AGN -Chapter 304 Mung Bean Cake

Qin Huai opened the recipe and checked the details.

[Mung Bean Cake — A+ Grade]
Creator: ?

Dish Description:
After being fired for the third time by a boss who could share hardship but not prosperity, Chen Gong fell into despair. At that lowest point, he tasted this delicious pastry at the newly opened Qin Ji Pastry Shop in Shanghai.

This is not the most delicious pastry Chen Gong has ever eaten across his many tribulation cycles—but it is the warmest one he has ever had since beginning those trials. The tasty pastry, along with the comforting words from the pastry chef (who was also the owner), rekindled Chen Gong’s confidence after failing his tribulation.

After consuming this dish, your confidence will increase for 12 hours—just enough to help you move one step closer to success.

Daily production limit: (0/666) (each portion ≤ 250g)

Qin Huai: ?

This “?”… is it the one he’s thinking of?

Is the game system using “?” to represent all spirits that haven’t appeared yet, or does this “?” refer to a specific individual?

Qin Huai closed the game panel and looked at Chen Gong with a probing gaze. He believed Chen Gong chose this A+ grade mung bean cake not just because it tasted good—there had to be deeper meaning behind it.

Chen Gong’s first boss had become a shipping tycoon under the blessing of his fortune. A steward under such a tycoon in that era must have tasted countless delicacies.

From Qin Huai’s look, Chen Gong already knew what he wanted to ask. He had prepared his answer long ago.

“I didn’t just chat with everyone in the group this afternoon—I also added them on WeChat and spoke with each of them privately,” Chen Gong said.

“Mr. Luo Jun is still stuck in the indecisive stage of his first life. I don’t think his chances of successfully passing the tribulation are high.”

Qin Huai nodded in agreement. “Yes, we all think so.”

“Mr. Luo is a very passionate Bifang,” Chen Gong said. “Just like the creator of the recipe I gave you—equally passionate.”

“I believe you’ve already guessed. The system should also show it—the creator of this recipe is the same spirit who made the glutinous rice cake recipe you obtained.”

“At noon, I only spoke briefly and didn’t go into detail. During my first life’s tribulation, my first boss fired me for incompetence. No matter how I explained or defended myself, he wouldn’t listen. In the end, he had people throw me out of the shop—that’s when my tribulation already failed.”

“At the time, I was extremely unwilling to accept it. Even if the boss didn’t know his luck came from me, I had worked diligently for years out of gratitude—never embezzling, never slacking. He should have seen that. I shouldn’t have ended up like that.”

“According to the normal process for a spirit’s tribulation, I should have committed suicide right then.”

Qin Huai: …

Your “normal process” is really extreme.

“But I didn’t. Because I couldn’t accept it. I thought—if I was still myself, but chose a different boss, would the outcome change?”

“So even knowing I had already failed, I stayed in the human world and chose a second boss.”

“I met him when he had nothing. I watched his business grow, his connections expand. At first, he treated me very well and valued me highly. He often said I was his lucky star. I thought I had chosen the right person.”

“But I was wrong.”

“After the second boss drove me away, I still couldn’t accept it. I became even more cautious and found a third boss whom I believed to be upright in every way. I followed him, building everything from scratch again.”

“Looking back, I was just a spirit back then. I didn’t understand that people can change.”

“The third boss didn’t fire me—he suspected me of betrayal. Maybe it was just an excuse. But by then, I no longer had the energy to think about it.”

“I became a notorious traitor in the industry. My reputation was ruined, and the money I had was stolen by a thief who happened to break into my house. I was left with only a little cash.”

“At that point, I was filled with resentment and unwillingness. Though I was only a middle-aged man—and even a well-maintained one for that era—I no longer had the strength to find a fourth boss.”

“So I planned to do what most people who lose the will to live do: use my last bit of money to eat a good meal, then jump into the Huangpu River.”

Qin Huai listened quietly. He noticed that when Chen Gong reached this part, a trace of emotion flickered in his eyes.

“I originally wanted to go to a restaurant,” Chen Gong continued, “but Shanghai was too expensive. I didn’t have enough money for a proper meal. On my way to the Huangpu River, I happened to see a newly opened pastry shop—Qin Ji Pastry Shop. For some reason, I walked in.”

“The owner was a spirit—one in his second life. You’ve seen him in Qu Jing’s memories.”

“I think he was opening pastry shops all over the country to resolve some lingering obsession. He recognized that I was a spirit and saw that I had failed my tribulation.”

“He was very warm. He gave me a chair, a cup of tea, and a plate of mung bean cakes. Then he listened to me talk about my failed tribulation for an entire afternoon.”

“He told me it wasn’t my fault. And if I did have faults, I should bear the consequences—but I shouldn’t trap myself in obsessive thoughts and fall into a deeper cycle of fixation. That would only make future tribulations harder.”

“He said there are good people in this world—he has seen them, and he believes I will meet them too. He told me not to reincarnate with resentment, but to calm down and face it peacefully.”

Qin Huai asked curiously, “Can I ask—what obsession caused his failure?”

Based on the timeline from Qu Jing and Chen Gong, if that spirit still hasn’t succeeded, Qin Huai felt there was a high chance he would appear in his system’s compendium.

Maybe even become an important supporting character—better understand him in advance.

“I’m not too sure,” Chen Gong said, a little embarrassed. “That day was mostly about me. I only know he’s opening pastry shops everywhere to find someone.”

“After talking with him, I gave up my plan to jump into the Huangpu River that day. I went home, calmed down for a few days, thought things through, and once my resentment faded… then I went and jumped into the river.”

Qin Huai: …

Even if that’s normal for spirits, hearing it like this still feels… strange.

Forget it.

Spirits really are something else.

Whether fish, birds, or plant spirits—they all have a tendency to come out with shocking conclusions.

Qin Huai had now fully heard Chen Gong’s story.

Though he wasn’t very familiar with Chen Gong, he found it easy to get along with all spirits. After all, among non-spirit beings, he might be the only one who could speak so openly with them—being the protagonist of a system-based world.

After thinking carefully, Qin Huai asked cautiously:

“So what are you planning to do now…?”

“Continue living, or jump into the Huangpu River again?”

According to the basic rules of spirit tribulation, the safest option after success is actually to commit suicide immediately. Staying in the human world introduces too many uncertainties.

Even if they say they won’t cause trouble, no one can guarantee what these spirits might do.

Even Qu Jing—the most stable and least troublesome of them all—had already done something big during the New Year.

Chen Gong looked mature, steady, and highly reliable—a model employee. Yet in his first life, after failing his tribulation, he still refused to give up and went on to serve two more bosses.

Of course, for the most tragic outcome… one only needs to look at a certain elementary school student currently studying.

“Of course I’ll keep living,” Chen Gong said without hesitation. “I know what you’re worried about, Master Qin. I also know there are risks, but I don’t regret it.”

“Just like the spirit I met at the end of my first life told me—he has met truly good people in this world, and he believes I will too.”

“I’ve lived as a human for so many lifetimes. I understand that human nature is complicated, and I know people don’t stay the same forever. But I’m willing to gamble.”

“I’m willing to bet that my judgment now is better than it was in my first life. I’m willing to bet that I understand people better now.”

“And I’m willing to gamble once more—for President Han.”

“I’m also willing to accept any price or consequence.”

Qin Huai knew this was Chen Gong’s decision—he had already guessed it would be.

How should he put it? If these spirits were perfectly rational, never impulsive, and completely flawless, they wouldn’t have failed their tribulations in the first place.

“I also believe your judgment won’t be wrong this time, Assistant Chen. I believe President Han is a good boss—and a good client as well,” Qin Huai said with a smile.

“So… can I trouble you with one more thing?”

“What is it?” Chen Gong asked.

“Please help me reschedule tomorrow’s flight to the evening. In the morning, help me find a place where I can make pastries, and prepare some ingredients for making mung bean cakes.”

“I’ll send you the ingredient list later. I haven’t watched the video tutorial for this recipe yet, but it should be pretty similar to how I usually make them.”

“We’re not in the same city, and you probably don’t have many chances to visit Shan City, let alone eat regularly at Yunzhong Canteen. That’s just not realistic.”

“Normally, spirits awaken because they eat dishes I recreate from their memories—both Qu Jing and Sister Hong were like that.”

“But you’re different. You awakened first, and only then gave me the recipe.”

“So I think the recipe from your memory should still follow tradition—you should be the first to taste it.”

“I can’t make an A+ grade mung bean cake, but I’m confident I can manage a B grade. I have that much confidence.”

“What do you think, Assistant Chen?”

Chen Gong smiled. “It would be my honor.”

After Chen Gong left, Qin Huai took a couple of sips of his drink, opened his phone, and reread the entire afternoon’s chat history in the “Happy Family” group. Only then did he open the game panel to check the mung bean cake tutorial.

The video began with a pair of very slender hands.

Long, beautiful, well-maintained hands—calloused where they should be, clean where they should be—the hands of a proper pastry chef.

This mysterious “?” spirit’s cooking skills were even better than Qin Huai had imagined.

An A+ grade mung bean cake… It was clear he hadn’t lied when he met Qu Jing in the provincial capital. That batch of glutinous rice cakes really had only reached A grade because they were flawed.

Being able to make A+ level pastries—this level would absolutely qualify as a master chef even at Zhiweiju.

The tutorial started from rubbing the mung beans.

Anyone who often makes mung bean cakes knows that the beans must first be peeled, washed, and soaked for over six hours so they can be steamed until soft.

Back when Qin Huai made mung bean cakes, peeling the beans was usually Qin Luo’s job. No one else could do it as carefully—only she would ensure every single mung bean was perfectly peeled.

Because she was the one eating them—and she loved them.

The peeling portion in the video was brief, just showing how clean the beans were and their quality, before moving on to steaming.

After steaming, the beans were mashed into a fine paste, and butter was added to the pan and slowly cooked.

Yes—butter. Quite a novel method, especially for that era.

After that, the process was completely standard.

Seasoning—adding sugar and stir-frying—then drying and shaping.

At first glance, the whole process seemed ordinary, almost identical to Qin Huai’s usual method. No special tricks, no flashy techniques.

Everything was calm and methodical. The creator worked unhurriedly, every step precise and orderly—almost obsessively so.

All bowls, utensils, and ingredients had to be neatly arranged. If anything shifted during the process, it was immediately put back in place.

Qin Huai watched the tutorial once.

He understood it—but gained no insight.

The video gave off a strange feeling: it looked like something anyone could do, yet if you actually tried, you definitely couldn’t—because your skill simply wasn’t enough.

This feeling was different from Jiang Chengde’s tutorials, which were incomprehensible; different from Jiang Weiming’s, which were easy to understand; and also different from Jiang Weijin’s, which were somewhat confusing but full of useful tips.

Qin Huai firmly believed that if you didn’t understand something after one viewing, you should watch it again.

So he watched it again and again.

The mung bean cake tutorial wasn’t particularly long—but watching it fifteen times definitely meant staying up late.

By the time Qin Huai realized it, it was already deep into the night.

Before going to sleep, Qin Huai sent Qin Luo a message:

Qin Huai: Luoluo, are you free this weekend? I’m making mung bean cakes—get ready.

Qin Luo, who had been secretly using her phone late at night and was instantly caught by her brother: 〣(Δ)〣

Heavens bear witness—since school started, she had only secretly used her phone this one time. How did her brother know?!

Startled, Qin Luo hurriedly shoved her phone under her pillow and went to sleep.