After Zhang Shumei took away the apple dough ball, Luo Jun quickly sent a 5-star review to Zheng Siyuan on WeChat.
When Qin Luo returned from school, she successfully ate the apple dough ball, which had turned cold and changed in flavor, and enthusiastically gave it a 15-star review.
She posted on her social media three times, giving three 5-star reviews.
In the absence of Qin Huai and Zheng Siyuan, she brazenly declared that she wanted to recognize Zheng Siyuan as her brother, implying that Qin Huai should move over and become the second brother.
After all, the second brother hasn’t been making any delicious food lately, just painting cakes in the air.
The next morning, Qin Luo paid the price for her brazen words—she could only eat the vegetarian buns made by Qin Congwen.
Chen An’s buns were off-limits too.
As for Zheng Siyuan’s dumplings, she must not even think about it.
"Bro, I was wrong, I really was wrong!" Qin Luo took a bite of the vegetable bun, her words filled with raw emotion rather than skill.
"No more mistakes, mom said you didn’t do well on the surprise test last week. It’s a good chance to eat a bit less meat for a healthy diet this morning," Qin Huai said mercilessly as he handed a tea egg to Qin Luo, "Aren’t you leaving? You’ll miss the bus if you’re any later."
Knowing she wouldn’t be able to cry her way into getting the Five Fillings Bun and Three Meat Buns, Qin Luo stopped fake crying, took the tea egg, swiftly rolled it across the table, and peeled off the shell at lightning speed.
After theatrically swallowing the egg in one gulp, Qin Luo then gulped down a bowl of soy milk, asking, "So, bro, can I get some... dough balls when I get back from school in the afternoon?"
"Those are called guo’er," Qin Huai said grumpily as he handed over a box filled with cut fruits, "You won’t miss out."
"Okay!" Qin Luo happily went off to school.
Qin Huai continued shaping the red bean paste buns.
After yesterday’s initial success, Qin Huai felt he had a real knack for Finger Skill, declaring himself a tiny genius whose enthusiasm for learning soared. Today, he made a daring decision that seemed to defy tradition—
Make animal red bean paste buns without molds, relying solely on his hands!
The results weren’t great.
Qin Huai felt that the technical challenge of animal red bean paste buns was far below that of the dough balls, but when it came to actual shaping, his results were far below those from using molds.
There was no feeling to it.
He didn’t have that fish-in-water feeling he got when making dough balls.
Silently wrapping dumplings, Zheng Siyuan watched as Qin Huai finally looked like a beginner, wrestling with the animal-shaped red bean paste buns, and felt a sense of balance restored.
Neat, pretty dumplings were being born one by one in Zheng Siyuan’s hands, while from afar, Chen An couldn’t take his eyes off them.
Though Qin Huai’s skills in making pastries were outstanding, they were not flashy. His movements were simple, most making people think of the smooth flow of his kneading dough, perhaps because he rarely wrapped dumplings.
But with Zheng Siyuan, it was completely different; the way he wrapped dumplings was utterly captivating.
His hands moved this way and that, flipped once, and in the blink of an eye, a delicate dumpling was dropped into the bowl.
With a blank expression and a vacant stare that easily betrayed he was daydreaming, the scene of him wrapping dumplings looked incredibly impressive.
Chen An couldn’t help but imitate.
"Xiao Chen, don’t bother." Zhao Rong, experienced and seasoned, said, "You won’t learn it."
"Sister Zhao." Chen An nodded slightly, even as his eyes remained glued on Zheng Siyuan’s hands, "Was Master Xiao Zheng... previously a staff member at the restaurant? Why does it feel like everyone knows him?"
"Xiao Zheng is Huaihuai’s friend, an online buddy." Zhao Rong said, while wrapping buns.
Before Zheng Siyuan arrived, Zhao Rong used to wrap dumplings at this time of day. With Zheng Siyuan now here, her dumplings couldn’t compete for sales—after all, there were only so many breakfast customers.
"Previously, when Huaihuai was practicing some kind of steamed bun, he couldn’t get it right, so Xiao Zheng and his father, Master Zheng, came over for a while to exchange techniques and learn together. After they succeeded, Xiao Zheng returned home. Sometimes I can’t figure out what Huaihuai is thinking; he put in so much effort to practice that bun and then just stopped making it." Zhao Rong shook her head, "I don’t even know why he practiced."
Chen An didn’t care; to him, if the boss was practicing a snack, there must be a reason.
"Sister Zhao, I also heard that yesterday afternoon, Master Xiao Zheng made a pastry that looked so much like an apple that Luoluo thought it was an apple before touching it. Is it true?" Chen An continued to ask.
"Of course it’s true, didn’t you add Luoluo on WeChat? Oh right, you came late."
"Honestly, Huaihuai is something else. I heard from Master Xiao Zheng that he specifically came here to teach Huaihuai how to make that dough ball. Although Master Xiao Zheng isn’t short of money, he has his own store in Gusu. I mean, Huaihuai’s online courses are pretty good, what can’t be taught over a video? Why did he have to make Master Xiao Zheng come all this way, such a bother... Hey!"
"Master Xiao Zheng, are the dumplings in the pot ready? Can I have a bowl first? I’ve been working all morning and haven’t eaten anything, I’m starving."
Seeing this, Qin Congwen immediately chimed in, "Oh, I seem to be a bit hungry too, Master Xiao Zheng, could I have a bowl too?"
Chen An hadn’t quite reacted yet, thinking that Brother Qin and Sister Zhao were getting hungry rather early today, while still subconsciously thinking about whether he should work overtime in the afternoon to find out what the dough ball really was, both Zhao Rong and Qin Congwen had already started eating.
In the two bowls of Paopao Dumplings, the round dumplings floated adorably in the bowl.
The broth was the stock Qin Huai had prepared yesterday. Not as good as the one made by Zheng Da, but sufficient for cooking dumplings.
The broth was fresh and tasty, with thin skin and abundant filling, sprinkled with chives and shrimp, lightly stirred with a spoon.
Zhao Rong and Qin Congwen began to eat.
Qin Huai also started eating.
He couldn’t make Paopao Dumplings; making them required specialized training in preparing the dumpling skins. Qin Huai had too many things to practice recently and didn’t have spare time for dumplings, so he seized the opportunity to eat a bit more while Zheng Siyuan was around.
"Siyuan, it’s such a pity you don’t open a breakfast shop," Qin Huai sighed while eating, "your skill in making dumplings is absolutely top-notch."
Is there a possibility that he’s actually a pastry chef?
Zheng Siyuan glanced at Qin Huai, who still considered himself a breakfast chef.
Forget it, it’s no use talking to someone who loves selling breakfast this much.
To this day, Zheng Siyuan couldn’t understand why Qin Huai, who often talked about not wanting to wake up early, was so honest with himself by getting up at 4 AM every morning to work.
Zheng Siyuan, who got up at 6 AM for work, yawned.
When he stops running the pastry shop, he would definitely find a job that starts at noon and allows him to make snacks.
After eating the Paopao Dumplings, Qin Huai continued shaping the red bean paste buns.
On that day, every customer who came to Yunzhong Restaurant as usual to buy the cutely shaped animal red bean paste buns had a burning question in their hearts—
Was the mold broken today?
Why do today’s animal red bean paste buns look uglier than before?
Were they made by Master Qin?