The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 426 Dinner Party
Because of Master Zhou's warning and his righteous enforcement, Zhao Cheng'an didn't dare let Qin Huai make any more pastries for the next few days, and even kept an eye on Qin Huai to prevent him from making pastries.

As long as Qin Huai shows even the slightest interest in making pastries, even if the pastry isn't the auspicious cloud pattern pastry, Zhao Cheng'an will fight tooth and nail to stop him, absolutely not letting Qin Huai's hands touch the dough.

This teaching method almost brought tears to Tan Weian's eyes; she only regretted that she couldn't take his place.

This unique teaching model resulted in Qin Huai having nothing to do every day except watch Zhao Cheng'an make pastries, supervise Tan Weian to prevent him from being too lazy, and instruct Gu Li to wander around looking for something to eat.

For a moment, Qin Huai felt that he wasn't there to have a conversation at all, but rather to be a supervisor, whose main job was to keep an eye on Zhao Cheng'an and Tan Weian, the two chat kings.

Of course, Qin Huai was not a competent supervisor. During his supervision, Tan Weian was caught slacking off multiple times by Master Zhou, Master Hua, Master Zhao, Master Zhang, and Master Wang. Master Hua, being particularly upright, reported this behavior directly to Boss Su, resulting in Tan Weian being stripped of his entire month's vacation and missing out on a family dinner.

But it's okay, someone will eat for Tan Wei'an if he can't get a meal.

Eat leisurely.

With Huang Xi's help, An Youyou successfully sublet her apartment, which still had six months left on its lease, within a few days, and also sold her secondhand electric scooter a third time.

Unlike Qin Huai, who traveled light with just a small suitcase and a few changes of clothes, An Youyou brought four extra-large suitcases to Hangzhou this time, three of which were borrowed from colleagues.

To avoid paying extra for air freight, An Youyou specifically bought a high-speed rail ticket. When Qin Huai went to pick up An Youyou at the station, he was surprised to see that she had managed to carry so many suitcases out of the station all by herself. His first reaction wasn't to wonder how she managed to carry all those suitcases onto the train, but rather how she could have so many things to pack into her suitcases.

The answer to everything came when Qin Huai took An Youyou to her apartment in the neighborhood and opened her suitcase.

As Qin Huai's employee, An Youyou's accommodation was naturally arranged by Qin Huai. If it were more convenient, Qin Huai could delegate this matter to Boss Su, since Boss Su owned several apartments in the neighborhood near Zhiweiju.

However, considering that the rent in the neighborhoods near Zhiweiju is quite high, it would be too obvious for an apprentice like An Youyou to live in such a nice house, given that she was a relative. After consulting with Tan Weian, Qin Huai found an agent to rent a relatively inexpensive one-bedroom apartment on the first floor with an elevator for An Youyou within a 3-kilometer radius of Zhiweiju.

The neighborhood is well-equipped with various amenities, including small supermarkets, fruit shops, restaurants, and general stores, making it very convenient for Anyouyou to purchase daily necessities. In addition, the bus stop is nearby, making it easy to commute to work by bus or electric scooter.

When Qin Huai rented the house in this community, he felt that he was an extremely considerate boss, having thought of even such a small thing.

The moment An Youyou opened her suitcase, Qin Huai knew he was overthinking things.

His employees were even more thoughtful, bringing everything from bedding sets to toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash cups, lunch boxes, bowls, chopsticks, dish soap, and even unused tissues, laundry detergent, and the air purifier given by Chen Huihong that they had stocked up on before the Lunar New Year.

She even brought two air purifiers. Chen Huihong had bought a lot of things recently, and the air purifiers she had stocked up at home took up too much space. She heard that An Youyou had some spare space in her suitcase, so she asked An Youyou to bring an extra one to deliver to Qin Huai.

Qin Huai never expected that he would see Chen Huihong giving away air purifiers everywhere in Hangzhou.

An Youyou's four suitcases greatly shocked Qin Huai, causing him to be somewhat distracted when he was supervising work on the second day. He even began to wonder if he had ever actually worked before. Was the problem with An Youyou, or with him, or with both of them?

As for An Youyou, she integrated very well; to be precise, Zhiweiju was very tolerant of its apprentices.

In the past two years, Zhiweiju has relaxed its standards for recruiting apprentices. If we consider An Youyou as a new apprentice at Zhiweiju, her skill level is not bad. She can even be described as quick and strong, which is the type of apprentice that some master chefs would like.

With Tan Weian's vigorous promotion, no one among the apprentices at Zhiweiju was unaware that An Youyou had come from Yunzhong Canteen for further training.

An Youyou is neither competing with them, nor will she stay at Zhiweiju for long, nor will she cause trouble. She is also a girl with a good personality and temperament, so the apprentices at Zhiweiju naturally welcome her.

Of course, the most crucial thing is that the apprentices at Zhiweiju are all counting on going to Yunzhong Canteen for further training in the future, so it is very important to maintain a good relationship with the foreman at Yunzhong Canteen who has a good relationship with Chef Qin.

An Youyou thrived at Zhiweiju, and not a single workplace tip that Shi Dadan had written for her was of any use.

But it's okay, we'll use it on the day of the meal.

Since Tan Weian couldn't come, Qin Huai mentioned to Zhao Cheng'an whether An Youyou could be invited. It's always a gathering of four people, so why not?

After Zhao Cheng'an readily agreed, An Youyou asked for leave, which was successfully approved, and she took the stage as a substitute amidst Tan Weian's envious gaze.

When Qin Huai met An Youyou, who was carrying a fruit basket, at the entrance of Zhao Cheng'an's residential compound, Qin Huai knew that An Youyou definitely hadn't read the workplace tips he had sent her.

Shi Dadan carried a large fruit basket, An Youyou carried a small fruit basket, and Qin Huai held an air purifier. Anyone who saw this trio would have to exclaim that they were truly a gathering of heroes.

Unlike most of the direct disciples and master chefs who lived near Zhiweiju for convenience in commuting to work, Zhao Cheng'an was probably the one among this group who lived the furthest away from Zhiweiju.

His home is a full 20 kilometers away from Zhiweiju, in a high-end community where the price is only slightly lower than Yunzhong Community. The surrounding facilities and environment are excellent, and it's also in a good school district. When Qin Huai and his two companions were about to enter the community with their things, the security guard told them to register directly. They could leave the takeout at the security booth, and property management staff would deliver it to the residents later. Delivery drivers weren't allowed to enter the community.

After Qin Huai and his two companions explained that they were visitors, the security guards couldn't find any reservation information and questioned them very cautiously for a full five minutes before letting them in.

During those five minutes, Zhao Cheng'an's phone call couldn't be connected. It was unclear what he was busy with; when the call finally connected, he only managed to say a few words before hanging up.

"Youyou, where did you buy this fruit basket?" Qin Huai looked at An Youyou's fruit basket and found that it was quite unique, unlike those sold in the market, with a rich variety of fruits.

It contains bananas, pears, apples, peaches, kiwis, grapes, and mangoes, and even a cucumber and two tomatoes. It has a kind of aesthetic appeal that seems to be just stuffing fruit in without any regard for shape or color matching.

"Master Qin, this is a fruit basket I put together myself," An Youyou said proudly. "The fruit baskets at the fruit shop are too expensive. I bought this basket on a local second-hand trading platform and picked it up myself. It only cost me 5 yuan. I bought the fruit at the fruit shop at the entrance of my community. I picked out a few of each kind. When I piled them up this morning, I found that two apples and a banana had too many spots and didn't look good, so I temporarily stuffed in some cucumbers and tomatoes from home to make up the numbers."

"How is it? Isn't it beautiful!"

Shi Dadan's eyes lit up when he heard this. He opened his eyes wide and carefully examined An Youyou's fruit basket. He exclaimed, "You can actually DIY a fruit basket? What a blunder! I should have bought a bigger basket and made an even bigger one."

An Youyou smiled happily, turned her gaze to Qin Huaili who was holding the air purifier, and asked, "Master Qin, why did you bring the air purifier that Sister Hong asked me to bring for you?"

“I have an air purifier in my apartment now, and Zhao Cheng’an’s place just needed one, so I brought it,” Qin Huai explained. “Zhao Cheng’an lives on the 6th floor. He said he’d come down to pick us up, so wait a bit.” Just as Qin Huai finished speaking, the building door opened. Zhao Cheng’an, still wearing an apron and looking somewhat disheveled and even haggard, rushed out, apologizing repeatedly.

"Sorry, sorry, I was busy and didn't see the phone. There was a little unexpected situation last night, and I forgot to tell the property management that you were coming today. Hope you haven't kept me waiting long. Oh, Lao Shi, why did you bring such a big fruit basket?"

"Youyou, why did you bring a fruit basket too? You've only been at Zhiweiju for two days. This meal can be considered a welcome feast on behalf of Zhiweiju for you. What should I bring? Oh, there are cucumbers in the fruit basket now. This fruit shop is quite creative."

"Qin Huai, what are you holding in your arms... an air purifier? That's really good."

As soon as Zhao Cheng'an came down, he started exchanging pleasantries non-stop, his mouth never stopping. Moreover, he only cared about himself and didn't care whether the other person answered or not, nor did he give the other person a chance to answer.

Qin Huai glanced at Zhao Cheng'an with some suspicion. Based on what he knew of Zhao Cheng'an over the past few days, he was a talkative person, but not one who spoke without regard for others. His eagerness today made Qin Huai suspect his friend was a little guilty.

"Come on, the elevator is this way." Zhao Cheng'an led the way, and was the first to step into the elevator, swipe his card, and press the floor button.

"Xiao Zhao, your home is so far from Zhiweiju, it must be inconvenient for you to get to work, right?" Shi Dadan asked.

“Driving is fine, anyway, Boss Su will reimburse the gas expenses.” Zhao Cheng’an stared at the floor buttons, looking somewhat absent-minded. Seeing that the elevator was about to reach the 6th floor and the elevator doors were about to open, he hesitated for two seconds before speaking, “Um, Qin Huai… I need to talk to you about something.”

The elevator doors opened, and Qin Huai stepped out first, turning back to ask, "What's up?"

Zhao Cheng'an slowed his pace, seemingly wanting to give himself more time to think, but unfortunately the elevator was too close to the room door, just a few steps away.

Zhao Cheng'an unlocks the phone with his fingerprint.

"There might be one more person at dinner today, you don't mind, do you?"

The door opened.

The aroma of various pastries mingled together—salty, sweet, and the tantalizing scent of butter after baking—along with the unique, moist wheat fragrance of steamed pastries, instantly bursting forth. The aroma was so enticing that one forgot to think or what they had just heard.

Qin Huai, who spends most of his time in the kitchen, still has some sense: "Of course I don't mind. You're cooking for the guests, so it's up to you to decide how many people come. Who else is coming today? Who has time off? Su Qian? I heard that Su Qian also took time off today. He's been getting a lot of flak lately, and Boss Su gave him two days off to help him adjust his mood."

Zhao Cheng'an opened the door and went in first, deliberately not turning around and only showing the backs of the three people, so that he could avoid facing Qin Huai.

"It's not Su Qian."

Qin Huai followed closely behind, looking down to find his slippers, and asked, "Who else is there? I remember Boss Su saying at the morning meeting that it's best not to have too many people taking leave at the same time, as it would seriously affect the normal operation of Zhiweiju. We've all taken leave today, so Boss Su probably won't approve anyone else's leave request. Is the other person your friend?"

"Actually, it will be approved," Zhao Cheng'an said quietly.

Qin Huai: ?
Qin Huai looked up blankly and noticed that there seemed to be someone in the kitchen.

Although Zhao Cheng'an's home is a two-bedroom apartment, it is very large, covering a full 200 square meters. In order to make it easier to make pastries, he expanded the kitchen area during the renovation, which resulted in the kitchen being larger than the living room, and the kitchen door facing the bedroom door.

If someone is walking around in the kitchen, it's easy for someone who has just entered the house to see through the frosted glass door.

Just as Qin Huai was feeling bewildered, the kitchen door was pushed open, and a person Qin Huai recognized but never expected walked out of the kitchen wearing an apron and sleeves.

As Chef Zhou took off his sleeves, he said with his head down, "The dumplings are already in the pot. Third brother, go to the kitchen and keep an eye on them. The 'Pinhua Palace Lantern Buns' and 'Four Happiness Rolls' will be ready in two or three minutes. Keep an eye on the heat."

Qin Huai stared in disbelief as Master Zhou slowly took off his sleeves and untied his apron, unable to utter a word for a long time.

If it were Master Zhou who needed to request leave, Boss Su would indeed approve it.

"Master Zhou... good afternoon," Qin Huai stammered. "You... you're off today?"

These past few days, Master Zhou has been focused on giving Su Qian a thorough dressing-down, to the point that Su Qian became so withdrawn that Boss Su granted him two days off, and he's barely seen Qin Huai.

Qin Huai gets to see Master Zhou for an average of one hour a day, most of which is spent at the morning meeting during lunch.

"I heard that the third brother was going to host a welcome banquet for you, so I came to see what was going on," Chef Zhou said casually. "Since I had nothing else to do, I thought I'd make some snacks to practice my skills."

Qin Huai: ...

The "Pin Hua Palace Lantern Bun" and "Four Happiness Roll" don't look like snacks meant for practice.

“Master, I already said that today’s banquet is not a welcome dinner for Qin Huai. I wanted to invite Lao Shi to eat dumplings, and I asked Lao Shi to invite Qin Huai as well. It just so happens that Youyou can rest today, so I invited her to come.”

"I started preparing last night!"

Master Zhou glanced speechlessly into the kitchen: "Keep your time."

"I started preparing last night. I prepared four kinds of dumplings, spring rolls, shrimp dumplings, wontons, pumpkin pancakes, and French fries."

"The pumpkin pancakes are frozen, you really know how to prepare them. Why don't you just order takeout? It would save you the trouble of frying them yourself."

What have you prepared?

“If I hadn’t come over to check on you last night, you wouldn’t even have any decent snacks to offer today.”

(End of this chapter)