AGN -Chapter 105 The Taste of Memory

Surrounded only by flowers and trees with no one else around, Qin Huai squatted down and opened the game panel to check the task.

Side Quest:

[The Taste of Memory]: Decades of time are but an instant to Bifang, but for humans they are a distant past. Liu Tao’s appearance has long become blurred in Luo Jun’s memory. Even the most accurate portrait cannot help him recall what his wife truly looked like in his mind. Luo Jun vaguely remembers that Liu Tao once made him a type of pastry with a special flavor, but he can no longer remember the exact form or taste of that pastry. The player is required to recreate a pastry that matches the flavor in Luo Jun’s memory and complete the taste he has forgotten.

Quest Reward: A fragment of Luo Jun’s memory (Choice: Yes/No)

Qin Huai felt the urge to scratch his head—this time, he truly wanted to scratch his head.

No wonder people say that the needs of the elderly and children are the hardest to satisfy. Chen Huihui’s wish was abstract, and Luo Jun’s “taste of memory” was a high-difficulty challenge.

Pastries—traditional Chinese pastries—represent the pinnacle of aesthetic craftsmanship. It was something Qin Huai had absolutely never made before.

In simple terms, “pastries” refer to desserts designed to realistically imitate fruits.

They are made from flour and steamed. Basic versions include peaches, apples, pears, bananas, pomegranates—simple fruit forms.

These pastries not only resemble the appearance of fruits but also replicate their flavors. A banana pastry tastes like banana; an apple pastry tastes like apple. What you see is what you taste.

At this point, one might ask: if these are the basic versions, what are the advanced and complex ones?

The answer: they can be anything you can imagine.

The upper limit depends on the chef’s skill and creativity. If one’s skill is high enough and they are not afraid of effort, they can create fruit baskets, fruit boats, fruit platters, panda scenes, dragons playing with pearls, phoenixes spreading wings, snow-covered plum blossoms—anything.

At that point, these are no longer just pastries, but true works of art.

Art that can be seen, eaten, and even played with—fully engaging all senses.

Could Qin Huai make them?

No.

He didn’t even design decorations for pastries at all.

The pastry handbook never taught him that!

Did Liu Tao actually have such high-level white-cooking skills? Wasn’t she only capable of brewing C-grade tangerine peel tea? How did she suddenly become so skilled after marriage, as if her abilities had advanced dramatically—so much so that she could make fruit pastries?

Qin Huai felt like this was asking too much of him.

Seeing Qin Huai’s expression shift repeatedly, Luo Jun asked impatiently, “What’s wrong?”

Qin Huai recited the task details.

“Pastries?” Luo Jun asked.

Qin Huai: ?

Qin Huai, still confused, had to explain what fruit-shaped pastries were all over again.

Only then did Luo Jun nod, indicating he understood. Then he added some information: “That thing… I have a slight impression of it, but it wasn’t made by Liu Tao.”

Qin Huai: ??

The task description was wrong?

What kind of unprofessional game system was this?

“If it wasn’t made by Liu Tao, then what do you mean?” Qin Huai quickly asked.

Luo Jun seemed reluctant to elaborate, but for the sake of Qin Huai’s task, he searched his memory and said: “Liu Tao was from Shu. She was sold to a troupe as a child and traveled around performing. After we got married, she said she wanted to go back home to visit. At that time, Shanghai wasn’t safe either—outside the concession there were bombings every day, and inside the concession was overcrowded.”

“So we went to Shu and stayed there for several years.”

“The food there was too spicy. I couldn’t get used to it at all—I felt like I was breathing fire every day. I didn’t like non-spicy food either. Only the dishes at Wu’s Restaurant were decent. Since I didn’t like going out, Liu Tao usually went to buy food.”

“I don’t know where she found a pastry shop that sold the kind of thing you’re talking about… fruit pastries. But they weren’t as exaggerated as you described. Apples tasted like apples, oranges tasted like oranges. They were just visually appealing desserts. The carrot ones I remember had a noticeable carrot flavor, though I didn’t like carrots.”

Luo Jun finished speaking.

Qin Huai fell into deeper silence.

Great—now even the fruit pastry part had become unclear.

Although the difficulty seemed to have decreased, the direction had become even more ambiguous. With Luo Jun’s input, the task now combined the full difficulty of both children and elderly requirements.

“So do you have anything else…” Qin Huai began.

“Don’t ask me—I don’t remember,” Luo Jun said bluntly. “But I can tell you what I don’t like.”

“I don’t like carrots, mushrooms, celery, or onions. Tell your cafeteria cooks to stop making dishes like carrot stir-fried meat, celery stir-fried meat, and onion stir-fried meat. Do they really love stir-frying meat that much?”

“Do you really love our cafeteria that much?” Qin Huai retorted from the soul.

Luo Jun chose silence.

The two sat quietly in this secluded spot for a while.

“I’ll walk you back,” Qin Huai said, feeling it was time to wrap up.

He also planned to ask the neighborhood committee if Chen Huihong had any wishes that could trigger another side quest. Although Chen Huihong had awakened, perhaps—just perhaps—another memory or dream could be obtained from her.

“If you have something to do, go ahead,” Luo Jun said. “I’ll sit here a bit longer.”

Qin Huai didn’t feel comfortable leaving him alone outside, even though this place was close to Building A. Given Luo Jun’s mobility, even a small fall could be serious.

So Qin Huai stayed and sat with him a bit longer.

“Is the draft the artist gave you yesterday the final version?” Luo Jun asked casually.

“It can still be changed,” Qin Huai replied. After all, since Luo Jun was paying, revisions were no issue.

The fourth draft provided by Bingbing was already very close to Liu Tao’s appearance—about 70–80% similar—but it lacked her “essence.”

However, capturing that essence wasn’t realistic. Bingbing had drawn based solely on Qin Huai’s descriptions and had never seen Liu Tao in person. Given that, the result was already quite good.

Once Luo Jun approved the draft, Bingbing would create seven or eight more refined final versions suitable for framing.

“Change it again,” Luo Jun said without even raising his eyes. “The eyes and brows are still off—they don’t match my memory.”

“Tell the artist there’s an extra bonus if it’s done well.”

Qin Huai silently relayed in his mind on behalf of Bingbing: “Yes boss, thank you boss, got it boss, hard work boss.”

Luo Jun sat for a while longer.

Qin Huai counted—his arms had already been bitten by five mosquito bites.

A well-vegetated environment meant lots of insects. No wonder no one stayed here.

“Let’s go back,” Luo Jun said, standing up. “Get that pastry done quickly. Once it’s ready, call Xiao Zhang to pick it up.”

“This is your side quest, and the reward is your memory,” Qin Huai reminded him.

“I know,” Luo Jun replied impatiently. “I’m not actually forgetful. I won’t forget something I just heard.”

“Anyway, you’ll see it sooner or later. Might as well see it earlier—and let me eat something good sooner.”

Qin Huai: …

If you just want to drink tangerine peel tea, say so. No need to make so many excuses.

Qin Huai escorted Luo Jun back, then returned to the cafeteria. On the way, he sent a message to Chen Huihong.

Qin Huai: Sister Hong, do you have any wishes you’d like fulfilled? Could you give me a side quest?

Chen Huihong: ?

Chen Huihong: Granted.

Chen Huihong: Chen Huihong has issued a side quest to Qin Huai.

Chen Huihong: Is that enough?

Qin Huai: Not yet QAQ

Qin Huai: Sister Hong, could you try asking Huihui in a different way for me?

Chen Huihong: ?