Improvement in kneading dough, improvement in making filling, improvement in finger skills, even knife skills seem to have improved — the way the knife is held and the action of cutting vegetables are very professional, clearly showing the guidance of a master.
Pei Xing really wants to improve.
Pei Xing stared at the radish cake in An Youyou’s plate, holding chopsticks but not picking it up, recalling what Qin Huai said during their casual chat just now.
"Master Qin, actually when I was a child, I also learned how to make radish cakes with my mother." Pei Xing said with a humble smile, smiling like an apprentice.
Qin Huai was flipping the radish cake and immediately became interested upon hearing this, saying: "Really? Does the recipe from your place similar to mine?"
Pei Xing silently picked up a piece of radish cake, but didn’t eat it, and said: "It’s about the same. My mom likes to add sausages, saying it tastes more fragrant when pan-fried."
"But when I first learned, I wasn’t as good as you, Master Qin. My first try had the batter too thin, and it spread apart during steaming."
"It took me two or three tries to get it right."
"Oh, Master Qin, about the knack you taught me this morning for kneading dough, I think I’ve got a bit of a feel for it. Do you have time after lunch to help me see if I’ve got the right feeling?"
Qin Huai didn’t think much and nodded: "Of course, I have time. Actually, it’s my fault for not expressing it clearly enough. This feeling is really hard to describe, but you’ll find it with more practice."
"You’ve already explained it very clearly. It’s my comprehension that’s lacking, my skill isn’t enough, I couldn’t grasp it."
After saying this, Pei Xing took a bite of radish cake with a look of surprise: "This radish cake... being your sister is such a blessing!"
No way, already started flattering?
This seemingly subtle yet direct flattery, this flamboyant acting, and exaggerated tone.
Pei Xing, don’t say you’re from Zhiwei Restaurant anymore, we don’t have such a poor actor!
Also, the words you just said, they were exactly what I was thinking!
Li Hua couldn’t think of any new words for a while and had to gnash his teeth silently in his mind, picked up a piece of radish cake, and ate quietly, waiting for another opportunity in the afternoon to turn the tide.
Qin Huai continued to fry the radish cake.
At this moment, some might be curious, aren’t Li Hua, Pei Xing, An Youyou, and Chen An supposed to be working? Why are they all gathered around Qin Huai watching him fry radish cakes?
Yes, they’re indeed not working at this time.
It’s already 11:51 AM, and the companies near the Yunzhong Restaurant typically get off work at noon. In just a few minutes, starving office workers will rush into the Yunzhong Restaurant for lunch.
In fact, there are already some early customers in the restaurant eating.
They’re having Four Happiness glutinuous rice.
At this time, breakfast chefs and snack masters aren’t working. It’s their mealtime. Making snacks is a long continuous job, with buffer time between batches, and both Pei Xing and Li Hua time it well.
The four gathered around Qin Huai, first because they know Qin Huai well enough to know he loves chatting, second because they wanted to flatter the boss a bit.
Pei Xing and Li Hua genuinely want to flatter.
Chen An is assessing whether he can flatter, if not, standing nearby and observing to learn something is good too.
If he really can’t learn anything, just showing up in front of the boss is beneficial.
An Youyou just wants to eat radish cake and show her face in front of the boss, hoping to catch some work to facilitate future promotions and pay raises.
An Youyou’s intuition told her that her trip to Xiao Ou Handmade Lemon Tea Store to buy lemon tea this morning seemed like a somewhat insignificant mistake at work.
Four people each with their own thoughts, happily gathered together.
Qin Huai’s thoughts are entirely different; he’s used to this.
It was the same back at Huang Ji, where Qin Huai worked, Dong Shi would sneak over to chat with him after finishing his tasks. The apprentices at Zhiwei Restaurant are good at finding opportunities too, not disturbing when Qin Huai is busy, but asking questions with snacks in hand when he’s not that busy or quite free to chat.
Qin Huai glanced at the time.
Qin Huai started his shift at the restaurant at 3 AM and has been working for over eight hours now, interspersed with some downtime, chatting, and eating snacks. It’s time to rest.
Qin Huai looked at the steamed radish cake.
There were a lot of them.
He had made all the radishes An Youyou cut this morning into radish cakes.
Radish cake is quick to make and in large quantity. If not fried, it can rival fried dough stick in terms of volume.
"Youyou, can you fry things?" Qin Huai asked.
An Youyou was still eating the last piece of radish cake on her plate when she heard Qin Huai’s question and quickly replied, "Yes, I can!"
"You can fry the remaining radish cakes. What time do you finish work today?"
Qin Huai truly didn’t know An Youyou’s off-time, as she often worked overtime for money like crazy.
She can even manage to go to bed after work, wake up, and continue back to work without any entertainment activities in between, truly a workhorse among workhorses.
"I can fry them before I clock out!" An Youyou said loudly.
Qin Huai smiled: "Also, don’t wear yourself out, you came so early today, if you’re tired go home to rest early."
"If you fry well, from now on, the radish cake will be yours to fry."
"Starting tomorrow, radish cake will be on the menu, available at all three meals."
Qin Huai planned to take a nap after lunch, then video call with Cao Guixiang for an online class, cut radishes for two hours, and go home to sleep and rest.
Adjust his schedule and start work later tomorrow.
Of course, before resting, Qin Huai must drag Ouyang to the store and make him drink that bizarre custom-made lemon tea he concocted in front of him.
An Youyou’s eyes lit up hearing Qin Huai’s words.
If that’s the case, wouldn’t that be a promotion for her!
Promoted from assistant to frying radish cakes.
And with a promotion, a raise mustn’t be far behind.
"Sure thing, Master Qin, I’ll fry them well, leave it to me!"
Seeing An Youyou’s genuinely excited expression without any acting, Li Hua and Pei Xing exchanged glances and read the same words in each other’s eyes.
Damn, we miscalculated.
There’s still a real flatterer here.