"When Master Huang seriously prepares the Three Heads Banquet, doesn’t he personally make the broth and handle the ingredients himself?"
While speaking, Cao Guixiang’s hands never stopped. She chatted while working, pouring the pre-prepared ingredients into the pot for stir-frying and stewing, controlling the fire control, flipping the pan, seasoning, and in the process, she didn’t forget to present the braised shark fin on the plate.
She arranged the presentation of the dish so that it looked more appetizing, even carving decorations with carrots and white radish, and drizzling the broth on for seasoning.
Yes, she even seasoned the garnishes used for decoration on the plate.
Cao Guixiang didn’t need Qin Huai in the kitchen to assist her; she could handle it all effortlessly while chatting with him.
Qin Huai understood Cao Guixiang’s intentions. She had been retired for many years, with no interest in taking on apprentices, and lacked the time and energy for teaching. She’s like a high-ranking elder from a large sect who’d been cultivating in seclusion for years, unknown to the public. She happened to meet Qin Huai, a talented novice with potential, a prodigy from a wild lineage, who, despite being guided by a master briefly, still lacked the foundational skills of sect disciples.
Elder Cao had no intention of taking on students but didn’t want to waste talent, so she decided to lend a helping hand to the loose cultivator, Xiao Qin.
The loose cultivator Xiao Qin immediately understood.
Why wait any longer when opportunities don’t come around often!
"Master Cao, I’m willing!" Qin Huai declared excitedly, "It’s an honor to receive your guidance!"
Seeing Qin Huai agree, Cao Guixiang was also pleased. Today, she spoke entirely spontaneously, not remembering a single line from what she had practiced the night before, speaking whatever came to mind. At first, due to nerves, she was a bit incoherent and wasn’t even sure what she was saying.
Fortunately, Xiao Qin was perceptive and understood her.
"Can I first ask, what was the mode you mentioned about staying here for a few days to receive guidance and then taking online courses remotely?" Qin Huai inquired.
He truly didn’t understand, considering he had no master and never trained in knife skills.
Qin Huai couldn’t imagine how to learn knife skills, which Dong Shi said required daily dedication over years to achieve results, through online courses.
"I didn’t clarify this before." When talking about serious matters, Cao Guixiang was very organized, "Xiao Qin, your business is in Shan City, and even while learning a craft, you can’t neglect your normal management duties. After all, people need to live, which I understand."
"However, your knife skills are very weak and need to be honed from the basics. You must stay with me for a few days, allowing me to oversee you, ensuring your knife grip, cutting technique, strength application, and other foundational aspects are correct, only then can you return to Shan City to take online courses."
"But you can’t just rely on online learning alone. It’s best to come back for a few days each month. You have experienced it during your exchange in Gusu; online education is completely different from face-to-face, hands-on teaching by a master."
"I believe with your talent, you should see significant improvement on a monthly basis. Returning once a month will allow me to provide further guidance and teaching based on your progress, creating a very positive learning atmosphere."
"In the past, when communication was not as advanced and transportation inconvenient, many chefs learned their craft this way. If they couldn’t become a direct disciple of a master, they became named disciples, visiting for a few months or even a short period each year, and their skills would improve drastically. In simple terms, it’s like the advanced training you young people refer to."
Qin Huai also thought this practice method was excellent.
His business was in Shan City, and there was also a lonely old bird in Yunzhong District unwilling to leave its nest. Naturally, Qin Huai was willing to stay in Guangdong Province to receive guidance from a renowned master, but whether the patrons at Yunzhong Restaurant were willing was unknown to him.
If he didn’t return to Yunzhong Restaurant for an extended period, Chen An and Pei Xing might not be willing to stay in a community restaurant for long, and over time, the restaurant could fail, making his main mission a failure as well.
Yes, many readers might have forgotten, but our protagonist Qin Huai always remembered that he had a main mission.
Let us recall the details of the main mission together:
[King of Signature Dishes]: As a new shop that has already set a solid foundation, having several signature dishes praised by customers is your capital to gain fame in the future. Players, please ensure Yunzhong Restaurant has 5 items for daily sales, with a satisfaction rate of no less than 98%, and at least 1000 customers believing it’s the best they’ve ever tasted.
Task reward: Popularity boost +1000, [???’s Dream] (Choose: Yes/No)
Qin Huai felt that, with his current level, completing this main mission was just a matter of time.
Before he went to Gusu for study and exchange, he already had two products that met the standards, namely Fermented Rice with Steamed Buns and Dried Tangerine Peel Tea. Now, he just needed to return to Yunzhong Restaurant and launch any three out of the many snacks like Four Happiness Glutinous Rice, Premium Three Filling Buns, Longevity Noodles, Guo’er, and Apple Dough Ball, and completing the task would just be a matter of time.
The exact time depends on when these snacks sell to 1000 customers.
But completing this main mission requires returning to Yunzhong Restaurant.
Yunzhong Restaurant had been without their boss and pastry snack master, Master Qin, for quite some time, long enough for many office workers in the area to think that the days of enjoying Three Meat Buns, Five Filling Buns, and Fermented Rice with Steamed Buns every morning were just a dream.
No matter how many side stories Qin Huai created in Gusu, the main storyline always remained at Yunzhong Restaurant.