Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 1077 - 525: Funeral Planning

When Zhao Cheng'an arrived at the cafeteria, Qin Huai's buns were already out of the steamer.

It was very unusual for Zhao Cheng'an's first action in the kitchen not to be asking what's for breakfast, instead, he hurried to Qin Huai's side, anxiously whispering, "Qin Huai, why aren't you checking your WeChat?"

Qin Huai was kneading dough and replied casually, "I'm at work, why would I be on my phone?"

"Is there something urgent? There shouldn't be anything pressing; if there were, people would call me. I have my phone right in my pocket."

Zhao Cheng'an indicated it wasn't anything urgent, but he was quite anxious. In a softer voice, he asked, "Aren't you fulfilling Uncle Wang's task? Why is it that An Youyou's task is completed? Aren't you still several dozen skill points away from Master Level in yeast dough? Isn't leveling up very slow for you now, only earning a few points a day? Did you figure something out?"

"What did you do? Didn't you just sit there all day yesterday under my nose making snacks? What did you do when you went home?"

"Is leveling up to Master Level in yeast dough really that effective? Did you suddenly make so many A+ Level snacks?"

"I think you definitely didn't just figure it out; you must have a trick. I'm begging you, teach me the trick. We're on the same side, I've been honest with you, you can't play tricks on a buddy! I've been in Shan City for so many days, and I haven't seriously made snacks, just slacking off every day. My cooking skills haven't improved, and it's good enough if they haven't regressed."

"Brother, I'm begging you, teach me a little secret, otherwise, when I go back, it'll be hard to explain to my master. Don't be fooled by how my master looks like he doesn't fight, when he hits, it really hurts. No one at Zhiwei Restaurant can beat him."

"Xia Mubing just transferred me 200,000 yesterday to cover my stock, and I still want to live to see my funds recover!"

Qin Huai: ...

Qin Huai realized, whenever Zhao Cheng'an rambled on with so much chatter, there were so many things to address that he didn't know where to start.

Eventually, Qin Huai condensed all those words into one sentence: "Did Master Xia just transfer you another 200,000? You better be careful, or Zhang Guanghang might really report you for fraud and get you arrested."

Being a senior of a Mayfly is really expensive, without some savings, you can't support this unlucky junior.

"Is that the point?" Zhao Cheng'an raised his voice, "Shouldn't the point be how you suddenly reached Master Level in yeast dough?"

Qin Huai calmly pointed at the dough in front of him, "Do you think this dough looks like it was kneaded to Master Level in yeast dough?"

"No level up, no epiphany, no trick."

"It was Youyou who helped me taste some potato dumplings this morning, and she said she wanted to eat potato buns, so I made her a few. Unexpectedly, a side mission was triggered and it was completed just like that."

Zhao Cheng'an: ?

Only then did Zhao Cheng'an feel relieved, exhaling a long breath, "Whew, I thought you figured it out."

His expression throughout revealed his mixed feelings: he was afraid his friend was struggling, yet also afraid of him suddenly driving a luxury car.

"Alright, stop slacking off, you know you've been slacking off lately, and when you return to Zhiwei Restaurant, Master Zhou will scold you if you don't get to making snacks. There are buns there, and just-steamed fermented rice steamed buns. If you don't like any of them, make your own. No sticky rice cake for you, I'm having Youyou watch over it to make sure you don't even take a bite."

Zhao Cheng'an: QAQ

Under An Youyou's diligent and strict supervision, Zhao Cheng'an didn't get to eat any sticky rice cake until the shift ended. Xu Tuqiang, after many days, finally experienced the joy of eating sticky rice cake to his heart's content at Yunzhong Restaurant. Overjoyed, for once he didn't sit at Yunzhong Restaurant all day, but instead, after breakfast, hurried home to start writing a food review and didn't even come for lunch.

Ouyang, influenced by the sticky rice cake buff, went to the gym to work out after lunch, missing the kitchen tea gathering.

Wang Gen Sheng didn't quite understand why Ouyang was so keen on working out today, but he accepted it. Uncle Wang was just that accommodating. Qin Huai advised Wang Gen Sheng not to eat sticky rice cake; to ensure he wouldn't delay the tasting of potato dumplings, he really refrained from eating and earnestly ate potato dumplings all day. By the afternoon, he started hiccuping at the sight of potato dumplings, you could say he was quite sincere.

As for Gong Liang and Shi Dadan, the two seriously played the roles of NPCs in the kitchen. Gong Liang didn't speak in the group chat in the morning and, upon arriving at the cafeteria, informed Qin Huai that he had to accompany his wife and daughter to dinner tonight, so he wouldn't have time to attend the tea gathering. Qin Huai expressed understanding, as it wasn't an especially important gathering; missing a person or two wouldn't matter.

At 4 PM, Qin Huai and Zhao Chengan got off work, carrying few ingredients and some already made snacks, heading to Luo Jun's house.

The tea gathering time of 5:40 PM was confirmed by Qin Huai in the group chat at noon, where everyone was going to have dinner at Luo Jun's house. Qu Jing got off at 4:30 PM, leaving her ample time to return from work.

Cheng Gong initially wanted to arrange a buffet for everyone, but Luo Jun said it wasn't necessary, just have Zhang Shumei cook a few more dishes, as her cooking skills are pretty good, better than an average domestic helper.

Qin Huai, having stayed a few days at Luo Jun's house before and tasted Zhang Shumei's cooking, supported the idea. A tea gathering with homestyle dishes, paired with some fruit and snacks, is already quite sumptuous—no need to spend extra time, energy, and money on a buffet.

Qin Huai and Zhao Chengan thought they were the first to arrive at Luo Jun's house, but when Qin Huai rang the doorbell, it was Chen Huihong who opened the door for them.

"Sister Hong, why are you here so early today? Didn't you need to pick up Huihui from school?" Qin Huai was a bit surprised, as Chen Huihong usually arrived early to pick fruits, but only half an hour early at most. Arriving over an hour early wasn't typically her style.