Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 973 - 479: Not Completely Forgotten

Since it's about teaching, Qin Huai plans to teach An Youyou something real.

But how do you teach something real? What exactly is real?

How about giving the Snack Encyclopedia to An Youyou and letting her take it back to study? Teach whichever one she likes?

But the Snack Encyclopedia is not in Hangzhou. Qin Huai didn't bring it this time; the book is still at his home in Shan City. Although Tan Wei'an hyped it up like the Nine Yang Divine Skill martial arts secret manual at Zhiwei Restaurant, Qin Huai, who had flipped through it so many times as a child that the pages were worn, knew it was just a cookbook bought for a dollar at a flea market.

Having always been taught by others, Qin Huai realized for the first time how difficult it is to teach someone. At this moment, he even felt a bit of empathy for Zheng Da.

Although Zheng Da was awkward with words, he at least knew what to teach and where to start, doing demonstration teaching particularly well. When Qin Huai looked up at An Youyou now, he felt utterly in the dark, not even knowing how to demonstrate what to teach.

Qin Huai pretended the resume was fascinating, looked at it for over ten minutes, and then slowly said: "Youyou, you wrote in your resume that you've been helping out with dough kneading at your family's breakfast shop since fifth grade, and occasionally responsible for making steamed buns after graduating from middle school."

An Youyou nodded: "The steamed buns in our shop are very cheap, four dimes each for large quantities. Previously, there was a clothing factory in our town, and the boss would order steamed buns from our breakfast shop. My mom wanted me to work at that factory after I grew up, but before I was old enough, the factory closed down. I didn't want to work there anyway; the factory boss was too stingy, providing only two steamed buns and a vegetarian bun for breakfast. You had to pay extra for eggs. At my family's shop, you could sneak-eat five or six meat buns in the morning."

Qin Huai: ...You can tell, this kid has been good at sneaking food since childhood.

"How do you think your steamed buns are?" Qin Huai asked.

An Youyou thought seriously for a few minutes, not quite sure: "I used to think my steamed buns tasted pretty good."

"I'm strong, so the dough I knead is delicious, and steaming buns doesn't require adding any filling. As long as the flour is good, the steamed buns are fragrant. So when I first came to Shan City, I wanted to find a place where I could make steamed buns. I have no education but I have the skill."

"But it was only at Yunzhong Restaurant that I realized making buns isn't just about being strong, nor is kneading dough just about brute force. I initially asked Master Chen, who told me that strength is foundational; to be a breakfast shop master, you need to be strong and resilient. Kneading dough has techniques; I must learn how to make the dough elastic, how to make it fluffy, and how to judge the state of the dough."

"I could understand a bit of what Master Chen said. He taught me a lot, but I struggled to learn. Later, Master Pei and Master Li came along. They told me kneading dough requires skill, and more importantly, learning to exert force properly, not just using brute strength which is counterproductive and could hurt your back. Master Pei taught me dough kneading techniques, how to use finesse, where to exert force, but I didn't understand much."

"However, Master Pei did praise me, saying my progress was noticeable, but I didn't know where I improved."

Qin Huai told An Youyou that day that he was assessing her, asking her to speak frankly to see if she had the courage, and An Youyou did.

Qin Huai could tell everything she said was genuinely straightforward, no exaggeration.

Based on what An Youyou said, Qin Huai felt she had some talent in making snacks. An Youyou's theoretical level lagged behind her practical skills; her vision wasn't broad, and she could accomplish things without understanding them, even though she was indeed making progress without knowing where.

She was the quintessential apprentice learning without a master.

An Youyou entirely relied on the experience accumulated from making basic breakfasts long-term at the breakfast shop, later enriched by sporadic guidance from Chen An, Pei Xing, and Li Hua at Yunzhong Restaurant. This raw growth environment validated An Youyou's talent, while also revealing its limitations.

A bit of talent but not much.

Normally, An Youyou might spend her whole life reaching Chen An's level. Her skills would be slightly better than a typical breakfast shop master but far from a snack master. If she was willing to bear hardships, she could run her own breakfast shop someday—selling breakfast at dawn, building a clientele, making small profits and quick sales, living a stable life, saving up to buy her own house in middle age, owning her own shop before retiring, winding up a peaceful and secure life.

If not wanting a hard life, she could find a shop willing to pay high salaries to hire a breakfast shop master like Chen An and work for others. With her skills, she'd never starve; though earning less than running her own shop, at least she'd be content and wouldn't worry about management affairs.

Now An Youyou had a plan C.

"I understand now." Qin Huai nods, "Becoming a snack master doesn't suit you. Being a breakfast shop master is your real path."

"Continue preparing the ingredients, and once I finish the morning meeting, I'll guide you in making buns. Let's start with buns, then vegetarian buns, meat buns, shumai, xiaolongbao, and rice rolls. A well-made breakfast makes a breakfast master no less than a snack master; follow me step by step. We don't need excessive fundamental drills; the learning pace is swift."