Xia Murui said at all, but simply let out a long sigh of relief.

"That scared me to death." Zhao Cheng'an looked at Qin Huai and whispered, "I just felt like the head of the teaching department was standing next to me watching me write the test paper."

“Master Xia meant no harm. I think he just wanted to see our skills.” Qin Huai spoke up for Xia Murui.

“I know, what malice could Master Xia possibly have towards us? We’re not even chefs specializing in main dishes, and Master Xia only ever criticizes those who do,” Zhao Cheng’an said, a look of anticipation on his face. “So, what do you think we should eat tonight?”

"If the food is even better than yesterday, I might be reluctant to eat the steamed buns."

Qin Huai: ...

You better be willing to part with it. If you don't eat the steamed buns, how am I supposed to complete my side quest?

"Don't think too much about it. Make some pastries that you're good at right now. It's a rare opportunity to show off in front of Master Xia. You might not get another chance like this."
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When Zhang Guanghang entered the kitchen, Qin Huai had already started making yam cakes.

Two pastry chefs suddenly appeared in Fenyuan Kitchen. Zhang Guanghang was a little uncomfortable for a moment and subconsciously felt that he had gone to the wrong place. He was stunned for a moment before he realized that he had gone to Xia Murui's side to deal with some more complicated and delicate ingredients.

Zhang Guanghang noticed that his master seemed a little distracted.

There were no problems with the way the person handled the ingredients, but the person's state of mind was not right. There was a sense of loss and low mood, but it was not anger, but more like a sense of guilt for doing something wrong.

Zhang Guanghang observed for a moment and noticed that Xia Murui would occasionally look up and stare at Zhao Cheng'an's back.

Zhao Cheng'an would turn around and say a few words to Qin Huai every now and then while working, his mouth never stopping for a moment. This was the first time Zhang Guanghang had ever seen a chef who loved to talk so much in the kitchen, as if he couldn't make desserts without talking.

Zhang Guanghang was a little confused about the situation, but he also felt that this strange situation was normal, because his master had been acting strangely since last night.

Zhang Guanghang wasn't the only one who noticed that Xia Murui was secretly watching Zhao Cheng'an; Qin Huai was too.

While selling steamed buns at the Qin family's breakfast shop, Qin Huai developed the skill of being able to hear and see in all directions. The breakfast shop was so popular that any oversight would cause problems, and he could scan any corner of the eye with his peripheral vision.

If Zhao Cheng'an hadn't been still asleep and Xia Murui wasn't 100% human, Qin Huai would have suspected that Xia Murui was actually a spirit, recognizing at a glance that Zhao Cheng'an longed to reunite with his junior brother.

Qin Huai couldn't quite control his impulse and wanted to quietly ask Xia Murui: Master Xia, do you think Zhao Cheng'an looks a lot like an old friend of yours?
Of course, Qin Huai was able to control this impulse.

Xia Murui is already this old; even if she's good at accepting things, she can't be that good. If the old lady gets too excited and faints, Qin Huai will become a sinner for all time in a physical sense.

With Zhang Guanghang's height of 1.88 meters and his physique as a chef specializing in hot dishes, Qin Huai might not be able to beat him.

But Qin Huai wanted to do something more. This might be the only time he would have such a close encounter with Xia Murui. If Zhao Cheng'an woke up after seeing his last memory, he would have to give Fuyou some memories of his time with his senior brother.

Qin Huai thought for a moment and asked Zhao Cheng'an, "If we had ordered the meal yesterday separately, it would have cost at least six figures at Fenyuan, right?"

“Of course!” Zhao Cheng’an nodded frantically. “If it’s an a la carte order, my master will have to go to the airport to pick me up when he sees the bill, and he’ll beat me up right there at the airport entrance.”

"Ordering à la carte today probably won't be cheap either," Qin Huai added.

"I hope so." Zhao Cheng'an smacked his lips. "I wonder if they still have shark fin today. Master Xia's signature shark fin dish is not just the casserole shark fin. When I looked at the menu yesterday, the signature shark fin dish in previous years was actually three-shredded shark fin. But the portion of three-shredded shark fin is definitely not as large as the casserole shark fin. I guess it is sold by the bowl."

“We’re making pastries. Whether it’s enough for two people, four people, ten, twenty, or thirty people, it’s still enough.” Qin Huai completely ignored Zhao Cheng’an’s words and continued under Zhao Cheng’an’s horrified gaze, “Fenyuan doesn’t sell pastries because Master Xia isn’t good at it, but we are pastry chefs. If we could make them at Babaozhai yesterday, why can’t we make more at Fenyuan today?”

"Master Xia made up for the lack of Peach Blossom Pastry by treating us to a meal today. We can't be ungrateful and show favoritism. Shouldn't we return a batch of pastries to Master Xia?"

Zhao Cheng'an was dumbfounded; a little voice inside him was screaming:

This is pure moral blackmail!

While what you said makes sense, I suspect you just want to make desserts!

What the hell are you talking about? Weren't we here on vacation? Weren't we here to eat at Fenyuan? How did you turn this into a work assignment for me?
Did we change our flight tickets just to come to Fen Yuan to make desserts today?

Although his inner voice was screaming, Zhao Cheng'an's expression remained relatively normal as he nodded with difficulty: "I think what you said makes a lot of sense, and I also want to do a little more for Master Xia."

"If Fenyuan had the right kitchen equipment and only two ovens, which would be inconvenient for making puff pastry, I would have liked to make a batch of high-difficulty pastries and show Master Xia my skills."
.
Zhang Guanghang noticed that his master's mood instantly improved after Qin Huai ran over to say that he and Zhao Cheng'an wanted to make more snacks to thank him for the generous meal they had given him that day.

Although he would still glance at Zhao Cheng'an from time to time, the gloomy atmosphere had vanished, and he even put more effort into preparing the dishes.

Master's mood these past two days has been as unpredictable as the weather in England.

Zhang Guanghang thought.

He also looked up and glanced at Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an.

These two pastry chefs from the south are quite peculiar. Yesterday they were making pastries at Babaozhai, and today they're making pastries at Fenyuan. Making enough for themselves isn't enough; they want to make more. No wonder they come from Zhiweiju; they really love making pastries. Qin Huai's suggestion to make more pastries to thank Xia Murui didn't mean he would make more. He had already planned to make enough. Steamed buns, rice cakes, and yam cakes, while basic pastries, were essential for completing today's task and needed to be taken seriously. He couldn't waste time and energy on other, less essential pastries.

The acknowledgments section was handled by Zhao Cheng'an, who did the fancy stuff.

Zhao Cheng'an's work was indeed very flashy and elaborate.

He made two things: red date dumplings and lotus flower pastries.

They are all elaborately designed, perfect for his textbook-style desserts that haven't yet found their own path.

Because these two kinds of pastries require high standards in terms of appearance and are very time-consuming, Zhao Cheng'an only made less than two pounds of pastries in one afternoon.

Normally there wouldn't be this few, but this is abnormal, isn't it? Zhao Cheng'an likes to slack off a little.

As for why such a strange adjective as "two jin" was used...

Because Qin Huai made over a hundred kilograms of steamed buns, rice cakes, and yam cakes in one afternoon, he gave Zhang Guanghang, a Chinese-French mixed-race man who is deeply involved in the red-case industry, a small breakfast shop chef's sales boost.

Looking at the large, filling, and simple basic pastries at Qin Huai's place, and then at the small, exquisite, and high-class pastries at Zhao Cheng'an's place, Zhang Guanghang's face was filled with shock and words.

Zhang Guanghang wrote: "Are the styles of your pastry chefs really that different?"

At 6 p.m., after a long day of work, Master Qin and Master Zhao sat down in a private room at Fenyuan Restaurant.

The private room also had a large octagonal table, a size larger than the one in the main hall. The moment Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an entered the room and saw that big table, they knew they were in for a good meal that night.

Chefs who frequently cook special meals for their friends know that if the special meals are too extravagant, they must find a secluded place to eat them secretly, otherwise it will easily shock and provoke envy from ordinary diners.

Sitting in the private room, Zhao Cheng'an said happily to Qin Huai, "Qin Huai, I understand. You dragged me to Fenyuan this afternoon to make pastries just to please Teacher Xia. Master Xia was so happy that she arranged for us to stay in a private room. How many dishes will we have to serve at such a big table!"

"And today is different from yesterday. Yesterday we came here hungry all day. This morning we ate half a pot of shark fin soup but we weren't hungry enough. This afternoon we'll have some snacks and exercise, which is just right. I feel like I can eat three more dishes today!"

"Oh dear, I miscalculated. I should have made some steamed buns like you. Making steamed buns requires a lot of exercise! You have to knead so much dough."

Qin Huai: ...

It's good that you understand, but don't try to understand it again next time.

Although you haven't woken up yet, I think you'll be soon. After all, your brain is starting to have some problems now, and you're starting to have your first incarnation's mental state taking over.

In the kitchen, Xia Murui returned to her usual routine of cooking while glancing at the security camera. She saw Zhao Cheng'an and Qin Huai excitedly touching this and that in the private room. Zhao Cheng'an even ran to the antique shelf and carefully touched an antique vase, smiling.

"Xiao Hang, steam a batch of the steamed buns Qin Huai just made, and serve a plate of them to every table in the hall," Xia Murui said.

"Okay Master."

Today, there was only one table of guests in the Fenyuan Hall at 6 pm. This table had a lot of guests, a total of four people. The four of them sat in the hall for a few minutes and were quite surprised to find that they seemed to be the only table available today. They whispered among themselves, marveling at their good luck in managing to snag one of the limited spots.

Just then, Zhang Guanghang came out carrying steamed buns.

The four people were stunned when they saw the steamed buns. They thought to themselves, "We didn't order any steamed buns. Wait, when did Fenyuan start selling steamed buns?"
"We have one table of guests in the private room today, so the kitchen is quite busy and the food might be a little slow to arrive. Please understand. This plate of steamed buns is a complimentary dish for today, please enjoy." Zhang Guanghang said, putting down the steamed buns and turning to leave.

The four of them started whispering again.

"There are actually guests in the private room today. How long has it been since Fenyuan made a reservation for a private room? I remember the private room is for six people. Didn't we hear that Chef Xia is not feeling well this year and is not taking meals for more than four people per table? Who is the person who managed to make a reservation for the private room? No wonder we are the only table outside."

"I don't know, but I heard that Master Xia was in a particularly good mood yesterday. There were two young people who came to eat for the first time and bought a set meal. They ate six or seven dishes in one set meal, which included braised pork belly and even a deluxe version of shark fin soup!"

"It's fake, right? Who made up this story? How is that possible? It's already ridiculous enough that the set meal includes braised pork and shark fin soup, let alone six or seven dishes. You wouldn't even dream of such a thing."

"It's true, Lao Fang said so!"

"Liu...hey, why are you eating?"

The three looked at the fourth person who hadn't spoken until now, because the steamed bun had been stuffed into his mouth, and then started eating.

"These steamed buns are delicious, soft and chewy. I never knew Master Xia had this skill. I didn't know he could make such good steamed buns before," the fourth person said, continuing to eat heartily, finishing the steamed bun in his hand before the other three could, and then taking another one.

Hehe, there are 4 of them, but there are 5 steamed buns on the plate. If he eats fast enough, he can eat one more than the others.

The four people were munching on steamed buns in the hall, glancing towards the kitchen in anticipation of Zhang Guanghang coming out to serve the dishes, while also trying to see what the people in the private room had ordered.

Surrounded by the four men, Zhang Guanghang came out carrying a plate of cold cabbage covered in sesame sauce and headed towards the private room.

"What kind of dish is that? Stir-fried cabbage with sauce? Why isn't it steaming hot?"

"It's a cold dish, I think it's Qianlong cabbage."

"Why did you think of ordering this dish? There are so many famous cold dishes in Fenyuan, even Qianlong Cabbage is not among them."

As the four were discussing, Zhang Guanghang, who had just finished serving the dishes, quickly came out of the kitchen again, carrying an extremely fancy plate of food towards the private room.

A dish arranged in the shape of a peacock with its tail feathers spread out, or perhaps a phoenix.

What kind of dish is that?

"do not know."

"Who's in the private room? Is it Xu Cheng? He didn't come into the private room last time he came."

Inside the private room, Zhang Guanghang was speechless as he watched the Qianlong cabbage disappear in seconds. He once again gained some insight into the eating speed of Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an, and silently put the dishes in his hand on the table.

"A hundred birds pay homage to the phoenix, please enjoy your meal."

"There are still many dishes to go, no need to eat so quickly."

"Will your main dishes be served now or later? What will they be?"

(End of this chapter)