Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 746 - 377: Covering One’s Ears While Stealing a Bell
"The most unprofessional thing is that I went to Xiao Huang to collect a debt this morning, and he just gave it to me straight away."
"Can you just give out accounts like that? He even gave me the procurement list!" Wang Gen Sheng sighed deeply, "I just took a quick look, and he even gave me the accounts from March this year. Besides the fact that the tables are nicely done, the rest is a complete mess."
Qin Huai: ...
You’re truly something, Huang An Yao.
"Well, Uncle Wang, just stay home today and clear the accounts. Go to Huang Ji for dinner tonight. By the way, what about your lunch today..."
"I just made arrangements with Old Wang for lunch delivery." Shi Dadan said cheerfully, "Old Wang said it would take a good five or six days to sort out these accounts. Taking the computer everywhere might cause data leaks, so he’s not going out these days."
"His computer isn’t even connected to the internet."
"Xiao Qin, you just focus on making snacks. I’ve got the rest handled. Call me anytime if you need anything, and remember to call me when the Double Crab Bun comes out of the pot."
Initially, Qin Huai thought Shi Dadan was revisiting Gusu for nostalgia, but it turns out he’s here to assist him. Qin Huai felt quite touched for a moment, nodded, finished his wontons, and headed out for work.
When Qin Huai left the house, Shi Dadan kindly asked Wang Gen Sheng, "Old Wang, want some fruit? Staring at the computer for too long hurts the eyes, especially looking at these texts. Just looking at them makes my eyes hurt. There are plenty of fruits in Xiao Qin’s house, let me wash a couple of apples for you to munch on."
Golden supporter.
It would be even better if he didn’t use his own appetite to gauge Wang Gen Sheng’s appetite.
The place where Qin Huai lived was less than a 5-minute walk from Huang Ji. He used to walk this path several times a day, from autumn to winter. The more clothes he wore, the more people would recognize him along the way.
Now it’s spring. Even walking this road, Qin Huai felt a bit different.
Shi Dadan was supposed to be the one revisiting old places, but before he could visit, Qin Huai was already having that nostalgic feeling. It wasn’t apparent last night because it was too dark, but now the weather is just right. Walking on this familiar road, Qin Huai couldn’t help feeling nostalgic and expectant.
It’s been a few months since he’s seen the employees of Huang Ji. Thinking about it, he actually misses them a bit.
Although Dong Shi sends him WeChat messages every day, flooding him with the latest gossip, making Qin Huai almost an expert in Wang Jun’s love life (which has had no romantic developments since the last breakup), chatting online is still different from chatting face-to-face.
Qin Huai also misses Dong Shi babbling gossip beside him.
The short 5-minute walk was almost an opportunity for Qin Huai to reflect on his past and indulge in the future, gaining insights on the path of life.
Hence, one should not stay up late, as staying up late leads to waking up late, which makes the mind unclear, causing wandering thoughts.
Just as Qin Huai stepped into Huang Ji, a familiar figure rushed toward him, with a chatter preceding their arrival.
"Qin Huai, you’ve finally arrived! Didn’t you say there would be Chicken Soup Noodles in the morning? I’ve been waiting for you forever! By the way, the Mr. Shi who came with you has quite the appetite. Do you know how many bowls of wontons he ate at Huang Ji this morning? A full 20 bowls! It’s the first time I’ve seen someone eat 20 bowls of wontons. How does he do it? Is he a professional competitive eater?"
Qin Huai: ...
At this moment, all feelings of nostalgia vanished.
Alright, to be honest, I don’t miss it at all. I must say, when Dong Shi starts chattering, he really gets quite noisy.
"Did you find out what I asked you to investigate last night?" Qin Huai directly asked as he headed to the locker room to change clothes. Dong Shi followed him in, talking as he walked.
"Of course, I found out. After work last night, I went to the opposite community and chatted with a few regulars. Just some casual questioning was enough. I even called our master after I got home. The information is definitely authentic and guaranteed."
"The Four Happiness Rolls you mentioned, my master used to sell them every year during the Chinese New Year when he was the head chef at the State-Owned Restaurant. They were sold from New Year’s Eve to the second day of the New Year, only for those three days. And during those three days, the State-Owned Restaurant only sold this snack."
"Each person was limited to buying one per day, at a very affordable price, essentially purchasing a meat-filled bun made of white flour at the price of coarse grain steamed buns, selling it below cost price. My master said every year our master subsidized the sales, saying it was a lucky New Year’s gesture, allowing households that otherwise couldn’t afford white flour pastries to enjoy something nice."
"However, the snack Four Happiness Rolls, which doesn’t seem difficult—a flower roll with filling slightly resembling a lazy dragon—is actually very demanding for a chef in terms of yeast, finger skill, and filling preparation."
"After my master’s retirement due to illness, Junior Master Zheng took over the pastry-making. But during his first New Year, the Four Happiness Rolls he made were very... lacking."
"It’s said to have failed in both form and taste."
"However, since the Four Happiness Rolls were always sold at a loss, all the neighbors understood, so no one would complain to Junior Master Zheng’s face about the poor quality, instead only whispering behind his back."
"Just like they whispered about his inept Fermented Rice with Steamed Buns, buns, and shumai. Apparently, Master Zheng received quite a bit of behind-the-back whispering in those years after his official promotion."
"Ordinary customers don’t understand the differences in skills among snack masters. They only know our master was good, but they didn’t understand the scope of his skills. Junior Master Zheng’s skills were clearly not as good as his, so they presumed Junior Master Zheng hadn’t learned well."
"My master said Junior Master Zheng didn’t dislike the snack because he couldn’t make it well, but rather because he never got the chance."
"Every year during New Year’s, our master would also have Four Happiness Rolls. After he retired due to illness, his health declined. The first year, he was still well enough to make the New Year’s batch himself, but in subsequent years, it was Junior Master Zheng who made it. At that time, Junior Master Zheng promised him that, one day, he’d make Four Happiness Rolls as skillfully as our master did, earning the recognition of the neighbors."
"But our master never got to see that day."
"The difficulty of the Four Happiness Rolls was just too high. Our master passed away a few years after his retirement, and since then, Junior Master Zheng never sold Four Happiness Rolls at the State-Owned Restaurant again."
"At the time, everyone thought it was because Junior Master Zheng was too upset, and nobody brought it up to avoid triggering his emotions. Eventually, Junior Master Zheng shifted into starting his own business and left the snack-making trade. Many old patrons simply forgot about it, and if I hadn’t asked last night, they might not even remember there was such a snack."
Qin Huai nodded in understanding.
Listening to all this, Four Happiness Rolls indeed seems to be a snack laden with stories. This snack holds a special meaning both for Zheng Da and for the former State-Owned Restaurant, so his strong reaction to it is understandable.
It’s truly a touching story.
"But my master told me that Junior Master Zheng wasn’t avoiding it because it brought back memories. If making snacks could do that, there would be many more snacks to avoid."
"Our master made Four Happiness Rolls during the New Year, various rice dumplings for the Dragon Boat Festival, mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival, glutinous rice balls, and yuanxiao for the Lantern Festival, green rice balls for Qingming, and Double Ninth Cake for the Double Ninth Festival. Junior Master Zheng has continued to make those snacks over the years."
"In fact, Junior Master Zheng just couldn’t make them well and was embarrassed."
"Every year, during the New Year, Junior Master Zheng would secretly make Four Happiness Rolls at home. But this type of snack is his weakest, because Junior Master Zheng always found the combination of pork and chives a bit peculiar and thought there was something wrong with the recipe. That’s why, all these years, he couldn’t get it right."
"Junior Master Zheng deliberately avoided making it because if he didn’t make it, nobody would know he couldn’t make it well. Over time, people would forget, and he could escape the reality of not mastering this snack."
"My master said Junior Master Zheng was always like this since he was young—covering his ears and pretending the bell’s sound wasn’t there."
Qin Huai: ...
Indeed, they are quite the brothers in arms.
Give me back my earlier feelings of being touched!
