AGN -Chapter 175 White-Case Pastry Chefs Are All a Bit Unconventional

“Little Qin, is Suzhou fun?”

“Little Qin, are you used to living in Suzhou?”

“Little Qin, we missed you so much while you were gone!”

“Little Qin, you’re back at just the right time. Elder Ding’s in-laws came by yesterday—she must have the best and freshest locust blossom honey!”

“Hey, I think Little Qin has lost weight. After traveling such a long way back, you should really nourish yourself. My family just happens to have a traditional nourishing food recipe.”

“Come on, what traditional recipe does your family have? Isn’t it just that one appetite-boosting remedy for kids who don’t eat? Hawthorn slices.”

“What do you know? My family has plenty of traditional recipes!”

“Little Qin, don’t listen to them, my family…”

“Little Qin…”

The elderly men and women in the cafeteria surged forward all at once, and the scene became chaotic in an instant. Even the convenience store owner across the way excitedly poked his head out, pulled out his phone, and snapped photo after photo of Qin Huai’s back—like a diligent and professional paparazzo.

In this situation, Qin Luo immediately transformed into a professional bodyguard, standing in front of Qin Huai, dragging the suitcase with one hand and clearing the way with the other while shouting, “Make way, make way!”

This drew the attention of passersby, who stopped to watch, thinking some celebrity had arrived.

They found it a bit strange—why would a celebrity come to a community cafeteria? Was this some new kind of promotional method? And the fans were all middle-aged and elderly people.

They couldn’t understand it at all.

Under the escort of his “bodyguard” Qin Luo, Yunzhong Cafeteria’s top figure Qin Huai successfully entered the cafeteria with his luggage.

Qin Huai hadn’t expected there to be so many people inside.

He knew that in the past, every afternoon there were many elderly people chatting in Yunzhong Cafeteria, mainly because they wanted to enjoy the free air conditioning in the heat. In summer, you’re just staying wherever you can anyway—why not stay in the cafeteria and also grab some random perks?

What he didn’t expect was that even after he left, the elderly patrons were still willing to stick around.

This sense of loyalty—wasn’t it the same as Huang Shengli no longer being the head chef, yet regular customers still continuing to dine at Huang Ji?

It was deeply moving!

At that moment, Qin Huai’s eyes welled up.

He took the suitcase from Qin Luo and looked at the familiar faces one by one.

Xu Tuqiang, Uncle Qian, aunties whose names he couldn’t recall, uncles whose names he couldn’t recall, and others whose names he couldn’t recall…

Qin Huai admitted that after staying in Suzhou for a month, he had grown somewhat unfamiliar with everyone.

But that was fine—it wouldn’t take long to get familiar again.

Qin Huai cleared his throat, as if about to announce something important. Everyone fell silent and looked at him in unison, their eyes filled with anticipation and joy.

“Everyone… have you eaten yet?”

“No, no! Ever since you went to Suzhou, we haven’t had any snacks to go with our afternoon tea chats!”

“Yeah, the Chenpi tea is gone too. It doesn’t feel right chatting without it.”

“We haven’t been able to buy steamed buns for over a month. My granddaughter doesn’t even want to come after school anymore.”

“My grandson too. Every weekend he comes over, the first thing he asks is, ‘Grandpa, do we have buns today?’”

“My family…”

Qin Huai coughed twice to interrupt the discussion and smiled. “Perfect timing—I brought some pre-made dough for pastries. There should be enough. I’ll go change into my chef uniform and steam them in the kitchen, one per person.”

“Luo Luo, send a message to Brother Yang.”

Qin Luo: ?!

Brother, weren’t that whole box of dough meant for me?

If one per person, how many do I get?

Qin Luo was confused, Qin Luo was heartbroken, Qin Luo didn’t want to send the message—but Qin Luo still complied.

Aside from Qin Luo’s ever-changing expressions, everyone in the cafeteria was jubilant, like it was New Year’s.

Of course, that cheerfulness was limited to the front hall.

In the back kitchen, where no one paid attention, there were actually two diligent pastry chefs who hadn’t clocked out.

Naturally, behind these two pastry chefs were several assistants. But as is well known, in movies and TV dramas, these assistants are nameless extras—helpers A, helpers B—background NPCs who pass through the protagonist’s world without importance, so they don’t need detailed mention.

Having worked in the cafeteria for over a month, received a month’s salary, built good relationships with colleagues, gotten familiar with many residents of Yunzhong community, and even remembered the names of more than half the elderly patrons today—Li Hua and Pei Xing looked at each other.

If all the elderly people here hadn’t eaten, then who had eaten all the pastries they made this afternoon?

The people chatting enthusiastically outside—could they please take a look behind the glass? There are two diligent pastry chefs still working in the kitchen who haven’t clocked out!

They are also pillars of Yunzhong Cafeteria!

A large portion of the cafeteria’s monthly revenue is supported by us!

We are important named NPCs who have only appeared once and met the boss only once!

Elderly folks, you can’t completely ignore us just because Qin Huai is back!

When Qin Huai wasn’t here, you all loved eating our pastries too!

Pei Xing and Li Hua exchanged glances and saw the same word on each other’s faces:

“Side character.”

Pei Xing glanced at Li Hua again.

Ordinary appearance, ordinary name—an unremarkable side character.

But he himself—ordinary appearance, surname like a protagonist—had the potential to become a main character!

Pei Xing proudly shook his head and continued making peach crisps.

With less than two hours before clock-out, he planned to make more batches to sell in the evening.

Li Hua: …

Is Pei Xing’s chuunibyou acting up again?

Forget it, back to work.

When Qin Huai changed and entered the kitchen, Qin Luo had already taken the dough out of the suitcase and had even started eating crispy pastries.

Qin Huai counted the portions—one per person, two for Ou Yang, two for Qin Luo—and steamed them. The remaining dough was stored in the freezer, then he went to select crabs from the water tank.

As an expert at selecting crabs, Qin Huai could tell at a glance that this batch was of excellent quality—almost comparable to the regular supply at Huang Ji. It was clear that Huang Xi had done his best to source the best available on the market. However, since crabs were nearing the end of the season, even the best stock couldn’t match what was available half a month earlier.

But it was enough.

After a 32,000-point increase in filling-mixing proficiency, Qin Huai’s skills had improved dramatically. While ingredient quality was an objective limitation, within the current conditions, he had full confidence he could make respectable crab roe siu mai.

After all, the new employees were watching in the kitchen.

Actually, they weren’t that new anymore, but since this was Qin Huai’s second time meeting Pei Xing and Li Hua, he couldn’t even remember who was who at first glance.

As for the background helpers—he didn’t even know their names.

“Hello, boss,” Li Hua greeted first like a professional worker.

“Hello, boss,” Pei Xing followed.

“Hello,” Qin Huai nodded. The three of them exchanged greetings like strangers meeting for the first time.

During the past month, Qin Huai hadn’t thought much about his new employees, but his two employees had been thinking about him constantly.

Unbeknownst to Qin Huai, he had already gained some fame in the white-case pastry chef circle.

News that a talented young white-case chef had joined Huang Ji had spread throughout the southern pastry chef community.

Compared to the thriving red-case cuisine, white-case chefs had long faced a shortage of successors. Most relied on masters training their own apprentices, and it was rare for someone to emerge from nowhere and gain recognition.

Qin Huai was exactly such a wild talent—like a bolt from the blue.

Many pastry chefs had quietly visited Huang Ji to try his creations.

Their evaluations were consistently positive: excellent craftsmanship, very tasty, wide variety, good quality control. The only downside was that the overall difficulty level wasn’t very high, with the most complex item being the five-ding bun, and the chef didn’t focus much on decorative techniques.

Definitely a self-taught wild talent.

Normally, Li Hua and Pei Xing wouldn’t have had access to such up-to-date information after stepping away from the core circle—but each had their own ways.

Li Hua’s master was still in the core circle.

As for Pei Xing, he was related to Pei Shenghua, a well-known Huaiyang cuisine master—famous not only for his cooking but also for being the “King of Gossip.” In the southern culinary world, whether red-case or white-case, there was no gossip he couldn’t get—true, false, exaggerated, or fabricated.

Pei Xing and Li Hua had spent the past month quietly consuming all sorts of rumors about their boss in Suzhou.

Some said Qin Huai was Zheng Da’s last disciple who went to Suzhou to train.

Some said he wasn’t chosen by Zheng Da and instead was taken in by Huang Shengli.

Some even claimed he was a prodigy recognized by both masters, given full inheritance, now holding great power at Huang Ji, even being considered by a wealthy businessman as a son-in-law with a massive dowry—like a protagonist in a novel.

More extreme rumors suggested Qin Huai was a schemer who infiltrated Huang Ji and took 50% of its shares.

Rumors spread wildly—start with a photo, the rest is all imagination.

For employees, the boss’s gossip was always welcome.

Both Pei Xing and Li Hua had been closely watching Qin Huai’s developments, trying to judge which rumors were true and whether they might have a chance to transfer to Huang Ji.

After all, Huang Ji’s salary was well-known in the industry.

Li Hua thought that if he could work at Huang Ji, returning to Suzhou wouldn’t be out of the question.

The two quietly observed Qin Huai.

Meanwhile, Qin Huai was fully focused on making crab roe siu mai.

In the past month at Huang Ji, what improved most wasn’t his filling skills, but his concentration while cooking.

The back kitchen was noisy—many people, many tasks, constant shouting, and movement. Even the cooking station wasn’t truly quiet.

At first, Qin Huai was affected by the noise, but later he got used to it.

No matter how noisy the environment, once he started cooking, he no longer paid attention to anything else.

Focus is an essential quality of a good chef.

At first, Li Hua and Pei Xing watched him out of curiosity. Later, they watched openly and closely, even leaning in while working.

The dish Qin Huai was making—crab roe siu mai—was something they were very familiar with.

But not made this way.

The combination of crab meat, crab roe, shrimp, and subtle seasoning required deep understanding.

And Qin Huai executed it with ease.

Unlike Zheng Da’s understated style, Qin Huai’s movements were clean, smooth, and visually impressive.

Simple to the point of appearing masterful.

Li Hua and Pei Xing couldn’t take their eyes off him.

Time passed.

Qin Huai, focused on his work, suddenly said, without looking up: “Luo Luo, the pastries in the steamer should be ready. Take them out and place them on plates—I’ll add the finishing touches later.”

Qin Luo went to check the steamer.

Qin Huai looked up, about to ask Li Hua and Pei Xing to help roll and wrap dumpling skins, but noticed both of them staring at him.

Qin Huai: ?

Pei Xing and Li Hua: …

Li Hua’s face immediately turned red.

He knew their behavior resembled apprentices secretly observing a master—it was impolite and unprofessional, but he couldn’t help it.

Pei Xing, on the other hand, nearly wanted to bury himself in the ground when he realized what he had been doing.

Qin Huai quickly understood—they were watching how he made the siu mai—and smiled. “Interested in crab roe siu mai?”

Both nodded awkwardly.

“If you’re interested, I can teach you. Unfortunately, crab is out of season soon, so we don’t have much roe. And I’ll be returning to Suzhou in a few days, so it won’t be possible for now. How about I teach you next year when crabs are in season again? Is there anything else you’d like to learn?”

“Anything?” Pei Xing asked cautiously.

“Anything I know,” Qin Huai replied.

“Apple-shaped pastries too?” Pei Xing asked.

“I only know the shaping for apple pastries. I haven’t systematically learned the recipe, so I can’t teach that yet—but I can teach other pastries. After finishing glazing these, you can try them. If you like them, I can teach you after the New Year.”

Pei Xing and Li Hua were both stunned.

“So, can you help me roll the dough and wrap the siu mai?” Qin Huai asked.

“Yes, of course!” they answered in unison.

“We still have unfinished pastries—will this delay your clock-out?”

“No, not at all!” they replied again in unison.

“Our pastry chefs’ clock-out times are flexible,” Li Hua said.

“Yes, I actually like working overtime,” Pei Xing added.

Qin Huai: ?

White-case pastry chefs really are a bit… unconventional.