The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 519 An Unexpectedly Completed Mission

On the second day, Qin Huai arrived at the canteen a little late, at 5:17 pm. Knowing he was late, the first thing Qin Huai did at work was to peel off the gauze from the rice cake to check its condition and start making glutinous rice cakes.

While making glutinous rice cakes, Qin Huai inquired about the progress of An Youyou's helper's preparation of ingredients.

The ingredients for the helpers had been prepared long ago. When Chen An noticed that Qin Huai was late in arriving, he even took the initiative to make a batch of steamed buns, which can be described as very dedicated.

Qin Huai was deeply moved, but at the same time, he inwardly cursed himself for sleeping in so late that day. As a renowned breakfast chef, Qin Huai himself disliked getting up early. He knew this behavior contradicted his identity, but he was simply a breakfast chef who disliked getting up early.

She loves making breakfast.

I don't want to get up early.

It can only be said that humans are truly complex creatures.

Glutinous rice cakes are quick to make as long as the rice cakes are readily available. All you need to do is wrap them in red bean paste, steam them, and then coat them with powdered sugar. In just about 10 minutes, fresh glutinous rice cakes are ready. Qin Huai practically stood by the pot waiting for them to come out, eagerly cutting off a piece, blowing on it for two minutes to cool it down, and then stuffing it into his mouth to chew.

[Grade A Glutinous Rice Cake]

The taste of Grade A glutinous rice cake is undoubtedly superb; it's the kind of taste that would bring tears to Xu Tuqiang's eyes as he shouts "Long live glutinous rice cake!"

However, Qin Huai didn't pay much attention to the taste while eating; he just wolfed it down. He was eating the buff.

If you think about it carefully, I've been stuck on dough-making proficiency for a long time. Qin Huai only managed to gain 3 points of dough-making proficiency in a whole day yesterday. At this rate, it seems like it will be a long time before I reach the master level in dough-making.

We need to resort to some crooked methods.

While pondering which types of potato dumplings to make, Qin Huai swallowed glutinous rice cakes. He choked a little and coughed violently. An Youyou, who was standing next to Qin Huai, quickly offered him tea.

Having drunk a lot of tea, Qin Huai can even tell how well the tea is brewed and what kind of tea it is.

Gong Liang's Lu'an Melon Seed Tea is a good tea, but the person brewing it isn't very skilled. Although An Youyou diligently studied tea brewing at Zhiweiju for a while, the time was too short and her skills were limited. She could brew ordinary black and green tea without any problems, but when brewing Gong Liang's excellent tea, the problems were very obvious.

But Qin Huai chose to encourage.

"The tea is brewed very well," Qin Huai praised. "Youyou, next time you can just brew the black tea from the cupboard. I usually prefer to drink regular black tea."

"Okay, Master Qin." An Youyou quickly wrote it down.

Pei Xing, who had been secretly observing the situation in Qinhuai: ? An Youyou's tea-brewing skills are actually not bad? This level isn't even as good as an apprentice at Zhiweiju! Little Master Qin, my tea is better, let me brew it next time!

Pei Xing, who hadn't had any screen time or scenes for a long time, gritted his teeth again.

Li Hua: ...

Li Hua also shook his head, thinking that Pei Xing's teeth were beyond saving.

"Master Qin." Seeing that Qin Huai had finished his tea, An Youyou felt she could speak now, "Are you making potato dumplings again today?"

"Do it." Qin Huai said succinctly.

"So, are you going to make the same dumplings as yesterday or make new ones?" An Youyou asked again.

Qin Huai realized that An Youyou wanted to eat potato dumplings but was too shy to say so. As a considerate boss, Qin Huai naturally asked directly, "What do you think about them?"

"Well... it's not that I have any particular idea, I just think adding some cabbage to potato dumplings might make them taste better," An Youyou said softly.

Chinese cabbage?

Qin Huai mentally conjured up a picture of potatoes and cabbage together, but figured it probably wouldn't taste good; it certainly wouldn't be as delicious as a combination of potatoes, pork, beef, and bamboo shoots.

However, since An Youyou wanted potato and cabbage dumplings, Qin Huai didn't mind making some on the spot. They'd already eaten glutinous rice cakes, so making dumplings was just a piece of cake.

"Is it potatoes and cabbage with other ingredients, or just potatoes and cabbage?" Qin Huai asked.

"Plain, with some minced meat." An Youyou said, swallowing hard, clearly craving it. "The potato buns at my family's breakfast shop used to have this filling, and they were delicious."

Qin Huai: ? Your breakfast shop also sells potato buns, that's quite a variety.

"Okay." Qin Huai wouldn't explain to An Youyou that steamed bun filling and dumpling filling are two different things. Many fillings taste good in steamed buns but are a disaster in dumplings. Since An Youyou wanted to eat it, Qin Huai didn't mind satisfying her. Anyway, if it didn't taste good, she wouldn't mention it again. Eating something bad is also part of the cooking process.

Qin Huai used to enjoy tinkering with recipes and making all sorts of inventions at home with Qin Luo. Why don't they create anything now?

It's all because of the painful lesson learned; even the most unpalatable dishes are still food and shouldn't be wasted. Qin Huai eats less, but Qin Luo often has to endure all sorts of bizarre culinary creations with tears in his eyes.

Later on, unless Qin Luo had something she particularly wanted to eat, whenever Qin Huai wanted to invent something, Qin Luo would cry and beg Qin Huai's leg, saying: "Brother, I really don't want to eat those awful things. Please stop innovating and give your sister a break!"

Not only do they speak loudly, but they also cry their hearts out, appealing to emotions and reasoning with the audience, the kind of crying that brings tears to their eyes.

Qin Huai could be said to have realized his own strength amidst Qin Luo's repeated wails.

Don't overestimate your abilities; this is a lesson every pastry chef must learn on their path to mastery. Qin Huai has already learned this, and he doesn't mind creating an opportunity for An Youyou to learn.

Qin Huai first made potato and cabbage dumplings that An Youyou wanted to eat.

To be honest, the filling An Youyou described is actually a standard steamed bun filling; it should taste pretty good in steamed buns. Slightly fatty minced pork is stir-fried with potatoes and cabbage until fragrant, seasoned, wrapped in bun dough, and then steamed until the potato cubes are soft and mushy, somewhere between diced potatoes and mashed potatoes, with the meat juices seeping into the bun dough…

It tastes delicious just thinking about it.

There's a reason why An Youyou's family's breakfast shop does well in their town. Although An Youyou's father likes to cut corners, causing some food safety concerns for customers, his philosophy on making steamed buns is decent, much better than that of ordinary steamed bun shops.

Following the idea of ​​making steamed bun filling, Qin Huai unconsciously created a real steamed bun filling. Then, thinking that since she had already made steamed bun filling, she might as well make some potato and cabbage buns, so she made another batch of steamed buns based on the potato and cabbage dumplings.

Using the same batch of filling to make both steamed buns and dumplings, Qin Huai has certainly made history by making a decision that goes against the traditions of her ancestors. It's fortunate that Zheng Siyuan has already returned to Suzhou; otherwise, if he saw this, he'd probably be questioning his very existence.

After making what An Youyou wanted to eat, Qin Huai prepared the filling according to the planned recipe. This morning was a bit rushed, so Qin Huai planned to only make potato dumplings and make other breakfast items around 7 a.m.

The fillings for these potato dumplings are pretty standard now, and the taste isn't bad either. It's not too bad for the elderly folks who are out for their morning run, since they only have potato dumplings and glutinous rice cakes for breakfast. In Qinhuai, potato and cabbage dumplings are the first to be cooked when dumplings are being made.

An Youyou scooped up the dumplings one by one, blew on them for half a minute, and couldn't wait to eat the first one. Then, unsurprisingly, she put on the mask of pain.

An Youyou simply loves potato dumplings; her tastes are normal, possessing the normal pursuit and aesthetic appreciation of flavors.

"It doesn't taste good, does it?" Qin Huai laughed. "The fillings for steamed buns and dumplings are not the same thing. Steamed bun fillings need to be oily, but dumpling fillings can't be this oily."

"Why?" An Youyou asked, puzzled.

"Simply put, it's because steamed buns are steamed and dumplings are boiled. Their cooking methods are different, the dough is different, and naturally, the requirements for the fillings are also different. Even the pork used for steamed buns and dumplings requires different cuts. Why is that..."

“You’ve been studying on your own for a few days, and Youyou, you’ve been watching me for just as long. You’ve learned how to knead dough, how to chop filling, and you’ve actually learned how to mix filling. You can’t just watch when you’re learning to cook; you need to have room for your own thinking.”

"Consider this as homework I'm giving you. It's up to you when you hand it in. Let me know when you've thought it through."

An Youyou never expected that she would still have to hand in homework after not studying for so many years. She felt like the sky had fallen, and for a moment she didn't even want to be the future successor of the Cloud Cafeteria anymore.

You know, if she had even the slightest love for reading, she wouldn't only have a junior high school diploma.

Qin Huai had originally wanted to offer An Youyou a couple of bites of glutinous rice cake to boost her morale, but seeing An Youyou's current state, Qin Huai felt that she wasn't really suited to eat right now.

While glutinous rice cakes offer a nice boost, they are a double-edged sword. Eating them well can double your work/study efficiency, while eating them poorly can lead to a debuff that doubles your slacking off.

An Youyou had always worked hard, but whether one works hard or not depends on the user's true intentions. Qin Huai was confident that he would get a work-hard buff after consuming it, and he was also confident in Zhao Cheng'an's slacking-off buff, but he had to be skeptical of Qin Luo and Ouyang.

Qin Luo was previously a strong candidate for the "slacking off buff," but given her good performance in her studies during the summer, Qin Huai felt that his younger sister might have the potential to suddenly realize her mistakes, work hard, and surpass others, creating a wonderful story of a slacker's comeback.

As for Ouyang, he worked hard for a while, to the point of neglecting sleep and meals, but now he's just slacking off.

An Youyou was previously a sure thing for her work, but now her aversion to studying has exploded. Qin Huai thinks there's a possibility she might activate a "slacking off" buff, so it's safer not to use it.

"Youyou, the steamed buns should be ready by now," Qin Huai reminded her.

"Oh, oh." An Youyou quickly put on gloves and lifted the steamer. As steam billowed out, a plate of large, thin-skinned, and generously filled potato and cabbage buns came out of the steamer.

Perhaps the potato and cabbage dumplings had hurt An Youyou too much, because she had no interest in the potato and cabbage buns that were next to them. She didn't blow on them, but just put the buns on a plate to cool. She left them for several minutes until she felt that the temperature was about right before picking one up and taking a bite.

While taking a bite, An Youyou asked Qin Huai a question: "Master Qin, why do you add sesame oil to every portion of the filling you make?"

"It tastes better with sesame oil," Qin Huai replied with a seemingly pointless statement. "It's a chef's personal habit. Some people like to add sesame oil, like me. Some people rarely add sesame oil, like Tan Weian. Tan Weian was the one who guided you before, so he probably doesn't add sesame oil much when mixing the filling, right?"

An Youyou nodded.

"It's both a habit and a style. Every chef is different, and you'll develop your own style in the future. For now, just learn. You don't have to copy everything exactly; just learn what you want and like. If you think Tan Weian's method is better, then learn from him; if you think mine is better, then learn from me. Of course, I'm not trying to put one down and praise the other. Although Tan Weian has a good foundation, he has indeed become very lax in recent years, so you need to be careful in your judgment when learning from him."

An Youyou chewed on her steamed bun, neither speaking nor nodding.

This action was somewhat unusual. An Youyou was always the one who nodded very quickly, whether she understood or not, she would just nod first.

Qin Huai thought this was a habit An Youyou developed when she was in school. She didn't understand the lessons, but she didn't want others to find out or ask, so she just agreed with everything.

Qin Huai looked up at An Youyou and found that An Youyou was in a daze, or rather, thinking, but her thinking was somewhat like being in a daze.

Qin Huai was a little confused. What was there to think about? Did he say something worth pondering?

Wasn't he just trying to put down Tan Weian?
The next second, a game notification sounded in Qin Huai's mind.

"Ding! Congratulations, player, you have discovered a new side quest. Please check it in the game panel."

Eh!
Without any hesitation, Qin Huai directly opened the game panel and began to check the missions.

He's the boss in his own kitchen; he can do whatever he wants.

The new side quest is the Potato Dumplings series of quests.

[Potato Dumplings 2]: Surprisingly, Wang Gensheng isn't the only one with a deep affection for potato dumplings; An Youyou does too. An Youyou has never actually eaten potato dumplings, only potato buns, but she feels as if she's tasted them before, almost like in a dream. It's a wonderfully sweet and warm flavor from potato dumplings. What was originally just a fleeting dream has become a source of intense longing for An Youyou after she ate potato dumplings yesterday. Players, please fulfill An Youyou's wish and let her taste the flavor of her dream.

Quest Reward: [An Youyou's Dream]
This was the first side quest related to An Youyou that Qin Huai had discovered. Just as Qin Huai decided to read the quest details again and do what he did best—reading comprehension—the quest interface suddenly changed.

Or rather, it redirected.

At the same time, the game notification sound rang in Qin Huai's mind again.

"Ding! Congratulations to the player for completing the side quest [Potato Dumplings 2] and receiving the quest reward: [An Youyou's Dream]."

Qin Huai: ?
? ?
???

What the heck? He only read the task details once, didn't even start reading comprehension, and didn't share the task details in the "We Are a Loving Family" group chat. He didn't follow any of the procedures, and the task is already completed?

Is this reasonable?

How was it accomplished?
What did An Youyou eat? She only ate one potato and cabbage dumpling and one potato and cabbage bun. Was this task so easy to complete?

Did your game system find that all of An Youyou's related tasks were too difficult to complete due to being main quests, so you fixed the bug of excessively difficult tasks and randomly added an easy task as a bonus?
Did you respect the players when you were giving them quests?

At least wait until I share the task in the group chat before you complete it. The way you're doing it makes the male protagonist in this system novel feel no sense of participation.

He doesn't even resemble the male lead anymore.

If this continues, the readers will start complaining.

Do you even understand game systems? Your game system has no customer service and no feedback channels.

(End of this chapter)