Chapter 64 Who Said Longevity Noodles Aren’t Chicken Soup Noodles

After leaving the dream, for the first time Qin Huai did not immediately open the game interface. Instead, he took out his phone and searched for what “Bai” was.

It turned out to be a type of plant recorded in the ancient text Classic of Mountains and Seas.

“On Mount Kunlun, there are many gold and jade above, and green malachite below. There grows a tree whose form resembles the paper mulberry, with red veins. Its sap is like lacquer, and its taste is sweet. Those who eat it do not feel hunger and can relieve fatigue. It is called Bai, and it can nourish the body like jade.”

In essence, this tree looks like a paper mulberry, has red veining, and produces a sap like lacquer. Its taste is sweet. Eating it not only satisfies hunger but also relieves worries.

So…

Qin Huai scratched his head in confusion.

So Chen Huihong was not an ordinary demon—she was a divine tree from the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

Was the Classic of Mountains and Seas really a factual record?!

Qin Huai felt it was time to buy a copy and study it carefully at home.

Still full of questions, he opened the game interface. All of Chen Huihong’s information in the illustrated index had now been fully unlocked.

Name: Chen Huihong
Species: Bai

Status: Awakening

Dreams: 3/3
Recipes: Tree bark, fermented rice buns, locust flower buns, longevity noodles (click for details)

Gift: None

A new status appeared in the illustrated index. Qin Huai tried tapping “Awakening,” but there was no response. He could only check the newly obtained recipe: longevity noodles.

[Longevity Noodles (A Rank)
Creator: Jiang Chengde**

Dish Details:
A rushed creation by master chef Jiang Chengde of Taifeng Tower. Even though Manager Lu repeatedly emphasized that these longevity noodles were ordered by the “mad lady” for her maid, and that a simple bowl of plain noodles would suffice, Jiang Chengde insisted that a coming-of-age ceremony deserved the finest longevity noodles.

He used chicken soup as the broth, with cabbage and shiitake mushrooms as toppings, and a single properly sized noodle symbolizing longevity and health, elegantly arranged across the bowl. It was originally a perfect bowl of noodles, but due to the chef needing to attend to other dishes during preparation, the assistant made an error in controlling the heat, resulting in a loss of flavor.

By the time this bowl of noodles was delivered after a long journey, it had already gone cold. The person who was meant to eat it never got the chance. Yet it remained the most delicious bowl of noodles in the mad lady’s memory—forever unforgettable.

Using this dish on a birthday allows one to feel the sincere blessings from those who love you: wishing you health, longevity, and peace in this life.

Daily production limit: (0/15)

(Warm tip: Letting Chen Huihong eat a bowl like this might bring a small surprise!)

Looking at the dish details, Qin Huai almost wanted to slap the table and shout: Eat! Everyone should eat! Not only Chen Huihong—Huihui should eat too!

On birthdays, this bowl is called longevity noodles. On non-birthdays, it’s simply chicken soup noodles!

Eat three bowls a day—every meal! Don’t let outsiders think we can’t afford food!

Tomorrow morning, he would go to the kitchen to make chicken broth!

What? His soup-making skills weren’t good?

No problem—Chef Zheng had prepared two pots of broth yesterday at the cafeteria. They could just use his.

Qin Huai opened WeChat and messaged Chen Huihong, inviting her and Huihui to come to the shop the next day to eat chicken soup noodles.

Chen Huihong replied quickly, saying she could come at noon, while Huihui would probably come in the evening, since the child still had to visit her uncle’s house the next day.

Full of enthusiasm, Qin Huai pulled up a video tutorial for making longevity noodles and prepared to show off his skills the next day.

The same familiar hands, and the unfamiliar cutting board.

This time, the cooking location appeared to be the kitchen of Taifeng Tower. The noisy environment made the already less-than-ideal teaching conditions even worse.

Jiang Chengde’s kneading skills were as superb as ever.

Compared to making locust flower buns, making longevity noodles was clearly simpler. Handmade noodles require elasticity. During kneading, Jiang Chengde added two eggs. The egg-cracking motion was quick—almost sneaky—as a way to enrich the noodles.

His kneading remained fluid and effortless. Each movement was precise, giving the impression that the dough only needed a few rotations in his hands to be ready.

When it came to rolling the noodles, there was even less to say.

He rolled the dough into a long strip, stretching and rolling at the same time. In the blink of an eye, a beautiful, smooth, evenly thick noodle was perfectly formed.

For boiling, Jiang Chengde did not use broth directly to cook the noodles—a more luxurious method. Instead, he boiled the noodles in plain water first, then immersed them into chicken broth afterward.

Aside from the change in the person handling the boiling process, the assistant never once attended to the pot from start to finish—no stirring, no timing control. They were constantly running around delivering items and even went out several times to serve dishes. Yet the final result could still be considered a perfect handmade noodle.

After watching the video, Qin Huai felt confident.

An A-rank noodle was definitely beyond his reach.

Having previously made locust flower buns and fermented rice buns, he had a clear understanding of the game system’s rating and his current culinary skill.

A-rank? Impossible. Not even a sudden burst of talent would help. Only dreams could achieve that.

B-rank? With normal performance, it shouldn’t be a problem.

However, noodles were something he rarely made. Their household didn’t usually eat noodles, and the Qin family breakfast shop didn’t sell them either.

Qin Huai had only made fried sauce noodles a few times when Qin Luo was in her first year of middle school. She had seen a TV show and really wanted Beijing-style fried sauce noodles, so he searched online for recipes and tried making them.

But he didn’t know how to properly make the sauce.

He succeeded only once—and it was too salty. After eating it, Qin Luo realized she didn’t actually crave fried sauce noodles that much and gave up. Qin Huai gave up as well.

So for longevity noodles, Qin Huai’s ideal outcome was to aim for a C, and hopefully achieve a B.

But the real priority wasn’t making B- or A-rank noodles.

It was making sure Chen Huihong and Huihui got to eat noodles!

Eat—no problem at all. Big bowls!

Qin Huai watched the tutorial several more times, focusing on the noodle-rolling process, summarized key points, and then went to rest.

The next morning, Qin Huai went to work full of energy.

Qin Congwen and Zhao Rong were already making buns as usual. Seeing him arrive, Zhao Rong asked, “Huaihuai, we heard that Old Zheng and Little Zheng have both returned to Suzhou. Is that true?”

“Yes, they left last night,” Qin Huai nodded. “They came here mainly to exchange techniques with me. The locust flower buns are basically done, so they naturally went back.”

That morning, Qin Huai had already seen Zheng Siyuan’s WeChat Moments post from 11 p.m. the previous night, announcing that the pastry shop would operate as usual the next day. He promptly liked it.

Although he didn’t have Zheng Siyuan’s pastry shop contacts in his WeChat, he imagined that after that post, the comment section must have been full of cheers.

“Why did they leave so quickly? The wontons Little Zheng made were really good. I haven’t learned them yet,” Zhao Rong said regretfully.

Qin Huai chose not to respond.

With Zhao Rong’s skills, it would likely take her 10 years to master Zheng Siyuan’s wontons. Not to mention the broth and fillings—the paper-thin wrappers alone would take years of practice.

“Mom, the two pots of broth Old Zheng made yesterday—are they still warm?” Qin Huai asked.

Zhao Rong pointed toward the stoves. “They’re both still warm. Since Little Zheng left, we’re not selling wontons this morning, so those two pots of broth…”

“Let’s use them to make chicken soup noodles. No point wasting them,” Qin Huai said.

Qin Congwen immediately got excited, thinking it was time to showcase his handmade noodles and impress everyone. He eagerly volunteered: “Yes, I think Huaihuai is right. It’s time for me to—”

“I’m planning to make chicken soup noodles for lunch and dinner. I searched for handmade noodle recipes last night and want to try them today,” Qin Huai said.

Qin Congwen went silent.

Zhao Rong shot him a look: Stop showing off. Your noodles should just be boiled in plain water—don’t waste that excellent broth.

“Eating noodles is good,” Zhao Rong said cheerfully. “Your dad and I love noodles the most, right, Old Qin?”

“Yes… we love chicken soup noodles the most,” Qin Congwen nodded with tears in his eyes.