Chapter 6 Red Bean Porcupine Buns

After finishing her performance, Qin Luo felt that her act deserved at least a score of 95. That meant she absolutely deserved a reward of Si Xi dumplings. After much soft persuasion mixed with stubborn pleading, she used the excuse that she was still growing, got hungry quickly, and had only eaten two and a half bowls of rice at lunch—completely insufficient—to convince Qin Huai to steam 4 dumplings and 1 meat bun for her on the spot to fill her stomach.

As for the fresh shrimp wontons, she didn’t want them. Those were made by her and Zhao Rong, so she wasn’t interested in eating them.

Seeing that Qin Luo’s performance, though exaggerated, was effective, Qin Huai agreed.

Excited, Qin Luo chose to squat directly in the kitchen and eat the freshly steamed food.

Generally speaking, the first bite of freshly cooked savory food is enjoyable, but the first bite of freshly steamed pastries is not necessarily the same.

Freshly steamed buns are hot.

Most people simply can’t handle that first bite.

But Qin Luo was different—she was tough.

Over the years, Qin Huai had come to feel that Qin Luo’s toughness was all-around. From the outside to the inside—from her behind to her palms, tongue, esophagus, and stomach—everything seemed forged out of steel. Physical attacks like bamboo poles or clothes hangers couldn’t break her defenses. Even the “magical” scorching heat of freshly steamed buns, hot enough to make one want to cover their mouth and tap dance in pain, couldn’t faze her. She was truly a master of both physical and magical resilience.

The Si Xi dumplings only needed 8 minutes of steaming before they were ready.

The buns took a little longer.

“Brother, are they ready? Are they ready? It’s been 8 minutes. I think they’re ready to eat—let me try one first!” Qin Luo squatted in front of the steamer, timing with her phone stopwatch.

Qin Huai estimated they were about done, nodded, lifted the steamer lid, took one out with tongs, and placed it on a small plate before handing it to Qin Luo.

For convenience and presentation, Qin Huai had specially sliced carrot pieces of even thickness, mixed them with salad oil for seasoning, and used them as a base under the Si Xi dumplings while steaming. The orange base, combined with the green, yellow, brown, and pink fillings, made the dumpling resemble a brightly colored, vibrant flower at first glance—round and adorable.

“Wow!” Qin Luo gave a perfunctory compliment on the dumpling’s appearance, then eagerly reached out with her hands to grab it.

Since her brother had thoughtfully prepared a base underneath, it would be wasting his effort to slowly pick it up with chopsticks.

Fresh out of the steamer, still steaming hot and fairly large, the Si Xi dumpling was swallowed in one bite by Qin Luo.

“Mm.” Qin Luo chewed happily while being burned, her brows furrowed. Every time she opened her mouth, hot steam puffed out like a jet engine, making it impossible to form complete words.

Though it was hot, it was truly delicious.

Freshly steamed dumplings lock all their juices inside the filling. The four different toppings, combined with the sweet carrot base, created a complex blend of fresh, savory, and sweet flavors in the mouth. The hot juices mixed with the chewy, steaming skin, doubling the deliciousness.

“Mm mm mm!” Unable to speak, Qin Luo could only nod vigorously to indicate that they were ready to be served.

Ordinarily, Si Xi dumplings are something only eaten during festivals. But now, eating them on a non-festival day—rounded up a bit—was basically like celebrating the New Year, right?

Thinking this, Qin Luo directly opened her camera and snapped a photo of the steaming dumplings in the steamer, capturing a perfectly hazy, atmospheric shot.

She sent it to He Cheng.

He Cheng: ???

(*).

At 6:30 p.m., Ou Yang, Chen Huihong, and Chen Huihui arrived at Qin Huai’s doorstep on time.

Compared to noon, Chen Huihui was clearly much better. Her complexion was no longer pale, and she seemed energetic. As soon as she entered, she politely greeted everyone with a sweet voice, acting like a well-behaved and adorable child.

Ou Yang and Chen Huihong also brought gifts.

Chen Huihong brought an air purifier, suitable for both the living room and bedroom.

Ou Yang brought something similar—two potted cacti, suitable for window sills or desks.

Dinner had already been prepared.

Two plates of Si Xi dumplings, two plates of buns, and one small bowl per person of fresh shrimp wontons with scallions and cilantro available for self-service. As for the red bean buns that Chen Huihong had ordered for Chen Huihui, Qin Huai had specially made six red bean porcupine buns.

Red bean porcupine buns, as the name suggests, are small buns shaped like porcupines filled with red bean paste. They are a popular item at the Qin family breakfast shop and are especially loved by children aged 3 to 12.

As a 9-year-old, Chen Huihui’s eyes lit up the moment she saw them.

“Mom, little porcupines!” she whispered excitedly.

“Everyone, please sit down and eat. There are still wontons in the pot—feel free to go to the kitchen for more if needed,” Qin Huai said with a smile.

Chen Huihui was the first to sit obediently, choosing the seat closest to the red bean porcupine buns. Qin Luo also quickly claimed the seat nearest to the Si Xi dumplings. Ou Yang, with his long arms, didn’t mind where he sat—originally planning to sit beside Chen Huihong to flatter his boss, but that spot had already been taken by Qin Huai. He could only sit between Qin Congwen and Qin Luo, trying to blend into the Qin family.

Ou Yang was the first to reach out with his chopsticks, picking up a large meat bun. After one bite and a couple of chews, he swallowed and exclaimed in satisfaction, “That’s the taste!”

“I’ve been thinking about this for years. Sister Hong, you have no idea—ever since I had Qin Huai’s buns at that competition, I couldn’t think about anything else when eating cafeteria food. No matter how good other buns were, they just felt like pale imitations.”

Chen Huihong laughed at his words and also picked up a bun. “Is it really that exaggerated? I rarely see you eating buns in the mornings.”

She took a bite and nodded.

“Indeed, not bad.”

Chen Huihui was already nibbling on a red bean porcupine bun, taking small, slow bites without speaking.

As for Qin Luo—during the time Ou Yang and Chen Huihong were talking, she had already eaten two Si Xi dumplings. There was no sign she had already eaten a full meal more than an hour ago.

Youth really does mean a big appetite.

Seeing Qin Luo focused on the dumplings, Ou Yang curiously picked one up as well. “So this is the Si Xi dumpling? It looks quite nice… why does it seem familiar?”

He took a bite.

Ou Yang froze.

Completely frozen—motionless for seven or eight seconds.

Seeing him suddenly petrified, Qin Luo, who had been racing to eat as much as possible before her stomach caught up, also stopped and asked uncertainly, “Is… is it salty?”

Did Qin Huai forget to dissolve the salt when mixing the filling?

That shouldn’t happen—such a basic mistake was usually only made by her father Qin Congwen.

The next second, tears welled up in Ou Yang’s eyes.

“Master Huai!” Ou Yang said, both frustrated and emotional. “Back when you were competing, why didn’t you make this?!”

“If you had, we would’ve had that Sixth Cafeteria supervisor’s nephew beaten in a sack just to get you first place!”

Qin Huai: …

No need to go that far. He usually didn’t eat at the Sixth Cafeteria anyway, and cash rewards were better than a year’s free meal vouchers.

“If I had known you had this skill back then,” Ou Yang choked up slightly, “when I was starting my business, I would’ve hired you as my chef.”

“My fish hotpot restaurant wouldn’t have gone bankrupt after just one year.”

As a result, his parents no longer gave him money, leaving him struggling with a monthly salary of 4,000 yuan, telling him to stay grounded and build himself up first.

Life was hard.

Qin Huai: ?

I treated you like a senior, and you treated me like labor?

Ou Yang, filled with mixed emotions, turned his frustration into appetite and began devouring the Si Xi dumplings.

Sensing the competition, Qin Luo refused to fall behind and sped up her eating as well.

Chen Huihong, finding it amusing to watch the young people compete over food, observed them with interest. At her age, her appetite was much smaller, and she couldn’t eat much staple food. Watching others eat was more entertaining than eating herself.

And quite appetizing too.

When Ou Yang and Qin Luo had eaten about one-third of their food, Chen Huihui finally finished her first red bean porcupine bun.

“Huihui, would you like some wontons? Or do you want to try the dumplings first?” Chen Huihong asked.

Chen Huihui shook her head.

“Mom, the porcupine buns are delicious.”

“Let’s make porcupine buns next Wednesday.”

Qin Huai: !

He knew it—Huihui was such a good child.

Not only shy and cute, but also polite and smart.

Most importantly, she was smart.

Look at that name—Huihui, meaning wisdom, double wisdom!

Truly quick to understand.

This porcupine bun was made especially for Chen Huihui!

He didn’t even need to subtly steer the conversation—Huihui brought it up herself.

100 popularity boost—perfect for attracting attention!