AGN -Chapter 141 Successfully Joining the Job

After putting on the uniform, Qin Huai felt that he had fully integrated into the backend kitchen of Huangji Restaurant.

He already recognized most of the people.

Huang Shengli had a total of nine disciples. According to Zheng Siyuan, this number of apprentices was quite large in the culinary world. After all, Huang Shengli’s apprentices were true, formally trained disciples who required hands-on teaching. In earlier years, some apprentices even lived and ate at the master’s home, almost like sons-in-law.

Moreover, Huang Shengli’s apprentices spanned a long time—from his eldest disciple to his final disciple, Dong Shi, covering a total of 19 years.

Qin Huai was familiar with most of these disciples, as they had appeared during Huang Shengli’s online classes. He even remembered the names of several. For example, the sixth disciple, who suffered from hair loss, had a surprisingly handsome name that didn’t match his appearance—Wang Jun.

Among all of Huang Shengli’s disciples, besides Dong Shi and Dong Li, the one Qin Huai was most familiar with was Huang Jia.

Huang Jia was Huang Shengli’s paternal nephew. He became Huang Shengli’s disciple at the age of 11 and was now only 30 years old. In terms of age, he was younger than the third and fourth disciples who had already learned their craft before joining as apprentices. However, because he had many junior brothers under him from a young age, Huang Jia carried himself with the demeanor of a senior apprentice—organized, thoughtful, and reliable in both speech and actions.

During Huang Shengli’s online classes, the snacks and tea he consumed were always prepared in advance by Huang Jia—extremely considerate.

To help Qin Huai adapt quickly to the work environment, Huang Shengli sent his attentive eldest disciple to guide him through the kitchen.

While touring the cutting station, Qin Huai asked a very amateur question.

“Brother Jia, Master Huang has nine disciples, and I’ve also seen many other chefs in the kitchen. Does that mean there are around ten or so chefs in the restaurant?”

Huang Jia smiled and explained, “In a sense, they are all chefs, but not necessarily the kind of chefs you’re thinking of—those who cook dishes at the stove.”

He pointed at Dong Shi. “For example, junior brother Dong Shi is a cutting station chef, responsible for preparing ingredients. There’s also a dedicated water station handling fish and seafood slaughter and cleaning. The people you saw near the kitchen entrance are likely plating assistants—they handle presentation and passing dishes.”

“The chefs who actually cook at the stove are called ‘stove-heads.’ There are only seven or eight of them in the entire restaurant, and they rotate shifts.”

Dong Shi, passing by, protested unhappily, “Senior Brother, my brother and Seventh Senior Brother are also cutting station chefs—why mention only me? Qin Huai, listen to me, I think I’ll become a stove-head soon, faster than my brother! You have to believe me—I learn faster than him!”

Huang Jia ignored Dong Shi’s chatter entirely and continued explaining.

“During working hours, the temperature near the stoves in the kitchen is very high. Since you specialize in white-case (pastry), you might not be used to it. The last time we had a white-case chef was three years ago, and the pastry area was already repurposed, so it can’t be changed back quickly.”

“So I took the initiative to clear out a space for you over there. That area is far from the stoves and also away from the water station, so you won’t smell fishy odors, and serving routes don’t pass through much. The only downside is that the storage room entrance is nearby, so people may occasionally pass through.”

“As for tools and equipment for white-case work, Zheng Siyuan’s pastry shop is under renovation, right? Uncle Zheng already moved all of Siyuan’s equipment here. It should be quite complete. If anything is missing, just let me know and I’ll arrange it.”

Qin Huai felt there was nothing to complain about. Huang Jia had even considered kitchen temperature and carefully selected a cooler spot for him. With such thorough consideration, what more could he say?

Of course—

Qin Huai rolled up his sleeves, walked to the sink, and washed his hands seriously.

“Brother Jia, no need to say more. This is my workstation, right?”

“I’ll start by making a few steamers of my fermented wine mantou for everyone to try.”

He was very skilled at making fermented wine mantou.

It was a staple at Yunzhi Cafeteria, made every morning. Since he hadn’t made it yet today, and with the added “buff,” the staff at Huangji Restaurant were in for a treat.

Even the evening diners would benefit.

Based on his experience, although the buff from fermented wine mantou wasn’t directly related to work, people who ate it tended to feel more energetic and motivated afterward. Of course, that might also be because most of Yunzhi Cafeteria’s morning customers were office workers who had to go straight to work after eating.

Huangji Restaurant had a very complete selection of ingredients, including several types of fermented rice wine of varying quality. Qin Huai selected one closest to what he usually used and began.

He worked methodically:

Preparing the fermented rice—steady and unhurried.

Kneading the dough—confident and composed.

Mixing—flawless execution.

Waiting for fermentation—full of confidence.

Kneading again—smooth and fluid.

Second fermentation—calm and effortless.

By the time he placed the mantou into the steamer, Qin Huai felt that although this was an “away game,” his performance had been excellent—possibly even above his usual level.

With so many people watching, any mistake would have been embarrassing.

Not to criticize, but Qin Huai genuinely felt the staff at Huangji Restaurant were a bit too idle.

After a hard morning of work, instead of resting during their break, they all gathered in the kitchen to watch him make mantou.

What’s so interesting about making mantou? The elderly patrons at Yunzhi Cafeteria were already tired of watching. Unless Qin Huai did something flashy, they wouldn’t even bother looking.

What Qin Huai didn’t realize was that everyone was genuinely fascinated.

They rarely got to see it.

The last time Huangji Restaurant had a white-case chef was three years ago.

At this moment, while Qin Huai was making fermented wine mantou, almost everyone who had appeared in Huang Shengli’s teaching videos—aside from Huang Shengli himself, who maintained a sense of senior dignity and didn’t join the crowd—was watching closely.

Dong Shi was the most enthusiastic, squeezing into the front for the best view.

Everyone not only watched but also discussed.

“Qin Huai’s dough kneading… seems really good. Am I imagining it? It looks even better than Siyuan’s.”

“Yeah, it does seem slightly better. The dough he kneads feels more… smooth? More obedient? Anyway, it flows better.”

“And the mantou looks excellent.”

“Honestly, Qin Huai seems stronger than Siyuan. Didn’t Siyuan go there specifically to teach him? What exactly is he teaching him?”

“Seems like heat control.”

“Oh… heat control.”

“I can teach that too! I’m very good at heat control!”

That last remark came from Dong Shi.

Meanwhile, Zheng Siyuan, who had rushed over and entered the kitchen, heard everyone subtly criticizing him:

“……”

You red-case chefs know nothing about kneading dough!

Qin Huai’s real strength is seasoning!

No one paid attention to the newly arrived Zheng Siyuan. No one even noticed him.

After finishing the mantou, Qin Huai had already fully blended into Huangji Restaurant, as if he had passed some sort of assessment and officially joined. The crowd led by Dong Shi surrounded him, chattering and asking about his progress in heat control.

Dong Shi lamented that Qin Huai hadn’t attended many online classes recently, so he hadn’t had much chance to chat gossip with him in the afternoon.

Wang Jun asked whether Qin Huai’s heat control had improved and offered to help anytime, mentioning he had plenty of time since he had recently broken up with his girlfriend.

Huang Jia asked about the types of broths Qin Huai had been practicing, inquiring about his learning progress.

Others also showcased their own specialties, warmly welcoming their new colleague and promising they wouldn’t hold anything back.

Then they asked Qin Huai what types of pastries he specialized in, and whether he was interested in helping with staff meals. Since their previous white-case chef had left, they hadn’t had pastries in employee meals for quite some time.

At that moment, Huang Shengli walked in smiling and patted Zheng Siyuan on the back.

“Siyuan, how’s life in Shan City? Are you getting used to it?”

“It’s good, just need to wake up early every day—but I’ve gotten used to it,” Zheng Siyuan replied.

“Waking up early is good for young people’s health,” Huang Shengli said with a smile. “I was worried Xiao Qin might not adapt well to a new environment, but it seems he’s integrating nicely.”

“Your father told me you came back this time because you needed my help with something related to pastries that you and Xiao Qin have been working on. What can I help you with?”

Hearing this, Zheng Siyuan immediately switched into a respectful, consultative mode.

“Uncle Master, this is something only you can help with.”

“I remember you know how to do a wok-flipping technique.”

Huang Shengli nodded, somewhat puzzled. “Yes, but I’m not particularly skilled at it.”

“Do you think it’s too late for me to start learning the large wok-flipping technique at my age?” Zheng Siyuan asked.

Huang Shengli: ?

He was confused. “Siyuan… you want to switch to red-case cooking? You should discuss that with your father. If he agrees… no, this is something that requires careful consideration.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. It’s related to the pastry we’ve been working on—you know the apple pastry.”

“Xiao Qin and I found that using the wok-flipping technique might improve the filling preparation. I just wanted to ask if it’s still feasible for me to learn at my age…” As he spoke, Zheng Siyuan himself felt how absurd the idea sounded and instinctively glanced at Qin Huai.

Qin Huai had even tried to perform a wok flip while stir-frying the filling the other day.

Since meeting Qin Huai, Zheng Siyuan felt he had been gradually led astray. Many ideas that initially seemed ridiculous—he now genuinely wanted to try.

Huang Shengli: ……

“Uh?”

“Stir-frying filling.”

“And you need a wok-flipping technique?”

Although the recipe itself seemed strange, it certainly didn’t describe such an outrageous process.

This was just too bizarre.