Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle
Chapter 312 - 196: The Grand Issue at the Start of the Year_2

Chapter 312: Chapter 196: The Grand Issue at the Start of the Year_2

Xu Cheng’s interview was very traditional, using a tape recorder and taking notes in his notebook at the same time.

"Master Qin, as far as I know, you have your own community restaurant in Shan City, where you’ve worked before, and only in the past month have you come to Huang Ji Restaurant for learning and exchange."

"I also did some background research on you. You’re from Guangdong Province and have been in Qiu County, where your family runs a breakfast shop, correct?"

"Yes." Qin Huai nodded.

Xu Cheng’s preparation was quite thorough.

"You don’t need to be nervous, I’m just a bit curious. According to my research, your father is just an ordinary breakfast shop chef. I have also been to Yunzhong Restaurant and tasted the buns made by your father, which were very... ordinary."

"So I’m very curious, what led you to the path of pastry making? Where did you learn your pastry and snack-making skills?"

During his interviews, Xu Cheng enjoyed asking about the stories behind chefs and dishes. He did so not merely for gossip but because integrating food with its backstory made for more compelling foodie reviews that would attract readers.

Why was the food review for Eight Treasure Chestnut Pigeon so famous, able to spread across Nanyang and be reprinted by many newspapers?

Isn’t it because the tale behind Eight Treasure Chestnut Pigeon was intriguing enough?

This story of rivalry among peers, shattered aspirations, a decade of enlightenment and mastering skills could easily become a 30-episode TV drama!

Qin Huai hadn’t expected Xu Cheng to ask this right away, but since Xu Cheng asked, Qin Huai felt obligated to tell the truth.

This version of the story he had recounted many times, so much so that he didn’t need to organize his words; he could just speak freely.

"This has to start from my time at the orphanage when I was a child."

Xu Cheng: ?

"Back then..."

"..."

Qin Huai had anticipated that Xu Cheng liked to hear stories, and as a master of storytelling, he was adept at weaving tales that mixed truth and fiction.

Xu Cheng’s expression shifted from shock, to confusion, to incomprehension, then to doubt, self-doubt, abandonment of doubt, and finally to numb acceptance.

Qin Huai spoke for 15 minutes, with the recording pen capturing it all, while nothing was written in the notebook.

Xu Cheng was completely stunned. He had interviewed various chefs over the years, from different countries, with different skin colors, races, and cultures.

No matter how different those chefs were, they were normal, reasonable, and acceptable.

But not Master Qin before him.

After hearing Qin Huai’s entire apprenticeship journey, Xu Cheng felt that only the part after coming to Huang Ji was normal. However, when Qin Huai arrived at Huang Ji, his skill level was already very high, and he couldn’t have learned much in just over a month.

Now Xu Cheng had only one thought in his mind:

Where can I buy that "Snack Encyclopedia"?

After Qin Huai finished speaking, the room fell into a long silence.

For the first time, Xu Cheng felt at a loss about where to start asking questions during an interview.

As an excellent food critic, he was always adept at starting from a chef’s background, lineage, and specialty dishes to explore the story behind the dishes.

But today’s situation was so complex that he didn’t know where to start exploring.

He didn’t even know how to title it.

"Orphanage director has children do these things, ten years later, the children are endlessly grateful..."

"High school students in Qiu County are collectively late to classes, the truth behind it is..."

"A rising star in the culinary world with a mentor that turns out to be a book!"

He was running a food magazine, not a tabloid.

Yet such a fascinating story was hard for Xu Cheng to give up. He had a premonition that he probably wouldn’t interview a more intriguing chef than Qin Huai in his lifetime.

In Xu Cheng’s silence, a knock on the door came, and Xu Cheng called "come in," as the manager walked in with a serving tray.

On the tray were two plates of snacks and two bowls of Dried Tangerine Peel Tea.

"Mr. Xu, these snacks were made by Master Qin and processed on his behalf by Master Zheng. If you’re interested, you can try them. This is the Dried Tangerine Peel Tea you requested." The manager said with a smile, holding the tray as he left.

Xu Cheng directed his gaze at the snacks on the table.

The variety was quite vast.

Crab Shell Cake, Four Happiness Dumplings, sticky rice cake, Salted Egg Yolk Shumai, jujube and yam cake, and an authentic apple dough ball brought in, either from Ouyang or Assistant Chen.

Although Xu Cheng was already full, he still instinctively picked up a Crab Shell Cake with his chopsticks and took a bite.

Average.

This was Xu Cheng’s first impression of the Crab Shell Cake before him.

As a freshly made, hot, crispy, and fragrant Crab Shell Cake, the one before him was undoubtedly qualified.

From its color, taste, crispness, to the black sesame sprinkled on top, it was delicious and couldn’t possibly be something casually purchased from a roadside stall.

But this shouldn’t be the level of Qin Huai.

Xu Cheng had just tasted the A+ level guo’er, and knew how astonishing Qin Huai’s level was. That unique combination, that magical preparation, and the marvelous sensation that arose in one’s heart after tasting, were enough to make food lovers from all corners of the world unhesitatingly purchase a plane ticket to a city near Gusu, take a high-speed train and travel thousands of miles just to eat a guo’er.

The Crab Shell Cake before him was not as good as the Three Meat Buns and Fermented Rice with Steamed Buns he had earlier.

"Mr. Xu, these snacks are my normal level." Qin Huai said.

Under Xu Cheng’s astonished gaze, Qin Huai continued, "You’ve also heard how I learned these skills over the years. I had no master, purely self-taught. In a sense, Master Huang and Master Zheng are both my mentors. I am very grateful for their generous teachings, and I understand their desire to let me showcase the best level of snacks to you."