Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle
Chapter 51 - 46: Desperate for a Bite to Eat (Requesting for Monthly Ticket!)_2

Chapter 51: Chapter 46: Desperate for a Bite to Eat (Requesting for Monthly Ticket!)_2

"Mom, help me wash the ingredients for the Five Flower Tea and the Seven Spice Dampness Removing Tea. Dad, you help me cut the sarsaparilla into pieces. Remember to pick through them before cutting, don’t use any that aren’t fresh."

"Let me know when Luoluo arrives."

"Don’t worry, Huaihuai, I’ll have your dad keep an eye out." Zhao Rong said, setting aside the dough skin to wash her hands and select ingredients.

Zhao Rong might not be a professional in making buns, steamed buns, wontons, or siu mai, but when it comes to brewing cold tea, she’s quite the expert. Setting aside the taste of the tea, she has a good handle on the quantities of each ingredient.

Zhao Rong skillfully picked through the ingredients and asked, "Huaihuai, how much are we brewing?"

"The largest pot," Qin Huai said without looking up.

Zhao Rong hesitated for a moment upon hearing this.

The largest pot in the restaurant was indeed quite large.

It’s a cafeteria after all, and the main thing is volume, the pot for cooking soup could even fit a child.

"Huaihuai," Zhao Rong looked at Qin Huai who was still mixing the filling, "can we actually sell this much cold tea from our place?"

It’s not that Zhao Rong doubted Qin Huai’s skills, but she was unsure about the appeal of cold tea.

Okay, she admitted, she wasn’t quite confident in Qin Huai’s cold tea skills either.

Cold tea, how should one put it...

From how Zhao Rong often used the saying "bitter medicine cures illness" to persuade Qin Huai and Qin Luo to drink more cold tea in the summer, it was clear that the stuff wasn’t exactly tasty.

"Not selling, giving away," Qin Huai said, "Give it away with purchases over 25. Just say that now that it’s hot, we’re giving out some cooling, summer-heat dispelling, and dampness-removing cold tea as a gift."

"Whether dine-in or take-out, we give it away for free. Once Youyou and the others are on shift, let them know so they can pre-package a batch to avoid a scramble later."

"Mom, just focus on getting the ingredients washed. I’ll handle the brewing when it’s time."

Although Zhao Rong felt that giving away cold tea was a bit of a loss, she also thought Qin Huai’s idea made sense.

Summer is indeed a time to drink more cold tea.

When Luoluo arrives later, let her have two bowls first. She’s been so busy lately that it’s been forgotten to brew cold tea.

Because he promised Uncle Wang yesterday morning that the Crab Shell Cake would be ready at 6 AM sharp today, Qin Huai’s morning tasks were quite busy. Three Meat Buns, Five Fillings Bun, Crab Shell Cake, Fermented Rice with Steamed Buns, and cold tea, all operating simultaneously, with attention needed on the cooking station, pots, and the oven.

Qin Huai was so busy he wanted to message Chen Huihong and tell her the resumes they saw yesterday were okay, asking for the chefs to be ready to come work.

Hiring a pastry chef hadn’t been as smooth as before, perhaps because professional pastry chefs were scarce these days, or maybe because they didn’t think much of a community cafeteria. From the resumes sent by HR after screening by Chen Huihong’s company, Qin Huai glanced over them and found none quite suitable.

Either the candidates appeared to be newbies with no work experience just trying to get by, or they demanded very high salaries. No wonder Chen Huihong hadn’t actively reached out, only sending resumes because Qin Huai inquired.

Thinking about the upcoming Dingsheng Cake, lotus cake, fried dough stick, sticky rice cake, and later trying locust flower buns, fermented rice with steamed buns, and possibly needing another batch of Five Fillings Bun and Three Meat Buns, with even more batches of Crab Shell Cake required by the morning, Qin Huai heaved a sigh.

Is this the cost of slacking off?

Qin Huai glanced at the first-floor hall.

Filled to the brim.

Old folks, office workers, even the boss from the convenience store across the street with a mask on, all gathered at this 5:55 AM mark, eagerly waiting.

So...

Why do office workers need to buy breakfast at this time?

Are there office buildings nearby where companies start work at over six in the morning? Has this world become so competitive beyond his imagination?

At 5:59, Uncle Wang and Chen Juan entered the cafeteria hand in hand.

"Whoa, so many people today?" Uncle Wang exclaimed, heading straight for table number nine, where, as expected, the considerate Mr. Cao and Xu Tuqiang had saved a spot for him.

"What’s happening today?" Uncle Wang asked after sitting down.

"It’s all because of you," Mr. Cao chuckled.

"That’s right, because you have quite the influence. Didn’t Master Qin promise you at the kitchen door yesterday that the Crab Shell Cake would be ready by 6 AM today? Everyone’s here thanks to you, here for some hot and fresh shrimp-filled Crab Shell Cake," Xu Tuqiang said, his tone inevitably carrying some sarcasm.

He just couldn’t understand it; he was the one who discovered this cafeteria first, being its first customer. He was even a resident of Yunzhong District and was in the same homeowners’ group as Master Qin.

Why! Why did Master Qin only give special treatment to someone with the surname Wang?

What’s so special about Wang Laogen? This deadpan accountant couldn’t even say a flattering word, still insisting that Master Qin’s buns weren’t as good as Gusu’s.

Xu Tuqiang was grinding his teeth in frustration.

He’s a loyal customer of Yunzhong Restaurant, eating all three meals here daily, never skipping any snacks, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his favorites.

The shrimp-flavored Crab Shell Cake that Wang Laogen liked had only appeared twice in 21 days, while the sticky rice cake he liked, he hadn’t even mentioned it.

The sticky rice cake had only appeared once since Yunzhong Restaurant opened!

Once!

Qin Huai’s voice snapped Xu Tuqiang out of his sorrow.

"Crab Shell Cakes are ready!" Qin Huai shouted towards the window, "We’re not open for business hours yet, the wait staff aren’t on shift, the Crab Shell Cakes are freshly out of the pot, so please line up to purchase and remember to scan the code to pay."

The diners promptly formed a line, purchasing in an orderly manner.

The first in line was an office worker wearing a work badge.

Qin Luo stood by the pot watching the cold tea, and Qin Huai glanced at the badge, Luo Zijun.

Luo... too bad it’s not Luo Jun.

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