The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 471 What identity will you use to meet him? (Bonus chapter for K丶逍遥丶缘's donation!)

Xia Murui agreed to Qin Huai's request to use the kitchen. Qin Huai was afraid that Zhao Cheng'an would be left alone in the private room to eat the fruit platter and would be too full to eat potato dumplings later, so he took the lead and ate more than half of the fruit platter. Under the watchful eyes of Zhang Guanghang, the pastry chefs were really baffling, he went into the kitchen to start working.

Zhao Cheng'an did not go to the kitchen; he sat in the private room.

It wasn't that he didn't want to go, he was just too full. Friends who often overeat know that when you're really too full, you don't want to move or stand, because your stomach will feel very uncomfortable. You can't even sit, you just want to lie down.

Zhao Cheng'an was currently unable to lie down and could only slump in a chair, so even if he wanted to go to the kitchen to see what Qin Huai was going to do, and if it had to be done at this time, he could only think about it.

Qin Huai was kneading dough in the kitchen.

Xia Murui quietly cooked on the side. For some reason, the surveillance camera on the wall went black again, probably due to a malfunction. Zhang Guanghang had nothing to do, so he ate a small plate of yam cake while watching Qin Huai knead dough.

Qin Huai's dough-making skills were mediocre at best, but he tried his best to match the skill level of Zhao Cheng'an in the first life.

These snacks, which wake up spirits after just one bite, are not about striving for better or more perfect, but rather about replicating the original.

If he eats a couple of bites and then doesn't wake up, Zhao Cheng'an will really have to go to the toilet to vomit for a while before he can continue eating.

Anyway, Zhao Cheng'an has to wake up today.

Qin Huai said that he is the protagonist of a system novel, and he has the final say in this book.

If you want to pursue the skills of Zhao Cheng'an in his first life, you have to do it poorly, you have to make some minor mistakes, and you have to imitate some of Zhao Cheng'an's bad habits.

Whether the imitation was accurate or not, Qin Huai didn't know. But halfway through the imitation, Qin Huai felt that Zhao Cheng'an hadn't practiced enough in his first life. If he had locked him in the kitchen and practiced diligently for a few years, he definitely wouldn't be like this.

After kneading the dough, Qin Huai covered it with gauze and placed it on the kitchen counter, then began to make the filling.

There were already peeled potatoes in Fen Garden, so Qin Huai didn't need too many; two would be enough. Zhao Cheng'an wouldn't be able to eat too many anyway, and Qin Huai wasn't too keen on giving Xia Murui and Zhang Guanghang the C+ grade potato dumplings she made.

This is Fen Yuan's kitchen. It's been many years since Fen Yuan's kitchen produced such low-level dishes.

Thinking about it this way, I really feel bad for Fenyuan Kitchen.

As Qin Huai thought this, he quickly steamed the potatoes, mashed them into a puree, chopped the cured meat, and seasoned them.

Will potato dumplings taste good?
Qin Huai believes that, theoretically, it could be delicious.

Potatoes themselves are not bad, and dumplings are a very versatile staple food that is very forgiving of different fillings. As long as you control the proportion of ingredients, adding a little meat and other vegetables to the potato filling for seasoning can neutralize the overly rich and monotonous taste of mashed potatoes, and potato dumplings can be delicious.

However, this is not something Qin Huai needs to worry about now. Back then, the potato dumplings that Chen Qiusheng and Chen Sheng made were just pure potato dumplings. They couldn't find anything else at home, and even the seasonings were very simple, which limited the potential of the dumplings and made them very easy to make.

Qin Huai did it very smoothly.

As Zhang Guanghang watched from the side, he couldn't help but frown. It wasn't that he doubted Qin Huai's cooking skills; he had already seen Qin Huai's pastry-making level that afternoon, and it was extremely high. A young pastry chef with such solid basic skills was definitely a rare breed.

Zhang Guanghang himself is a famous genius, so he is even more aware of the value and rarity of geniuses. In his opinion, Qin Huai is a genius who is on par with or even better than himself.

How could a genius perish in less than half a day?

What were you just doing?

The dough is so different from what it was made in the afternoon. This mashed potato filling doesn't look like normal dumpling filling at all. Qin Huai is...

Do you have a thing for eating bad food?

Is it a weird habit to always eat some unpalatable desserts to balance out a big meal?

Zhang Guanghang felt he couldn't understand it. He subconsciously looked at Xia Murui, hoping his master would say something and that Xia Murui would guide Qin Huai back to the right path. But when he turned his head, he found that Xia Murui was looking at him more intently than he was.

I watched Qin Huai's movements with almost complete focus, without a trace of dissatisfaction, impatience, or disdain for his culinary skills and his audacity in making desserts in front of me.

Only shock and nostalgia remain.

So nostalgic that I didn't want to blink, I just stared at Qin Huai's movements, afraid that if I blinked, I would miss something if I missed even a second.

Zhang Guanghang: ?

Is there some secret to this dessert that he can't see?

Are their white-cooked dishes such a secret? Even if he's just a chef specializing in red-cooked dishes, surely he could tell the difference at all.

Qin Huai prepared the filling and waited quietly for a while before starting to roll out the dough to make sure it was ready.

Then we made dumplings.

Qin Huai didn't finish wrapping all the dumplings; he only wrapped six. He then put the dumplings directly into the pot to cook and said to Xia Murui, "Master Xia, I'm sorry, they're waiting for their dumplings and are in a bit of a hurry. I'll cook these first and come back later to wrap the rest."

Xia Murui didn't react much, only nodded slightly, ignoring the side dishes that had been prepared by the stove, and stood there staring blankly at the dough and dumpling filling that Qin Huai hadn't yet processed.

Qin Huai is in a hurry.

For the first time, he complained that his version of Earth Online couldn't be sped up, and the dumpling-cooking process was taking far too long. Why weren't the dumplings floating? They weren't even cooked yet! He couldn't wait to shove the piping hot dumplings down Zhao Cheng'an's throat. Finally, the dumplings were cooked.

With the astonishing speed of a breakfast shop chef with years of experience, Qin Huai deftly scooped out the dumplings, put them in a bowl, and strode towards the private room to serve the dishes. The whole set of movements was as smooth as flowing water, and he walked with the air of someone coming to collect a debt.

The door to the private room was closed.

Qin Huai slammed open the door to the private room, startling Zhao Cheng'an, who was playing on his phone inside.

Qin Huai calmly placed the dumplings in front of Zhao Cheng'an and uttered a single word: "Eat!"

His pronunciation was clear, resonant, and powerful.

Zhao Cheng'an: ...

Qin Huai's illness really can't be delayed any longer; he's even starting to show violent tendencies. He had this feeling that if he didn't eat now, Qin Huai would shove this bowl of dumplings over his head and then pry open his mouth to stuff it into it—a bully-like feeling.

Zhao Cheng'an silently picked up a dumpling, not daring to ask why there was no vinegar. He first let out a burp, then blew on the dumpling before taking a bite.

Zhao Cheng'an: ?

What kind of filling makes these dumplings taste so strange?
Potato filling? Potato dumplings?! Is this even a dumpling?! This is monstrous! Qin Huai, what were you thinking? Did I offend you in any way? How could you do something like this…

Zhao Cheng'an's inner rant came to an abrupt halt.

He froze like a robot crashing, his system malfunctioning. His expression stopped changing, his eyes seemed vacant, and the dumpling he hadn't swallowed was still in his mouth. His chopsticks held the remaining half-eaten dumpling steadily.

This was a scene Qin Huai was very familiar with. He sat next to Zhao Cheng'an, quietly watching him and waiting.

About a minute later, Zhao Cheng'an's eyes began to change.

First, it went from being apathetic to being divine, then from chaos to clarity. It blinked, as if waking from a dream, and subconsciously swallowed the dumpling in its mouth with some surprise. Then it choked, coughed a few times, and met Qin Huai's half-smiling eyes.

"you……"

"I know you have a lot of questions, but don't rush. You're not the first spirit I've encountered, nor the first spirit to wake up after eating my food. I know you're a mayfly, and I also know your first life was Chen Sheng." Qin Huai was already a pro at this, reciting such a long string of words without a single stumble.

“We have a group chat here. I’ll add you to the group later. Then we can have a video call and I’ll explain everything to you. Before I explain, there’s something I think is more urgent.”

"Your senior brother Xia Murui is still in the kitchen."

"Are you going to see him? Or rather, in what capacity are you going to see him?"

Qin Huai felt this was a very difficult question, and it was hard to make a choice. Just like Qu Jing, after waking up, before searching for her parents from her previous life, she also went through a lot of mental struggles. Before recognizing her parents, she hesitated, made choices, hesitated, and thought for a long time.

This is a dilemma for spirits, where every choice makes sense.

Qin Huai thought Zhao Cheng'an would sit there in his chair, deep in thought, for a long time.

He didn't.

Without a moment's hesitation, Zhao Cheng'an jumped up from his chair like a wild horse, almost vomiting up. He staggered, burped, and then dashed out of the private room. Qin Huai chased after him but could barely see him.

Such agile skills vaguely reveal some of the style of the former King of Thieves in Beiping.

There's no need to chase after them; the guests in the hall have already finished eating and left. Now, only Qin Huai, Zhao Cheng'an, Xia Murui, and Zhang Guanghang remain in the entire Fen Garden.

Zhao Cheng'an shouted in Chen Sheng's loud voice, "Xia Murui, Xia Sheng, I am Chen Sheng!"

"I remember now, I remember everything! Do you remember me?"

"Hello, Mr. Chen, Mr. Chen!"

"You're alive and back in Beiping! That's wonderful! Hahahaha!"

When Qin Huai caught up with Zhang Guanghang at the kitchen door, Zhang Guanghang had already been kicked out by Xia Murui, still holding the unfinished yam cake in his hand.

The kitchen door of Fenyuan was tightly closed, and only Zhao Cheng'an and Xia Murui were inside.

Qin Huai met Zhang Guanghang's speechless and confused gaze, and gave him an awkward smile: "Um..."

"Now I'm telling you, Zhao Cheng'an is actually the son of a distant relative of Master Xia, and they're related by blood. Do you believe me?"

Zhang Guanghang: ...

I believe you; I believe whatever you say now.

I would believe you if you said that you two traveled all the way to Beiping to defraud my master.

You two don't seem to be here for a meal; you seem to be here to drug my master.

(End of this chapter)