Zheng Siyuan took a bite of the Fermented Rice with Steamed Buns made by Qin Huai.
Soft, slightly sweet, elastic. You can’t taste the alcohol, but you can smell the faint aroma of wine, a mix of rice wine and the steamed bun’s fragrance, a wonderful taste that spreads from the tip of the tongue to the tip of the nose.
This is a flavor he can’t reproduce.
His father probably couldn’t do any better either.
After all, his father hasn’t made any serious snacks in years, without daily practice, his pastry skills have either regressed or remained stagnant for decades.
Zheng Siyuan sighed inwardly.
His father’s skills are not good enough to take on any apprentices.
Qin Huai was tasting the cold tea he brewed himself.
If he were to grade his cold tea, it would probably be: deadly, could die, don’t feel like dying, terribly bitter, bitter, drinkable.
The only drinkable one is the Dried Tangerine Peel Tea.
Let’s say Uncle Luo still has basic taste; the required teas are the most palatable.
But considering Uncle Luo’s temper.
Qin Huai decided to skip the Seven Spice Dampness Removing Tea.
He planned to bring several types of cold tea the next day, firstly to blend in the Dried Tangerine Peel Tea more seamlessly, and secondly, because Uncle Luo probably enjoys cold tea, bringing more traditional varieties can’t go wrong.
Qin Huai gulped down the handmade lemon tea in front of him and decided to bring that as well.
The old man is already 92, it’s time to try some modern cold tea.
At 9:30 the next morning, Qin Huai arrived at the neighborhood committee with a load of bags.
Qin Huai prepared a variety of gifts.
The drinks were divided into cold and hot ones; the cold ones were handmade lemon tea and mung bean soup, the hot ones were various cold teas.
He prepared two gift boxes of snacks, one with all kinds of snacks made by Qin Huai himself, spanning from the north to the south: Honey Three Slices, fried dough stick, pea cake, Ai Wo Cakes, Dingsheng Cake, jujube cake, butterfly cake, radish cake, Chrysanthemum Cake, steamed cake... you name it.
The other box contained snacks made by Zheng Siyuan, mostly Suzhou-style snacks that are easy for the elderly to digest. To prevent Uncle Luo from having an unusual taste, Zheng Siyuan also prepared flaky pastry, fresh meat mooncake, and his specialty snacks, making sure the old man enjoys the feast.
In addition to the snack gift box, Qin Huai also prepared a box of premade dishes: Five Fillings Bun, Three Meat Buns, red bean paste buns, and Four Happiness Dumplings, 25 pieces each, a total of 100. They can be frozen and stored in the freezer, and ready to eat once steamed.
Of course, fruits are indispensable.
To prove his sincerity to Uncle Luo, Qin Huai went to the most expensive international supermarket nearby and picked two of the priciest fruit baskets. He also brought along high-priced imported fruits that Ouyang had recently acquired from his parents, focusing on getting expensive and not necessarily right.
The abundance of gifts prepared by Qin Huai amazed everyone participating in the visit.
Old Luo, who was responsible for taking photos, counted all the gifts, took the camera, retreated to a corner, and whispered to Ouyang: "Why didn’t Master Qin prepare the Seven Spice Dampness Removing Tea?"
"What? Among so many cold teas, there isn’t the Seven Spice Dampness Removing Tea? Did you miscount, Old Luo?" Xiao Qian, responsible for writing articles, was shocked.
"Didn’t count wrong, I checked each one."
Xiao Qian looked disappointed.
Ouyang was also a bit disappointed, but he knew he had to speak up for Qin Huai: "In such a formal occasion , Qin Huai can’t possibly put something like that in the gift package."
"Wasn’t it you who said Old Luo gave Yunzhong Restaurant a bad review, and the recent event of delivering cold tea to names with Luo and Jun was specifically for him?" Old Luo said, "I suffered because of it, drinking the Seven Spice Dampness Removing Tea for the first time. I had to drink two glasses of lemon tea to recover!"
Ouyang instinctively tried to cover Old Luo’s mouth but it was too late.
Qin Huai smiled at Ouyang: "Is this how you promote our restaurant activities outside?"
Ouyang grinned awkwardly: "Well, actually... if I say it’s a misunderstanding, would you believe me?"
Qin Huai slightly smiled: "No more Elm Bark Steamed Buns for you."
Ouyang almost shed tears.
Just as Ouyang opened his mouth, about to make a plea for his beloved Elm Bark Steamed Buns, Chen Huihong entered, leading a woman wrapped tightly in a shirt and pants, wearing a hat, sunglasses, mask, UV-protection clothing, and gloves, not missing a single piece.
"Is everyone ready?" Chen Huihong asked, surprised to see Qin Huai bringing so many things, she smiled and said, "Xiao Qin, you don’t need to bring so much, this is a regular visit, bringing some fruit would suffice."
"Uncle Luo is also a regular at our restaurant. Most of what I brought are snacks and cold tea, as a gesture of my goodwill," Qin Huai explained.
Chen Huihong nodded and didn’t say much more, instead, she started introducing the person beside her to Qin Huai.
"Xiao Qin, this is who I was talking to you about, Xiao Qu, Dr. Qu Jing. Xiao Qu is really sensitive to ultraviolet light, so this is how she always goes out."
"Xiao Qu, this is whom I mentioned to you, Xiao Qin, Master Qin Huai. I gave the health card you gave me to Xiao Qin’s father. His father has a bad back, so if he ends up going to your hospital, please recommend a good doctor for him."
Qu Jing took off her sunglasses but didn’t remove her mask, nodding slightly at Qin Huai and then putting her sunglasses back on, "Sure."
She then extended her gloved hand to shake hands with Qin Huai, "Qu Jing."
Qin Huai also extended his hand, "Qin Huai."
Then the two of them were left speechless.