As the youngest child of Han Guishan, little Han Youxin’s birthday is naturally a grand affair.
From around 10 o’clock, guests started arriving one after another. Han Guishan and Wang Jing couldn’t sneak into the kitchen to steal some food anymore, and the banquet hall at Imperial Restaurant was bustling, while the kitchen was a hive of activity.
As mealtime approached, the tension in the kitchen grew. Tong De Yan’s face was hard to look at pleasantly, his disdain for the Imperial Restaurant helpers was almost palpable, and his mouth was like it was poisoned, spouting words that were comparable to chemical weapons in the form of personal attacks.
"I asked you to carve radish flowers, what did you carve? A big red flower for kindergarten children? Should I pour a spoonful of ketchup over it to add some color? It’s a child’s birthday banquet, and you really made the garnish look like a children’s meal, is Imperial Restaurant a baby dining place?"
"I know you just cursed me by the shelf, could you at least open your eyes to see what you’re grabbing, is this what I asked for?"
"And you, you repeated three of the four sentences while cursing me, your language skills are as poor as your knife skills."
"Time, time, time! How many times have I emphasized, timing must be precise, if you could spare two seconds from rolling your eyes and cursing at me to check the clock, this sauce wouldn’t be so messed up."
Qin Huai listened from the side, stunned.
He thought Tong De Yan and Luo Jun would definitely have a lot to talk about, if they knew each other, they might even collaborate on a book titled "100 Clever Ways to Curse."
No wonder Tong De Yan’s reputation is so bad in the industry.
When he’s working, his temper is truly volatile, and his language is really rich.
The key is his hearing is quite good, there are some helpers who are far away from him, yet Tong De Yan can hear them cursing him.
"Has Master Tong always been over the years?" Having completed all the tasks, Qin Huai was waiting for the right time to steam and boil, while quietly talking to Zang Liang about Tong De Yan.
Not daring to speak loudly at all, afraid of being overheard.
Zang Liang covered his mouth and softly said, "I’ve actually never seen Master Tong before, but I’ve always heard of his reputation. It’s said that he curses even more viciously at his own restaurant than he does now."
"He and Master Xia from Fen Garden are known as the Twin Cannons of Beiping. I’ve never seen Master Xia, but it’s said he curses people even more fiercely than Master Tong. As long as you don’t make a mistake while working with Master Tong in the kitchen, he won’t curse you in regular situations. Master Xia is different, even if you try to avoid him from afar, he’ll chase you down to curse you."
Qin Huai was shocked.
"Is Master Xia the chef from Fen Garden ranked in the top 10 of the Chef Record?"
Zang Liang nodded, "Yes, he is the only active Chinese chef among the top ten in the Chef Record, his age and seniority are high, being cursed by him means you just have to stand and endure it."
"But I’ve always heard, only chefs with decent culinary skills have the privilege of being cursed by him, so many chefs are quite pleased the first time they get cursed by Master Xia."
Sometimes, he really doesn’t understand these meat chefs like Zang Liang.
All you meat chefs seem a bit twisted.
Hey, why did he use the word ’also’ there?
Tong De Yan glanced at Qin Huai and Zang Liang from a distance without saying a word and continued to curse at the helper who didn’t time things right.
With the dining time nearing, Tong De Yan’s temper grew more explosive. Meanwhile, in the banquet hall, all the guests had taken their seats.
Among the guests was someone Qin Huai knew.
Since Xu Cheng wanted to see how many types of snacks Qin Huai was skilled at making, he ended up almost getting trapped in Gusu during the trial. Later, without completing the test, Xu Cheng found an excuse and fled, never seeing Qin Huai again.
Xu Cheng went abroad for some time and was quite satisfied with the food; he had become a bit plumper.
Being Han Guishan’s friend, Xu Cheng naturally sat at the main table, as the most affluent person among the guests, alongside Han Guishan’s two sisters, Han Guishan, and Wang Jing.
Xu Cheng also has a child of his own, who is well past the toddler stage. Before dinner, he idly played with Han Youxin and casually asked, "Old Han, is Tong De Yan the head chef for this birthday banquet, who’s responsible for pastry, Qin Huai or those masters I recommended from Zhiwei Restaurant?"
"Master Qin!" Han Guishan said, glowing after eating snacks for two days. "The Master Qin you recommended is truly outstanding, his craftsmanship is impeccable, I’ve never had such delicious snacks in my life!"
Xu Cheng was somewhat surprised, "Did he make the fermented rice? Did Master Huang also come?"
"What Master Huang?" Han Guishan didn’t understand, "Today’s snacks are fermented rice with steamed buns, three meat buns, Four Happiness glutinous rice balls and Longevity Noodles, those Four Happiness glutinous rice balls are truly exceptional, I’ve never had such tasty glutinous rice balls before."
"Last night, I ate a total of 12, almost filled me to the point I couldn’t sleep, Jingjing even scolded me."
Wang Jing directly rolled her eyes at Han Guishan, "You only left me one bun, if I don’t scold you, who else should I scold?"
Listening to Han Guishan’s words, Han Guishan’s two sisters were curious about what Four Happiness glutinous rice balls were. Having just become a loyal follower of Four Happiness glutinous rice balls yesterday, Han Guishan eagerly started explaining passionately, and whenever he forgot something, he’d glance at Cheng Gong, who would continue the explanation, with even more detail.
Leaving Han Guishan’s two sisters amazed, they decided to save some room by eating less dishes during the meal, making sure to leave room to try the legendary Four Happiness glutinous rice balls.