AGN -Chapter 298 Warm-Hearted Citizen Master Tong

Just as Qin Huai and Chen Gong were chatting about the impressive results of Hao Weidao’s second internal networking event—and Chen Gong was pulling out his phone to show Qin Huai the report that President Han had praised—Zang Mu’s dishes began coming out one after another.

They were all fragrant vegetarian dishes simmered in rich stock.

Han Guishan stood up and gave Qin Huai a look. Qin Huai immediately understood, grabbed a bowl, and stepped forward, with Chen Gong following close behind.

The three of them stood in a row and began tasting.

As he ate, Han Guishan said with some regret that these dishes didn’t pair very well with mantou; otherwise, he would have steamed a couple more fermented rice mantou to go with them.

Qin Huai immediately said that while fermented rice mantou might not be the best match, longevity noodles would definitely pair well. Zang Mu was a master of Huaiyang cuisine, and his skill in preparing superior stock was on par with Huang Shengli. Some of the dishes on the table were made with chicken stock.

He suggested that when the banquet officially started tomorrow, he could discuss it with Zang Mu and borrow some chicken broth to cook longevity noodles, serving a special pot just for Han Guishan’s table. These dishes with longevity noodles would surely taste amazing.

Han Guishan was delighted. He felt that Qin Huai truly understood food—he didn’t even need to taste it; just hearing Qin Huai describe it made him certain it would be delicious.

However, he decided against having a separate special dish prepared, as it wouldn’t look appropriate. There would be many tables at tomorrow’s banquet, including business partners. As a successful CEO, he had the social awareness and professionalism to avoid that.

Of course, he also knew that Qin Huai would be solely responsible for all the banquet desserts the next day, so adding longevity noodles would be too exhausting.

So Han said they wouldn’t serve it during the banquet—after it ended, he would sneak into the kitchen with his wife and enjoy a private meal instead.

Qin Huai felt that Han truly understood the joy of a “small stove” (private dish). Food eaten in the kitchen always tasted better than when served outside—he wasn’t sure why, maybe because it was closer to the stove.

With the last dish completely finished by Han Guishan, the tasting session for the day came to a perfect close.

Seeing Han’s appetite, Qin Huai decided to prepare extra desserts and make more raw dough in advance for the next day, so Han could enjoy them at leisure.

If one wasn’t overly particular about texture and taste, raw dough could be frozen for about ten days. Qin Huai was confident that, given Han’s appetite, it wouldn’t last that long anyway.

After the tasting, Qin Huai and the others returned to the hotel. He tried adding Tong Deyan on WeChat through a group chat. The request was accepted almost instantly. After Qin Huai sent a greeting sticker, Tong replied with a polite “hello.” He was surprisingly courteous—completely different from the rumors that described him as hot-tempered and unpleasant.

As Qin Huai was thinking about what message to send next to leave a good impression—so that when he went to Beiping in the future he could enjoy a good meal—Zang Liang came to his room.

More precisely, he wasn’t just visiting; he came to discuss the work arrangements for the next day.

Although Zang Liang had a lively personality, he handled work as steadily as his master Zang Mu. His skills were solid, and his knife work was, as he claimed, worthy of being called a “little knife prince.”

The next day, Qin Huai would only have Zang Liang assisting him. Even though he only needed to make three types of dim sum, the workload was no lighter than that of Zang Mu and Tong Deyan. Zang Liang had assisted today, but he wasn’t sure whether tomorrow’s work would be exactly the same, nor whether the timing for large-scale production would match that of small trial batches. So he came specifically to clarify everything.

Qin Huai hadn’t expected such professionalism from an assistant and found himself unable to answer immediately. After all, this was his first time handling a banquet. While he had experience with large production and strict timing separately, he had never really coordinated with others.

After being stumped for a couple of seconds, Qin Huai decided to ask Tong Deyan for help.

Tong clearly understood banquet operations—his timing for serving dishes was extremely precise and professional.

Moreover, humbly asking a new acquaintance for advice was a good way to build rapport.

Without hesitation, Qin Huai pulled out his phone and started typing:

Qin Huai: Master Tong, I’d like to ask about the serving schedule for tomorrow’s banquet. My three dim sum dishes will be served last: first the fermented rice mantou, then the diced meat buns, and finally the Four-Joy tangyuan. What would be the best interval between these dishes?

Tong Deyan: Which room are you in?

Qin Huai: 513.

Two minutes later, there was a knock on Qin Huai’s door. When he opened it, Tong Deyan—dressed similarly to the afternoon, just with a different jacket—stood outside.

Qin Huai quickly invited him in and poured him water. Under Zang Liang’s shocked, almost frightened gaze, he said, “Master Tong, you didn’t have to come in person. You could have just replied on WeChat.”

“Messages on WeChat leave records—they can be screenshotted,” Tong replied.

Qin Huai: ? Just how many times had he been screenshotted to gain such experience?

Before Qin Huai could say more, Tong continued, “You’ve never handled a banquet before.”

His tone was firm and unquestionable.

Qin Huai nodded. “That’s true. President Han found me mainly through Mr. Xu Cheng’s recommendation.”

Tong nodded and glanced at Zang Liang, who was now trembling in the corner. “I heard you only arranged for one assistant tomorrow.”

Qin Huai nodded again. “Zang Liang’s knife skills are excellent. He’s enough. The dim sum I’ll make tomorrow isn’t too complex, and the quantity isn’t huge. I’ve also asked Assistant Chen—there aren’t any strong pastry chefs at Yushan Pavilion, so one helper is enough.”

“True. With the level of those so-called pastry chefs at Yushan Pavilion—who don’t even qualify as half-trained—they’re not fit to assist you. Letting them knead dough would risk ruining it. Better not use them at all.”

“The hot dish chefs aren’t much better either. If I’d known their level was this poor, I would’ve brought a few people from Babaozhai.”

“Zang Liang is decent. Though he became Zang Mu’s apprentice mainly because he’s his nephew, he does have some talent and works hard. He’s not an embarrassment—better than most connections.”

Connection-based hire Zang Liang: …

Qin Huai: …

Now Qin Huai understood why Tong Deyan had such a bad reputation. He left no room in his words—they were as harsh as they could be. In a way, he was even harsher than Luo Jun.

Luo Jun often lashed out simply because he was in a bad mood, speaking sarcastically and unpleasantly, but not to the extent that people would take it to heart.

Tong Deyan, however, spoke nothing but brutally honest truths—like poison-tipped blades.

Lies don’t hurt; the truth is the sharp knife.

“So, Master Tong, about tomorrow’s process…”

“Tomorrow’s banquet will have four cold dishes, ten hot dishes, one sweet soup, one savory soup, three dim sum items, and one fruit platter—a total of twenty dishes.”

“I’ve already discussed the serving order and timing with Zang Mu. I didn’t consult you because you’re in charge of the dim sum. Your last three items can be served consecutively without affecting the overall flow. As for the intervals you asked about—two minutes between each is fine, or you can serve all three together. It won’t make a difference.”

“Actually, the main reason I came over is that I heard you telling President Han in the kitchen earlier that you’d prepare an extra serving of longevity noodles for him tomorrow. I think it’s a great idea—but there’s no need to serve it as an extra dish. You can simply replace the sweet soup for each table with longevity noodles. That way, the total number of dishes and the serving flow won’t be affected.”

“I also heard you mention that the longevity noodles would use chicken stock. If you trust my and Zang Mu’s skills, you can leave the stock to us. If you don’t trust me, that’s fine—just trust Zang Mu. He came a few days early specifically to prepare the stock.”

“Of course, this is just my suggestion.”

“For this banquet, I’m the one being paid the most, and I’m also the main person in charge. If I take the money, I have to do the job properly. Tomorrow is President Han’s son, Han Youxin’s birthday banquet—there’s no dish more suitable than longevity noodles for such an occasion. If it were just ordinary noodles, there’d be no need to change the menu. But since you personally recommended this dish to President Han, I believe that with your skill, these longevity noodles will definitely be something special.”

“If you don’t want to take on extra work, just pretend I didn’t say anything. After all, your contract doesn’t specify that you have to make longevity noodles.”

Qin Huai: ?!

Do contracts actually specify the exact dishes to be made?

Master Tong, is your contract really that detailed?

Without much hesitation, Qin Huai replied, “Of course I’m willing. If it can make tomorrow’s birthday banquet better, making an extra dish of longevity noodles is nothing. The main concern is troubling you and Master Zang—preparing that much chicken stock is quite a heavy task. You’ll probably have to start working overtime from today.”

“I’m not the one troubled—you are.”

“I’m not troubled either. The one who’s troubled is Zang Mu—he’s already in the kitchen making stock.”

After thinking for a moment, Qin Huai asked, “Should I inform Assistant Chen now? Changing the menu is a big deal—at least he and President Han should know, right?”

Although Han Guishan probably wouldn’t care about such details—as long as the overall banquet tasted good.

“I’ll handle that later. You don’t need to say anything,” Tong Deyan said, standing up to leave. The entire time, he hadn’t touched the water Qin Huai had poured for him.

“And I suggest you talk less as well,” Tong added. “Catering banquets outside is a pretty good way to earn extra income. Since we’re getting paid, it’s best to watch what we say and do.”

“Clients like President Han are rare—cherish them.”

This time, Tong Deyan really was leaving. As he turned around, he noticed the glass of water on the table. After hesitating for two seconds, he picked it up, drank it in one gulp, and left.

He came and went swiftly, leaving behind only a cool departing figure for Qin Huai and Zang Liang, before closing the door without hesitation.

Only after the door shut did Zang Liang finally dare to take a deep breath.

Qin Huai took the cup to the sink and washed it, sighing as he did, “Master Tong is actually quite warm-hearted. He’s a good person—completely different from the rumors.”

Zang Liang: ?

Did we just meet the same Tong Deyan?

“Warm-hearted.”

“A good person.”

Those words can be used for Tong Deyan?

Usually lively and carefree, Zang Liang carefully chose his words this time and asked, “Specifically… how is he good?”

“He didn’t need to come here at all. He came specifically to remind me that I shouldn’t have eaten together with President Han this afternoon,” Qin Huai said.

Zang Liang was shocked. “You knew you shouldn’t have eaten with President Han this afternoon?!”

Qin Huai glanced at him, turned the cup upside down to drain, and said, “Of course I knew. I’ve just never done external catering before—I’m not an idiot.”

“Then why did you still…”

“President Han doesn’t mind these things. And don’t you think the dishes Master Tong made this afternoon smelled amazing? Especially that stir-fried double crisp—when it just came out of the wok, the presentation, taste, and aroma were incredible. It’s really hard to resist not taking a bite.”

Zang Liang nodded vigorously in agreement.

Even as a professional assistant, he had wanted to rush over and try it.

“Then how did you know President Han wouldn’t mind?” Zang Liang asked.

“Assistant Chen told me,” Qin Huai said. “When he picked me up from the airport today, we chatted on the way. He mentioned that President Han is easygoing, has no airs, and actually dislikes excessive formality. He’s more comfortable being treated like a friend.”

“And I didn’t just go up and eat—I asked both President Han and Master Tong first.”

Zang Liang was stunned again. He had always thought Qin Huai acted that way because he didn’t understand the rules—like a fearless rookie. Turns out Qin Huai simply understood the client better than everyone else, operating on a whole different level.

Zang Liang could only lament loudly, “Damn, I didn’t get to eat—what a loss!”

Meanwhile, Chen Gong was driving Han Guishan home. As the car entered the residential complex, Han—who had just finished messaging his wife in the back seat and confirmed she wouldn’t eat carbs tonight, meaning he could enjoy all the desserts himself—suddenly spoke:

“Chen Gong, why did you talk so much with Chef Qin today? I didn’t see you chatting much with Chef Zang or Chef Tong.”

“Did you two hit it off? That’s good—you’re not that far apart in age. You should make some new friends. Maybe Chef Qin can introduce you to some suitable female chefs—who knows, you might find someone you like. Chefs are great—good food means a blessed life.”

“That Four-Joy tangyuan Chef Qin made today was really good. I packed two bags—take one home later. You can cook it in the morning or evening; it’s perfect either way.”

Chen Gong replied, “Thank you, President Han.”

“It’s not that we hit it off instantly, but Chef Qin is indeed a very nice person—kind, not aloof or eccentric, and without airs.”

“The reason I talked so much with him today is because I know he enjoys chatting and listening to gossip. Since the tasting ended so early this afternoon, if I hadn’t talked with him, he might have felt awkward leaving early alone, and he probably wouldn’t have known what to do in the kitchen.”

“And I felt like he was quite interested in me, so I treated it as a self-introduction—basically telling him my own stories as gossip.”

“I see.” Han Guishan sounded a bit disappointed. “Chef Qin really is a good person—you should spend more time with him. You need to make some new friends. All these years, you’ve only focused on work—even more than me, your boss. Sometimes I even think I should stop being the boss and let you take over.”

“Thank you for your appreciation, President Han—and for the promotion,” Chen Gong said with a smile.