Chapter 241 Pastry
Yangquan Restaurant.

Since Xia Yi joined Yangquan Restaurant, it no longer accepts new apprentices.

People who come from afar can only leave disappointed.

But there was one exception.

"You want to be an apprentice at Yangquan Restaurant? Sorry, Yangquan is full and we are no longer accepting new apprentices."

Hearing this, the boy panicked, but then calmed down and said as they had agreed, "Well, this is a little gift from me. I made this cake myself. I hope you like it."

The waiter was about to refuse, but saw the boy stuff the pastry into his hand and run away quickly.

"What a weirdo."

The guy exclaimed and took the pastries inside.

This pastry smells quite nice, and it's not expensive anyway, so I can just give it to everyone as a snack.

The boy ran away quickly and went straight to a small tea stall on the street.

Cheng Peng was sitting there drinking tea leisurely.

The young man sat beside him and asked hesitantly, "Brother Cheng, the people at Yangquan Restaurant said they would no longer recruit apprentices. Can this method really change their minds?"

"If you have confidence in your cooking skills, and if the people at Yangquan Restaurant can realize the extraordinary nature of your dish, then there should be no problem."

"I don't know about others, but Chef Xu Qing can definitely do it!"

The boy said firmly.

Cheng Peng choked and coughed suddenly, and couldn't help cursing in his heart.

How did I meet another admirer of Xu Qing?
"You... also know Xu Qing's name?"

Cheng Peng asked.

"Of course! Who in this world doesn't know the name of Chef Xu Qing? He is the most legendary chef in the world. And he is only twelve years old! Chef Xu Qing is only one year older than me, but he has done things that I will never be able to do in my lifetime! It would be great if I could learn from Chef Xu Qing!"

The boy's eyes sparkled and his face was full of admiration.

It’s Chef Xu Qing again…

Cheng Peng suppressed his anger and said, "Since you admire him so much, why don't you participate in the test of Yangquan Restaurant?"

The young man said ashamedly: "I came to Guangzhou just to participate in the apprenticeship test of Yangquan Restaurant. I didn't expect to accidentally enter a black shop in the suburbs and was caught by those evil people. I couldn't escape, so I wasted time..."

That being said, it's quite a coincidence.

If this young man had not been caught by that group of rubbish, Yangquan Restaurant would probably have stopped recruiting apprentices before Cheng Peng arrived.

And if the young man hadn't been stupid enough to enter the black shop, where would he find such a useful tool now?

Cheng Peng comforted him, "Don't worry, if the plan goes well, there will be results soon."

The young man nodded and looked towards Yangquan Restaurant with a look of nervousness and anticipation.

At this moment, he just felt that time was passing very slowly, very slowly...

It's so slow that it makes people feel uneasy and restless.

It was closing time and the chefs were exhausted after working all day and their stomachs were growling with hunger.

Seeing the waiter coming over with snacks, the chefs immediately smiled.

"Good boy, you really have good taste! You even went out to buy snacks for us."

“This cake smells so good.”

"Don't grab it!"

The waiter quickly dodged the eager hands that were stretched out to him and said, "This was given to me by someone else. We have to give it to Xu Qing and Master Luo Tian first."

Sent?

Everyone looked at each other, "Who sent it?"

The waiter shook his head. "It was given to me by a young man. He wanted to come to Yangquan to be an apprentice, but unfortunately we were full. Before he left, he forced the package of cakes on me, saying it was a small token of his appreciation."

Giving gifts is common. Many of the chefs who came to participate in the test these days brought small gifts.

However, it is rare to see someone sending gifts to Yangquan Restaurant even though they know that the restaurant is no longer recruiting apprentices.

At this moment, Xu Qing, Master Luo Tian and several other chefs came over and saw a bag of pastries on the table.

The pastry is off-white in color, with a delicate and smooth surface, dotted with golden osmanthus flowers, like stars.

The fragrance of osmanthus permeates the air; its fresh and elegant aroma is just right, rich but not greasy, light and long-lasting. It is like walking through an osmanthus forest after the rain, with the refreshing fragrance overwhelming your nose and making you intoxicated.

At the same time, the fresh aroma of osmanthus is accompanied by the unique sweet fragrance of pastries. The two are intertwined to compose a wonderful melody, just like a gentle beauty holding an oil-paper umbrella in the alley after the rain, so sweet that it makes people's heart beat fast.

“This is osmanthus cake!”

Master Luo Tian sniffed the fresh aroma in the air. "This rich sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance and elegant sweet aroma, only Guixianglou can make sweet-scented osmanthus cakes of this quality. Why spend so much money to buy cakes from Guixianglou? Is today a good day?"

The waiter smiled and said, "Master, you guessed wrong. This was not bought, but given to me by someone else. And it was not bought from Guixianglou either. The person said he made it himself."

Master Luo Tian was surprised and said, "Oh? You made it yourself? The aroma is comparable to the cakes of Guixianglou. I want to try it."

Xu Qing took a look at the exquisitely made osmanthus cake and asked, "Who sent it?"

The guy told what happened.

A chef said: "That's strange. We don't even recruit apprentices anymore, so why would he send a gift? There's no need."

"Maybe he wants to build some connections and use the back door."

"Ha, then this bag of osmanthus cake is not enough."

"What's enough? Gold?"

"I think even gold is not enough. There is a saying that money cannot buy my willingness. Whether to recruit apprentices depends on the two chefs' opinions."

This is indeed true. With the current status and abilities of the two chefs of Yangquan Restaurant, what kind of money and wealth can they not get?
What's more, Xu Qing also has the golden brocade clothes bestowed by the emperor. Even if he wants power, it only takes a word for him to get it.

However, Xu Qing has never been interested in power or money.

What interested him most at the moment was the bag of osmanthus cake in front of him.

Master Luo Tian asked: "Xu Qing, why do you think that person gave me this bag of osmanthus cake?"

Xu Qing replied: "I'm afraid he wants to use this pastry to show his strength and change our views."

"Oh? Then the taste of this pastry must satisfy us."

When Master Luo Tian heard this, he immediately became interested.

Maybe, it's not just satisfaction, but also a little surprise.

Xu Qing sniffed the aroma of the pastries in the air and had already figured out the cooking secret of this pastry.

However, there was something else that interested him even more.

You can only appreciate it by tasting it yourself.

That is the mood that the chef hides in his dishes.

The reason why it is called mood is not intention.

Because at best it can only allow diners to feel the passion and sincerity of the chef.

It is not like the mind, which allows diners to clearly perceive the world of the soul.

It can only be said to be a key.

Hold the key, step over the threshold, touch the door, and then you can open the door and truly enter the realm of your heart.

The heart's feelings are elusive and hard to find.

This kind of enthusiasm and sincerity for diners is not something that all chefs can easily possess.

Does the dish in front of him have the passion and sincerity that Xu Qing expected to feel?
All the answers can be found in the taste.

Xu Qing picked up a piece of delicate osmanthus cake and put it into his mouth.

(End of this chapter)