After the divorce, he took care of his child and sold fried rice; his ex-wife was filled with regret

The moment Zhao Hongming heard the words "crispy pastry," the taut string in his mind finally snapped, followed by an uncontrollable surge of joy!

He suddenly lowered his head and brought it closer to the plate of peony pastries in front of him.

That delicate, sweet fragrance instantly dispelled the anxiety in his heart.

"This is... a pastry?!"

Zhao Hongming stretched out his slightly trembling hand, picked up the chopsticks, and gently touched the pink and white petals.

Feeling the crisp sensation from his fingertips, his heart, which had been hanging in his throat, fell heavily back into his stomach with a "plop".

"Who made this? When did our hotel have a pastry chef of this caliber?"

Suppressing his excitement, Zhao Hongming turned to the manager behind him and asked in a low voice.

The manager, equally bewildered, wiped away cold sweat and replied, "Chairman Zhao, I don't know either... This... This is the young master's responsibility..."

"Good lad...this kid usually seems unreliable, but he actually had this trick up his sleeve when it mattered!"

Zhao Hongming was so excited that his heart was pounding. He knew all too well what this dessert meant!

The sheer difficulty of making this dessert is enough to demonstrate the Grand Hyatt Hotel's expertise in pastry making.

This is not just about food; it's a display of strength and depth!

Of course, some people praised it, while others questioned it.

After the initial amazement, the guests in the lobby also began to have some questions.

"These pastries do look exquisitely crafted, like works of art. But Chinese pastries are generally very dry, or too oily..."

A restaurant owner pushed up his glasses, stared at the peony pastry in front of him, and raised a question.

"Yes, such a thin pastry, even if it's drained of all the oil, will still be a bit greasy after being deep-fried, right?"

"After all, it's just a dish. No matter how good it looks, if it doesn't taste good, it's just for decoration. It looks nice but doesn't taste good."

Some more conservative celebrities didn't rush to pick up their knives and forks, but chose to wait and see.

At this time.

Ye Weiguo, sitting in the main seat, was quieter than everyone else.

He didn't make a fuss like the others, nor did he immediately pick up his chopsticks.

He simply gazed quietly at the pink and white "peony" before him, and his old eyes, which had seen countless storms and were no longer turbulent, suddenly became misty with tears.

His breathing became somewhat rapid, and his chest rose and fell slightly.

He seemed to have blocked out the gasps and exclamations of admiration from those around him.

His memory seemed to travel back decades in an instant, returning to that turbulent era that haunted his dreams.

"Grandpa..." Ye Wan'er, sitting next to him, noticed the old man's unusual behavior and called out softly with some concern, "What's wrong?"

Ye Weiguo ignored his granddaughter and picked up his chopsticks with trembling hands.

"A beauty of unparalleled grace...this is the Peony Pastry, a masterpiece of breathtaking beauty!"

Ye Weiguo's voice trembled slightly as he murmured to himself, his tone filled with an indescribable excitement and nostalgia.

As a former Beijing old hand, he knew all too well the value of this pastry!

This was a unique skill of the imperial kitchen in the early days, but it later fell into the hands of the common people, and only a very few top state banquet masters can make it.

It is not just a dessert, but a masterpiece of Chinese pastry making!

This dessert not only requires the chef to have extremely high skills in pastry making, being able to roll out dough into a hundred layers of flaky pastry as thin as a cicada's wing; it also has almost obsessive requirements for the control of heat and oil temperature.

If the oil temperature is too low, the petals won't unfold and will become dense, lumpy dough; if the oil temperature is too high, the petals will burn instantly, ruining the entire process.

To make it bloom layer by layer in the oil like a real peony, lifelike, requires the chef to have a near-Taoist control over the ingredients and the heat!

However, with the passing of those older generation masters, this "national beauty and heavenly fragrance" dish has not appeared on the market for many years.

Ye Weiguo never expected that today, at this banquet filled with Western luxury elements, he would see this legendary dessert, which represents the highest level of Eastern cuisine, once again!

Moreover, judging from its appearance and aroma alone, the skill of this peony pastry actually surpassed the level of the master chef he remembered who served state banquets!

"Wow! She's absolutely stunning!"

Ye Weiguo took a deep breath, unable to contain his excitement any longer, and shouted.

Instead of using those complicated knives and forks, he used chopsticks to steadily pick up the delicate "peony".

"Click."

A very faint yet unusually crisp cracking sound rang out on the quiet main table.

That was the sound of the pastry cracking, yet it was as beautiful as celestial music.

As Elder Ye chewed, the paper-thin pastry crumbled into countless sweet crumbs the moment it touched his teeth, melting rapidly in his mouth.

There's not a trace of excess oil, only a lightness that's crisp to the core and a pure milky aroma.

Immediately afterwards, the silky smooth and creamy red bean paste melted on the tip of the tongue.

The sweetness was just right—not cloying, not overpowering.

The hibiscus flower, with its slightly sour taste that brings peace of mind, strikes straight to the soul!

"Well……"

Ye Weiguo suddenly closed his eyes, his face showing an extreme enjoyment and shock.

He had eaten that amazing "boiled cabbage in clear broth" at that roadside shop a few days ago, and thought that was the pinnacle of Chinese cuisine, which had left him with no regrets about the world's delicacies.

Unexpectedly, at this noisy banquet tonight, he once again tasted such astonishing craftsmanship!

Moreover, the red bean paste seemed to contain some kind of gentle power, instantly giving his stomach, which had just eaten some seafood and felt slightly uncomfortable, a comforting warmth.

Old Master Ye suddenly opened his eyes, slammed his hand on the table, and exclaimed in praise like a thunderclap from a clear sky!

"This flavor is truly unparalleled in the world!"

All the guests present, who were originally carefully appreciating the work, could no longer contain themselves when they saw that Elder Ye was so excited and even gave it such a high evaluation as "a masterpiece in the world".

They all picked up knives and forks and eagerly cut off the flower petals in front of them.

Then.

The entire banquet hall erupted in utter madness.

All that remained were the continuous clicking sounds, and the suppressed gasps and exclamations of amazement.

"My goodness! How is this puff pastry made? It melts in your mouth, lighter than snowflakes!"

"It's so delicious! I swear, compared to this, all the desserts I've ever had are like garbage made with industrial saccharin!"

"The sweetness of this red bean paste is absolutely amazing! It's not cloying at all after eating it; instead, I feel refreshed, and even my breath smells like flowers! I feel like the fine lines on my face have smoothed out!"

Those socialites and wealthy women who usually only indulge in desserts in order to maintain their figure, and even regard carbohydrates as poison, have now completely abandoned their so-called "appearance anxiety" and "socialite demeanor".

They were like ravenous beasts, stabbing one after another without stopping.

In less than a minute, the entire peony pastry, which was bigger than a fist, was completely devoured.

Some people even shamelessly dip their fingers into the crumbs of pastry that have fallen from the plate, put them in their mouths and savor them carefully, afraid of wasting even a single bit.