The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 503 The Coconut Three-Piece Set (Thanks to Han Fengqing for the generous donation!)
Amid Zheng Da's cheerful boasting, Gong Liang received the piping hot coconut mooncake from Master Jing. It was unclear whether Gong Liang genuinely loved coconut and had no resistance to any coconut-related desserts, or if the freshly baked coconut mooncake was simply too fragrant.

Gong Liang, completely naive, took a bite of the scalding hot coconut mooncake, then jumped up from the heat, screaming wildly and making a series of rapid-fire clapper noises in his mouth.

I don't want to spit it out, but I can't swallow it down either.

Master Jing quickly brought Gong Liang an empty bowl, signaling him to spit out the mooncake in his mouth first, and then gestured to Huang Shengli to pour a bowl of cold water so that the silly boy wouldn't get burned.

After spitting out the mooncake, Gong Liang was still screaming wildly, almost as if he was about to start a tap dance.

"You silly child, I just said you're all kids in my eyes, and you've really become one. You dare to put such a hot mooncake in your mouth? You'll burn your tongue and won't be able to eat the rest of the food. You'll be crying then," Master Jing said with a laugh. "Drink a few more sips of water, and keep the last sip in your mouth."

Gong Liang obediently drank several mouthfuls of cold water, then listened silently as Master Jing scolded him, his mouth still full of water.

"These mooncakes are freshly baked. They're hot to the touch on the outside, and even hotter on the inside. Who would take a bite right away? It's not worth burning your tongue over a bite of mooncake during the festival. Luckily, Xiao Liang, you're not a chef. If Zheng Da and Shengli had burned their tongues because of their greed, I would have given them a good beating with a bamboo pole."

"The most important thing for a chef is his tongue. Xiao Liang, your tongue needs to be protected too. Salespeople rely on their mouths. How can you speak if your tongue is burned?"

Gong Liang was unable to speak because his mouth was full of water.

After taking several sips of water, Gong Liang finally calmed down a bit and said with a forced smile, "Master Jing, it's my fault. I've never smelled such fragrant mooncakes before, and I couldn't resist just now."

Master Jing laughed and said, "It's just a mooncake. Xiao Liang, you're the head of the sales department now. If you're willing, I can make it happen every Mid-Autumn Festival..."

Master Jing paused for a moment, as if realizing that he would be officially retiring from tomorrow and would no longer be a chef in the state-run restaurant. He said somewhat sadly, "From now on, you can ask Zheng Da to make whatever mooncakes you want for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Coconut mooncakes are not difficult to make. As long as you have fresh coconuts or coconut flakes, Zheng Da can make them too."

Gong Liang could easily see through Master Jing's change in mood. He chuckled and picked up a few pieces of coconut cake, saying, "Master Jing, you've retired. Do I have to wait for Zheng Da to make mooncakes for me in the future? You live next door to me. I can just come to your house to eat whatever I want, as long as you don't kick me out."

Master Jing chuckled: "The kitchens in our building are all shared, and I can't possibly occupy one all the time. When cooking at home, you can only use a coal stove, and what kind of dishes can you make with a coal stove and a small pot?"

“Just build a kitchen at home, and when Zheng Da is assigned to the single dormitory, we’ll convert his room into a kitchen. I’ll cover the renovation costs!” Gong Liang patted his chest. “Don’t worry, I have a lot of connections, I’ll definitely make sure it’s done well for you.”

Zheng Da's eyes widened, and he angrily said, "Gong Liang, what do you mean? You kicked me out just to freeload a meal?"

"What do you mean by kicking you out? Do you want to live at Master Jing's house for the rest of your life? Will you still live at Master Jing's house after you get married?"

"What's wrong with me living at my master's house? I'll still live at my master's house after I get married!"

"Come on, you think you can find a wife while living at your master's house? Who would want to marry you?"

"I'm a permanent employee of a state-owned restaurant! Do you know how much I earn a month? Do you know I eat nothing but white flour buns every day? You... you're the head of the sales department, so what? You earn more than me, so what? You only earn a little more than me..."

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Huang Shengli said helplessly, "Zheng Da, you can argue, but don't stop what you're doing."

Zheng Da could only work and argue at the same time, multitasking, and he still had to focus most of his attention on the work. He was already no match for Gong Liang in verbal skills, and now that he wasn't concentrating, he was gradually defeated by Gong Liang after two or three rounds.

The two's argument was effective; Master Jing's mood improved considerably, and he watched them banter with a smile.

"Alright, it's a holiday. If you two keep your voices up any louder, the neighbors outside will think you're fighting in the kitchen," Master Jing said with a smile.

"Xiao Liang, hurry up and eat a few more pastries, the main dishes will be served soon."

"Oh, oh." Gong Liang didn't care about arguing anymore and hurriedly ate his snacks, stuffing himself like a hamster and chewing frantically.

Under Gong Liang's whirlwind suction, Qin Huai was swept away from his memories.

When Qin Huai left his memory, he was still a little dazed. He thought he would be able to see the complete Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. From the several pots burning simultaneously in the kitchen, the dishes that had already been prepared, and the half-finished products that could be easily cooked, it was clear that Chef Jing had put a lot of thought into this Mid-Autumn Festival dinner.

With chicken, duck, fish, and meat all included, this was a sumptuous feast that would be hard to come by even during the Lunar New Year in this day and age.

As a result, Gong Liang ate a few bites of the snacks in the kitchen before his memory ended.

A little disappointed.

Because of the short memory, Qin Huai didn't have much to reminisce about. When Gong Liang entered the kitchen, all the pastries were finished and the dishes were nearing completion. Master Jing even had time to stuff pastries into Gong Liang's mouth and chat with him. Most of the miscellaneous work was done by Huang Shengli, and there was nothing technically challenging to savor.

As for the menu, Qin Huai thinks there's a high probability that coconut mooncakes will be offered this time.

Gong Liang has already burned them so badly, it's time to open them up.

Qin Huai opened the illustration panel, and Gong Liang's picture panel had suddenly changed.

Name: Gong Liang

Species: Ephemeral Beast

Status: About to awaken
Memory: 3/3
Recipes: Crab Roe Shumai, Three-Ingredient Buns, Four-Happiness Tangyuan, Claw-shaped Palace Lantern Buns, Stir-fried Cabbage with Pork, Coconut Mooncakes, Fanpo Cakes, Coconut Milk Cake (Click to view details)

Gifts: None
Qin Huai: ? ? ?
Qin Huai's first reaction upon seeing this encyclopedia was not that Gong Liang had actually read through all of his memories, but rather that the E's beast was really here to buy recipes wholesale! Three memories yielded eight recipes—it truly loves to eat, can eat a lot, and eats a great deal!

Qin Huai opened the menu.

【Coconut Mooncake - Grade S-】

Producers: Jing Lixiang/Jiang Weijin

Dish Details: A mooncake made with fresh coconut flakes, a perfect match for the Mid-Autumn Festival. For Jing Lixiang, the creator of this dish, the dishes and desserts at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet marked the end of his professional career, with the two bags of coconuts that Gong Liang brought back from Qiongzhou, a long distance away, serving as a beautiful embellishment to this ending. Even though Jing Lixiang's last contact with fresh coconuts was when he was young, working with his father and brothers at Taifenglou Restaurant in Beiping, decades have passed and his skills have become rusty. However, those childhood memories are the most beautiful and unforgettable of his life. Even though his skills have faded, the memory remains, and with his full effort, he can still make delicious coconut mooncakes. Enjoying this dish with friends or family during the Mid-Autumn Festival will bring a sense of reunion, enhancing your mood and slightly increasing your appetite.

Number of times you can make it per day: (0/99)

A friendly reminder: if Gong Liang eats this dish while it's still fresh from the oven, it might have an unexpectedly delightful effect. (Level doesn't matter.)

[Coconut Milk Cake - Grade A+]

Producers: Jing Lixiang/Jiang Weijin

Dish Details: This is a coconut dessert that Jing Lixiang often made when she was young. Because her aunt, Jiang Huiqin, especially loved it and preferred a lighter taste, Jing Lixiang would deliberately use less sugar to make a less-sweet version. For the maker, this is a dessert loved by her elders, and making it again after many years is for the younger generation. This is the inheritance of taste, and also the inheritance of love. The less sugar used in the making of this dessert, the better it tastes. Don't ask why; it's the result of Jing Lixiang's painstaking research to satisfy her aunt's taste.

Number of times you can make it per day: (0/666)

[Fanpo Cake - Grade C+]

Creator: Zheng Da
Recipe Details: This dish is a carefully crafted creation by Zheng Da, who attempted to blend in and deceive his friend Gong Liang into believing it was his own cooking, thus achieving his goal of showing off. While Gong Liang indeed didn't recognize the "Fanpo Cake" as his own, it was because he burned his tongue while eating a coconut mooncake, making it impossible for him to taste the original flavor of most dishes and desserts afterwards, resulting in him barely eating anything at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. When using this dish, as long as your tongue is in a healthy state, you will experience a cleansing effect, making the next bite of food purer and more delicious.

Number of times you can make it per day: (0/555)

After reviewing the details of the three dishes, Qin Huai thought: ...

There are so many things to complain about that I don't even know where to begin.

After reading the details of these three dishes, Qin Huai regretted that he had been careless when looking at the memories and hadn't paid much attention to Gong Liang's state and expression. Now that he thought about it, he just felt that Gong Liang's acting skills were really good.

How did he do that? His tongue was so burned that he couldn't really taste the food and desserts afterwards, yet he only made exaggerated movements and expressions for those brief few seconds after being burned, then acted like nothing happened. No wonder he ate the coconut pudding so slowly later, only wolfing it down after Master Jing reminded him. Turns out it wasn't restraint; he was just pretending not to taste it.

Sure enough, a master of lifelike acting can make every moment of life a stage. He could act when he got burned by a mooncake, and he could act at Luo Jun's house just now. Gong Liang and Luo Jun acted for several hours. Everyone could tell that Luo Jun was acting, but Gong Liang's acting skills were so superb that no one noticed. Even Luo Jun, one of the lead actors, thought that he was the only one acting.

The E's Beast is indeed terrifying.

Qin Huai recalled Luo Jun's expression before he made the escape to urinate.

Fortunately, Gong Liang is waking up today; otherwise, given Luo Jun's temperament, everyone would have to attend his funeral tomorrow.

Qin Huai knows how to make coconut mooncakes, and she made some today. There's still some unused coconut flakes in the kitchen, so the raw materials are plentiful.

Qin Huai clicked on the video tutorial and decided to watch the original tutorial first.

Although the friendly reminder said that there was no need to care about the level, Qin Huai couldn't just slack off and stuff scalding hot and unpalatable coconut mooncakes into Gong Liang's mouth, as doing so would damage Master Qin's reputation.

Qin Huai carefully watched the video tutorial.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Well, making coconut mooncakes isn't difficult in itself, but making S-grade coconut mooncakes is quite challenging.

Jing Lixiang made coconut mooncakes using an old-fashioned oven, which was extremely difficult to control the heat. Watching this, Qin Huai couldn't help but sigh that modern technology is sometimes quite good, and the oven is truly a great invention.

Without an oven, given Qin Huai's skill level, he would never be able to make S-grade coconut mooncakes in his lifetime.

Although he can't do it now.

After watching the video tutorial three times, Qin Huai had a general idea of ​​what to expect.

Master Jing's method of making coconut mooncakes isn't too different from Qin Huai's. After all, coconut mooncakes aren't particularly difficult or skillful desserts, and the methods are largely the same. The only difference is that Master Jing has better control over the details; in other words, his fundamental skills are more solid, resulting in higher skill levels.

Qin Huai focused on the details three times, noting which details required extra attention. After reviewing them, he mentally went over the process and techniques again, making sure he had a clear understanding before finally leaving.

The group of spirits in the living room were getting restless.

Especially Luo Jun.

Luo Jun had seen Qin Huai look at memories and dreams before, and Qin Huai had even seen Luo Jun's memories in front of him. Therefore, Luo Jun knew very well that Qin Huai could look at these things in just three to five minutes, very quickly.

As a result, Qin Huai stayed in the toilet for more than half an hour.

Luo Jun: ?
What does this mean? What's going on? Did Qin Huai look at his memory or did he really go to the toilet? Does going to the toilet take this long? Did he fall into the toilet?

Luo Jun originally planned to keep a stern face for a few minutes, wait for Qin Huai to come out and report the information, and then decide what to do next. However, he ended up keeping a stern face for almost half an hour, until his expression became stiff.

Chen Huihong, Zhao Chengan, and An Youyou all sat on the sofa, eating sunflower seeds and watching TV.

I'm still watching his TV dramas!
Shi Dadan went even further, finishing all the snacks on the table and starting to eat fruit.

Qu Jing belatedly realized that she had messed things up and frantically apologized to Luo Jun, but Luo Jun ignored her. Gong Liang tried to persuade her, and the two of them ended up chatting, which made Luo Jun so angry that he wanted to kick them both out.

Wang Gensheng remained an outsider throughout the entire process, except for a brief moment when he reminisced about the past and expressed his regret at not meeting Gong Liang sooner. Otherwise, he barely spoke.

Seeing that the wait was getting too long, Chen Gong pulled Wang Gensheng to the window to chat and make small talk. Soon, the participants of the tea party were scattered throughout the living room.

When Qin Huai came out of the toilet, this was the scene of numerous feudal lords standing side by side.

Luo Jun's displeased gaze quickly shifted from Gong Liang and Chen Huihong to Qin Huai.

Qin Huai: ...

Very well, keep this anger going. The important task of stuffing scalding hot mooncakes into Gong Liang's mouth will be entrusted to you, Mr. Luo!

Qin Huai was still thinking about how to get Wang Gensheng and An Youyou to leave first, and then he would go into the kitchen to make coconut mooncakes, when An Youyou got up first.

"Master Qin, we've finished all the snacks and washed the plates. Can I go now? The sun is about to set, and I want to go home and sit on the sofa to soak up the last bit of sunshine," An Youyou said.

Qin Huai nodded quickly: "If you have something to do, you can go now."

"Thank you, Master Qin." An Youyou was about to leave when Chen Huihong stopped her and gave her a bag of fruit, ensuring that no one who came to Luo Jun's house would leave empty-handed.

Qin Huai glanced at the empty plates on the table, thought for a moment, and said, "We've finished all the pastries. I just remembered there's still some coconut mooncake ingredients in the kitchen. Mid-Autumn Festival is just over a month away, let's eat more mooncakes to celebrate. I'll make some more mooncakes for everyone!"

Gong Liang: ?
Shi Dadan quickly chimed in, "Indeed, the Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner, we should eat more mooncakes."

Qu Jing realized she had made a mistake and quickly tried to salvage the situation: "Yes, I also think we should eat more mooncakes. I only ate one and I wasn't satisfied. Great, this is perfect for me to have two more mooncakes."

"Can it really be considered that the Mid-Autumn Festival is just over a month away?" Zhao Cheng'an was still clueless.

Qin Huai pulled the clueless person into the kitchen: "Zhao Cheng'an, let's cook together, it'll be faster that way."

Zhao Cheng'an: ? Can coconut mooncakes be made faster if two people work together?

Qin Huai closed the kitchen door and handed Zhao Cheng'an a glorious yet arduous task: "What I just saw was Gong Liang's last memory. Gong Liang can wake up now by eating a piping hot coconut mooncake."

"Now I have a task for you: figure out a way to get Grandpa Wang out of here. Let him go first, but Gong Liang can't leave."

Zhao Cheng'an thought for a moment and nodded to indicate that he had come up with a good idea.

Zhao Cheng'an pushed open the kitchen door and strode out to Wang Gensheng, saying, "Uncle Wang, I remember you like crab shell pastries, right? I forgot to tell you earlier that Zheng Siyuan made crab shell pastries at the Yunzhong Canteen this afternoon. I specially asked him to save two bags for you. They're probably a bit cold by now. Let me go with you to get them. You can put them at home first."

"I'll take you home. I heard from Qin Huai that the osmanthus cake at the entrance of your community is especially delicious. I'll go and buy some osmanthus cake."

Although Wang Gensheng didn't quite understand the logic behind Zhao Cheng'an's words, he could tell from their interactions over the past few days that Zhao Cheng'an sometimes spoke without any logic.

Wang Gensheng stood up: "Then...then I'll go first?"

"Let me see you off!" Zhao Cheng'an smiled warmly.

"My food review..."

"No rush. Qin Huai said he'll need some more time to make this pastry. He'll invite you over to eat it later. Take your time. There's no need to rush to give him the food review."

(End of this chapter)