The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 272 Hongmen Banquet?!

With Qinhuai's professional training, the villagers' helping skills have become more and more proficient, and the helping team has become stronger.

Well, it’s better for close relatives to use it.

Every time a few well-known relatives come to visit, the kitchen will have a few well-known excellent helpers. With more helpers, the kitchen will be saturated. Not only do we have to accept various leave requests, but we also have to work in shifts.

For a while, the competition among relatives became fierce. Qin Huai's cousins, who were not very close to him in the past, showed off their skills like a peacock spreading its tail, and brought their own bowls and chopsticks to help at home.

Those who live nearby can travel back and forth on the same day, while those who live far away can find a place to stay.

Qin Huai's eldest uncle and third uncle have been staying at the Qin family since the second day of the Lunar New Year and have not returned.

Don't ask, the answer is that I have a deep relationship with my younger sister. We haven't seen each other for a long time and we have endless things to talk about.

At this time, someone may ask: helping in the kitchen is very tiring. Anyone who has helped prepare a big banquet in the countryside or helped the elders prepare the New Year's Eve dinner knows that this is definitely not an easy job, even chopping wood and making fire is not easy. Four-happiness glutinous rice balls are delicious, but they are essentially large glutinous rice balls. After a few days of eating them, the novelty will wear off and people will not like them so much. Why do the villagers love to help so much?
The answer is that the meals for the helpers are different.

From the time when the fortune teller came to Qinjia Village and calculated that Qin Huai was destined to have a younger brother and a younger sister, old man Qin was overjoyed and gave him 5 yuan and also provided him with a meal. It can be seen that the Qin family has a very simple tradition of providing meals for others.

The helpers who successfully competed for the job ate with the Qin family.

It was true that Qin Huai wanted to improve his proficiency in making Four-Happiness Glutinous Rice Balls. He had also improved his proficiency in making Four-Happiness Glutinous Rice Balls at Huang's before. However, Four-Happiness Glutinous Rice Balls were made for others to eat. How could he possibly eat Four-Happiness Glutinous Rice Balls every day just to improve his proficiency?

Who can handle eating four-happiness dumplings three times a day?
The neighbors next door eat there every night and have normal meals at other times.

As a pastry chef who is proficient in many kinds of pastries, Qin Huai usually likes to eat something different.

Such as three-diced buns, five-diced buns, four-happiness dumplings, fermented glutinous rice steamed buns, crab shell yellow, glutinous rice rice cake, lotus cake, mung bean cake, the village chief's braised pork with preserved vegetables, the old party secretary's braised pork trotters, my uncle's steamed glutinous rice meatballs, the town's boiled chicken and roast goose, and the freshly fried green vegetables picked from the neighbor's field.

Qin Huai's three meals a day were still very rich. After eating at Qin's house for several days, my uncle was so happy that he almost forgot that his home was no longer here.

The wealthy He Cheng and Qin Luo stopped eating four-happiness dumplings from big bowls these days and just chopped wood.

Yes, Qin Luo taught He Cheng the skill of chopping wood, and the brother and sister chopped wood together.

When it comes to gossiping, Qin Luo can't compete with the old branch secretary. The old branch secretary brings his own teacup and stool to the kitchen every day to sit and gossip. Moreover, the old branch secretary is also proficient in making tea, and he makes tea quite well, which is an indispensable mainstay in the entire kitchen.

The indispensable old branch secretary will be absent on the sixth day of the New Year.

It has been reported in advance that someone is coming to pay New Year's greetings, and the old branch secretary will bring Carpenter Zhang and his family over to eat the four-happiness dumplings.

On the sixth day of the New Year, the Qin family was still crowded with guests.

No one will always love to eat Four-Happiness Glutinous Rice Balls, but there will always be people willing to visit during the New Year to eat Four-Happiness Glutinous Rice Balls.

Qin Huai announced on the first day of the new year that anyone who came to pay New Year's greetings would not be allowed to return empty-handed during the entire New Year period, and at least they could have a bowl of fresh and hot four-happiness dumplings by standing outside the yard with a bowl in hand.

Qin Huai also explained to Grandpa Qin and Grandma Qin that he had a big job in March, which was related to his reputation. It was very important that he would have a lot of money and a big scene to show off his reputation. For this big job in March, he must practice hard to make the Four Happiness Glutinous Rice Balls, so that grandpa and grandma would not feel bad about the material cost of making glutinous rice balls. Everyone did not come to pay New Year's greetings empty-handed. If your grandson has made progress, the New Year's red envelopes are collected by check. The Four Happiness Glutinous Rice Balls made during the New Year can be regarded as a return to the village.

Qin Huai had explained it to this extent, so of course Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin would not object, for they were afraid that their eldest grandson would be tired of looking for a useful helper everywhere.

In order to help, Grandma Qin almost made peace with her brothers and sisters, and started to pick among her own nephews and nieces.

Then one was not selected.

No matter how I look at it, I feel that it is not as good as the Zhao family.

During this period, Qin Huai's second uncle tried to fish in troubled waters on the fourth day of the New Year and came to pay New Year's greetings, but was discovered by Qin's grandmother on the spot. Second brother, you are really old and you can even forget the New Year's greetings. You have seen the situation at home. There are too many people to entertain. Things? Take the things back too. We have to follow the process. If we don't come to pay New Year's greetings at the agreed time, there will be chaos with so many relatives at home. For the sake of rhetoric, he drove the person back.

Qin Luo, who witnessed the whole process, ran back to the kitchen after chopping wood and whispered to Qin Huai, saying that after so many years, grandma still holds a grudge and her rhetoric has not changed at all.

As a result, He Cheng reported this to Grandma Qin, and Qin Luo was happy to get the four-happiness dumplings, which were enough to fill her up, but she had nothing else to eat.

On the morning of the sixth day of the New Year, Qin Luo, who had been eating four-happiness soup and rice for a day and a half, squatted at the kitchen door with a large bowl in his hand, eating the four-happiness dumplings with great difficulty.

The four-happiness dumplings are delicious.

but.

Three-piece buns, five-piece buns, four-happiness dumplings, and crab shell dumplings stuffed with fresh meat are also delicious.

Grandma, I was wrong! I will never say that you are petty and vindictive again. I, your granddaughter, really want to eat meat-filled snacks! !

The four-joy glutinous rice balls have three sweet fillings and they are so sweet!!!

The old branch secretary led Carpenter Zhang's family to the Qin family early. Seeing Qin Luo sitting at the kitchen door with a large bowl in his hand, he was happy: "Luoluo, you're eating tangyuan so early in the morning!"

"How long has it been since the last batch of dumplings came out of the pot? When will the next batch of dumplings come out of the pot? Why do you look so sad? Who made you unhappy? I know, did your brother ask you to do your homework? You have to hurry up and finish your homework. Those boys in my family always rush to finish their homework during the last few days of the holiday. What they write is a mess. It's a waste of time and useless."

After saying that, the old secretary quietly poked his head in. Seeing that the kitchen was in good order, he knew that nothing had gone wrong, so he said in a relieved voice, "Huaihuai, Xiao Zhang... Carpenter Zhang and the others are here."

When Qin Luo heard the old branch secretary say this, he thought of the many papers he had not finished, and became even sadder. He sniffed, and tears almost fell into the soup bowl.

The old branch secretary noticed that Qin Luo was sniffing and asked with concern: "Are you catching a cold? You too, kid, why are you sitting in the wind? Even if it's not cold, you can't sit here."

Just when Qin Luo was about to speak with emotion, the old branch secretary continued, "Go sit in the house to keep warm and do your homework."

Qin Luo: ...

Qin Luo lowered his head and took a bite of the glutinous rice dumpling.

Now that things have come to this, let’s eat some dumplings.

The old branch secretary stood at the kitchen door waiting for Qin Huai to come out. During the Spring Festival, the kitchen is an important place and no unauthorized personnel are allowed to enter. The old branch secretary understood this principle.

Carpenter Zhang and his family stood outside the kitchen waiting, confused.

The old branch secretary had already introduced the situation of Carpenter Zhang's family when he was talking about gossip. Carpenter Zhang's name was Zhang Chu, a native of Beijing. He came to Qiu County when the educated youth went to the countryside, and worked as an educated youth in several villages near Qinjia Village. Later, because of the information provided by the old branch secretary, he worked as a carpenter in a timber factory in Qiu County for several years, and then his family moved to the city.

Carpenter Zhang's wife was called Cao Guixiang, she was an excellent cook and was well-known in the surrounding villages. It was said that she worked as a chef in Qiu County in the early years. The old branch secretary saved money for a long time, waiting for a day to splurge and have a meal at the restaurant where Cao Guixiang worked. However, Cao Guixiang quit before she saved enough money, which made the old branch secretary so angry that he didn't eat for three days.

Today, Carpenter Zhang brought his whole family here, but Cao Guixiang was missing. It is estimated that Cao Guixiang is showing off her skills at the house of the village chief of their village.

Carpenter Zhang has a son and a daughter. His son is named Zhang Chiyuan, his daughter is named Zhang Siyu, his grandson is named Zhang Zhiyun, and his granddaughter is named Chang Qingqing.

Carpenter Zhang brings his entire family back to the village to pay New Year’s greetings every year, so that the younger generation can see the place where their grandparents worked hard in the past, cherish their current life, and recall the good old days.

While the old branch secretary was talking outside, Qin Huai was mixing the stuffing and couldn't leave for a while, so he could only ask He Cheng to go out and move chairs for Zhang Chu's family so that the guests wouldn't have to stand.

Qin Luo saw that He Cheng had a task and felt that he couldn't lose. If he didn't perform well, he would only be able to eat four-happiness dumplings during the Spring Festival holiday. He quickly put down the bowl and moved the chair.

"Sit down!" Qin Luo put the chair in front of Zhang Chu's grandson Zhang Zhiyun and said loudly.

Zhang Zhiyun was startled by Qin Luo.

In terms of age, Zhang Zhiyun is about the same age as Qin Luo. The old branch secretary mentioned that Zhang Chu's grandson is in the second grade of junior high school this year.

Qin Luo had no idea that he had frightened the new guest, and he kept looking for chairs everywhere, picking them up one at a time. Zhang Chu couldn't help but sigh:
"This little girl is really full of energy."

After all the Zhang family members were seated, Qin Luo very tactfully made and served tea, which left He Cheng dumbfounded. He didn't understand why his cousin suddenly became so excited.

It seems like it’s me who’s rolling it.

After the Zhang family had their tea, Qin Huai had some free time and went out to greet the guests.

"Grandpa Zhang, I've heard of your great name for a long time. I've heard that you're an excellent carpenter, and I've always wanted to use my connections to find you and make a custom mold for you. Unfortunately, you've moved away from Qiu County for many years, and I don't have your contact information. I thought we weren't destined to meet."

"I never thought it would be such a coincidence. The old branch secretary told me a few days ago that he knew you and that you would come to our village every year to pay New Year's greetings. I specifically asked the old branch secretary to help introduce you when you come today."

"Have you had breakfast? It doesn't matter if you have, it's almost time for lunch so stay and have something to eat. I don't have anything else here. There are four-happiness dumplings in the pot now. They have been served and are cooling down and will be eaten soon. Luoluo, go and see if the buns, steamed buns, and dumplings in the steamer are ready. If they are, serve them out." "I'll make a few more hand-rolled noodles later and cook them in chicken soup. It will be delicious with some vegetables and mushrooms."

Qin Huai's enthusiasm made Zhang Chu confused. Zhang Chu thought about it for a long time but couldn't figure out who Qin Huai was.

Zhang Chu looked at Qin Huai's age and felt that considering the young Master Qin's age, he should have never ordered a mold from him.

With such enthusiasm, could this be the Hongmen Banquet?
Zhang Chu hesitated and asked, "Qin...Qin..."

"You can just call me Xiao Qin."

"Has your family ordered molds from me before?" Zhang Chu asked carefully.

Qin Huai nodded. "My dad ordered it back then, but I was probably not even born at that time. My dad said that it was very popular in Qiu County to use molds to make snacks during that time. My dad also wanted to open a snack shop, so he ordered four sets of molds from you, some ordinary and some complex, and one set is from the Journey to the West series."

"The molds were good, but my dad didn't have the skills to use them. So the molds were never used. My dad didn't open a dim sum shop, but a breakfast shop instead."

Zhang Chu's heart skipped a beat.

It’s over, it really is the Hongmen Banquet.

He made that period of time in his life by doing dirty work just to buy a house in the city, and his crime was never exposed for 20 years. 20 years later, he was found by his victim.

"Xiao Qin." Zhang Chu began to confess on the spot, "The mold incident was indeed caused by me, Grandpa Zhang, because I was short of money. There was nothing I could do. Houses in the city are too expensive. I felt bad about my wife earning money alone, and the salary at the lumber factory was so low. That's why I couldn't think straight and resorted to some crooked means..."

Qin Huai also said: "Although my father basically doesn't know how to use those molds, I found that the quality of the molds is really good after I started using them to make dim sum. It's just that it's a bit difficult for ordinary dim sum chefs. I came here this time to ask you to make a few sets that are suitable for the current situation..."

They both froze and looked at each other.

Zhang Chu: "How many sets of molds do you want me to make?"

Qin Huai: "Evil ways, possessed by ghosts?"

After several eye contact, Zhang Chu confessed everything.

I found a corner to recruit people.

It is true that the dim sum business in Qiu County was booming and all the rage at the time, but it was Zhang Chu's wife Cao Guixiang who brought that dim sum business to the fore. Those high-end dim sum gift boxes that really attracted wealthy businessmen to buy at high prices were all made by Cao Guixiang.

The so-called mold set for making snacks by Cao Guixiang was also a rumor spread by Zhang Chu in order to make some money from the molds.

The couple did all this with only one purpose - to save money to buy a house.

They bought a house in the city. At that time, Zhang Chu and Cao Guixiang felt that the education in the county was not good enough, and they wanted to move to the city so that their son and daughter could receive a better education. This led to the subsequent dim sum craze.

As for the subsequent skyrocketing prices of molds, Carpenter Zhang's prices are particularly high because of his superb craftsmanship, and that's all hype.

Of course it is true that Carpenter Zhang has good craftsmanship.

There was nothing wrong with the mold he made, and it was also a fact that it could be used.

But ordinary molds can be used, and the molds of the Journey to the West series and the Twelve Zodiac series cannot be used by ordinary pastry chefs. It is precisely these molds that are valuable. In order to make quick money, Zhang Chu concealed the fact that these molds were bought but there was a threshold. He would only give a few words of advice when the victim was really wronged, and then continue to make money.

Qin Congwen was undoubtedly the most vulnerable person back then.

"Xiao Qin, I was indeed dishonest in that matter. It has nothing to do with my wife. It's mainly because I was dishonest."

"You are a pastry chef now. If you need this, I can make you a few batches of simple molds for free."

"Now we can make any designs that children like, such as Peppa Pig, Pikachu, Doraemon, Hello Kitty, and Teletubbies. That's no problem."

"If it really doesn't work, come to my house for a meal when you are free one day. My wife will cook you a good meal as an apology to you."

Zhang Chu confessed silently.

Qin Huai's eyes lit up when he heard this: "So, it was Grandma Cao who used the molds from the Twelve Zodiac Series and Journey to the West Series to make snacks."

Zhang Chu nodded: "Yes, those snacks are expensive, and it would be troublesome to make them by hand. Although using a mold cannot be done in one step, it can guarantee quality and speed up the process."

"So those molds can be used, at least Grandma Cao knows how." Qin Huai's eyes brightened.

The molds of Qin Congwen's Journey to the West series are almost new and have hardly been used. Qin Huai has also rarely used them because he doesn't know how to use those complicated molds.

"Of course they can be used. I won't sell unusable molds for money. But these molds are too difficult for ordinary chefs to make. Unlike ordinary molds that can be pressed, these molds need to be shaped separately after pressing."

"Do you know anything else?"

Zhang Chu:?
Why is Master Qin's focus so strange?
"I know... a little." Qin Huai couldn't do it anymore because of Zhang Chu.

"That's great!" Qin Huai was very happy, "Grandpa Zhang, let's add WeChat first."

"I'll have to trouble Grandma Cao to tell me how to use the Journey to the West series molds on WeChat, and you can make me a few batches of the same difficulty. I really need to use these molds to practice my fingering skills now."

These molds are great props for practicing fingering.

They can simplify very complex dim sum, but at the same time not be too simple, which is very suitable for Qinhuai at this stage.

Zhang Chu:?
Did he just confess in vain?
Why is Xiao Qin so stubborn? He is just as stubborn as his father was.

Zhang Chu said that he had remembered who Qin Congwen was when he was confessing just now.

He also advised Qin Congwen back then, and vaguely said that the Journey to the West series was too difficult and the cost was too high and not cost-effective. However, Qin Congwen did not listen and wanted the most expensive one.

"Xiao Qin, this mold has certain requirements for the chef..."

"Grandpa Zhang, you haven't had lunch yet, right?" Qin Huai interrupted Zhang Chu.

Zhang Chu:? He lost his memory? Did Qin Huai say this at the beginning?
"No." Zhang Chu said.

"Then have some snacks to fill your stomach first." Qin Huai led Zhang Chu back to the kitchen door, and the Zhang family had already started eating.

He ate it ravenously.

Zhang Chu was shocked. He was not bragging, his family rarely ate like this outside.

The food at home is delicious enough, and this is how we usually eat at home.

Zhang Chu's grandson Zhang Zhiyun ate the most exaggeratedly. He held a large bowl and sat next to Qin Luo, almost burying his face in the bowl. He did not forget to say loudly:

"The glutinous rice balls your brother makes are really delicious, only slightly better than those made by my grandma!"

"Nonsense, my brother's cooking is definitely better than your grandma's!" Qin Luo hit back in a louder voice.

“My grandma makes delicious food!”

“My brother makes delicious food!”

"My grandma's food tastes better than any other restaurant out there!"

"My brother's food is better than any other restaurant out there!"

"My grandma's cooking is the best anyway!"

“My brother’s cooking must be the best!!!”

(End of this chapter)