The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 564 Xu Cheng's Shock

While Lin Juan was still dazed, Qin Huai said no more and went straight into the kitchen to make some desserts.

Lin Juan's family is small, so when Qin Huai messaged Lin Juan yesterday asking her to prepare the ingredients, he specifically listed the quantities for the entire Lin family, including the portions for Lin Juan's nephews and nieces. Xu Cheng's sudden free meal wouldn't affect Qin Huai's preparation of the pastries; giving Xu Cheng a couple of pastries from each household would be enough to last him until the day after tomorrow.

Xu Cheng really can't eat much.

Qin Huai said yesterday that he was going to make some of his signature desserts for Lin Juan, and indeed, they were his signature desserts.

Qin Huai plans to create the highest level one, one with buffs.

First and foremost is the S-grade fermented rice bun, followed by the crab roe and pork bun and the three-ingredient bun. It's crab season now, and the crab roe is at its fattest and most delicious; enjoying a crab roe and pork bun at this time is an absolute treat.

Qin Huai could also make A+ grade dumplings, but she doesn't plan to make dumplings. If she were simply aiming for an A+ rating, many of her dim sum dishes would be worthy of it. However, those dim sum dishes don't have recipes, so the rating isn't displayed.

Qin Huai wanted to make Four Happiness Tangyuan, but the sesame sugar filling and red bean paste filling needed to be prepared in advance, and the Yunzhong Canteen did not have any in stock and could not send them over by express. So she could only replace the Four Happiness Tangyuan with rice cake, which Qin Huai also liked and was very easy to make.

Meanwhile, Qin Huai also inquired about Lin Juan's family's tastes on WeChat. Lin Juan liked to eat osmanthus cake and pan-fried buns. Lin Juan's husband, Jiang Yong, rarely ate desserts, but Lin Juan said that Jiang Yong had a sweet tooth and would indulge in sweets every now and then.

Jiang Yong loves sweets so much that sugar triangles would be the perfect dessert for him, but since the filling for sugar triangles needs to be prepared in advance, Qin Huai had to switch to donkey rolls instead.

In Qinhuai, the pastries that are frequently made are usually rated highly.

Time was tight and the task was heavy; Xu Cheng would be coming again in a little while. Although Qin Huai had no interest in appearing on "Taste of China" and even had a bit of a psychological aversion to it, he still had great respect for Xu Cheng, the world's most famous food critic.

Xu Cheng not only writes food reviews on Zhiwei (a food review website), but also on his WeChat Moments. If the desserts aren't made well today, Xu Cheng could secretly post on WeChat Moments to criticize him, and Qin Huai would be ruined in the global culinary community.

Chef Qin is diligently making pastries in the kitchen.

Lin Juan stood at the kitchen doorway, holding three gold bars with teeth marks on them, her expression complicated, unsure of what to say.

Lin Juan had just taken a bite out of each gold bar, which was quite shameless of her. Although she didn't know what real gold tasted like, Lin Juan thought it must be real gold.

Lin Juan found it absurd.

Her grandfather didn't suddenly develop Alzheimer's, nor did he suddenly start doing strange things. But burying gold bars in the yard of their old home and having others dig them up... Lin Juan was just an ordinary housewife who liked to listen to audiobooks and light novels on her phone while doing housework.

The reality is even more absurd than what's written in the novel.

“Master Qin… Master Qin.” Lin Juan looked at Qin Huai with great hesitation, “This… this gold bar, why don’t you and Xiao An accept it? After all, it was given to Xiao An by my grandfather. If you hadn’t told us, we wouldn’t have known that there were gold bars buried in the courtyard of our old home.”

Qin Huai didn't expect that Lin Juan's first reaction after hesitating for more than ten minutes was that she didn't want the gold bars.

It's important to understand that three large yellow croakers would be a huge sum of money in any era. If Qin Huai didn't already have over 2000 million yuan in his bank account and wasn't about to inherit Luo Jun's enormous fortune, he too would have been tempted by those three gold bars.

Lin Juan swallowed all three gold bars without telling her brother, aunt, or father, which is considered quite normal in family dramas.

While kneading the dough, Qin Huai glanced up at Lin Juan but didn't say anything.

“I was raised by my grandparents when I was little,” Lin Juan said. “My grandfather didn’t know how to take care of children; he could only tell me stories.”

"He said he was a beggar since he was a child. At first, he followed an old beggar to beg for food. Later, the old beggar froze to death in the winter, and he was about to freeze to death as well. Before he froze to death, he was picked up by a beggar called 'Boss' and took him in as his follower."

"The eldest brother raised him for many years. He was not good at begging and could not even get enough food to fill his stomach every day. The eldest brother supported him. At that time, beggars would steal, rob, cheat and deceive. The eldest brother did not allow them to do such things. He took them to live in a house with bluestone bricks and tiles, provided them with quilts, and taught them to read."

“My grandfather said that he had aspired since he was a child to grow up quickly so that he could work as a porter at the dock and use the money he earned to support his eldest son so that he wouldn’t have to work so hard begging for food every day.”

"But he could barely make enough to support himself. Even if he worked as a porter at the docks, the money he saved wasn't enough to cover the postage for his letters."

“My grandfather often said that among all the younger brothers that the eldest brother raised, they all became successful, but he was the most useless. He relied on the eldest brother to survive, to get married, and even to get his son married. He didn’t want to be so useless, and he wanted to save a lot of money to make the eldest brother happy.”

"Later, the eldest son died of illness, and he inherited 6 silver dollars. With this money, my grandfather, who was not of the same surname, was able to build a house in the village, settle down, and marry my grandmother. However, my grandfather also told me that the eldest son did not die, but that the news was wrong because communication was not well developed back then. For this reason, my grandfather stubbornly sent letters to Hankou for more than ten years. After my father started working, he even made a special trip to Hankou to help my grandfather find him."

“Our family knows about these things. Especially after my grandfather got sick in the past few years, he has forgotten many recent events and often talks about things from the past.”

“Since Xiao An is that boss’s granddaughter, and my grandfather asked her to dig out the gold bars from the old house, it means that these three gold bars are what my grandfather saved for Xiao An over the years.”

"It's the old lady's wish. Please tell Xiao An, Master Qin, that she should accept it."

Qin Huai heard things from Lin Juan that Lin Qi hadn't said. For some reason, while Lin Juan was talking about these things, Qin Huai's mind was filled with the image of Lin Qi searching for bank cards everywhere in the nursing home room.

Qin Huai thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you discuss it with your family, Sister Juan? After all, these three gold bars belong to Old Master Lin."

Lin Juan thought for a moment and then started calling her family members one by one.

An hour later, Xu Cheng happily followed Jiang Yong to Jiang Yong's house, ready to enjoy a hearty free meal. But when he pushed open the door, he was greeted by a living room full of people.

Xu Cheng: ...?
Jiang Yong didn't tell him that today was his family's gathering.

Jiang Yong, who followed closely behind: ...

Jiang Yong was also a little confused. He thought to himself that his wife hadn't told him that today was a family dinner, so why were so many people here? The lineup was almost as luxurious as a New Year's Eve dinner.

The Lin family members in the living room were having a heated discussion.

“Juan’er is right. We can’t take these three gold bars. They’re what Dad left for Xiao An.”

“Dad, Grandpa’s getting senile. Besides, Miss An and Master Qin both said they don’t want these three gold bars. Let’s keep them and divide them among ourselves, for Linlin’s tutoring fees…”

"Just because someone says they don't want it doesn't mean you won't give it to them? Have you no shame? How could I, Lin Yi, have such a worthless son like you? Your grandfather can give these things to whomever he wants. Have you spent a single penny of your grandfather's hospitalization and care all these years? Wasn't it all paid for by your father, me, and your aunt? You pretended to be poor and dead when it came to showing filial piety, but now you're jumping out when it comes to dividing the money, huh?"

“Uncle, I think my brother has a point. Thank you, Miss An. It would be nice to have one gold bar made into two pieces of jewelry as a thank you gift. As for the remaining two…”

"Not bad my ass? How did I, Lin Er, raise a daughter like you? I've never seen you visit your grandfather in the nursing home, but you did speak up when it came to distributing the gold bars. And you weren't even mentioned in your uncle's insults earlier, were you?"

Xu Cheng: ...What's with the gold bars? Wasn't he here to freeload? It's like he's stumbled into a family inheritance dispute.

Xu Cheng involuntarily stretched his neck.

Jiang Yong didn't quite understand the situation at home, but he knew it wasn't appropriate for his boss to be watching in this kind of situation, especially since his boss seemed to enjoy watching a spectacle.

Jiang Yong tried to ask his wife for help to find out what had happened. However, Lin Juan was in the living room helping her father and aunt argue with the group of people and had no time to pay attention to her husband. Jiang Yong could only lead Xu Cheng towards the kitchen. Just as they reached the kitchen door, Qin Huai silently opened it. "Mr. Xu, good afternoon. The fermented rice buns are ready. Would you like to have one to tide you over?" Qin Huai said with a smile.

Xu Cheng's attention was immediately drawn to the fermented rice buns. He gave up watching the show, nodded, and quickly glanced at the things in the kitchen. He was surprised when he saw several semi-finished products on the cooking table.

Although Xu Cheng can't cook, as a top food critic, he is very good at judging food, even better than most chefs.

Xu Cheng could clearly see that Qin Huai's kneading skills had improved significantly, reaching the level of a top-notch pastry chef.

Qin Huai smiled and lifted the lid of the steamer. Lin Juan's steamer was just an ordinary household steamer, with two layers together, which could only steam six or seven steamed buns at a time.

As soon as the lid is lifted, the rich aroma of fermented rice buns wafts from the kitchen. Back in the day, Master Jing's S-grade fermented rice buns could smell for half a street, and nowadays, the fermented rice buns in Qinhuai are also S-grade.

Since only 7 buns were steamed in one pot, it's a little difficult for the aroma to waft across half a street, but it's definitely enough to reach several floors.

Not to mention that Lin Juan's house is a bit old, and the soundproofing and fragrance insulation are not very good.

Xu Cheng closed his eyes in rapture, savoring the aroma of the fermented rice buns. As he sniffed, he conceived new food reviews in his mind, feeling that he already had a cover for the next issue of "Taste of China".

"It was a powerful yet subtly gentle aroma of wine, difficult to describe in words. The sweet fragrance of fermented rice wine and the aroma of wheat, combined with the rising steam, rushed straight to the brain from the nostrils. You didn't even need to see the steamed buns in the steamer; just imagining the smell was enough to conjure up their soft, delicate texture, their warm sensation on the tongue, and their wonderful flavor. It's hard to believe that this is the impact a steamed bun can have; it's just a steamed bun."

In just 30 seconds, Xu Cheng had already conceived the WeChat Moments post he would make tonight.

Hehe, here's a sneak peek at the food review, it'll make you all drool.

The steamed buns were very hot, and apart from someone with exceptional talent like Qin Luo, Qin Huai did not recommend anyone to directly reach out and grab them.

Zhao Rong and Qin Congwen both had to wear gloves, thick gloves, when they sold breakfast.

The aroma of fermented rice buns lingered in the house for a full two minutes, silencing the living room. Lin Yi, who had been engaged in a heated debate with the group, immediately shut up, leaving everyone with a look of confusion in their eyes.

Hey, are we here today to discuss the ownership of these three gold bars, or to eat steamed buns?

I don't think the ownership of the gold bars is in a hurry, but shouldn't we eat the steamed buns that just came out of the steamer?
There's nothing else to it, mainly because I don't want to waste food; every grain is hard-earned.

The aroma wafted downstairs, where a young child was clearly living, and their window was open.

Qin Huai could hear the child crying and shouting from inside the kitchen, "Grandma, I want to eat steamed buns."

What a simple and unadorned yet difficult-to-achieve wish.

Xu Cheng didn't speak, but waited quietly for Qin Huai to tell him that he could eat.

"Mr. Xu, Editor-in-Chief Jiang, the steamed buns should be warm enough to eat now. Why don't you each have one first? I only steamed seven buns in this batch, the steamer is a bit small. I also made a lot of other snacks that you can enjoy later."

Jiang Yong suddenly realized what was happening and nodded repeatedly. At the same time, he wanted to slap himself and question why he hadn't thought of getting a bigger steamer for his family all these years.

"Of course, Master Qin, you've really gone to a lot of trouble. I was supposed to treat you to a meal, but instead I'm troubling you to come to my house and make some desserts."

"I had my reasons, you'll find out later," Qin Huai said with a smile.

Xu Cheng has already started eating.

Xu Cheng doesn't usually eat steamed buns.

These days, few pastry chefs can make steamed buns taste amazing; they mostly just roll them up for decoration. Xu Cheng usually isn't interested in pastries with nice presentations. He's a relatively pragmatic food critic; he prioritizes the taste of the dish, and presentation is just an added bonus.

Of course, if the presentation is really bad, like with fruit, Xu Cheng can convince himself that his aesthetic sense is just barely acceptable as long as the taste is right.

Xu Cheng said that when he was young, he traveled all over the country and ate all kinds of food. He could even convince his tongue and stomach to force himself to eat a bite of raw pork. Eating some ugly-looking snacks was nothing to him.

Xu Cheng usually eats his vegetables in small bites.

He's eating a steamed bun now.

For some reason, Xu Cheng felt that this steamed bun should be eaten in big bites; only by eating it in big bites could he truly appreciate its flavor.

While eating his steamed bun, Xu Cheng inwardly regretted that he hadn't paid enough attention to Qin Huai lately, not even liking his posts on WeChat Moments. He knew Qin Huai was an absolute prodigy in the pastry chef circle, a rising star, but he was just a rising star.

The culinary world is never short of geniuses. Xu Cheng has been a food critic for many years and has seen countless geniuses. It's just that Qin Huai is a little more talented than the average genius.

Xu Cheng previously thought that in five years at the earliest, he should be able to go to Qin Huai's shop every now and then to eat snacks for a few days and live a happy life with snacks to his heart's content.

Xu Cheng now feels that he was too narrow-minded. He doesn't need 5 years at all; next year will suffice.

If every pastry Qin Huai makes could be as good as the steamed bun in front of her, it could even be done by tomorrow.

It's been many years since we've seen such an amazing steamed bun.

"Sister Juan, there are five steamed buns left in the kitchen. Please divide them up first, and I'll steam the next batch now," Qin Huai said, poking his head out.

Within a minute, tears of regret almost spilled from Lin Yi's son's mouth as he watched his father, mother, aunt, uncle, and sister eat steamed buns, while he couldn't even get a bite of the bun's crust.

"Mom, is this steamed bun delicious?" Lin Yi's son asked, feigning ignorance with a look of longing.

Lin Yi rolled her eyes at her son, annoyed: "What does it have to do with you if it tastes good? This is what Chef Qin made for your sister when he came to her house. It's good enough that you can smell the aroma. How dare you ask?"

"You don't want to return the gold bars to Master Qin and Xiao An, but you want to eat the steamed buns Master Qin makes?"

"You want a share of the gold bars, you want a share of the steamed buns, why do you want everything? How did I give birth to a son like you?"

Lin Yi's son swallowed hard: "Dad, I think we can talk about the gold bars later. Can I have a bite of this steamed bun first?"

"Ah."

　I slept in a daze for two days, and I'm completely out of it.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)