Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 1046 - 507: The Breakfast Chef’s Skills (Part 2)

Xu Tuqiang looked at the variety of breakfast items already filling the window, smelled the seemingly indistinguishable, yet slightly different, scent of the steamed white flour and wheat aroma from each basket, swallowed a few gulps of saliva, and then pointed at the most distinct one, the overwhelmingly fragrant coconut paste mooncake, asking in confusion: "Why are mooncakes out so early?"

"They're not fresh meat mooncakes, though."

Due to manpower shortage at the window, An Youyou, temporarily assigned to sell breakfast at the window, replied: "Because it's just over a month until Mid-Autumn Festival."

"Master Qin said Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, and now is the season for coconuts, it's just right to make coconut paste mooncakes. Most of the breakfast items are savory, adding one or two sweet things balances the flavors sweet and savory."

"Most importantly, Master Qin doesn't want to make Crab Shell Cake, nor does he want to make Baked Bun and flaky pastry, so now all the steamers in the kitchen are being used, but the oven is empty, which is a bit wasteful. Making some coconut paste mooncakes makes use of the oven."

Xu Tuqiang vaguely understood, but not completely, he just stared blankly at the dazzling array of breakfast options, feeling like a broke shopper who encounters a pile of things they want to buy while window shopping, wanting everything but can only afford a few items.

Oh, damn, his uncooperative stomach!

"Mr. Xu, what would you like?" An Youyou started urging, "There are quite a few people lined up behind you, you know, our restaurant's staff starts working at 6:30. There are only two people at the window now, I'm also temporarily here covering, the kitchen is a bit overwhelmed right now too, you'd better make a quick decision."

"A coconut paste mooncake, a brown sugar steamed bun, a Three Meat Bun, a Five Fillings Bun, a basket of small steamed buns, and a bowl of soy milk. Ah, why hasn't Master Qin made sticky rice cake?" Xu Tuqiang lamented.

Alongside Xu Tuqiang, Chen An was also in a lamenting status.

Only, Chen An was lamenting about himself.

Chen An felt like he was going to lose his job.

Chen An always thought he was the least likely person to lose his job in the Yunzhong Restaurant. Although he was of xx Masters the least skilled, consistently overlooked by the old men and women; rarely hearing compliments nor receiving reviews dedicated to him, he was indispensable in the Yunzhong Restaurant.

Chen An was the only breakfast master at Yunzhong Restaurant.

Ever since Qin Congwen gave up persisting on waking up early, sleeping in until six or seven every day, and not rushing to wash up first, but leisurely play on his phone, have a cup of hot tea, and then lazily stroll to the restaurant for breakfast, Chen An became the sole breakfast master.

The cheap, large-portion breakfast options at Yunzhong Restaurant relied entirely on him.

Without Chen An, broke office workers couldn't eat cheap vegetable buns, meat buns, sesame balls, shumai, steamed dumplings, wontons, or fried dough.

Certainly, Qin Huai was the true signature of Yunzhong Restaurant. Three Meat Bun, Five Fillings Bun, Four Happiness glutinuous rice, Fermented Rice with Steamed Buns were the true gems in the breakfast stalls among new and old patrons of Yunzhong Restaurant, but Chen An was life itself.

When facing gas, water, electricity, property fees, rent, and startling bills, the daily limited Dried Tangerine Peel Tea at Yunzhong Restaurant, although it could physically warm one's heart, the true spiritual and physical nourishment that filled everyone's stomachs was still the cheap 1 yuan 50 cent large meat bun.

Chen An wasn't bragging; he felt that although he had no fame, and stayed mostly unnoticed, he was the most solid cornerstone of Yunzhong Restaurant.

Then today Qin Huai came with manuscript to the restaurant and crushed the cornerstone.

How to describe Qin Huai's efficiency in breakfast preparation when he truly wanted to upgrade levels?

Putting it this way, when Qin Huai was in high school, the study regulation required students to be in the school gate before 7:10 AM, and evening self-study ended at 10 PM. Under such study intensity, Qin Huai could get up at 6 AM every day, go downstairs to make a batch of buns, prepare them for teachers and classmates, steam them and put them in a warmer, and enter the school gate to distribute breakfast to classmates before 7:10.

Starting from freshman year, the responsibility of feeding all 68 people in class 12 every morning rested on Qin Huai.

Making snacks, Qin Huai may not be quick. But making breakfast, Qin Huai was swift.

This morning, Chen An didn't even have the chance to finish kneading an entire batch of dough, let alone make the filling, which is an important task reserved for breakfast master with full authority, Chen An was mostly wrapping buns, wrapping wontons, helping fry dough sticks, and performing the physically taxing work of handling the dough, acting as a kind of dough mixer and advanced helper.

Looking at the kitchen's ceaseless steamers and the steam that wouldn't disperse, Chen An felt he was going to lose his job.

At this moment, Chen An only felt regret for his past laziness and complacency. Had he known this day would come, he would have learned more, practiced more, listened more; had he been a snack master now, how would he face such a severe unemployment crisis?

Two indelible streaks of tears were shed in Chen An's heart.

"Chen An, go check if the first two batches of buns are finished steaming, if so, put this batch on to steam. Also, keep an eye on the oven timing, the next batch of coconut paste mooncakes should be ready in about two minutes, as for this Three Meat Bun filling, it's really best if you chop it, others can't do it as well as you." Qin Huai's voice pulled Chen An back to reality from his miserable fantasy of impending unemployment.

"Got it, Master Qin!" Chen An immediately got to work.