AGN -Chapter 109 Mian Guo’er

A plate of apple-shaped mian guo’er—half made by Qin Huai, half by Zheng Siyuan.

At first glance, it was impossible to tell that the pastries were made by two different people.

They looked as if they had been cast from the same mold—apple shapes, apple colors, apple textures, and even apple stems.

From a distance, it didn’t even look like a plate of pastries at all.

Zheng Siyuan felt a bit withdrawn and discouraged.

But Qin Huai didn’t think much of it. In his eyes, the plate was still made by Zheng Siyuan—he had merely assisted.

The dough was kneaded by Zheng Siyuan, the filling was prepared by Zheng Siyuan, and even the beet juice used for coloring was mixed by Zheng Siyuan. Qin Huai felt he had only participated briefly to practice his shaping technique.

To be fair, his technique with his hands was quite good.

Qin Huai examined the nearly indistinguishable pastries with satisfaction. The confidence he had lost after days of struggling with heat control was suddenly restored through these mian guo’er.

His knife skills were labeled “basic” simply because that was the lowest level.

But his hand technique was “basic” only because he had never had the opportunity to train it before.

Honestly, Qin Huai felt that when he shaped the dough into apples and brushed on the colors, he regained the same intuitive feeling he had the very first time he kneaded dough without being taught.

That was the feeling!

“Siyuan, where should I start practicing my hand technique?” Qin Huai asked, holding an apple-shaped mian guo’er and tossing it lightly in his hands. “Should I start with simple pastries like you do when simmering broth?”

Zheng Siyuan replied: “…No. Just start with simple mian guo’er.”

“You focus on shaping. I’ll handle the rest—just practice your hand technique.”

Qin Huai and Zheng Siyuan walked out of the kitchen one after the other. Chen Yingjun and Chen Huirong were already staring in awe at the plate.

Chen Yingjun even, quite uncharacteristically for a businessman, reached out and poked one of the pastries with his finger, trying to confirm whether it was real fruit.

“Sis, this really isn’t an apple…” Chen Yingjun was stunned.

Qin Huai: …

He began to question whether Chen Yingjun truly built his wealth through his own effort and ability.

From the moment Qin Huai first saw him, he had assumed Chen Yingjun must have achieved everything through hard work and no trickery.

At the same time, he felt that the name Chen Huirong had given him was fitting—someone who looked like this could indeed benefit from the name “Yingjun” (handsome) for some good fortune.

Chen Yingjun had a face that looked like a textbook example of cunning and slyness.

In a TV drama, he would be the kind of character whose eye movement alone would signal a thousand schemes.

Now, as a middle-aged man with some weight gain, he didn’t look quite as scheming as before—but if he had been thinner in his youth, Qin Huai couldn’t even imagine what he would have looked like.

That kind of face paired with his current expression created quite a contrast.

“Master Zheng, Master Qin, are these the mian guo’er you plan to include in the gift boxes?” Chen Yingjun picked one up and squeezed it lightly. “Are these meant to be eaten?”

“As long as it’s a pastry, it’s meant to be eaten,” Zheng Siyuan said. “Right now, while it still has residual warmth and hasn’t completely cooled, is the best time to eat it. Once fully cooled, it may feel better to handle, but the taste will be much worse than now.”

Hearing this, Chen Yingjun didn’t hesitate at all. He took a bite—and even ate the apple stem along with it.

With that bite, the filling was revealed.

The filling was made of jujube paste mixed with yam paste and apple juice. While mixing it, Qin Huai had thought there was a bit too much jujube paste and that the color looked darker than expected. Unexpectedly, after steaming, the color had lightened quite a bit.

Up close, it didn’t perfectly resemble an apple’s color, but from a distance, it could still pass.

“In fact, this apple mian guo’er is a somewhat lost version,” Zheng Siyuan explained to Qin Huai. “My dad said the version my master made had a lighter color, closer to the flesh of the fruit, and a sandy texture when eaten—like chopped apple mixed with yam paste and steamed together.”

“But by the time it reached my dad, he couldn’t reproduce that effect. By the time I started learning cooking, my master had already passed away. That’s why I say some pastries require imagination. My dad lacked imagination, which is why this version was lost.”

“I’m slightly better than my dad, but only marginally. Also, I’m not particularly fond of mian guo’er or shipian-style pastries—they’re too complex for me. I prefer more mainstream dishes, so I haven’t studied them deeply.”

While Zheng Siyuan was speaking, Chen Yingjun had already quietly finished one whole apple pastry and reached for a second.

His hand was promptly swatted away by Chen Huirong.

“One is enough! How many are there in this plate? Do you think it’s easy for Master Qin and Master Zheng to make these? You’re just here to taste, and now you’re eating them all?”

“Does Huihui not get any? Does Ji’ai not get any? Does your wife Xiaoyue not get any? Do Master Qin and Master Zheng not get any? Does Qin Huai’s sister Luoluo not get any?” Chen Huirong scolded him.

Chen Yingjun reluctantly withdrew his hand, still lingering with longing as he looked at the remaining pastries. “I just want to taste another one to be sure.”

He smacked his lips, still unsatisfied. “It’s really delicious. I never imagined you could taste fruit flavor in a pastry. It feels like biting into an apple made of dough… no, dough made of apple… no… anyway, it’s just… delicious!”

His vocabulary was clearly limited.

Zheng Siyuan said, “It’s fine. Mr. Chen, if you want to try another, go ahead. We don’t have enough time today. One type of apple mian guo’er in the gift box feels too monotonous, two feels repetitive. I don’t have many varieties mastered—I can make apple, pear, banana, peach, grape, red date, and longan.”

“If you’re available tomorrow, please come again in the afternoon. I’ll prepare two more types for you to try, and we can include three varieties in the gift box.”

Chen Yingjun was already swallowing his saliva.

“Of course! Whatever you make is fine, Master Zheng! I trust your craftsmanship completely!”

“What are we having tomorrow?”

Zheng Siyuan: …

After some thought, he replied, “Jujube and grape.”

“Perfect! Those are my favorites—Master Zheng, we’re truly in sync!” Chen Yingjun said excitedly.

Qin Huai quietly watched Chen Yingjun’s performance while eating his apple pastry.

To be honest, it was really good.

Although the jujube flavor was slightly stronger and overshadowed the apple flavor, one could still smell the faint fragrance of apple while eating.

The outer skin had a soft yet firm texture, combined with the sweet filling and the refined appearance—it felt like something no one could dislike.

Was this even just a pastry? It was practically a piece of art.

Even someone who didn’t like apples would be tempted to try a bite.

As for the version Zheng Siyuan mentioned—one with a sandy apple texture and stronger apple flavor—Qin Huai couldn’t even imagine it.

In his view, this already seemed perfect. If it could be taken to another level…

Master Jing was truly terrifying.

Qin Huai sent a message to Luo Jun, asking him to have Zhang Shumei come pick up the pastries.

Earlier, when Chen Huirong counted the pastries, she didn’t notice that Qin Huai had one extra. This extra one would be given to Luo Jun, the person who issued the side quest, to taste first.

To see whether it had the “forgotten” apple flavor.

While Qin Huai was sending the message, Chen Yingjun was already discussing payment terms with Zheng Siyuan.

He was eager to transfer the money immediately and confirm the order quantity—completely forgetting that Qin Huai was actually the owner of the canteen.

Qin Huai himself also forgot, happily watching Chen Yingjun add Zheng Siyuan on WeChat.

These mian guo’er were really delicious.

He took another bite.

Slurp.