The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 533 Major Breakthrough

After encouraging Zhao Cheng'an, Qin Huai happily watched video tutorials for the entire morning.

The effect was remarkable. Although Qin Huai had not made any pastries since he was promoted to master level, he felt the effect was significant.

At noon, Qin Huai did not go to the Yunzhong Canteen for lunch. Instead, he ordered takeout for the first time ever and enjoyed a super luxurious pork trotter rice with char siu, poached chicken and roast duck.

After finishing his meal, Qin Huai lay on the sofa for an hour, contentedly playing on his phone, before leisurely strolling to the Cloud Cafeteria.

Because Qin Huai told An Youyou in the morning that he would come to work in the afternoon, the elderly people did not give up waiting in the canteen just because Qin Huai was absent for half a day. They still sat in the canteen chatting as usual when the canteen was not crowded, giving passers-by the illusion that the Yunzhong Canteen was always packed and doing very well.

Qin Huai's arrival drew cheers from some of the older folks who couldn't contain their emotions.

"Master Qin is here!"

"I knew it! Master Qin said he would definitely come this afternoon!"

"But what kind of snacks can you make in just a few hours in the afternoon?"

"It's good enough that there's food to eat, yet you're complaining. If you're complaining, then don't buy it, just go home. I can buy more."

When An Youyou saw Qin Huai arrive, she immediately ran out to report Zhao Cheng'an's situation to him.

"Master Qin, you're absolutely right. Master Zhao acted like he took the wrong medicine this morning, making pastries all morning without a break! But the pastries he made this morning were a bit strange. Master Zhao usually makes flaky pastries, but this morning he made a lot of steamed buns and mantou. They were all ordinary vegetarian buns, meat buns, and white flour mantou. Master Zhao's first batch of mantou came out of the steamer almost past breakfast time, and these steamed buns and mantou didn't sell out until lunch time."

Qin Huai nodded to indicate that he understood.

It's clear that Zhao Cheng'an was trying to explore the true essence of master dough-making, but to no avail.

"Is Zhao Cheng'an in the kitchen right now?" Qin Huai asked.

"Yes, Master Zhao is still making steamed buns."

"Okay, Youyou, you go ahead and do your thing. I'll come over here later and watch me make steamed buns," Qin Huai said.

An Youyou didn't understand why Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an were both obsessed with steamed buns today, but she was very happy. Steamed buns were the simplest snack An Youyou knew, and it was also something she could make herself.

An Youyou now follows Qin Huai along the riverbank every day to watch Qin Huai make breakfast. She can't understand much of it, and she can say that she doesn't understand the seasoning of the San Ding Bao and Wu Ding Bao at all.

This morning, Zhao Cheng'an spent the whole morning making simple breakfasts, which An Youyou watched with great interest. Now Qin Huai is going to make steamed buns. An Youyou, who is always diligent and eager to learn, wants to make rapid progress, get promoted and get a raise, and eventually take over the Yunzhong Cafeteria, feels that today is simply her lucky day.

Qin Huai went to the dressing room to change clothes, and then went into the kitchen to make fermented rice buns.

Qin Huai washed his hands three times before rubbing them. Don't ask him why he washed them three times; just say it's a ritual.

Shi Dadan and Gong Liang, who were sitting at the small table, had already heard the good news about Qin Huai's mastery of dough making. When they saw Qin Huai return to work, they all craned their necks to look curiously.

Chen Gong was a little reserved, only watching without craning his neck.

Only Wang Gensheng was somewhat confused, still preoccupied with his own affairs: "I've already eaten breakfast and lunch today. If I had known Chef Qin would come so early, I wouldn't have eaten lunch. What if I can't eat the potato dumplings when I try them? Will Chef Qin be unhappy?"

No one answered Wang Gensheng; everyone just wanted to see Qin Huai show off.

At this moment, Qin Huai certainly had the air of a domineering king.

Qin Huai stood in front of the cooking station, casually beckoned to An Youyou to stand closer so she could see him better, and began kneading the dough with an indifferent expression.

Focused, fluent, and skillful.

Qin Huai always looked the same when he was making desserts, and his movements didn't change much, but his aura changed.

He exudes an aura of a master who's redefining kneading dough today.

I'm just doing whatever I want, and you can look at it however you like. I'm not bragging, but every single move I make today is a textbook example. If it isn't, then there must be something wrong with the textbook, and it needs to be changed. This is the kind of "pretentious king" vibe I'm talking about.

A protagonist with the aura of a system novel protagonist who's about to show off – get ready!

Zhao Cheng'an was dumbfounded.

Hey buddy, what's up? We're both pastry chefs, do you think I don't know how we pastry chefs knead dough?

It's just... kneading dough, right?

What are you doing? What kind of action is that? What kind of expression is that? What kind of aura is that? So what if you have a system? Does having a system mean you can detach yourself from the masses? Does having a system mean you can ignore the life or death of this monster?

This is cruel to mayflies!
Zhao Cheng'an wailed inwardly.

His cries went unheeded.

The more Qin Huai kneaded the dough, the more she felt that she was truly amazing.

This might sound like Qin Huai is a bit narcissistic, but that's really how he feels. Master-level kneading and advanced kneading are two completely different things. Qin Huai even thinks that his previous kneading wasn't kneading at all; it was just sculpting dough. Only when you reach the master level can you understand the true meaning of kneading.

Dough can truly have a life of its own, and chefs can truly communicate with dough!

I wonder if the steamed buns will gleam with golden light when the lid is lifted. If they do, then "Cooking Master Boy" will be a documentary.

Qin Huai appears very focused, but he can actually let his mind wander.

But others felt that Qin Huai was very focused, and his whole demeanor and aura were different when he was kneading dough. This is the skill of a master.

After kneading the dough for the fermented rice buns, Qin Huai even felt he could challenge himself to try making locust flower buns. Things he hadn't understood before were now clear; it was time to contact Grandma Ding and order another batch of locust flower honey.

Qin Huai couldn't stop kneading the dough.

Fermented rice buns, plain steamed buns, three-ingredient buns, five-ingredient buns, red bean buns, and later Qin Huai even started kneading dough by hand, wanting to make a batch of chicken soup noodles without chicken broth for his family, which is just boiled noodles in water.

Just as Qin Huai was happily kneading noodles, the first batch of fermented rice steamed buns came out of the pot.

Qin Huai stood in front of the steamer, nervously rubbing his hands together, took a deep breath, took half a step forward, and reached out to lift the lid of the steamer.

The aroma of wine is everywhere.

Compared to regular steamed buns, the most distinctive feature of fermented rice steamed buns is their exceptional aroma; the sweet fragrance of fermented rice is irresistible, especially when they are fresh out of the steamer.

Huang Ji's longtime customers describe how, back when Master Jing was still making fermented rice buns in the state-run restaurant, the aroma of fermented rice would waft across half the street whenever the buns came out of the steamer. The buns were ready when the neighborhood kids would have their meals; the memory of countless children's childhood being filled with the fragrance of fermented rice buns mixed with rice is no exaggeration.

Previously, when Qin Huai made fermented rice buns, the aroma was so strong that it couldn't possibly waft across half a street; if it could even reach the main hall, that was considered quite good.

Now you can.

It's really fragrant.

The steam dissipated after only a few meters, but the aroma traveled far. Qin Huai keenly sensed that this time the aroma of the fermented rice buns wasn't the simple sweet fragrance of fermented rice as before, but rather a blend of fermented rice and wheat. It smelled a little milder than before, yet it made her very hungry.

It has that aroma that makes you want to eat staple food.

It really goes well with rice, no wonder the kids who lived nearby used to mix this aroma with their rice.

As the only person in the entire Yunzhong Canteen who had smelled and eaten Master Jing's fermented rice buns in his youth, Wang Gensheng excitedly stood up the moment the lid was lifted in Qin Huai, gesturing wildly and incoherently.

“This…this…this…steamed bun…” Wang Gensheng didn’t even have time to hate his clumsy mouth; he felt like his brain had crashed.

Previously, every time Wang Gensheng ate fermented rice buns at the Yunzhong Canteen, he felt that this was the taste of Master Jing. But when he smelled the aroma of the buns today, those memories flooded back into his mind.

The aroma clearly told Wang Gensheng that this was the true taste of Master Jing, the true taste of the fermented rice buns that filled half the street with fragrance, and the true taste of the fermented rice buns that countless employees of cotton mills and silk weaving factories used to rush to grab after work, even if it meant pedaling until the pedals fell off and the tires sparked.

That's the smell! Xu Tuqiang, who was sitting at table number 9, smelled the aroma two seconds later than Wang Gensheng. Xu Tuqiang saw Wang Gensheng suddenly stand up like he was having an epileptic seizure, his hands shaking with excitement. He was speechless and complained to Grandpa Qian, "What's wrong with Wang Laogen? Is he having an epileptic seizure? I've never heard of him having epilepsy before."

"Maybe he ate too many potato dumplings and got poisoned." Grandpa Qian's words were full of jealousy. Before he could finish speaking, he smelled the aroma of fermented rice buns. He took a deep breath and looked intoxicated. "These fermented rice buns today... smell pretty appetizing."

"Are you hungry because you didn't eat enough at noon?" Grandma Ding took a deep breath. "I think I'm a little hungry too. These fermented rice buns are just cooked. You can have one to tide you over."

While Grandpa Qian and Grandma Ding were still marveling at how Xu Tuqiang had already taken the lead and was standing in line at the window to buy steamed buns, they were practically sticking their heads into the window to look at the steamer, wanting to see how many fermented rice buns Qin Huai had steamed this batch.

What is Qin Huai doing at this moment?

Qin Huai was still standing in front of the steamer looking at the fermented rice buns.

To be precise, it's appreciation.

Qin Huai felt that this time, the steamed bun had truly been redefined.

[Sweet Rice Wine Steamed Buns - Grade S]

Who would have thought that advancing to the Master level in dough preparation wouldn't be a leap from A to A+, but rather a leap from A to S-?

S-grade fermented rice buns are outstanding no matter where they're placed. Even when placed next to a table full of delicious dishes prepared by Fen Yuan and Xia Murui, they won't be relegated to the sidelines.

S-level dishes can be found at Fen Yuan. Xia Murui is the number one active Chinese chef. Qin Huai once ate at Fen Yuan and the food was so good that it would come out of his throat as soon as he burped. He has great trust in Xia Murui's skills and believes that Xia Murui's dishes must be of S-level quality.

You can eat S-grade red-cooked dishes, but have you ever eaten S-grade steamed buns?
Even Master Zhou, the undisputed number one master of pastry making, might not be able to make S-grade steamed buns.

Looking at the fermented rice buns in front of him, Qin Huai even felt that it was a little unreal.

Is this how S-grade desserts are made?
There was no frustrating level-up struggle, and unlike the previous attempt at making Four Happiness Tangyuan, which resulted in a disastrous failure that made me question my existence, I made it smoothly on the first try.
Is this the benefit of stacking enough base panels?

Is this the invincible strategy of the textbook approach?
Qin Huai hesitated to take the steamed bun out of the steamer, and just stood in front of the steamer admiring it silently.

Qin Huai could see the ratings, but Zhao Cheng'an couldn't, and Zhao Cheng'an was getting anxious standing to the side. He wasn't blind; of course he could see that Qin Huai's dough-kneading skills had improved significantly.

In Zhao Cheng'an's view, Qin Huai's breakthroughs were never sudden; Qin Huai was constantly improving, but his progress was so rapid that it was visible to the naked eye.

Then Qin Huai was very good at adding a little epiphany to his already rapid progress. He would have a big epiphany every three days, a small epiphany every two days, and if he didn't have an epiphany for a long time, it meant that he was going to have a big epiphany.

Zhao Cheng'an said that he had accepted everything and knew that Qin Huai was going to show off, but buddy, go ahead and show off.

You were so enthusiastic when you were kneading the dough, but now that it's time to keep going, why aren't you moving?

What, can't you show off?

You don't know how to brag? Ask me! I, Zhao Cheng'an, was once a renowned genius at Zhiweiju, the envy of countless people, the quintessential "other people's child." Before I faded into obscurity and became a tragic example of a prodigy who failed to live up to his potential, I, Zhao Cheng'an, was a master of bragging!
Come on, let me tell you, the first rule of showing off is to actually do it. Right now, put on a really smug, nonchalant expression, and then make me eat a steamed bun.

The point is, they want me to eat steamed buns!

Zhao Cheng'an really wants to try the steamed buns in the steamer.

"Is this steamed bun edible?" Zhao Cheng'an couldn't help but step forward.

The closer Zhao Cheng'an got to the steamer, the more he wanted to eat.

It smells amazing! Zhao Cheng'an said that he had never smelled such fragrant steamed buns in all the years he had been at Zhiweiju.

It smelled so good that he felt he could eat eight of them in one sitting.

"Yes," Qin Huai said slowly. "You can even eat first."

"but……"

"I have a favor to ask."

Zhao Cheng'an: ?

"What are you going to do?" Zhao Cheng'an asked warily.

I want to stuff a steamed bun into your mouth.

Zhao Cheng'an: ? ? ?

Dude, if you want to hurt me... well, that's not impossible.

Zhao Cheng'an felt that although the freshly steamed buns were a bit hot, Qin Huai had been standing in front of the steamer for so long that the buns couldn't be that hot, and certainly not as hot as the coconut mooncakes from that day.

Although the act of stuffing it into his mouth sounds a bit rough, it's not unacceptable considering that what's being stuffed into his mouth is a steamed bun with fermented rice wine in front of him.

"Why?" Zhao Cheng'an had already accepted it in his heart, but he still had to ask aloud.

"I don't know why, I just suddenly really wanted to put it in your mouth." Qin Huai himself found it very puzzling. "Maybe it's because I felt a little regretful that I didn't put potato dumplings in your mouth at Fenyuan last time. Now that I've finally made a great dessert, I really want to make up for the regret I had at Fenyuan last time."

Zhao Cheng'an didn't understand, but he accepted it.

“Okay.” Zhao Cheng’an looked ready. “Go ahead and stuff it in, but how? Make me open my mouth wide… ah.”

Before Zhao Cheng'an could finish speaking, Qin Huai swiftly grabbed a steamed bun from the steamer and stuffed it into Zhao Cheng'an's mouth.

The movements were clean and crisp, not like a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather as if they had been practiced many times secretly at home.

Zhao Cheng'an took a bite.

!!!

"Oh...oh." Zhao Cheng'an struggled to speak, then chewed a few mouthfuls of steamed bun and swallowed it excitedly, saying, "A+ grade steamed buns are this amazing? So delicious, my god, I've never eaten such delicious steamed buns before. These steamed buns are comparable to my master's signature pastries!"

"It turns out that steamed buns are the most awesome snacks, the uncrowned king of snacks."

Zhao Cheng'an said, then took another bite without waiting: "Holy crap, this is actually a steamed bun!"

"I want to take photos, no, I want to take videos and send them to Tan Weian."

"No, I need to write a food review and send it to Tan Weian!"

In stark contrast to the excited Zhao Cheng'an was the very calm Qin Huai, who simply said, "Not A+ grade."

"Huh?" Zhao Cheng'an hadn't reacted yet.

"It's S-class."

"I never imagined that mastering dough making was so important. I just casually made something and I actually broke through to S level."

"How was it? The S-grade steamed buns were delicious, weren't they? I was worried I'd be biased by my own taste, so I let you try them first. Send me a copy when you've written your review."

Zhao Cheng'an: ...

Zhao Cheng'an suddenly found the steamed bun in his mouth no longer tasted good.

He didn't want to write food reviews anymore; he just wanted to grab a steamed bun from the steamer and stuff it into Qin Huai's mouth, but he was afraid of letting him have it too easily.

Waaaaaah, who said Qin Huai couldn't show off? Damn it, this guy is even better at it than I am.

I, Zhao Cheng'an, hate people who are pretentious the most!
(End of this chapter)