Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 9 Xiao Qin’s Assistant’s Confirmation

June 26th, the last day of intensive training.

With molds, the ultimate tool for mass production, Chen Huixi and Chen Huihong didn't have much left to practice. Qin Huai mainly had the mother and daughter practice using the molds to ensure they could demold smoothly, avoiding any mistakes later on. Meanwhile, he busied himself in the kitchen all day, preparing various fillings, making their division of labor quite clear.

Culinary novice Chen Huihong was so taken with the molds provided by Qin Huai that she could hardly put them down. If Qin Huai hadn't told her that Master Zhang, who made the molds, retired many years ago, she might have tried to commission him to make a few sets so she could practice at home and embark on a second career.

"After Achieving Financial Freedom, I Become a Culinary God with Molds"

In the evening, after cramming the fridge with fillings, Qin Huai delivered his final pre-competition speech.

The two little green cacti Ouyang had brought witnessed it all from the entryway.

"Sister Hong, Huixi, are you both comfortable using the molds now?"

The mother and daughter nodded together, their eyes firm with determination.

"Sister Hong, let's go over it one last time. Tomorrow, I won't be helping; everything relies on you. You can take it slow but don't rush, as that leads to mistakes. Follow the steps in order, don't overfill the molds, and take your time demolding. It's okay if there are some mistakes or if the shape is off. The important thing is the taste. I made the dough and the filling, and I'll also keep an eye on the cooking time for you. All you need to do is trust yourself."

Chen Huihong nodded more resolutely.

"Huixi, your main job is to assist your mother. It's okay if you can't help much; your main task is promotion. Don't be scared. We're relying on quantity to win tomorrow, and the main goal is for everyone to try some. You're our promotion ambassador tomorrow. Your responsibility is as heavy as your mother's. Can you do it?"

Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

"I can!" Chen Huixi shouted loudly.

"So what's our goal for tomorrow?"

"Best Innovation Award!"

"Most Diligent Award!"

Qin Huai: ...

Alright, as long as there's an award, it's fine. Winning an award means glory for the girls, and completing the task is all that matters.

.

Early the next morning, fresh-out-of-the-oven assistant Xiao Qin sat in President Chen's Bentley with dough and fillings, heading to the venue of the Parent-Child Cooking Day—the Parent-Child Kitchen.

The Experimental Primary School, being a primary school, couldn't provide enough space for parents to cook, and even setting up temporary cooking stations wouldn't guarantee hygiene. To facilitate the event, the Parent-Child Cooking Day was held in a parent-child kitchen near the school. Organized by grade and class, with one grade in the morning and another in the afternoon, each class in a different kitchen, the event spanned a full three days.

Classes continued normally outside of the event, ensuring no extra day off for the kids.

Arriving at the parent-child kitchen, Qin Huai realized that quite a few classmates of Chen Huixi had older cousins present.

Including himself, there were 3 older male cousins, 1 older female cousin, and 2 uncles.

Each male and female cousin and uncle exchanged knowing smiles upon seeing one another, then set to work moving items.

The dishes prepared by the parents for the competition were very diverse.

Chinese meals, Western pastries, refreshing beverages, tasty cold dishes, exquisite sushi, and healthy salads—all sorts of dishes could be found.

Among them, the three groups making milk tea, salad, and sushi, like Qin Huai, aimed to win with quantity. Just as the molds were being set up on the culinary station, Wang Yihan's mom, who tied for second-to-last with Chen Huixi last year at the technology innovation day, delivered a freshly shaken pearl milk tea.

"Uncle Huixi, are you making pastries?" Wang Yihan's mom, seeing the molds Qin Huai brought, was startled. She thought to herself, even Chen Huihong, the perennial last place, is making a strong effort and bringing in outside help, so would her Yihan end up second-to-last without a tie this year?

"Yes," Qin Huai smiled as he took the milk tea, "The ingredients for pastries are many and heavy. Sister Hong's waist isn't well, so I'm mainly here to help move things around and don't have a hand in it. Pastries are too challenging for me."

Wang Yihan's mom cast a skeptical glance at Qin Huai, who accepted it calmly, making her wonder if she might be misjudging him.

After all, Chen Huixi's mom would make everything herself every year and always ended up in the bottom three of the class. How could she possibly bring in outside help? Besides, a young man like Xiao Qin not knowing how to make pastries is indeed expected; he must genuinely be the uncle.

Wang Yihan's mom realized Chen Huihong had made the right topic choice this year. She hurried back to discuss with her husband how to comfort their daughter if she indeed ended up second-to-last without a tie this year.

Qin Huai sipped his tea while discreetly observing the other parents in the parent-child kitchen.

The present parents could be divided into three categories: the slackers, the elites, and the ones who spend money.

Wang Yihan's mom was the conventional slacker; her pearl milk tea was too sweet due to excess syrup. Even with quantity as their strategy, it seemed unlikely they'd achieve a high ranking.

Tao Bohan's uncle at the neighboring culinary station was a standard elite; he must cook at home often. Not only were his knife skills excellent, but he also brought a variety of prepared ingredients. His goal was to feature a table of rich dishes with chicken, duck, fish, and vegetables to secure an award.

As for the ones with multiple cousins, they actually posed little threat.

The school cracked down on those who spend money this year. Parents who usually relied on money felt some shame and restrained their spending. Including Qin Huai, the relatives didn't do much beyond chopping vegetables.

For the true elite, the ones who spend money, even with ready-to-use ingredients and spices, posed no real threat. After all, the preparations still needed to be cooked. You can't just present a pot of broth without adding ingredients or sprinkle scallions over it; that's not allowed.

For those not skilled in the kitchen, even if you gave them a pot of broth and cabbage, they wouldn't be able to make boiled cabbage.

It's like how Qin Congwen got custom molds resembling those from Journey to the West at a high cost but didn't know how to use them.

Moreover, this year's awards depended on children's votes, and children's tastes can be unpredictable. Offering something like Fo Tiao Qiang might lose to chocolate or spicy strips among kids; such things are possible.

Qin Huai glanced around the room, feeling confident about his advantage.

Chen Huihong felt the same way.

Although she couldn't even knead dough well, she had molds, and she had Xiao Qin.

Starting from scratch and building a business empire with her brother, Chen Huihong was undoubtedly a strong woman in her career, the number-one spokesperson in Yunzhong District, and the dedicated head of the neighborhood committee. She remarked: Xiao Qin is truly a skilled and reliable young man.

Thinking about redeeming herself today and bringing glory to her daughter drove Chen Huihong to immerse herself in her work with relentless energy.

This resulted in quite an astonishing scene.

Chairman Chen kneaded dough while Xiao Qin sipped milk tea.

Chairman Chen wrapped the fillings while Xiao Qin ate salad.

Chairman Chen pressed molds diligently while Xiao Qin munched on sushi.

Chairman Chen skillfully demolded while Xiao Qin helped Chen Huixi get a salad from the parents making salad, requesting one with just mango and lettuce, adding extra salad dressing.

Living the life of bliss, Xiao Qin left the other cousins and uncles awestruck, wondering if Xiao Qin really was just the uncle.

Finally, when Chairman Chen placed the demolded buns of various colors into the steamer trays, Xiao Qin, passing by with a bowl of yuxiang shredded pork, reminded, "Sister Hong, the elephant buns go on the bottom tray, you placed them wrong."

"Oh, oh," Chairman Chen quickly corrected her mistake and, with practiced hands, continued to work on the next batch, a sight that was both impressive and sympathetic.

"This batch has red bean filling, right?" Xiao Qin inspected the work.

"Red bean and mung bean, the next one is egg yolk." Chairman Chen reported her progress.

Xiao Qin nodded in approval, satisfied with Chairman Chen's work, and quietly slipped away.

Assistant Xiao Qin expressed: This time, Chairman Chen's performance was outstanding, further determination, and greater achievements ahead.

As for Assistant Xiao Qin, the three-flavor rice noodles at Culinary Station No. 1 were ready; he needed to help Chairman Chen scout the competition.