AGN -Chapter 102 The Taste of Warmth

The tangerine peel white fungus and lotus seed soup in the pot was about to be finished.

While gnawing on a freshly made sesame cake, Qin Huai secretly glanced sideways at the lucky diners gathered in the first-floor lobby, all waiting for randomly dropped pastries.

There were quite a few of them.

A star-studded lineup.

Xu Tuqiang, Grandpa Wang, Grandpa Cao, Grandma Ding, Ou Yang, the owner of the convenience store across the street, several unnamed elderly men and women who had been there all along, Chen Huihong, Luo… Luo Jun? Qu… Qu Jing?

Qin Huai wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him and took another bite of the sesame cake.

By now, his sesame cake-making skills were very mature. Whether baked in an oven or over a stove, the sesame cakes came out fragrant and chewy, and still tasted good even after cooling.

He wasn’t mistaken—it really was Chen Huihong, Luo Jun, and Qu Jing. Beside Luo Jun stood the diligent Zhang Shumei, and the three were chatting, seemingly quite happily.

What was going on here?

Wasn’t it not even 9:30 a.m.? How could Luo Jun and Qu Jing be here at the cafeteria at this hour?

Shouldn’t Luo Jun be sleeping at this time?

Shouldn’t Qu Jing be at work?

What is this situation? The one who should be sleeping isn’t sleeping, the one who should be working isn’t working, and there’s even someone skipping work—and bringing a colleague along to skip work as well.

Qin Huai really wanted to go ask, but there wasn’t time—because the tangerine peel white fungus and lotus seed soup was ready.

[Tangerine Peel Tea — D+ Rank]

As a tangerine peel white fungus and lotus seed soup, this rating was already quite good.

Qin Huai lifted the lid and reminded Chen An, who had started making egg cakes, to keep track of the timing—the tangerine peel tea would be ready for sale in a few minutes. He then walked straight out.

Having already witnessed Qin Huai pretending to have a system and tapping into empty space as if triggering side quests, Chen An was unfazed by the boss suddenly leaving work halfway to go chat and slack off. He set an alarm on his phone and continued making egg cakes.

He even asked, “Xiao Qin, should I help you boil the elm bark water?”

“If you have time, please help boil a pot,” Qin Huai replied as he stepped out of the kitchen.

Qu Jing was the first to notice him, greeting him while wearing a mask. “Good morning, Xiao Qin.”

“Good morning,” Qin Huai nodded. “Doctor Qu, why do you have time to come buy pastries this morning?”

“Our hospital has introduced evening outpatient clinics in the neurology department to improve medical standards and service quality. I’m on the evening shift today. Yesterday, Director Qu told me that running a cafeteria alone isn’t easy and that you’re earning hard-earned money, yet still make time to volunteer at the welfare home, so I should come support your business more.”

“So I came.”

It was clear that Qu Jing truly listened to Director Qu—she believed even such an outrageous excuse.

“Also, I didn’t expect Mr. Luo’s routine to be so regular. He personally came out at 9:12 a.m. for breakfast—what a pleasant surprise.”

Luo Jun felt Qu Jing was being sarcastic and said unhappily, “It’s because the TV dramas lately are too boring. I went to bed early since there was nothing to watch.”

None of the three exposed his excuse.

“Where’s the tangerine peel tea? Isn’t it ready yet? Didn’t your staff say you started cooking early this morning? Why does it take so long? Do you even know how to make tangerine peel tea? Did you read the instructions carefully?” Luo Jun fired off his familiar six-question barrage at Qin Huai.

Qin Huai understood immediately.

Luo Jun had come specifically for the tangerine peel tea, even waking up early to come out for breakfast.

A truly touching dedication to tea.

“It’s already ready. If you’re in a hurry, I’ll have Xiao An serve a bowl and bring it over to cool,” Qin Huai said.

Luo Jun said nothing, which Qin Huai took as agreement. He waved to An Youyou, asking her to bring over a bowl first.

Among the cafeteria staff, Qin Huai could only remember two names: Huang Xi and An Youyou. Huang Xi was the manager and the person he worked with most directly, while An Youyou was simply easy to remember.

Her name followed an ABB pattern—simple and catchy.

A good name makes it easier for the boss to remember you on the first try.

An Youyou thoughtfully brought out four bowls—one of which was for Qin Huai. Seeing this, other diners waiting nearby began placing orders for tangerine peel tea.

An Youyou looked helplessly at Huang Xi, who stepped in and explained that the tea had just been cooked and was still very hot, so they would need to wait before serving to ensure safety.

As for why Qin Huai’s table was served early—it was because Luo Jun had strongly requested it.

Everyone in the cafeteria at this time were loyal customers, more than half of them residents of the Yunzhong community. Naturally, they all knew Luo Jun’s name.

They expressed understanding, while silently criticizing Luo Jun for being difficult and causing trouble for their beloved Xiao Qin the moment he stepped out.

Some diners from outside the community didn’t understand why Luo Jun’s name carried such weight, so they quietly asked around. The convenience store owner across the street indignantly shared his experience—Luo Jun had once given their tea eggs a negative review!

The crowd gasped in shock.

Qin Huai, who had overheard: “…You really gave the convenience store tea eggs a bad review?”

He was genuinely surprised. How do you even criticize a tea egg—too little tea flavor or not enough egg?

“They didn’t crack the eggs before boiling, so the flavor didn’t get in at all. Why shouldn’t I give a bad review?” Luo Jun said, giving a disdainful glance at the convenience store owner. “And they charged me 0.5 yuan for packaging a tea egg. Why wouldn’t I leave a bad review?”

After speaking, Luo Jun picked up his spoon and stirred the tangerine peel tea. Seeing the mixture of tangerine peel, white fungus, lotus seeds, and goji berries evenly distributed in the slightly thick broth, he nodded in satisfaction.

“Looks decent today,” Luo Jun gave his approval.

And why wouldn’t it be? The ingredients Qin Huai used today strictly followed Liu Tao’s method from the tutorial video.

Although slight variations in ingredients wouldn’t matter much, Qin Huai preferred to replicate instructions exactly when a clear standard existed—only making adjustments if the tutorial itself had issues.

Liu Tao’s tangerine peel tea was only D-grade to begin with, leaving no room for downgrade or major improvement. So Qin Huai simply reproduced it 1:1.

Luo Jun scooped a small spoonful, patiently blew on it for over a minute, then slowly brought it to his mouth and tasted it.

No comments, no expression. He ate calmly and steadily, as if drinking water was just part of his daily routine.

Chen Huihong, being impatient, couldn’t wait for Luo Jun’s evaluation and decided to taste it herself.

She scooped a full spoon, quickly cooled it, and took a large bite.

“Mmm,” she said, offering her first impression. “It tastes like white fungus and lotus seed soup.”

She swallowed without chewing, licked her lips slightly as if savoring the flavor, then continued, “The taste… is pretty average, but the texture is very good. It’s stewed very… smoothly? I’m not sure how to describe it, but it feels comfortable to eat—kind of like drinking ginger tea in winter, warm and soothing.”

She finished her review and continued eating.

Qu Jing removed her mask, stirred her bowl for several minutes, and only began eating after Chen Huihong had nearly finished her portion.

Meanwhile, staff began serving tangerine peel tea to waiting customers.

Normally, table service wasn’t provided in the cafeteria, but today was a special case. Since customers had been waiting for a long time, there weren’t many people, and given that the tea cost 15 yuan per small bowl, Zhao Rong felt that service quality should be improved.

“Just like Sister Hong said, it warms you up after one sip, like ginger tea in winter—or like having a little sun inside your stomach,” Qu Jing described. “It also has a ‘homey’ feeling, like in childhood when you come home from school in winter and your mom prepares warm water or milk for you.”

Hearing this, Qin Huai took a sip as well.

The taste wasn’t particularly astonishing.

A D+ tangerine peel white fungus and lotus seed soup is only slightly better than a typical homemade version. Among commercially sold versions, it would be considered quite good, but the flavor itself is very familiar—something everyone can imagine.

Without exceptional skill, it’s hard to create something truly surprising.

But the flavor matched its buff perfectly.

Warm, homely, and comforting.

Qin Huai even felt a sense of warmth reminiscent of being adopted by Qin Congwen and his wife—having his first meal as part of a family rather than in an orphanage.

For a moment, the entire hall quietly drank their tangerine peel tea.

An Youyou, watching from the side, couldn’t help but feel tempted. “It looks so good… Xiao Qin’s tangerine peel tea seems delicious.”

“If you want some, just go serve yourself,” Huang Xi smiled. “I’ll report it to Xiao Qin for you.”

“Really? Thank you, Sister Xi!” An Youyou happily ran into the kitchen, even asking Chen An, Qin Congwen, and Zhao Rong if they wanted some.

A few minutes later, she came out with two bowls—one for herself and one for Huang Xi.

“Sister Xi, Sister Rong already prepared ours in advance. This one’s yours. I already had a bowl in the kitchen, and Sister Rong let me have another one,” she said cheerfully.

“Is it that good?” Huang Xi laughed, putting down her tablet and picking up the bowl.

A sip said it all.

“It’s really good—super good! Even though Xiao Qin’s salad tastes weird, his duck soup smells off, and his beef soup is average, this tangerine peel tea is amazing!”

“But Sister Xi, why does Xiao Qin call this tangerine peel white fungus and lotus seed soup ‘tangerine peel tea’?”

Huang Xi said she didn’t know—boss matters weren’t for employees to worry about.

Meanwhile, Ou Yang had already rushed over with his bowl.

“Qin Huai, don’t make mutton soup this afternoon—just make this tangerine peel… tea instead. I think people from Guangdong really have a talent for making herbal teas in their blood. This tangerine peel tea is way better than the white fungus and lotus seed soup my mom makes at home!”

Qin Huai and the others: …

You might want to think about what you’re saying.

You’re so easily accepting that this bowl of tangerine peel white fungus and lotus seed soup is “tangerine peel tea”? And even calling it herbal tea?

Honestly… I’m moved to tears.