Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 394 - 228 Thank You (Added - for the alliance leader reward of Bookworm Foodies!)
Chapter 394: Chapter 228 Thank You (Added Chapter for the alliance leader reward of Bookworm Foodies!) fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Qin Huai sometimes finds Zheng Siyuan to be truly laughable.
How should I put it... nobody has let Zheng Da off the hook.
"There’s no need for that." Qin Huai decided to let Zheng Da off, "I just feel bored, not particularly tired."
"Once the nian gao is ready tomorrow, I plan to make soup with it. Would you like to try?" Qin Huai proactively invited.
Incorrect glutinous rice + incorrect technique + incorrect Fire Control leading to an incorrect nian gao cooked into nian gao soup.
They say two wrongs make a right; Qin Huai was very curious to see what would come of several wrongs.
The nian gao on the chopping board was like a collection of all the potential mistakes one could make with nian gao.
Zheng Siyuan declined on the spot, "No, thanks. I don’t like nian gao."
Yet, curiosity got the better of him, and he asked, "Who are you planning to serve this nian gao soup to?"
"To Qu Jing." Qin Huai replied earnestly.
Qin Huai planned to call Qu Jing shortly and ask her to take the afternoon off tomorrow to come to Huang Ji for nian gao soup.
If the gentle reminder was correct, Qu Jing should almost wake up after having the nian gao soup. Following the normal process, once she awakes, Qu Jing would certainly share some complementary stories with Qin Huai, who would also need to introduce the setup of the tea party to her.
Coincidentally, Chen Huihong would soon be bringing Huihui to Gusu, and at that time, it would be wonderful to have the two awakened spirits gathering together and video-calling Luo Jun for a remote tea party.
Qin Huai’s honesty astonished Zheng Siyuan.
Zheng Siyuan looked Qin Huai up and down in disbelief, unable to comprehend how Dr. Qu, who had never even visited Huang Ji, might have offended Qin Huai enough to deserve such a plight, and in the end, kept quiet, refraining from commenting.
Zheng Siyuan thought that perhaps Qin Huai was indeed under some pressure these two days.
Everyone seemed to be acting strange.
Since Qin Huai planned to meet Qu Jing at Huang Ji for dinner tomorrow afternoon, he naturally wouldn’t have time to practice Fire Control. When Huang Shengli returned from his therapy at the hospital, Qin Huai briefly explained the reason for taking an afternoon off the following day, and Huang Shengli gladly agreed.
Huang Shengli also complimented Qu Jing, "Dr. Qu is truly a kind-hearted doctor. When An Yao and I went to the hospital at noon, she worried that we were unfamiliar with the rehabilitation department for our first visit, so she specially waited at the hospital entrance to guide us there."
"Yes indeed, Dr. Qu didn’t even have time to eat and took a packed meal from the cafeteria. It’s fortunate she didn’t eat, otherwise, she might not have had the stomach to enjoy the nian gao soup," Huang An Yao added. "Qin Huai, it’s quite a hassle for Dr. Qu to come over for the nian gao soup tomorrow afternoon, why don’t I deliver it to her instead?"
"Actually, I have an appointment with Dr. Qu to discuss some matters tomorrow, and it’s just timely to have the nian gao soup." Qin Huai explained vaguely.
"Oh." Huang An Yao nodded and didn’t inquire further.
On the next morning, Qin Huai made sure to come to the kitchen early and lifted the cloth.
As expected, the quality of the nian gao was disastrously poor.
So bad, even Huang An Yao could tell.
Qin Huai made just a small piece of nian gao, considering nian gao soups already have substantial servings, and this nian gao was not tasty; it would be too hard on Qu Jing if she had to finish this piece.
Qin Huai cut off a small piece, made a small portion of nian gao soup to taste himself first.
Qu Shan’s method of cooking nian gao soup was straightforward: Slice the nian gao, beat an egg and stir it in, then add whatever is available.
Add radish if there is radish, add cabbage if there is cabbage, add any wild vegetables if available, aiming for richness.
Qin Huai decided to add everything, filled it with radish and cabbage, and threw in two pieces of spinach in the absence of wild vegetables. Without considering Fire Control, he recklessly boiled it, never reducing the heat even after the soup started boiling, and kept stirring to prevent it from sticking to the pot.
Then, out came a pot of terribly bad nian gao soup that all the chefs at Zhiwei Restaurant believed Master Qin might have gone mad.
Zheng Siyuan, wrapping wontons, quietly distanced himself from Qin Huai by two steps, afraid that Qin Huai might invite him to have nian gao soup.
The nian gao soup that Qin Huai cooked was sticky and gooey, yet Qin Huai knew this was the effect he wanted.
[Nian gao soup E+ grade]
Sigh, at least some steps were done right, a bit above standard performance, luckily, it didn’t drop to D level.
Qin Huai had never eaten E-level dishes before after all.
Qin Huai picked up the bowl, took a spoon, and bravely scooped a large spoonful into his mouth.
Hmm...
The day was officially ruined.
The texture was terribly bad, though the taste wasn’t outright disgusting since nian gao itself doesn’t have much flavor, and radish and cabbage are standard soup companions. It’s just that the mushy radish and cabbage mixed in with the already sticky nian gao soup made the overly mushy texture feel like...
Like eating slop.
Just reflecting on bittersweet memories, dear family.
Qin Huai put on a mask of pain.
Zheng Siyuan brought over a bowl of cooked wontons: "Have something decent."
It’s common to witness someone who goes insane from making snacks, but rarely does one see such an insane level of snack-making like Qin Huai’s.
Qin Huai felt that this afternoon was definitely going to test the friendship between him and Qu Jing.
If a friend of yours inexplicably served you such a bizarre bowl of nian gao soup and told you not to ask questions and just eat, it really takes some foundational goodwill to take the bite.
.
After lunch service, Qin Huai kept waiting for news from Qu Jing.
Qu Jing expressed bewilderment over Qin Huai’s weird behavior of suddenly asking her to take several hours off to come to Huang Ji for some snacks but respected his request and came over. When Qu Jing got off the subway and texted Qin Huai, he immediately began cooking the nian gao soup, though it was not fully cooked when Qu Jing arrived, so a waiter led her to booth 555 first.
Qu Jing sat somewhat confused in the booth and sent a message asking Huang An Yao if something had happened to Qin Huai recently.
Squatting in the kitchen, Huang An Yao was bewildered, looking at the message, then back at Qin Huai—who appeared focused like a witch brewing a potion—stirring the pot that boiled and bubbled, he replied:
Seems like something is up.
Huang An Yao: Qin Huai seems a bit off today.
Qu Jing in the booth grew more anxious.
She hadn’t yet learned how to comfort a friend in a bad mood in her social interactions.
More than ten minutes later, Qin Huai personally carried a large bowl of nian gao soup into the booth.
The nian gao soup was placed firmly in front of Qu Jing.
"I know my actions today may seem bizarre, and the soup doesn’t look appealing, but just don’t mind it; drink, and you’ll understand everything," Qin Huai said solemnly.
Qu Jing nodded solemnly too, "I understand!"
Then she started to drink the soup.
The freshly made nian gao soup was very hot, and Qu Jing kept blowing on the spoonful to cool it down before putting it in her mouth.
Entering the mouth.
Qin Huai watched Qu Jing expectantly.
Qu Jing ate very slowly, unsure if it was because it was too hot or too unpleasant.
Qin Huai figured E+ grade nian gao soup shouldn’t be much of a problem; he couldn’t really manage to make anything worse than E-grade. Qin Huai didn’t know what he did right in making the nian gao; this grade just wouldn’t drop further.
Qu Jing scooped a second spoonful, still moving slowly, but her expression changed.
Her previously mildly stern expression gradually relaxed, her gaze began to drift as if recalling some long-forgotten memories.
The third spoonful.
The fourth spoonful.
Qu Jing stopped.
Not like Chen Huihong’s silent stillness, but more like an overwhelming contemplative stillness.
Qin Huai saw tears gradually gather in her eyes, turning into teardrops, spinning in her eyes. Qu Jing’s eyes were wide open, blank and lifeless, except for the tears which were lively.
A few seconds later, Qu Jing moved.
She looked up at Qin Huai, tears falling suddenly, dripping into the nian gao soup.
She looked at Qin Huai, her gaze incredibly complex—shock, sentiment, and, above all, gratitude.
She moved her lips.
"Thank you."
"I almost... completely forgot grandpa."
Qu Jing blinked, and more tears fell.
Qin Huai could only make a forced joke to lighten the mood: "Luckily, the booth door is closed; otherwise, seeing you cry over my nian gao soup, a passing waiter might think the soup was so bad it made you cry."
Qu Jing laughed a little and wiped her tears away.
"I’m not the first one to wake up, am I? You seem very familiar with the process."
Qin Huai nodded, "Sister Hong was the first to wake up, Luo Jun... his situation is quite unique: he remembers but doesn’t want to wake up and just wants to wait and die slowly; I can tell you more about this later."
Qin Huai briefly explained his system and how he could gain memories or dreams of spirits by completing tasks.
Qu Jing listened, dumbfounded, evidently realizing this system is a far-fetched, unconventional affair even for a spirit.
"Could you share what happened after the first life?" Qin Huai asked.
"Actually, there’s not much." Qu Jing said lightly, "I tidied up the family’s grains and belongings, threw them into the village chief’s courtyard overnight. Then I went into the mountains, found the bear’s lair there, and found bits of grandpa’s blood-stained clothing."
"Then I committed suicide."
Facing Qin Huai’s stunned expression, Qu Jing smiled a little, "Actually, spirits like Mr. Luo, who insist on painfully living despite having failed to transcend, are very rare."
"Most spirits, like me, who failed and can’t let go, choose to start their second life by committing suicide."
"Because at least in the second life, you can forget some things."
"Otherwise living is too painful."
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