Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 980 - 481: Bottleneck_2

Master Zhou has been advising Boss Su lately not to try to do too much at once, saying pastry production is too difficult and suggesting they focus on breakfast items instead. Regular steamed buns are just right, see how Qin Huai made a name for himself with them at the Zhiwei Restaurant?

Master Qin, who made a name for himself with regular steamed buns, is contemplating how to abandon the white buns that have accompanied him for months.

"Three Meat Buns... no, even though the requirements for the Three Meat Buns across the street are high, the focus is more on seasoning and fire control when cooking the filling."

"Fermented Rice with Steamed Buns... Recently, I've been making too many buns, not really feeling like making more."

"The crab season is coming up soon, should I make Double Crab Buns? But my Double Crab Buns are not great, and the focus isn't on the yeast."

"Dream Come True Sesame Bun? The focus isn't on the yeast either, and I'm not really interested."

"Hand-kneaded dough... hmm, feels a bit off-topic."

Qin Huai sat at the dining table, eating a banana and mumbling to himself, caught in a dilemma.

"My experience tells me that if someone keeps bringing up ideas only to dismiss them repeatedly, it means they already have a fixed answer in their heart but don't want to face it. Isn't it just about improving yeast skill level? Why are you acting like you need to single-handedly challenge Master Jiang?" Zhao Cheng'an sat across from Qin Huai, mercilessly teasing him while munching on bananas from Qin's house.

Qin Huai didn't argue because Zhao Cheng'an hit the nail on the head. That's the advantage of reincarnating multiple times; meeting more people, honing one's mind, and developing emotional intelligence.

"Actually, I really do have a good option, but... it's a bit too extreme compared to white buns." Qin Huai was still torn, "Apple Dough Ball."

"Guo'er?" Zhao Cheng'an didn't quite catch that, "Your pastry that was on the cover of 'Taste'? But you can't make that alone, you need Master Huang Shengli's help because only he can handle the big spoon stir-frying technique."

"The big spoon stir-frying is a unique skill of Master Jiang's family. Even Xia Mubing can't do it. Otherwise, I could borrow Zhang Guanghang to stir fry the filling for you."

Qin Huai:... Borrowing a 1.92-meter-high French-Chinese handsome man from Beiping just to stir-fry is a bit too extravagant. Might as well bring them over to become the spokesperson for Yunzhong Restaurant, take a promotional photo, make a poster on the shop door, and boost popularity by +500.

"That was guo'er. I'm talking about the regular Apple Dough Ball, the one I used to make at Babaozhai." Qin Huai explained, "Actually, I've been pondering for the past couple of days. What pastry focuses on dough, is challenging, and preferably requires the dough to be rich and diverse? The only thing that came to mind was dough balls."

Hearing Qin Huai say this, Zhao Cheng'an thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"It seems so. The core of dough balls is the shape. To shape the dough, it must be firm. But it also needs a good taste and texture. To pursue texture, the dough shouldn't be too hard. It can't be purely decorative. From a dough perspective, dough balls are one of the most challenging pastries."

"Can your Finger Skill make other dough balls? I remember Tan Wei'an said you only know how to make Apple Dough Balls. Only making one kind won't improve your skill level and can lead to aesthetic fatigue. With your current Finger Skill level, even making decorative flower-shaped steamed buns is tough for you. Dough balls require more than just kneading skill; they need Finger Skill, aesthetics, and a good filling without a ready-made recipe. Making them from scratch is like risking your life."

"Don't you find it odd? Logically, once you can make one dough ball, you should be able to make them all. Yet, you can only make Apple Dough Balls and don't even like apples. Based on your taste, you should be best at making Banana Dough Balls!" Zhao Cheng'an teased, taking another bite of a banana.

"Eat less, you've already had four. Looks like you should be the one good at Banana Dough Balls." Qin Huai retorted, "I've considered what you said earlier, which is why I'm hesitant."

"Hesitant about what?" Zhao Cheng'an's face showed disbelief, "As my Mayfly friend, how can you hesitate? There's no such word in our Mayfly dictionary. You're not good at it? Then learn!"

"Do you know what my master is best at?"

"Boat-shaped pastry!"

"Do you know what a dough ball is?"

"It's the youthful mini version of a boat-shaped pastry."

"When it comes to factory production line pastry recipes, my master may not be as good as Master Zheng. However, in terms of boat-shaped pastry recipes, I dare say no pastry chef nationwide has more comprehensive recipes than my master. Many high-difficulty dough ball recipes are my master's creations. You can learn whatever you want."

"If you don't seize this last 10 days to learn new recipes, you'll have nothing to learn once you get back to Yunzhong Restaurant!"

"My master has been berating me for 20 days. Consider this a favor, please accompany me in these last 10 days. Learn dough balls with me and endure the scolding together!"

Qin Huai:...

"With how diligent you've been recently, though Master Zhou scolds you daily, I believe he's still relieved at heart." Qin Huai comforted, "Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to let you take a month off to exchange at Yunzhong Restaurant."

Zhao Cheng'an stared at Qin Huai: "Are you sure it's an exchange? Tan Wei'an told me that at Yunzhong Restaurant, work starts at 7 a.m., and you and Zheng Siyuan study pastries until 4-5 in the afternoon. Zheng Siyuan is still stuck at Yunzhong Restaurant and hasn't returned, and his pastry shop isn't even open!"

Qin Huai, with a serious face: "How can you believe Tan Wei'an's nonsense? His storytelling is getting more ridiculous. What's this about Zheng Siyuan being stuck at Yunzhong Restaurant? The correct version is that he's still there because he can't bear to leave. He's also there to level up."

"Think about it, why does Zheng Siyuan frequently go to Yunzhong Restaurant since he went there? Because it's useful."

"Why so many apprentices from Zhiwei Restaurant signed up for exchanges at Yunzhong Restaurant? Because it's useful."

"You're hitting a bottleneck. While Master Zhou scolds you, he's genuinely worried. Yesterday, when you applied, Master Zhou specifically came to me, instructing me to keep an eye on you at Yunzhong Restaurant to make sure you don't slack off."

"Master Zhou knows something went wrong with you but isn't clear about what happened in Beiping. How did you return with such a serious problem that even after so long can't be fixed?"

"This time, Yunzhong Restaurant is truly your path to enlightenment, for a brilliant comeback, reclaiming reputation. I'm sure you sought Teacher Xia's advice on this matter, and while his culinary skills are exceptional, he hasn't faced your sort of issue. But it's different over there at Yunzhong Restaurant. Sister Hong and Qu Jing, although they haven't experienced eight lives, only awakened in their last life."

"They have surely encountered situations like yours and integrated well. This sort of thing can't be explained clearly through texts or phone conversations. When the time comes, let's have a tea meeting at Luo Jun's house, discuss it thoroughly. Maybe the problem will be resolved just like that."

"At that point, you can integrate the essence you learned from your first life—not the essence of stealing things—realize something casually, and become that fallen genius, rising again after years, reaching the peak once more, becoming a representative figure in a captivating tale."

"Isn't this story much more satisfying than the third-rate novels Tan Wei'an conjures up?"

Zhao Cheng'an:!

"So, don't be afraid of the crowd at Yunzhong Restaurant; it's only a little more than at Zhiwei Restaurant."

Zhao Cheng'an:?

"Working hours are only a little earlier than at Zhiwei Restaurant."

Zhao Cheng'an:??

"The workload might be slightly more than at Zhiwei Restaurant."

Zhao Cheng'an:???

"Theoretically, as long as you don't get lost in the praise from the elderly, staying reasonable, you can work casually."

"I'm sure you can do it, you're a Mayfly after all."

"How come Tan Wei'an isn't here yet? Is he late from work today? There are still plenty of dragon fruits and kiwis in the fridge waiting for him to eat, or they'll spoil. I need to send him a message to hurry up. Ah, where's my phone?"

Zhao Cheng'an skillfully handed the phone back to Qin Huai: "Every time I come to your house, the first thing I do is swipe your phone, just out of habit."

"A few days ago, I saw Tan Wei'an put his phone in his pants pocket; I almost swiped it out of habit. Luckily I resisted because the kitchen in Zhiwei Restaurant has surveillance."

Qin Huai: "... Yunzhong Restaurant has it too!"