The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 244 Gift Giving Expert
January 1th, sunny, suitable for dinner parties.

Qin Huai slept in for a rare time and woke up at 9 o'clock. He glanced at the messages on his phone and found that they were all unread messages.

Zhao Rong was the first to send a message, at around 4 o'clock. I guess she woke up and sent the message after arriving at Yunzhong Canteen.

As the business of Yunzhong Canteen became more stable, Zhao Rong and Qin Congwen no longer got up so early as before. Yunzhong Canteen had professional breakfast chefs and helpers, so the boss and his mother no longer needed to get up early and work hard every day.

Zhao Rong asked about the tutor, from the teacher's teaching experience, course classification, age and gender to the hourly rate. The message she sent was full of words.

Qin Huai read it several times before he figured out what was being asked and answered them one by one.

Gong Liang had already found the teachers, all of whom were professional teachers. And considering that Qin Luo was a teenage female high school student, Gong Liang found teachers who were basically female, the kind of dean of studies, to ensure that Qin Luo would not dare to cheat or be lazy once they stood in front of her.

The next message from Zhao Rong came from Zheng Siyuan. At around 7 o'clock, Zheng Siyuan sent Qin Huai his home address without saying anything else.

Then came the message from Huang Anyao at 8 o'clock. The young master, who was not very good at the ways of the world, was figuring out the ways of the world himself. He sent a message asking Qin Huai if he wanted him to bring some fruit when he went to Zheng Da's house for dinner.

Qin Huai replied to Huang Anyao's message while brushing his teeth, telling Huang Anyao that if he really wanted to buy it, he could, but it would be better to bring a few auspicious words along with the fruit.

Then Huang Anyao replied to Qin Huai, saying that he had accompanied his father to Zheng Da's house and was being told by his elders to do something, but it seemed that he was not doing it very well.

Huang Anyao asked Qin Huai to bring him two kilograms of cherries because he wanted to eat them.

Qin Huai replied with a 6, went to look in the refrigerator, and found a small box of food that Ouyang had not finished eating, which was estimated to be about half a pound. He took it out and put it in a bag.

The latest message was from Gong Liang, which was sent 7 minutes ago, asking whether Qin Huai had set off. If not, he could stop by Qin Huai for a while.

Qin Huai has not replied yet.

Gong Liang didn't reply to the message, but 5 seconds later there was a knock on the door.

"Master Qin, how long will it take you to leave? I need to pack some things here, so it may take another five or six minutes. Let me know when you are ready."

Qin Huai hurried to open the door and saw Gong Liang wearing a casual cotton coat. His hands were empty and his clothes were neatly arranged, and he didn't look like he was packing anything.

"Mr. Gong, it will take me two or three minutes." Qin Huai said.

"Okay, come over when you're ready. My door is open for you." Gong Liang said cheerfully, shouting towards the house, "Baozhu, have you packed your things? Bring all your toys!"

"I know, Dad. Why did you buy so many toys? Isn't Uncle Zheng's granddaughter? Why did you buy tanks and car models?"

"What do you know, kid? What if some little girl likes to play with these things? Just in case. Don't have a stereotype about children. When you were in school, you cried and begged your mother to buy you a Gundam. If your mother refused to buy you one, you would steal it from your brother."

+1 for Gong Baozhu’s dark history.

Qin Huai could only keep silent, so that at least Gong Baozhu at home would think that he didn't hear the conversation. He walked straight to the door of the room and knocked on Ouyang's door without closing the door.

"Are you awake?" Qin Huai asked.

"Wake up, wake up." Ouyang, who claimed to be awake, came to open the door with a messy hair. His phone was still in the game interface. Qin Huai glanced at the room and found that Ouyang had already packed his luggage.

"Luoluo will be here tonight." Qin Huai reminded Ouyang not to forget to move during the day.

"I know. You can trust me when I do things. Look, the luggage was picked up last night, and the cheese sticks were stuffed in this morning."

"I'll pack up all the sheets and quilt covers and take them away. I bought a brand new set of pink four-piece bedding sets, and Luoluo will definitely like them. When the cleaning lady comes later, I'll tell her to change them for Luoluo."

"Don't worry, I will definitely leave lightly when the time comes, without taking away a single cloud."

"But he took away three packs of cheese sticks from the refrigerator." Qin Huai complained mercilessly.

Ouyang chuckled.

"Take whatever you like, but don't take all the cheese sticks you get today. Luoluo likes them too, so leave two packs for her. Also, don't forget to send the dumplings," Qin Huai reminded.

"I know. I'll go to the convenience store this afternoon and buy Luo Luo two bottles of sugar-free Coke. It'll be a token of appreciation from Brother Yang."

Qin Huai:......

Okay, the kids will have to take extra classes soon and will be in the dark all day long, so just drink some Coke.

Carrying the cherries, Qin Huai went to Gong Liang's house next door and found that the entrance of Gong Liang's living room was full of toys. Gong Baozhu squatted on the ground and picked them, muttering to herself as she picked.

"Little duck... Who bought this? It's so ugly, colorful, and it quacks when you pinch it. Whose kid likes to play with green, blue, red, and purple ducks?"

"What do you know? Children just like colorful things." Guo Mingzhu gave her daughter a look that said "you don't understand" and picked out a colorful plush centipede that a normal person could only look at once because it would explode if they looked at it twice. "This one is good. Yi Yi will definitely like it."

Yi Yi is Zheng Da’s granddaughter. Because she was born on the first day of the first lunar month, her nickname is Yi Yi.

Gong Baozhu and Guo Mingzhu picked from the pile of toys, while Gong Liang picked from the pile of supplements.

Donkey hide gelatin, bird's nest, walnut, black sesame, and various other supplements for nourishing blood and qi. Gong Liang picked them out while repeating the same words to his daughter:

"Siqin's hair fell out a lot after giving birth, so bring this. Last time I saw her skin was a little sallow, so bring this too. Bird's nest and donkey-hide gelatin are all-purpose, so bring them all."

Zheng Siqin is Zheng Da's daughter and Zheng Siyuan's biological sister. Qin Huai has never met her but has heard Zheng Siyuan mention her. He said that his sister is socially anxious and doesn't like to go out. After giving birth to a child, her skin became bad and her hair fell out a lot, so she didn't like to go out even more. She stayed at home every day thinking about how to make her hair grow.

Watching the Gong family picking out gifts for their visit, Qin Huai felt that he should record this scene and send it to Huang Anyao to watch and study over and over again.

Look, this is precise gift giving.

It is very common to bring two bags of fruit to someone's door, not to mention that they forgot to buy cherries.

Qin Huai waited at Gong Liang's house for a few minutes and helped carry the large and small packages of gifts downstairs and put them in the trunk of the car.

Gong Liang's car has the familiar double R logo of Qinhuai. Gong Liang and Luo Jun must have a lot in common when it comes to buying a car.

They all got a ride to Zheng Da's house. Qin Huai took the initiative to become the driver Xiao Qin and drove with the navigation system. Gong Liang sat in the passenger seat, while Gong Baozhu and Guo Mingzhu sat in the back.

On the way, Gong Baozhu seemed very excited because she had rarely been to Zheng Da's house for dinner.

"Dad, why did Uncle Zheng take the initiative to invite us to his house for dinner this time? Is it because Zheng Siyuan's blind date was successful and he's getting married, and Uncle Zheng is so happy that he invited everyone to dinner?"

"Then you got the wrong gift. What does Zheng Siyuan's girlfriend like? Gold? Jewelry? Clothes? Or bags?"

When it comes to gift-giving, Gong Baozhu has clearly learned a lot from Gong Liang.

"What do you mean by successful blind date? Yesterday, your uncle Zheng sent me a message asking me if I have any suitable girls and asked me to ask around for an introduction. I don't understand why we are suddenly having dinner during this unusual time of year. Whatever, let's eat first and talk about it later."

"It's a good idea to bring gifts for Siqin and Yiyi. Siqin's hair hasn't grown out yet, has it? Ask your brother to buy some more supplements later. The New Year is coming soon. Don't let there not be enough gifts for them by then."

"Okay, Dad."

Qin Huai didn't say a word the whole time, but he was learning quietly.

Half an hour later, Qin Huai arrived downstairs of Zheng Da's house. Not to mention, Zheng Da's home was really far away, no wonder he was not very willing to come to Huang Ji. If it was in the morning, the half-hour drive would really cost Zheng Da half his life.

Zheng Da lives in a villa area with a nice environment. It is a three-story villa with no flowers in the garden, but only vegetables. Chinese cabbage grows well in winter, and it will become especially delicious after a frost or a light snow.

Qin Huai and the Gong family rang the doorbell carrying large and small bags of things. It was Huang Anyao who opened the door. Looking at the four people who seemed to be door-to-door salesmen, Huang Anyao, who was still holding an unpeeled carrot in his hand, widened his eyes. When he looked at Qin Huai, his eyes were full of why didn't you tell me in advance that you brought gifts.

Qin Huai gave him a look that said, "I'm just trying to take advantage of others."

In the kitchen, Huang Shengli and Zheng Da were already busy, and Huang Anyao and Zheng Siyuan were helping.

It was mainly Zheng Siyuan who was helping out. Huang Anyao's skills were limited, so he couldn't even help with cutting vegetables. He could only help with peeling and washing vegetables. There was a small stool at the door of the kitchen, which made it convenient for him to sit on it and peel carrots facing the trash can.

Seeing Qin Huai coming, Zheng Siyuan gave up the kitchen counter and said concisely: "I have prepared all the ingredients for you."

Qin Huai took a look and found that it had indeed been handled well.

The glutinous rice wrapper was ready, and all the raw materials were chopped and placed in different small bowls in several rows. The sesame and red bean paste fillings were prepared in advance, and the fresh meat Zheng Siyuan had already chopped it and only needed to roll it into balls. Winter melon candy and lard were placed in a large bowl.

Zheng Siyuan did not help to boil sugar because boiling sugar is a very important step in the process of making fruit dumplings. Different proportions of fruit fillings require slightly different amounts of sugar. If Zheng Siyuan had prepared all the sugar in advance, today's fruit dumplings would only be made with walnut and almond fillings.

Huang Shengli is preparing food and Zheng Da is making art.

It was really a work of art, with all the props needed to make the qianhua palace lantern buns spread out in a row. Fortunately, Zheng Da's kitchen was big enough for him to occupy a space to shape the buns, otherwise he would have to move to the living room to create.

Looking at Zheng Da’s posture, you can tell that he is going to show everyone something big today.

Zheng Siyuan whispered to Qin Huai, "I don't know what irritated my dad today. He got up at 6 o'clock in the morning to knead the dough. He kneaded 8 doughs before he found one that he was satisfied with. He also rummaged through boxes and cabinets to find his tool kit to make flower dumplings. He just made two and was not satisfied with them, so he ruined them all."

"If only he could have that spirit when making mincemeat dumplings."

Qin Huai really wanted to tell Zheng Siyuan that although the spirit of making the clamp-flowered palace lantern bag came from me, you were the main reason.

But Qin Huai didn't. He just said, "Maybe your dad wants to show off his skills to everyone."

"It's so difficult to make a lantern with a flower pattern. My hands were shaking when I was doing it. I almost got cramps and my hands were like chicken feet."

Zheng Siyuan said that he couldn't understand what was going on in his father's mind. He had to be lazy when he shouldn't be lazy, but suddenly became motivated when he could be lazy.

"Do you still need my help?" Zheng Siyuan asked.

"No need, leave the rest to me." Qin Huai said.

Zheng Siyuan nodded: "Okay, I'll go help Master Uncle prepare the food."

Qin Huai started to boil sugar. Although this step is important, it is not difficult in practice. Especially when the amount can be accurately controlled, the probability of Qin Huai making a mistake in this step is basically zero, and he can even see what others are doing.

Everyone in the kitchen was busy, even Huang Anyao, who was sitting on a small stool peeling vegetables, was very focused.

Gong Liang and his family of three were watching TV in the living room, looking very comfortable. If you didn’t know, you would think this was Gong Liang’s home. The people in the kitchen were the chefs hired by Boss Gong at a high price.

"Where is your mother?" Qin Huai asked Zheng Siyuan.

"I went to my sister's house to take care of my niece Yi Yi." Zheng Siyuan said, "My mother was so scared when she heard that we were going to make four-happiness dumplings today that she left early in the morning. My father and I have been making fruit-filled dumplings at home every day recently, and my mother is about to vomit from eating them."

Qin Huai:......

Okay, Ouyang’s value is still increasing.

Qin Huai continued to make dumplings.

The three basic flavors need no introduction, they are easy to make. The fruit filling is a little more complicated. Qinhuai needs to boil sugar three times to make three flavors of fruit filling.

Zheng Da and Zheng Siyuan both noticed this move, and both were very satisfied.

Zheng Siyuan felt that Qinhuai made three flavors of fruit filling simply because it was embarrassed to make only two. Compared with almond peanuts and almond walnuts, peanuts and melon seeds were simply out of place.

Zheng Da felt that Qin Huai made three kinds of fruit fillings just to keep things simple. He didn't know why this rebellious son was so stubborn about the fruit fillings. However, Zheng Da could tell from the peanuts in the almond peanuts which one Qin Huai really liked.

Just like that, inexplicably, Qin Huai succeeded in keeping the balance again.

As time went by, the aroma in the kitchen became stronger and stronger.

Of course, it was all the aroma of the food and had nothing to do with dim sum.

Neither the Four Happiness Tangyuan nor the Qianhua Palace Lantern Bun are fragrant snacks.

What Huang Shengli cooks are mostly home-cooked dishes.

Stir-fried eel slices, stir-fried river shrimp, roast chicken with chestnuts, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, stir-fried meat with carrots, pan-fried tofu, stir-fried squid with leeks, and steamed egg.

Even the soup is the common kelp and pork ribs soup.

The dishes are homely but delicious.

Many times, big dishes have the aroma of big dishes, and home-cooked dishes have the aroma of home-cooked dishes.

After all, only a few people can afford to eat out every day and enjoy the best feasts. Not everyone is like Xu Cheng, who has the financial resources and ability to enjoy the delicious dishes made by many top chefs.

For most ordinary people, home-cooked dishes are life.

This kind of home-cooked food that you can eat everyday smells good and tastes good. Because we eat it every day and often, we will be more greedy when we encounter a particularly good one, and we will salivate just by smelling the fragrance.

There was no room for the TV in Gong Baozhu's eyes. She stared at the kitchen door, as if she had returned to her teenage years when she was still in school. Every day after school, she would sit on a chair by the dining table and stare at the kitchen door waiting for dinner.

Gong Baozhu was drooling outside and Huang Anyao was drooling inside.

"Dad, are the dishes ready? Can we eat?" Huang Anyao asked impatiently.

"Look at you, you are useless. You are greedy for the three-piece duck and the steamed egg. If you are so greedy, why don't you learn how to make them yourself? Learning to cook is not greedy anymore." Huang Shengli scolded with a smile, "The steamed eggs will be ready in one minute. I can serve the dishes here. You have to ask your uncle Zheng for the dim sum."

"Of course I can too." Zheng Da had already turned off the fire. "Your dishes will be served first, and mine will be served last. It will be a surprise for everyone."

"Xiao Qin, where are your four-happiness dumplings?"

"3 minutes and 50 seconds, it's ready to be served." Qin Huai pointed at the dumplings in the big bowl.

"Okay." Huang Shengli nodded, "Then serve the food, An Yao, serve the food."

Huang Anyao quickly served the dishes and shouted, "It's time to eat!"

"Great, time to eat!" Gong Baozhu jumped up from the sofa, "Uncle Huang, Uncle Zheng, I'll help serve the dishes!"

(End of this chapter)