Chapter 43 Fermented Rice Bun — B+ Grade

[Fermented Rice Bun — B+ Grade]

When Qin Huai saw the display showing the fermented rice buns in front of him, he could hardly believe his eyes.

If he had to describe how he felt at that moment…

It would probably be: Woohoo! Patrick Star cheering~
Happy. Extremely happy. The kind of happiness that comes from not needing to wake up early to sell buns and still making money.

So happy that Qin Huai couldn’t help but stand by the steamer and savor the brilliant moments of making the buns just now. He even wished he could hire an artist to paint it and hang it in the kitchen like a framed masterpiece. It was an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

This feeling of being blessed by inspiration was simply amazing. No wonder he had an overperformance and achieved a B+ grade.

Yes, Qin Huai could confirm that he had performed above his usual level this time.

He had always had a very clear understanding of his own abilities. Just like when he watched the video tutorial for hawthorn blossom buns, he immediately knew he couldn’t make them. But when he watched the tutorial for fermented rice buns, he believed his skills were roughly on par with Qin Wan’s, and that making them wouldn’t be a big problem.

He had already experienced how strict the game system’s grading was yesterday.

Even the slightest difference wouldn’t do. The gap between B- and B was like a chasm; naturally, there was also a deep gulf between B and B+.

Indeed, cooking is like painting—both require inspiration.

Once inspiration comes, it’s unstoppable. Hahaha.

Having finally completed the fermented rice buns—and even exceeded expectations—Qin Huai decided to reward himself by slacking off for two hours.

The diners coming at noon could eat a little less of the snacks.

Your Chef Qin is going to slack off!

“Dad, help me bake the remaining batches of sesame pastries and crispy cakes. You know the timing. I’m going to rest first,” Qin Huai announced his plan to slack off.

Qin Congwen, suddenly burdened with more work, was almost moved to tears. Great! His son was finally normal again—finally back to slacking off!

“Alright!” Qin Congwen replied cheerfully.

Outside the serving window, the scene had already changed dramatically.

From the moment Art Student Xiao Zhang shouted, “I’ll take one bun,” it was as if Pandora’s box had been opened. No one cared what kind of bun it was, whether the menu had been posted, or how much it cost.

Everyone joined in: “One / two / three buns!”

The staff packing buns at each counter were still waiting for Huang Xi to post the menu, but customers eager for buns were already complaining about the boss.

“Hurry up, miss, I’m in a rush, one bun please.”

“Yeah, me too, I’m running late. Our boss is awful—he sets the clock 5 minutes fast so we have to clock in at 8:55.”

“Damn, your boss is really something—we only set ours 2 minutes fast.”

“What? You can adjust it? No wonder I’m always late. That’s just unreasonable.”

The staff: …

What could they even say?

“Actually, our boss is quite nice… he doesn’t allow us to arrive early. The shop runs thanks to him.”

While replenishing plastic bags, An Youyou shouted toward the kitchen: “Boss… Chef Qin, can we sell the buns today?”

Qin Huai, already done washing his hands and ready to fully indulge in slacking off, replied happily: “Yes, sell them. All of them.”

“Aren’t the menu items already decided? Let Sister Xi post them.”

An Youyou took a deep breath, then shouted loudly: “New fermented rice buns! Special price: 5 yuan each! Limited quantity, first come first served! No rushing—please queue in order!”

Her voice was so loud that even pedestrians outside the cafeteria could hear it.

Office workers passing by holding rice balls thought: This breakfast shop is interesting—buying buns requires ‘first come first served’ warnings? Are people really going to fight over buns?

They glanced inside the cafeteria: (°△°|||)

Damn… they really were about to fight over them.

After weighing their options, many hesitated… then decisively turned and walked in.

The first person to call out for buns, Xiao Zhang, squeezed through the crowd and left triumphantly with his purchase.

Walking out of the cafeteria, he let out a long breath. Looking at the 5-yuan bun in his hand, it looked similar to yesterday’s, but somehow felt better.

He opened his mouth—big enough to finish a boxed meal in three minutes—and took a bite.

!!!

This flavor… this aroma… this texture… the chewiness between his teeth!

“Mom… sorry, my sense of money has been shaken. I feel like this 5-yuan bun is way too cheap!”

Happily chewing, Xiao Zhang felt his workday might still be salvaged. He decisively turned back, squeezed into the crowd again, and shouted: “Miss, give me two more buns!”

On the other side of the cafeteria, Qin Huai, now fully in slacking mode, casually ate a bun while strolling to the entrance.

As the creator of the fermented rice buns, even he had to admit they were truly delicious.

The ancestral craft of Qin Ji Pastry Shop really had something to it. A small tweak could elevate the overall taste and texture to a whole new level. How Qin Yanxing never learned this skill was truly a disgrace to their ancestors.

Qin Huai pushed open the door and stepped outside, only to find Chen Juan waiting for him.

Since he had been focused on making buns all morning, he hadn’t noticed her arrival. In his impression, she usually didn’t come in the morning—only in the afternoon when buckwheat buns were available. Her waiting here must mean she had something to say.

“Grandma Chen, is something the matter?” Qin Huai asked.

“My Old Wang has something he wants to tell you,” Chen Juan said with a smile. Then she turned around and saw Old Man Wang actually running off to grab fermented rice buns. Her expression changed instantly. “Wang Gensheng!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Old Man Wang ran over with the buns he had just obtained, smiling as he handed one to Chen Juan. “I told you, right? The buns today really have that aroma—just like when Master Jing used to make them fresh out of the steamer. I couldn’t resist…”

“Ahem.” Chen Juan coughed heavily.

Old Man Wang immediately stopped talking and turned to Qin Huai apologetically.

“Xiao Qin, don’t take what I said yesterday to heart. Your buns are really, really delicious—I’m not lying!”

“What I said about the Suzhou master… ah, never mind. Your buns are truly excellent. I’ve never been good with words—you can ask Old Cao and Old Xu, they always criticize me. If you’re unhappy, you can scold me too. Just don’t let my words affect you.”

Qin Huai understood what he meant and smiled reassuringly.

“Grandpa Wang, I didn’t take your words to heart.”

“What I mean is that your words won’t have any negative impact on me. In fact, I should thank you. Without your suggestion yesterday, I wouldn’t have been able to make such improvements today.”

“I remember you like the shrimp-filled sesame pastries, right? I didn’t notice when you came this morning, and you didn’t get them fresh out of the oven. Tomorrow I’ll make another batch—still out at 6 AM sharp. Make sure to come on time.”

Old Man Wang was overjoyed. “Really?! That’s great!”

Qin Huai smiled and nodded. “Please enjoy your food. I have something to take care of, so I’ll head back.”

He went back to lie on the sofa and play on his phone—life felt heavenly.

Old Man Wang watched him leave, deeply moved, murmuring, “What a good kid!”

Then he instinctively took a bite of the bun.

“Eh.”

Old Man Wang froze.

“Eh what eh? I told you to properly talk to Xiao Qin Master, and look at what you said! Wang Gensheng, your life is ruined by that careless mouth of yours!” Chen Juan scolded in frustration.

Old Man Wang pointed at the bun. “Juan’er, try this. Today’s bun really has a bit of Master Jing’s style.”

Chen Juan subconsciously replied, “How is that possible? How could Xiao Qin Master compare to Master Jing?”

But after saying that, she took a bite—and froze as well.

The couple looked at each other, both eyes filled with confusion.

“Juan’er, which one do you think is better?” Old Man Wang asked cautiously.

After a long silence, Chen Juan replied:

“Master Jing.”

“But this one from Xiao Qin isn’t bad either. It’s much better than Master Jing’s apprentice… the one called Xiao Zheng.”

“After Master Jing’s leg condition relapsed and he stopped working, Xiao Zheng took over. His buns… completely ruined Master Jing’s reputation,” Chen Juan said angrily. “I didn’t buy buns for months. If it weren’t for other shops being worse, I wouldn’t have bought his at all.”

“Exactly!” Old Man Wang quietly agreed.