Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 3: Warm Pot Rice (Thanks to Mrs. Gou for the cover art!)

Chapter 3 - 3: Warm Pot Rice (Thanks to Mrs. Gou for the cover art!)

"What's so difficult?" Qin Luo asked as she returned with a bag of plain potato chips and the iced red tea that Ouyang had requested, handing the iced tea to Ouyang. "Big brother, where are we going to eat later?"

"Your Brother Ouyang says that it's really tough to find a cleaning job without 5k a month nowadays." Qin Huai replied absentmindedly, "Let's eat stir-fried dishes, there's a place next to the mall nearby. I saw some pictures, and the decor looks nice."

Qin Luo's eyes lit up instantly: "5k! Cleaning jobs pay 5k! Big brother, when your restaurant opens, hire me as a cleaner! I don't start school until September, and I'd settle for 4k."

"If not, 3.5k will do!"

Qin Luo immediately jumped at the opportunity.

Ouyang: ...Is this kid only seeing dollar signs?

"Is your family really struggling that much?" Ouyang whispered to Qin Huai.

Struggling so much that your daughter, who just finished her high school entrance exams, needs to work as a cleaner to help support the family?

Qin Huai: "...Not really, it's mainly because Luoluo owes me a lot of money."

Ouyang looked at Qin Huai like he was a beast; scamming your own sister, are you even human?

"To encourage Luoluo to study, my parents set a rule that she could only eat snacks if she reached a certain ranking in her exams; otherwise, she could only eat the buns we sell at home."

"But Luoluo is a foodie, and if she couldn't have them, she'd kick up a fuss, insisting on using her pocket money and New Year's money to buy some. As a result, over her three years in middle school, her grades weren't great, and bit by bit, as of now, she owes me..." Qin Huai checked his phone memo, "18,612 yuan."

Ouyang: ?

"Does your family eat Man Han Banquets every day?"

"Nah, just some simple snacks like Crab Shell Cakes, Five Fillings Buns, Four Happiness Dumplings, pea cakes, fried dough sticks, White Jade Cream Cakes, Dingsheng Cakes, Furong Cakes, Eight Treasure Cakes, lotus root powder balls, Buddha's Hand Cake, Golden Thread Shaomai, Sugar Baked Pastry, Kidney Bean Rolls, and so on. I set the prices quite affordably, but mainly, it's the quantity that matters; that's why she owes me so much money after eating so much."

Ouyang: ???

Isn't your family running a breakfast shop?

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

Your breakfast shop in the county town of Guangdong Province sells all these?

During lunch, Ouyang was so preoccupied with thoughts of Crab Shell Cakes, Five Fillings Buns, Four Happiness Dumplings, pea cakes, fried dough sticks, and White Jade Cream Cakes that he hardly noticed what others were saying at the table.

And if you ask whether Ouyang didn't like the other snacks, all he could say was there were too many to remember.

"Xiao Ou, what do you think about Xiao Qin's idea?"

Still immersed in thoughts of Crab Shell Cakes, Ouyang was jolted awake by Chen Huihong's words and belatedly asked, "What idea?"

"Xiao Qin thinks that with Yunzhong Restaurant being so spacious, just using it as a community canteen is a waste. It would be better to sell snacks on the first floor and have sit-down dining on the second floor, which would not only increase the variety but also give it its own unique feature. I think it's a good idea. We have many restaurants around here, but not many snack shops, let alone one with such a large dining area. Xiao Qin mentioned you have tasted his cooking, so you should have a strong opinion." Chen Huihong said.

Without thinking, Ouyang responded: "Qin Huai's culinary skills in making pastries are top-notch, no doubt about it. Sister Hong, if you ask around our school, you might find some senior students who still remember Master Huai's famous meat buns."

Chen Huihong showed interest: "Have you sold snacks in school before?"

"Not sold, it was during a year when our school decided to hold a cooking competition following the trend. It was organized by the contractor of the sixth canteen. The top 10 could earn extra credits, with cash prizes for 2nd to 4th place, and 1st place would not only get a cash prize but also a one-year unlimited dining card for the sixth canteen." Qin Huai said.

"And you got first place?" Chen Huihong curiously asked; even Chen Huixi, who had just recovered from a fever, looked a bit pale and was not very energetic, tilted her head to look at Qin Huai.

"No, I got second. It was likely because my pastries were easier to share. Other students made dishes with very limited portions, but many of my classmates had tried my pastries, so they had a deeper impression of me."

Ouyang waved his hand and took over the conversation: "What do you mean by easier to share? The first-place winner was actually the nephew of the sixth canteen contractor, who got first through insider trading. You could tell just from a bite of his water-boiled fish that he used a pre-made seasoning packet; the taste was exactly like what my mom makes. I've eaten it for 20 years, and I know that flavor anywhere. How could it compare to your meat buns, Qin Huai? Your buns had thin skins, plenty of filling, and meat juices that soaked into the bun without being greasy, and the skin was perfectly chewy, way better than the sixth canteen's overnight meat buns by a mile."

Saying this, Ouyang nearly drooled, his face full of nostalgia: "What a pity, Qin Huai only made them that once. During a later club activity, when he cooked a dish... well, let's not even talk about that."

Qin Huai: ?

Hearing what Ouyang said, Qin Luo nodded in agreement: "My brother's cooking isn't that good, not even as good as the small stir-fry dishes at our next-door neighbor's for 10 yuan. My mom says this is the result of 'when God opens a door, he closes a window.'"

Qin Huai: ??

Upon hearing them say this, Chen Huihong chuckled: "Then Xiao Qin's idea really might be worth a try. After hearing you all talk, I want to try it myself."

Before he could even throw out three question marks, Chen Huihong's words made Qin Huai's expression change slightly.

After all, there was still the task [Chen Huihong's Approval] lying in his side quest log.

Although the title for [Chen Huihong's Approval] might not necessarily come in handy, the bonus of +100 popularity and attraction would be quite a nice reward for Qin Huai.

After Ouyang said it, it was true—the canteen itself didn't charge, but the costs for labor, water, and electricity were significant expenses. With the nearby fierce competition in the food industry, a community canteen might not make money.

At this point, the influx of customers during the opening was crucial.

Twenty years ago, when Qin Congwen's Qin's Breakfast Shop opened, everyone knew you'd get free soy milk with the purchase of buns, and firing off several strings of firecrackers helped attract and draw people in.

Qin Huai was worrying about how to get closer to Chen Huihong to lead to a parent-child cooking day, and her suggestion was practically like giving him a pillow when he was sleepy.

"Sister Hong, if you're interested, you can try some tonight. My cooking of main dishes might not be great, but I'm pretty good at making snacks. We're moving, and since we need to warm up the kitchen, if everyone doesn't mind, you can all come to my place this evening for snacks as dinner, as part of the housewarming." Qin Huai said with a smile.

"Anything in particular you'd like to eat?" he asked, looking at Chen Huixi with a smile and repeating the question.

Chen Huixi, being quite shy, recoiled a bit when Qin Huai looked at her and instinctively glanced towards her mother Chen Huihong.

"Big brother, I want Four Happiness Dumplings!" Qin Luo eagerly made her choice.

"Big bro... no, Qin Huai, I'd like meat buns!" Ouyang blurted out.

As soon as he said it, Ouyang regretted it—why ask for meat buns? In such a situation, you should definitely try Crab Shell Cakes, Five Fillings Buns, Four Happiness Dumplings, pea cakes, fried dough sticks, and White Jade Cream Cakes first.

No matter the flavor, just order everything you haven't tried yet.

Seeing both had ordered, Chen Huihong thought for a moment and said, "Red bean paste buns, Huihui loves sweet stuff."

Chen Huixi nodded.

"Alright, these three then. I'll also make some small wontons, and tonight at 6:30, everyone come to my place for a housewarming meal." Qin Huai decided, and that settled it.