CHAPTER 542: CHAPTER 293: ZANG LIANG

After speaking, Zang Mu pointed to the young man beside him who had already stood up in a respectful apprentice posture: "This is my apprentice, Zang Liang. I specially brought him over to help me."

"Hello, Master Qin. Please have a seat, Master Qin, and enjoy a cup of hot tea." Zang Liang enthusiastically poured Qin Huai some tea.

Zang is not a common surname, so upon hearing Zang Liang and Zang Mu share the same surname, Qin Huai couldn’t help but scrutinize Zang Liang. He noticed the two indeed bore some resemblance, but their ages didn’t match up; Zang Liang should be some sort of nephew or relative to Zang Mu.

It’s very common for culinary masters to take on apprentices from their own family; keeping talents within the family, so to speak. Teaching an apprentice is a time-consuming and potentially thankless task, so when feasible, it’s preferable to consider one’s own family first.

Take Pei Xing for example; even on his resume, it mentions he’s a distant relative of Pei Shenghua, showing how beneficial it is to have a powerful elder in the culinary community.

Seeing Qin Huai glance at Zang Liang twice, Zang Mu explained, "Zang Liang is my nephew."

Zang Liang flashed a smile, clearly proud of his connections.

As everyone sat down, Chen An asked the waiter to serve the dishes. With Chen An, the skillful and diplomatic assistant of the golden boss, present, the meal was pleasant for both hosts and guests.

After the meal, Qin Huai somewhat understood why, despite having high-end venues like the Imperial Kitchen in City A, Han Guishan still spent a large sum to hire chefs from outside for his son’s birthday banquet.

There are differences even between high-end restaurants.

In terms of decor, Huang Ji is far inferior to the Imperial Kitchen.

In terms of flavor, the Imperial Kitchen doesn’t even compare.

If high-end restaurants were rated, Huang Ji could at least secure an A-level rating, while the Imperial Kitchen might not reach C-, not even a C level.

A first-rate head chef is truly invaluable.

After the meal, Chen An asked the group to rest in the private room while he contacts the head of the Imperial Kitchen to arrange a tour of the kitchen area.

As soon as Chen An left, Zang Mu took a call and followed suit, leaving only Zang Liang and Qin Huai in the room.

Zang Liang seemed unable to contain himself.

Qin Huai noticed that Zang Liang couldn’t hold it in.

Since the dishes were served, Zang Liang’s eyes weren’t on the food, but on Qin Huai. Qin Huai’s intuition told him Zang Liang definitely had something to say to him, and it would be within three seconds.

Three.

Two.

One.

"Damn, man, you’re amazing!" Zang Liang began with a classic Tan Wei’an WeChat catchphrase, "Let’s add each other on WeChat, Tan Wei’an is also a good buddy of mine. He’s been telling me since late December how awesome you are, for several months now."

"I’ve only heard your name until now, never met you, and today I finally get to see the real deal."

"How did you make that stuffing the other day? The one for the buns, damn, it was incredible! If I had that level of seasoning, I could strut through the kitchen. I showed my master the photo, and my master, who rarely praises, complimented it several times."

"Last week I heard you were responsible for the pastry section at this birthday banquet, so I begged my master to bring me along. I had to cajole him for four or five days before he agreed."

"Tan Wei’an told me you needed an assistant with great Knife Skills. I’m the so-called prince of meat cooking Knife Skills; my Knife Skills are superb, specialized in cutting, with a verifiable record."

"Buddy, pick me as your assistant, you won’t regret it!"

Qin Huai: ...

How did a master as reticent as Zang Mu bring up such an outspoken apprentice? Does the master leave all the talking to the apprentice?

"But...aren’t you here to assist Master Zang?" Qin Huai asked hesitantly.

"That’s just a cover. I came to see if Tan Wei’an was exaggerating before me. You won’t regret picking me, my Knife Skills are much better than Tan Wei’an’s!"

Qin Huai: ...

Qin Huai realized that even though he had known Tan Wei’an for a few months and even spent some time chatting in the kitchen daily, he really knew nothing about him.

Every time he sent Tan Wei’an photos of the stuffing, Tan Wei’an seemed to only respond with a "Damn, awesome," when in reality, he was secretly forwarding them all along.

This hobby is truly puzzling.

"Alright, let’s give it a try this afternoon." Qin Huai nodded in agreement.

He indeed needed an assistant with good Knife Skills to help him chop the stuffing for the Four Happiness glutinous rice.

Qin Huai didn’t expect Zang Liang’s Knife Skills to reach the level of Cao Guixiang, where the stuffing itself could elevate the Four Happiness glutinous rice to an A-level. He just needed Zang Liang’s Knife Skills to be better than Li Hua’s, best if it could push the Four Happiness glutinous rice from its original A-level to an A+ level.

Plus the special buff of the birthday banquet.

The Four Happiness glutinous rice is sure to be the star of the birthday party tomorrow!

Easily completing Cheng Gong’s side task and making his dear boss Han Guishan shine at the birthday banquet.

By the time Zang Mu returned from his call, Zang Liang and Qin Huai had already added each other on WeChat, sitting silently in the box, chatting through WeChat.

As a side note, Zang Liang had many "Damn" stickers, capable of sending a dozen without repetition.

Around 2 PM, Cheng Gong and a middle-aged man returned to the private room. Qin Huai initially thought the man was Tong De Yan and was about to greet him as Master Tong when he heard Zang Mu casually say:

"Mr. Han."

Mr. Han!

Han Guishan!

The sponsor!

Qin Huai’s smile immediately shifted from seeing a fellow master to seeing the sponsor, and his tone grew more enthusiastic: "Mr. Han, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you, but we’ve never met before."

Han Guishan was also straightforward, chuckling, "I’ve heard a lot about you too, Master Qin. I’m sorry I couldn’t come to Huang Ji to taste the dishes as planned, but things on my end just wouldn’t allow it."

"Assistant Chen just received a call, Master Tong has landed and is on his way. The kitchen at the Imperial Restaurant has also been prepared. Why don’t we not waste any time and head directly to the kitchen to taste the food?"

"It’ll also give me a chance to taste the main dishes for tomorrow’s birthday banquet in advance."

"Of course." Qin Huai nodded, "Assistant Chen, about the stuffing I sent over..."

"It’s all in the freezer in the kitchen."

"That’s fine then."

Zang Mu saw how readily Qin Huai agreed, hesitated a little, and then walked over to Han Guishan’s side to softly say, "It’s of course fine for Mr. Han to taste the dishes. Every banquet requires test tasting. However, many dishes need to be prepared in advance, and it might be too late to make them all fresh today. I might only manage to prepare a few simple dishes this afternoon, would that be okay with you..."

"It’s all fine, I’m just here to sample the flavors." Han Guishan assured that he wasn’t a demanding client, "The birthday banquet tomorrow is all arranged by Assistant Chen. I trust Assistant Chen’s work and the foods he’s tested."

Hearing this, Cheng Gong’s stance grew noticeably prouder.

"I’m just here to sample the flavors since I heard about the tasting session today. Go ahead and test as you need, do whatever you have to do." Han Guishan’s expression clearly said that he didn’t understand and was just there to pay, without interference or demanding anything beyond payment.

Hearing this, Zang Mu finally relaxed.

Many chefs are reluctant to take outside catering orders from big bosses because they’re afraid the boss, although inexperienced, may think he paid a lot and make demanding requests. This isn’t just a problem in design but extends to banquets as well.

Cheng Gong led everyone towards the kitchen, while Han Guishan and Qin Huai walked at the end.

Qin Huai’s instinct told him Han Guishan had something to say to him.

And sure enough, Han Guishan shuffled alongside Qin Huai.

"Master Qin, I heard from Xu Cheng that you’re from Guangdong Province and know many kinds of snacks, I wonder if it’s convenient..."

Qin Huai quickly picked up on his hint: "What does Mr. Han have a craving for?"

"Pickled vegetable dumplings!"

Qin Huai: ?

What kind of snack is pickled vegetable dumplings? It doesn’t sound very appealing.

"It’s a kind of snack from my hometown made with pickled vegetables and cornmeal, stuffed dumplings. I haven’t had it for many years, I wonder if you..."

Although Qin Huai didn’t know what pickled vegetable dumplings were, he guessed from Han Guishan’s description that it should be a simple snack. Without thinking much, he agreed, "After the tasting is over, if there’s time, I’ll try to make it for Mr. Han."

"But my hometown doesn’t have this kind of dumpling, I don’t know if what I’ll make will suit your taste."

Han Guishan was delighted, "I really bother you, Master Qin, but I have all the ingredients prepared."

"No trouble at all, it’s a small matter."