AGN -Chapter 420 The Guide

What kind of egg tart is delicious?

Almost everyone who has ever eaten an egg tart can say a few things about this question. Some people think a freshly baked tart is best—still hot, even slightly burning your mouth, with a crust so crisp it flakes apart with a bite. The custard is soft, sweet, and bouncy, with a texture very similar to pudding, but richer and more mellow. The milk and egg aroma is extremely strong.

Others think freshly baked egg tarts aren’t actually the best. They believe you should let them rest for a while until they become warm, so the “fresh-out-of-the-oven fragrance filter” fades a little. At that point, when you bite into it, you still get crispness and richness, but not overly so—the crust becomes slightly firmer. That, to them, is the perfect egg tart.

Some people prefer sweeter ones, while others like a lighter flavor.

And then there are those who prefer added ingredients—corn, purple sweet potato, durian, mango, chocolate—believing that only then does an egg tart truly become interesting.

It is very difficult to define what makes an egg tart “delicious.”

If Qin Huai were asked this question, he would say that Chef Zhou’s egg tart is the most delicious. With Chef Zhou’s seasoning skills and laminated pastry technique, making egg tarts is practically a dimensional reduction attack.

Even the most ordinary, basic egg tart, under Chef Zhou’s craftsmanship, becomes layered with crispness upon crispness, creating a beautifully progressive texture. Even if it is not freshly baked and piping hot, one bite still delivers an unmatched aroma from laminated pastry techniques. While eating, the custard’s richness—the beautiful combination of sugar, milk, and egg—still comes through, but so does the full flavor of the crust.

Chef Zhou’s egg tarts make it very clear to the eater: perhaps in your understanding, the custard is the main character—but today, I will tell you that the real protagonist is the crust. Even if you think it is a supporting role, you must admit it has a very important part to play.

If Qin Huai were to score it, he would give Chef Zhou’s egg tart 99 points—the remaining 1 point left for improvement.

So what about his own egg tart?

Qin Huai was currently scoring it.

He had made several batches of egg tarts in the afternoon. Compared to the complexity and precision of the crust, the custard was much simpler. For a savory kitchen chef, the most important cooking steps were almost negligible.

He didn’t even supervise the baking. It was done by Tan Weian at the oven station. If Tan Weian hadn’t been assigned as an assistant with little to do today, even this step wouldn’t have required him—any apprentice could have handled it.

Set temperature, set time—done. It was that simple.

Qin Huai was now eating his first batch.

Honestly speaking, he felt there was no obvious difference between the batches he made that afternoon. His condition had been consistent throughout—no breakthrough performance, no failure, not even a learning curve.

He was like someone who had finished enough practice exams to take a test, not someone learning while flipping through a book during the exam.

Freshly baked egg tarts were delicious. That was Qin Huai’s favorite state.

At the same time, he couldn’t help comparing his own egg tarts with Chef Zhou’s.

As for the custard, there wasn’t much difference. The filling was the same recipe and ratio—there was only so much variation possible. And Qin Huai had even directly replicated Chef Zhou’s formula almost one-to-one.

But the crust… that was the difference between heaven and earth.

Chef Zhou, being the best at laminated pastries, was like the number one master in the field. Comparing Qin Huai’s skill to his was like trying to reach the moon by jumping.

Still, Qin Huai silently gave his own egg tart 70 points.

He felt it was actually quite good—at least better than KFC and most bakeries out there. “Most” because there might still be people like Zheng Siyuan running small shops that could compete.

He took another bite. The crust was crisp, revealing layered textures with each bite. He could taste the butter kneaded into the dough, released into fragrance through baking.

He could feel the crust wrapping around the custard, being chewed between his teeth, leaving a lingering sweetness on his tongue after swallowing.

If an egg tart could leave an aftertaste, then it was definitely qualified—and even slightly excellent.

Qin Huai glanced secretly at Chef Zhou.

Chef Zhou was also tasting it, expressionless. He always looked like this when eating pastries—calm, slightly numb, with a faint trace of impatience or even anger in his brows. He gave off a naturally intimidating presence, the kind that made people want to step back instinctively.

But now, his expression was very calm. No impatience, no anger—and not much satisfaction either.

Because Qin Huai didn’t know him well enough, he couldn’t read anything from his face, so he turned his attention to Tan Weian instead.

Perhaps because he knew him too well, Qin Huai felt Tan Weian’s thoughts were practically written on his face.

It was full of: delicious, I like it, I want more.

He ate without stopping. In the time Qin Huai finished one egg tart, Tan Weian had eaten two. His eating speed was second only to Qin Luo and Ou Yang.

Even his eating style was starting to resemble Ou Yang’s—messy and wolf-like.

Watching him, Qin Huai even felt a bit guilty, wondering if he shouldn’t have let Tan Weian taste-test during the crab bun session earlier. Look what the head assistant of Zhiwei Ju had become—he was turning into Ou Yang.

Tan Weian ate three egg tarts before stopping.

Not because he was full—but because he was tired of them.

He went to get tea, only to realize no one was serving him anymore since he was just an assistant today. Of course, no one had ever really served him tea before anyway, so he just went to pour it himself.

After he left, only Qin Huai and Chef Zhou remained at the station.

Chef Zhou had already finished tasting. Seeing Tan Weian leave, he gave his back a mildly approving look—as if to say he knew when to leave—and then spoke:

“Xiao Qin, what do you think?”

Qin Huai: ?

Wasn’t the normal script supposed to be Chef Zhou criticizing his egg tarts, tearing them apart completely, forcing him to reflect and improve, and then he would work hard in Zhiwei Ju?

Why was the middle part skipped straight to the conclusion?

Qin Huai hesitated, looking at Chef Zhou. The man clearly wasn’t being sarcastic. His expression and tone were calm, as if this was simply a proper conversation now that the irrelevant person had left.

“Thoughts… thoughts…” Qin Huai struggled to find words. He was genuinely at a loss.

He respected Chef Zhou—and even feared him a little. Even though Chef Zhou was always kind when they met, it didn’t stop Qin Huai from feeling a subtle pressure.

Perhaps this was the legendary aura of a sect elder.

“You think my egg tart… how was it?” Qin Huai asked instead.

“Average,” Chef Zhou replied calmly. “In terms of skill, you and Old Third are about equal. He might even be slightly worse than you. You each have your strengths.”

“You’re better at steamed pastries and niche items like Four Happiness Dumplings. Old Third, my disciple, although a bit unruly, has tried many types of pastries, but his strongest is still laminated pastry.”

“If Old Third made egg tarts today, his crust wouldn’t be as crisp as yours. But too much is too little—egg tarts are not puff pastries. They need both crispness and softness. You didn’t quite control that balance.”

“I noticed it when you were kneading the dough. Your technique is good—you know when to go light and when to go heavy. These past few days you’ve also picked up some of my techniques, even if only superficially. Still, being able to learn that much already is rare.”

“But you’re clearly not good at laminated pastries. Your technique is stiff. You’re imitating blindly, but your skill isn’t at Old Third’s level, so it ends up looking like a rough copy.”

Chef Zhou’s feedback was vivid, precise, and brutally accurate—worthy of someone who had trained three very different apprentices.

“So your egg tart today…” Qin Huai asked cautiously.

Chef Zhou smiled slightly. It was a warm, almost gentle smile:

“I’m very satisfied.”

Qin Huai could tell he truly was.

“You’re more talented, more perceptive, and more capable than I had heard, imagined, or seen in the past few days.”

This was extremely high praise—so high that Qin Huai was genuinely stunned.

He tried to explain, “Chef Zhou, actually… Tan Weian probably didn’t tell you. I’ve always been like this with pastries. I’m very good at imitating others, including in thickening sauces…”

Master Zhou directly interrupted Qin Huai:

“Xiao Tan told me before—imitation is normal. Everyone, when learning something new, starts by imitating. In many cases, imitation itself requires talent; without enough talent, you don’t even qualify to imitate.”

“The talent and comprehension I’m talking about aren’t about imitation. Old Third also has excellent imitation talent, but what makes you better than him isn’t imitation.”

“When I told you to make egg tarts, what was your first reaction?”

Master Zhou stared at Qin Huai.

“I was a bit surprised,” Qin Huai said honestly. “I didn’t expect you to ask me to make egg tarts, because I’ve never made them before, and I rarely make this type of pastry. Also, I’m pretty sure Tan Weian must have told you that my weakest area is laminated pastries.”

“I thought you wouldn’t let me just keep watching forever—you’d eventually let me try making something. I thought about a lot of pastries, like pincered buns, flower-shaped steamed buns, or other things that train finger techniques. But egg tarts… I really didn’t think of that.”

Master Zhou asked again:

“So before you made the egg tart, what were you thinking?”

Qin Huai thought for a moment.

“I recalled what I had seen these past few days. I replayed in my mind how you made egg tarts over the last few days, and I also thought about some of the things I heard.”

Master Zhou nodded in satisfaction and continued:

“So after thinking all that, what do you think is the most important thing about making egg tarts?”

“The crust.”

“What else?”

“Also, don’t make the same mistakes Su Qian has been making while kneading dough these days. Making laminated dough is very delicate—your touch has to be light, but when incorporating butter into the dough, the force must be strong.”

“Actually, I didn’t think about all that too deeply. When I was kneading, I only had one thought: the egg tart crust is the soul of the whole egg tart. That’s the most important step. I’m not good at laminated dough, but I must do this crust well.”

“At that time, I was constantly recalling how you kneaded the dough. I was probably subconsciously imitating you, though I’m not even fully sure myself.” Qin Huai’s words gradually became more and more fluent as he spoke.

“You really were imitating,” Master Zhou confirmed. “And you did it very well—you captured the essence.”

Just when Qin Huai thought Master Zhou would continue questioning his understanding of the egg tart, Master Zhou suddenly shifted the topic.

“Then these past few days, have you noticed any problems with my three apprentices?”

Qin Huai: ?

Is he even qualified to comment on this?

Among Master Zhou’s three apprentices, apart from Zhao Cheng’an whose level was slightly below Qin Huai’s, Zhou Yan and Wang Jiayi were both above him in skill. Especially Wang Jiayi—his cooking skills and personal style were both extremely distinct, a textbook master chef.

Aside from not meeting Master Zhou’s graduation standards, he already met all the requirements Zhiwei Ju had for a master chef.

“Uh…” Qin Huai hesitated, but still answered: “Zhao Cheng’an is a bit rigid.”

“On the surface, there’s nothing wrong with his pastries, but he’s too by-the-book. Sometimes it even feels like it’s not a person making the pastry, but a machine.”

“There isn’t even the slightest personal style.”

“As for Sister Yan… she lacks a bit of confidence. Her cooking and palate are both good, and I believe her instincts are also good, but she just doesn’t trust herself. The White Jade Shrimp Rolls are her creation, but when problems arise during development, her first instinct is not to trust herself, but to ask others—whether it’s Brother Jiayi or Zhao Cheng’an, she always prefers their judgment over her own.”

“Even when it comes to me, she would rather trust my tongue than her own judgment.”

“As for Brother Jiayi, I don’t think he has any problems. At least with my level, I can’t see any issues.”

Master Zhou nodded even more satisfied and said nothing.

Now Qin Huai was even more confused.

Whether Master Zhou wanted to sarcastically criticize him or directly attack him, he could accept that.

But no commentary at all—what kind of situation is this?

“Master Zhou, then I…”

Master Zhou interrupted him again:

“Do you still remember when you first came here, I told you that your pastries always had someone else’s shadow in them?”

Qin Huai nodded.

“That is both a reflection of your talent—and the reason for your bottleneck.”

“The situation of Old Third is basically the same as yours. But he doesn’t have your level of talent, so you can see the rigidity in his pastries, yet he has never been able to change it all these years.”

“I think observation is very important. If a chef can see many things just by looking, then when learning things that require deeper understanding, it becomes much easier.”

“You, without ever making an egg tart before, could identify the core point just by watching.”

“And without a master personally laying your foundation and guiding you step by step, you still managed to build such solid fundamentals.”

“What I can teach you now is no longer technical skills—it’s awareness.”

“Xiao Tan told me you’ve been struggling a lot with the Four Happiness Roll. Your technique has improved significantly recently, but after improving, you suddenly realized you still can’t make it properly at your current level.”

“It’s not that your skill is lacking. Your hands are steady, your foundation is there. What’s missing is that your awareness hasn’t caught up.”

“Honestly, I don’t like teaching this kind of ‘awareness’ stuff. Even with my own disciples. Take Old Third for example—he’s already quite smart and talented, but his stubborn head just won’t turn. He’s like a mule. Beating doesn’t help, scolding doesn’t help. I let him travel every year, thinking he’d broaden his horizons, relax, gain some insight—but every year he just comes back with a bunch of souvenirs.”

“So I was hesitating whether to spend this effort on you.”

“But now it seems, Xiao Qin, you’re worth it.”

“You’re much better than Old Third. You’re not dull, and you’re not lacking talent. You’re just missing someone to guide you onto the right path.”

“I’m very willing to be that guide.”

Just as Master Zhou finished speaking, Tan Weian came back holding tea.

It was the tea he himself drank—Lu’an Guapian. Considering neither Qin Huai nor Master Zhou had any tea today, and Tan Weian had disappeared for so long, he must have gone to brew a fresh pot himself.

Tan Weian had returned to continue eating egg tarts.

Master Zhou glanced at him with some dissatisfaction:

“Only brought your own tea? What about mine and Xiao Qin’s? Even if there’s Lu’an Guapian, you don’t know to pour us a cup? Xiao Tan, have you been playing with your phone too much lately? Your eyesight’s gone bad—and your awareness too.”

Tan Weian froze for a moment, then subconsciously said: “Sorry, Master Zhou, I’ll go pour it right away.”

He turned around and ran, but after a couple of steps he suddenly reacted.

Wait a second… I’m a personal disciple! A highly privileged one at that!

Master Zhou, I even ate chili sticks in front of you when I was a kid. Don’t you remember? When I failed math in elementary school, my grandfather even beat me in front of you!

I’m a personal disciple! Isn’t tea-pouring work for ordinary apprentices?

How did I go from personal disciple to acting like a regular apprentice just by eating three egg tarts?

Master Zhou… Master Zhou, do you still remember me? I’m Xiao Tan! Tan Weian!

You’ve been interrogating me these past few days about Qin Huai—I’ve told you everything!

Master Zhou, you can’t just discard me after using me!

Master Zhou!