CHAPTER 812: CHAPTER 408: THE HIGHEST PRAISE

"No way, man. Did you really catch it as soon as you got to Hangzhou? The last time I got motion sick, I was throwing up so badly it felt like the sky was spinning, and I almost coughed up bile. Don’t be like me—feeling sick one day and ending up in the hospital after overeating the next day. Let me tell you, we have a lot of snacks at Zhiwei Restaurant. If you start eating at 10 in the morning, just one bite of each snack would be enough to stuff you. Don’t you love shrimp dumplings? Master Zhang makes them especially delicious, and also..."

"Master Z... Zhou, you’re... you’re here too." Tan Wei’an rushed in, babbling a bit, before he noticed Master Zhou standing to the side.

Master Zhou glanced at Tan Wei’an, and with a seemingly neutral tone, yet very sarcastically said, "Oh, you can see me. I thought maybe I blended in with the floor tiles like a chameleon because of my white clothes today."

Tan Wei’an was startled, stammering as he raised his right hand to show the small bag he was carrying: "I... I... I was in a hurry to find Qin Huai. I... was just trying to say that although Su Qian went to buy the motion sickness medicine, he doesn’t have experience with motion sickness, and the medicine he bought is useless. So, I went and got a brand that I used last time and found effective. I couldn’t reach Qin Huai by phone, and I heard in the dressing room that he was in the kitchen, so I ran over immediately."

"I... I’m just here to deliver the medicine."

Master Zhou said lightly, "Xiao Qin doesn’t have severe motion sickness; there’s no need for medicine. It’s not good to take too much of it. Just drink some hot water."

As soon as Master Zhou said that, an apprentice who was chopping vegetables sprang into action and quickly moved to a corner to pour a cup of hot water and hand it to Qin Huai.

Master Zhou was clearly pleased with this perceptive apprentice, giving him an approving look, before casting a disdainful glance at another apprentice who didn’t catch Qin Huai’s hint and applied too much force while chopping, failing to chop the candied fruits and nuts finely.

"Xiao Tan, you’re in touch with Xiao Qin more often and understand what he means; you go help him out." Master Zhou gave Tan Wei’an a knowing look. Instantly understanding, Tan Wei’an patted the apprentice chopping candied fruits on the shoulder and motioned him to step back quickly, warning that otherwise, Master Zhou might chop him instead.

Tan Wei’an started helping Qin Huai with the preparations.

With Tan Wei’an there, Master Zhou spoke more, asking as he watched, "Since you’re here, why isn’t Su Qian here yet?"

"The others aren’t here either. I came over directly after dropping off my suitcase because I had to buy and deliver the medicine for Qin Huai. My junior hasn’t arrived yet; he’s at home cleaning up. No one’s lived there for a long time, and there’s dust on the tables."

"Su Qian has to return home from where Qin Huai lives and stop by the pharmacy, so it’ll probably take another 20 minutes for him to get here."

"How did Guli do this time?" Master Zhou asked.

As Master Zhou asked this, Qin Huai looked up at him in surprise, not expecting Master Zhou to care about Guli.

From the beginning of their interactions, Master Zhou had only ever mentioned Su Qian’s name and not anyone else. When Tan Wei’an arrived, Master Zhou asked about Guli first rather than expressing concern for Tan Wei’an.

Tan Wei’an wasn’t surprised, even perhaps prepared for this, and said naturally: "I feel like my junior has changed a lot this time."

"Hmm?" Master Zhou raised an eyebrow slightly, listening intently.

"About skill level... there’s really no improvement. Master Zhou, you know my junior only has so much talent. Expecting him to improve rapidly over a few months is like hoping someone knocks some sense into him suddenly."

"But I really feel he’s different from before. When my grandpa was around, he often told my junior to think carefully before making snacks. He did think more, but I had no idea what he was thinking. Maybe he was just replaying the steps in his head or zoning out."

"But during this period, especially when Master Huang taught us the Cloud Pattern, I sensed that my junior was really thinking. When he makes snacks, especially before making the Ruyi Roll, I can feel that he’s actually pondering something, though I have no clue what it is."

Tan Wei’an pondered for a moment: "Maybe, my junior is finally getting it."

Master Zhou didn’t comment on Tan Wei’an’s words, just smiled gently, saying, "Looks like Zheng Da is quite the teacher."

Qin Huai: !!!

Oh my god, I should have recorded that to play it back for Zheng Da, to let him know what it means when the one who dislikes you the most is also the one who likes you the most.

Qin Huai never imagined that such a milestone of high praise for Zheng Da would come from the legendary Master Zhou himself.

After asking about Guli, Master Zhou didn’t inquire about anyone else. To him, Su Qian, being his already confirmed direct disciple, didn’t need questioning through others. As for everyone else, Master Zhou genuinely didn’t care.

Master Zhou stood by watching Qin Huai make snacks for a while. Perhaps finding it a bit dull, or as the busy lead of Zhiwei Restaurant, he couldn’t spend too much time on Qin Huai. After getting a basic understanding of Qin Huai’s fundamental skills, he headed elsewhere.

As soon as Master Zhou left, Tan Wei’an let out a long sigh, feeling like a bad student who had been monitored by the head teacher for ten minutes and miraculously survived without a scolding.

"Wow, Qin Huai, are you doing this on purpose today? Coming to Zhiwei Restaurant to make snacks after getting motion sick. Su Qian told me that you probably wouldn’t be coming to Zhiwei Restaurant today because you’d be resting at home. How did you know Master Zhou likes this kind of snack master? Did I mention this on the high-speed train? Or did Su Qian secretly tell you? You’re really good at pleasing people!"