Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 914 - 451: Warming Boss Ling All Day

Tong Dayan finished giving the instructions he wanted to give and then completely ignored Qin Huai. Qin Huai could see that he was very busy, but was not sure what he was busy with. Thus, Qin Huai wisely decided not to disturb him and quietly left.

This scene fell into the eyes of Pei Shenghua, who was listening from all directions and watching everything, and he interpreted it as the introverted, socially anxious Master Qin summoning up the courage to chat with Tong Dayan, only to be coldly received, leaving socially anxious Xiao Qin hurt and not daring to engage in any further social interactions, standing as a bystander at this perfect place to observe gossip.

Oh, Xiao Qin, you're truly pitiful. It's a bad start, and you chose such a difficult person to talk to on your first try.

Indeed, the rumor I heard last time about Tong Dayan holding Qin Huai in high regard was just false. With Tong Dayan's terrible temperament, how could he possibly view anyone differently? It's already good enough if he doesn't look at them coldly.

Pei Shenghua briefly sympathized with Qin Huai for about five seconds in his heart, and then continued to energetically devote himself to the great business of gossiping. Such large-scale exchange events were rare, and Boss Ling Xiaolin of Babaozhai was truly a good person; if it wasn't for his intention to poach talents being so obvious, it would have been perfect.

On the other side, Qin Huai indeed did not plan to continue socializing either.

The urgency of tasks took precedence for him here, as he only had these two days to complete the task; missing it meant he missed it altogether. From the earlier conversation with Tong Dayan, Qin Huai extracted plenty of crucial information points.

First, Tan Wei'an and Zang Liang are spreading news everywhere that he has mental issues.

Second, Ling Guangzhao has mental issues too.

Lastly, holding this event was truly Ling Guangzhao's effort to poach talents.

Since they're all mentally troubled fellows, the subsequent matters will be easier. Ling Guangzhao seems extremely confident, perhaps due to just returning from studying abroad or his upbringing; he even appears slightly arrogant, which can be deduced merely from his speaking manner.

Even when he's asking for favors, he speaks with his chin slightly raised, as though he never needs to bow his head in this lifetime.

Qin Huai contemplated what snacks to make in the afternoon.

Anything too complex that requires troublesome preparation is definitely not feasible. It's not that he doesn't want to make them, but mainly because Babaozhai no longer sells pastry snacks. Those fillings, like red bean paste and peanut brittle, which require advance preparation, are certainly not available at Babaozhai. If purchased temporarily, only the common versions in the market are available.

Most of these sweet-filled snacks derive their primary flavor and final touches mainly from the filling itself. Take Four Happiness Glutinous Rice for example; if the red bean paste and peanut brittle fillings aren't specially prepared by Qin Huai, the dish will greatly lose its flavor and definitely won't achieve a Grade A rating.

Additional consideration of Ling Guangzhao's background, experience, and personality traits also comes in – Four Happiness Glutinous Rice is essentially a straightforward snack, and since it's evidently a glutinous rice ball without much fancy origin, Ling Guangzhao might undervalue it.

Qin Huai thinks that the guy might prefer something a bit showy.

And showy stuff is what he has here.

There's the ornately-decorated dumplings, flashy-origin Five Fillings Bun, and the both decorative and flashy-origin Four Happiness Flower Rolls.

Of course, he'll also include the textbook-level, though he can't make the textbook version, rice cake.

So, those are the four!

Add a warm cup of Dried Tangerine Peel Tea, and Qin Huai is confident he'll warm Ling Guangzhao's heart this afternoon.

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As Tong Dayan mentioned, the Chinese cuisine was mostly Western-style buffet, primarily consisting of cold dishes, with a few hot dishes made by ordinary chefs of Babaozhai. Regular folks might find the food alright, but the attendees here are all professionals who could identify at least eight minor issues upon tasting.

Everyone understood and didn't mind. With Tong Dayan present at the exchange event, there wasn't much expectation for amazing food.

During the meal, Ling Guangzhao resembled a butterfly, carrying his tray and mingling among various chefs, engaging in conversations everywhere, especially with those who seemed young or evidently lacking money; he was exceedingly enthusiastic.

Ling Guangzhao particularly approached Qin Huai's area, greeted him, and asked about Huang An Yao's circumstances. Likely due to not having much interest in pastry chefs themselves, Ling Guangzhao merely offered polite conversation, praising the fact that Qin Huai's snacks featured on Taste's New Year cover, which was a youthful achievement.

It's undeniable that Qin Huai is a rare genius in the pastry case, but at this exchange event gathering top hot dish masters from all nationwide cuisines, the young pastry genius is indeed a bit underwhelming.

Ling Guangzhao's main aim was still to poach chefs who have been renowned for years, with stable representative works, dishes selling at high prices, and a job move yielding significant buzz.

Boss Ling's courage is so immense that even Pei Shenghua considered poaching, bravely defying challenges from a certain perspective.

After lunch, Qin Huai messaged Tong Dayan, asking if it would be possible to come to Babaozhai's kitchen at 2:00 PM, as the time required for him to make snacks might be a bit lengthy.

Half an hour later, Tong Dayan responded affirmatively, so Qin Huai stayed in the hotel room watching rice cake tutorial videos. Despite rice cake's production process being simple, this video tutorial indeed remained consistently new to Qin Huai over recent times.

With the constant upgrading of his foundational skills, what he perceives from this brief video tutorial is increasingly substantial. The principle of "simplicity in essence, complexity in execution" is vividly demonstrated in the rice cake tutorial. The straightforward but paramount truth taught by teachers to students from a young age – if the basics aren't solid, nothing will be effective – is also thoroughly embodied in this video tutorial.