The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 466 The Allure of Side Dishes

"Let's serve it later... but not last. He likes to eat some staple food." Qin Huai's entire gaze was drawn to the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix, and he almost blurted out unconsciously, "Why would he need to eat staple food at a time like this?" He only realized he needed to eat staple food after saying the first thing and then corrected himself.

He can skip the staple food, but Zhao Cheng'an must. If Zhao Cheng'an doesn't eat the staple food, how can the side quest be completed?

As soon as Zhang Guanghang left, Zhao Cheng'an exclaimed, "Holy crap, what's the name of this dish from Qinhuai again? I didn't hear it clearly, 'Hundred Birds' something? This dish doesn't have any birds, it's just a peacock with its tail feathers spread out! This dish should be called 'Peacock Spreading its Tail'!"

"This design is amazing! I could probably carve a bird's head out of a carrot and still not be able to do it in a whole day. And all these pieces... where do you even eat this? Can you even gnaw on the bird's head?"

Despite saying this, Zhao Cheng'an's chopsticks moved incredibly fast as he ate, then he quickly commented, "Holy crap, this is chicken, and this piece is pork, topped with a thickened sauce. Qin Huai, hurry up and eat, this dish is actually hot!"

Qin Huai: ...

You keep telling me to eat quickly, but you're actually quite slow at picking up your chopsticks.

So, the words "eat quickly" aren't a sign of concern, but a warning?
Qin Huai knew there was no time to complain under these circumstances. Although he only had one competitor, and his appetite was not very large, far less than that of Ouyang and Shi Dadan, he didn't eat much either.

When Zhao Cheng'an is hungry, he eats incredibly fast. He wields his chopsticks more skillfully than when he's making pastries. Anyone who didn't know better would think that he had practiced making pastries for so many years just to show off his skills while eating.

Without any hesitation, Qin Huai quickly joined this war without gunpowder, and they began to fight over it with their chopsticks.

When Zhang Guanghang carried the third dish into the private room, the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix had also finished its plate, leaving only a lone, exquisitely crafted carrot bird head standing on the plate.

Zhang Guanghang: ...

Did those two not hear what he said at all?

"Please enjoy your braised pork," Zhang Guanghang said, preparing to close the plate, when Zhao Cheng'an stopped him.

"Um... Chef Zhang, we wanted to ask, is this carrot edible?" Zhao Cheng'an asked humbly, his face showing that we two pastry chefs were seeing the world for the first time in the city. We had never eaten such an impressively presented dish before, and we didn't know which parts were edible and which were not.

Zhang Guanghang: "...This is mainly for decoration. It's edible, though. The carrots have been blanched and seasoned with sesame oil, fragrant oil, and sugar. But there are a lot of dishes today, so I don't recommend eating it."

Zhao Cheng'an suddenly realized and excitedly said to Qin Huai, "Qin Huai, look, I told you, this is definitely edible! I smelled this carrot really good!"

As he spoke, Zhao Cheng'an swiftly placed a carrot onto his plate, took a bite of the bird's head, and made a crisp chewing sound: "Hmm, it's a bit like a cold dish."

After speaking, Zhao Cheng'an also gave Qin Huai a few slices of the paper-thin cucumber, which he had also placed on the plate for decoration. Qin Huai tasted it and found that the cucumber slices were also delicious; they didn't seem to have been seasoned, but were very crisp and refreshing.

Two chefs who had never eaten at a proper, top-tier banquet simultaneously expressed their ignorance of the world.

Zhang Guanghang remained silent, simply removing the empty plates and returning them to the kitchen.

Back in the kitchen, Zhang Guanghang found Xia Murui looking up at the monitor with a literal smile.

Xia Murui was smiling.

In the surveillance footage, Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an finished eating the garnish for the "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" dish and began examining the garnish for the braised pork. They took bites of cherry tomatoes and broccoli, exclaiming in amazement.

The cherry tomatoes were candied, the sauce on the broccoli was specially poured on, and the garnish on the braised pork also tasted great.

Zhang Guanghang couldn't help but ask, "Master, did you spend so much time making these side dishes this morning just so they would find out?"

Xia Murui put away her smile, her tone revealing a hint of undisguised pride: "These dishes are all imperial cuisine. Back when my master was the second chef at Taifeng Restaurant, these were his specialties."

"Those royal nobles may not care about these side dishes that are used as decorations. Even for the main course, they would just have servants pick up a piece of the dish with their chopsticks to taste it. But just because the nobles don't eat it doesn't mean the chefs can be careless. If a noble suddenly wants to taste the decorative dish and finds that it's just for show and tastes bad, the chef will be in big trouble."

"Back then, the old prince liked to invite chefs from Taifeng Restaurant to cook banquets at the palace. My master and Chef Jiang were in charge of the main dishes, while we apprentices were in charge of the side dishes. The leftovers from those banquets were basically taken by the servants of the palace, and we apprentices didn't get any scraps."

“Every time after a banquet, my junior brother would be extremely hungry. Since he wasn’t very bright, my master was afraid he would do something like stealing leftovers or rummaging through the slop buckets in the Prince’s mansion. So, he would tell the steward of the Prince’s mansion to bring home some of the leftover scraps from the cooking. He would mix them with simple seasonings and make them into garnishes to satisfy my junior brother’s cravings.”

"Later we went to the Li residence. The noblemen there were easy to talk to, and the leftovers after the banquet were distributed to the servants. Naturally, the kitchen staff got the best of everything. My junior brother probably developed a habit of eating these scraps. When distributing the leftovers, he would rather take less of the pork knuckle than take more of the scraps."

Upon hearing Xia Murui's words, Zhang Guanghang couldn't help but ask, "Master, why have I never heard you mention these things all these years?"

Xia Murui was taken aback after hearing this. She looked at the monitor, smiled, and sighed, "It's probably because I'm getting old. I've forgotten a lot of things, and I can't remember them myself."

After saying that, he continued cooking.

Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an, sitting in the private room, were unaware of Xia Murui's meticulous attention to detail in the side dishes. They simply admired Fenyuan's reputation as the premier private restaurant in Beiping; even a casually arranged side dish was incredibly impressive. The soybeans tasted like soybeans, the green beans tasted like green beans, the tomatoes were candied, the cucumbers were refreshing, and even the broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, and bok choy were carefully seasoned, each with its own unique flavor.

The main dish stands out, while the side dishes offer a diverse array of options.

Qin Huai almost forgot about the side quest halfway through the meal; all he could think about was eating.

It's delicious, I love it.

Previously, when Qin Huai went to restaurants, he would ignore the side dishes placed on the side of the plate, such as radish greens, broccoli, tomatoes, etc. He would even use his chopsticks to push the side dishes aside because he thought they were in the way.

Today we ate at Fenyuan Restaurant. Every dish was exquisitely presented, and the side dishes were incredibly varied. As soon as the dishes were served, Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an didn't eat the main courses first, but instead started with the garnishes.

The side dishes for different dishes all have different flavors. Some tomatoes are candied, some are salted, and some are soaked in wine. Some carrots are crisp, while others are mushy. Even the broccoli, which doesn't seem like a very special dish, had at least three different flavors in Qin Huai's cuisine.

This is the strength of the top 10 chefs in the Celebrity Chefs list!
This is the true value of Beiping's premier private restaurant!

Zhang Guanghang kept serving dishes, bringing in each dish and taking it out on an empty plate, leaving the guests at the table in the main hall dumbfounded and marveling at how quickly the six people in the private room ate.

At this point, some readers might be wondering, do Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an really have such big appetites? They're not Ouyang and Shi Dadan, how could the two of them possibly eat so much food?

They didn't have huge appetites, but Xia Murui could secretly reduce the amount of food served.

To ensure Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an could eat more, Xia Murui skimped on the ingredients in each dish, using only 1/3 to 1/2 of the usual portion size at Fenyuan. The remaining space on the plates was filled with decorative side dishes, which is why Xia Murui put so much effort into the plating.

Even though only the maker, Master Xia, and his apprentice, Zhang Guanghang, knew about this intention.

"Please enjoy your meal of Wanfu Meat."

"Osmanthus-flavored shark fin soup, please enjoy."

"Braised deer tendon, please enjoy."

"Please enjoy the clear broth with willow leaf-shaped swallow's nest soup."

"Please enjoy the cauliflower soup with the mandarin duck filling."

"Please enjoy your cuttlefish roe soup."

"..."

"Burp." Qin Huai burped after drinking the last mouthful of cuttlefish egg soup.

That burp woke Qin Huai up.

Since he and Zhao Cheng'an kept finishing their plates, Qin Huai didn't count exactly how many dishes they ate. He just felt that there were quite a lot, and that he and Zhao Cheng'an seemed to have a big appetite today, as they didn't feel very full after eating so many dishes.

Qin Huai realized that something was wrong.

The main course hasn't arrived yet!

Fen Yuan's serving style is quite casual. They only ensure that cold dishes are served first, preventing them from being mixed with other hot dishes. Otherwise, they serve whatever they want. They might even include desserts or soups among the hot dishes.

Loyal diners at Fen Yuan attribute this unique way of serving dishes to Chef Xia's casual and unrestrained nature. Just like Fen Yuan's menu, this method of serving dishes is always changing, and Chef Xia does whatever he wants.

Qin Huai felt that there might not be so many twists and turns involved; it was simply because Fenyuan only had one chef, and Master Xia was too lazy to cook in order, so he just cooked whatever came to mind.

"Zhao Cheng'an, are you full?" Qin Huai asked urgently.

"Full? Burp, a little, but it's okay. I think I can eat at least three more dishes." Zhao Cheng'an carefully scraped the remaining cuttlefish egg soup in the soup bowl, not wasting a single drop, truly embodying the principle of cherishing food.

"Then don't eat yet."

Zhao Cheng'an: ?

No sooner had Qin Huai finished speaking than Zhang Guanghang brought in a new dish.

"Please enjoy your braised tofu."

Seeing the CDs on the table as expected, Zhang Guanghang habitually packed them up and prepared to leave, but Qin Huai stopped him.

"Um... excuse me, may I ask if you can serve the staple food?" Qin Huai said loudly, his voice filled with longing for the staple food and the urgency that he really couldn't eat if he didn't have it soon. "Just the ones I made, steamed buns, rice cakes, and yam cakes, bring them all. You don't need to bring the ones Zhao Cheng'an made."

Zhao Cheng'an: ? ?
Brother, what do you mean? What do you mean by saying that everything you make can be served, but what I make doesn't need to be served? What I made are all... indeed, they don't need to be served, they're all puff pastries and don't match today's banquet.

Zhang Guanghang: ? ? ?

Even at this point, you still remember desserts? Do you really love desserts that much?
"Okay." Zhang Guanghang nodded and left.

In fact, the pastries Qin Huai made had been steamed long ago, but Xia Murui only took on one extra table of guests today, so the dishes were served very quickly and in a very continuous manner, and Zhang Guanghang did not have time to serve the pastries.

The 6 o'clock table of guests was to prevent Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an from thinking that there were no other guests tonight. There were no guests at 7 o'clock. Tonight, Fenyuan could be said to be open only for Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an.

It was also the only banquet in the decades since Fenyuan opened that did not require payment.

This is Master Xia's absolute preference.

When Zhang Guanghang returned to the kitchen, he found Xia Murui eating steamed buns, brown sugar steamed buns made by Zhao Cheng'an.

That was the first dessert Zhao Cheng'an made this afternoon. Because he was in a hurry and did it perfunctorily, the result was not good. In addition, he didn't make many in total, so Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an ignored it.

Xia Murui, however, started eating.

“Master, why don’t you eat the steamed buns Qin Huai made? Those buns are quite delicious.” Zhang Guanghang said. He had just eaten a couple of bites of steamed buns and rice cakes during a break from work. Zhang Guanghang acknowledged Qin Huai’s culinary skills.

"I don't like white flour," Xia Murui lied through her teeth. "Brown sugar tastes better."

Zhang Guanghang: ...

Alright, Master has been acting really strange these past two days.

"Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an still want some snacks. How about we put two of each of the following on a plate: white flour steamed buns, rice cakes, yam cakes, and brown sugar steamed buns?" Zhang Guanghang asked.

"No need for the brown sugar steamed buns. Take two of each of the remaining three items. Two is too many. It would be a miracle if they could eat anything else after finishing this plate of snacks." Xia Murui chewed on a brown sugar steamed bun. "No need to serve the rest of the dishes either. We'll eat them ourselves later. Xiao Hang, you can cut a fruit platter and serve them a fruit platter at the end."

Zhang Guanghang: !

"Okay Master."

Soon, Zhang Guanghang carried the snacks into the private room.

"Dim sum platter, please enjoy."

Zhao Cheng'an quickly picked up a rice cake with his chopsticks and took a bite: "Qin Huai, you know what, this good dish has to be paired with these. Oh dear, I ate too fast just now. I should have left some broth to dip the steamed buns in."

Zhang Guanghang, who had reached the door: ...

Qin Huai didn't eat, but just looked at Zhao Cheng'an, noticing that Zhao Cheng'an had already taken two bites of the rice cake but hadn't heard the game notification sound.

Qin Huai silently placed a steamed bun on Zhao Cheng'an's plate: "It tastes good even without soup, have some steamed buns."

Zhao Cheng'an, unsuspecting, took a bite of the steamed bun.

There is still no game notification sound.

Qin Huai: ?
Qin Huai was puzzled, so he picked up another piece of yam cake and stuffed it into Zhao Cheng'an's hand: "Why don't we eat some yam cake instead?"

Zhao Cheng'an: "Are you so full that you're stuffing me with snacks?"

"Never mind that, just eat first."

Zhao Cheng'an reluctantly took a bite of the yam cake, but still no game notification sounded.

Qin Huai: ?
Zhao Cheng'an, what's wrong with you? Didn't you say you just wanted some steamed buns, rice cakes, and yam cakes? Why did I make you snacks? You're not completing the side quest!

Mayfly, what's wrong with you?

So you have your own ideas?

The person I am today is not even the same person I was yesterday.

This task looks like a side quest, but it's actually a time-limited task. Once it's gone, it's gone forever. Dude, you're almost full and you're telling me these snacks aren't to your liking.

Qin Huai had a strong urge to strangle Zhao Cheng'an, to make him vomit up all the food in his stomach and then eat it all again.

Qin Huai looked at Zhao Cheng'an quietly.

Are you not happy with the desserts I made today?

Zhao Cheng'an: ? ?
"Huh?" Zhao Cheng'an was stunned.

Do you think the desserts I made today are not good enough for this meal?

"Huh??" Zhao Cheng'an was even more confused. He thought to himself, "Why does Qin Huai have these episodes when he's not busy and when he's full? This illness of mine is getting stranger and stranger. Maybe I should go back and introduce him to a psychiatrist."

Zhao Cheng'an quickly reassured the patient: "How could that be? Qin Huai, the pastries you made are super delicious, no doubt about it. Of course they are worthy of Master Xia's skills."

The next second, a game notification sounded in Qin Huai's mind.

"Ding! Congratulations to the player for completing the side quest [Zhao Cheng'an's Desire] and receiving the quest reward [A Dream of Zhao Cheng'an]."

Qin Huai smiled and said, "What a coincidence, I think so too."

"Eat slowly, don't choke."

(End of this chapter)