Food: Randomly set up stalls, even the little guy is drooling.

After taking that bite, Liang Tao felt a jolt and then fell silent.

"Why isn't Brother Tao saying anything?"

"So delicious you're speechless?"

"It's not that bad, it's overacted."

"Hurry up and describe it, stop acting."

Liang Tao didn't answer, but pondered the matter carefully.

Facing the camera, he was unusually incoherent, saying, "I don't know how to explain it, it's like... you can only truly understand it by experiencing it yourself."

He closed his eyes, took another bite, and his face was full of enjoyment.

"What a wonderful piece of performance art."

"Let's all go, that was such a good performance."

"It's absolutely delicious. I was there and just bought some."

"Really? Fisherman's Wharf? I'm nearby. Guys, wait for me for 10 minutes!"

After waiting for 10 minutes, more and more people came to try the steamed bun.

Chen Haoran, carrying a bag of steamed buns, looked somewhat forlorn.

It was a great disgrace that he could only buy a single steamed bun despite his wealth.

He calmed down by then.

It's just a cornbread bun. I'll hire someone to make it. I refuse to believe they can't make it.

He made a phone call to Biruju, the most famous steamed bun shop in the city.

"Closed? Is your best pastry chef here? I'll give him 5000 yuan to recreate a steamed bun!"

"Tomorrow morning? Fine, I'll wait."

Out of spite, Chen Haoran parked his car right in front of Biranju and slept in it until dawn.

The morning light streamed through the car window, casting a bright spot on the passenger seat, which landed right on the bag of buns.

Chen Haoran woke up groggily, grabbed a steamed bun, and headed towards Biranju.

Biranju is a century-old brand with a history of producing imperial chefs. The head chef of this branch, Xie Zong, is a senior national pastry chef who apprenticed under Xie Mancang, a master pastry chef at Biranju and a national-level pastry master.

Biranju is the most expensive breakfast place in Changsha. Master Xie Zong's hibiscus buns were featured on the national food documentary "A Bite of China," and a single signature hibiscus bun can sell for 288 yuan.

Chen Haoran had tried it, and it was indeed a rare delicacy. That's why he wanted to find the other party to replicate this steamed bun.

"Is Master Xie here?" Chen Haoran shouted as soon as he entered, sounding like someone trying to cause trouble.

"Sir, it's not even 7 o'clock yet, we haven't opened for business." The front desk manager quickly came out to stop him.

Chen Haoran said, "Please call Master Xie for me. I made an appointment yesterday."

"You're the one who paid 5000 yuan to Chef Xie to make cornbread?" The front desk manager was taken aback. "Wait a moment."

The kitchen of Biyanju.

Xie Zong, dressed in a snow-white chef's uniform, was inspecting the ingredients to be used today.

I heard the front desk manager come over and say that a guest specifically asked to see him.

Then he remembered that last night someone had offered him 5,000 yuan to replicate a pastry. He thought it was a joke, but it turned out to be true.

This move was clearly somewhat frivolous; 5000 yuan wasn't much, but he was also a bit curious. So he asked the other party to come over the next day to give it a try.

Xie Zong wiped his hands and instructed, "Please come to my private kitchen, I'll be right there."

"Young man, you're always looking for novelty." He shook his head at his apprentice beside him. "Replicating a good bun isn't easy, but if it's ordinary, anyone can make it. For example, the wild vegetable steamed buns he mentioned—who hasn't made them before? They're a basic skill in making pastries. But to make them extraordinary, these coarse grain pastries are actually harder than the refined ones."

Chen Haoran was led into the private kitchen and waited for a while. Xie Zong strode in; he was in his forties and in his prime.

"Mr. Chen," Xie Zong said with a smile as he walked over to shake hands, "I heard you'd like to recreate a steamed bun?"

"Yes." Chen Haoran took a steamed bun from the steamer next to him, which he had just had reheated. "Let's not talk about the cornbread for now. Chef Xie, please try this first."

The steam from the steamed buns, mixed with their aroma, wafted out. Even though the buns had been reheated, the smell was still incredibly tempting.

Xie Zong's smile faded.

A true expert's skill is immediately apparent. In Changsha, if he can't be considered an expert at making steamed buns, it's hard to find another like him.

Xie Zong knew immediately from the smell that this was not the common taste of steamed buns on the market.

The aroma is layered, with distinct and clear notes of wheat and meat.

He took the bun; it was slightly hot to the touch, and the skin was snow-white. Although it had been steamed twice, it was still soft and elastic when he squeezed it, indicating that the dough had risen very well.

Take a bite, and the soup inside the bun instantly fills your mouth; when you bite into the meat filling, there's an extra layer of umami flavor.

"What ingenious idea, what excellent craftsmanship," Xie Zong thought to himself. The overall flavor was perfectly balanced, making it a rare and exquisite steamed bun.

Xie Zong didn't say anything, but took another bite, this time chewing it carefully.

The dough is made from carefully selected sourdough starter. He could taste the perfect balance of softness and chewiness, something that would be impossible to achieve without twenty years of experience.

The meat filling is of excellent quality, with a fat-to-lean ratio of about 3:7, which must be from the hind leg of a pig. It can probably only be made from free-range pigs.

The fat melts during steaming and soaks into the lean meat, resulting in a moist yet tender texture.

Such preparation techniques and skillful hands would make one a master anywhere.

After finishing the steamed bun, Xie Zong wiped his hands with a hot towel, and the professional smile on his face completely disappeared.

"This is a vegetable bun." Chen Haoran handed over another bun.

Xie Zong knew as soon as he tasted it that it was made with the same techniques from the same source.

It's impressive that meat buns can retain their freshness, but how can vegetable buns be so fresh? The vegetables are cooked to perfection, bringing out their refreshing taste, like a gentle mountain stream, making one feel relaxed and happy.

Unfortunately, after being steamed a second time, the taste is greatly diminished. It's like tasting the sweet spring water and feeling delighted, only to find the vegetation withered and the crystal-clear mountain stream mixed with sand. But this is not the creator's fault.

"Very powerful. Which time-honored brand did you buy it from?" Xie Zong sighed and asked.

"What do you mean?" Chen Haoran was surprised that a master chef like Xie Zong would say such a thing.

"Whether it's this meat bun or this vegetable bun, such skills can't be mastered without twenty years of experience. And the recipe, without a master, it's difficult to figure it out on your own. It requires an understanding of the heat and the ingredients, growing up in the kitchen, having a master teach you step by step, and also having talent to reach this level."

Xie Zong's words were undeniably comprehensive.

But one sentence from Chen Haoran shocked him.

"A roadside stall." Chen Haoran looked into his eyes. "It's located at Fisherman's Wharf. The stall owner is very young, only in his early twenties."

"These steamed buns sell for 10 yuan each. Like you, I think these steamed buns can't possibly be worth only 10 yuan. And these cornbread buns, they're 50 yuan each. These are the ones I want you to replicate."

Xie Zong found it hard to believe that such high-quality meat buns could only sell for 10 yuan each; even the cost of production was difficult to achieve. What kind of steamed buns could dare to sell for 50 yuan each?

He remained silent for a long while before finally asking, "Where's the cornbread?"