"Master Qin, how was Gusu?"
"Master Qin, did you get used to living in Gusu?"
"Master Qin, we missed you so much while you were gone!"
"Master Qin, you came back just in time. Yesterday, Teacher Ding’s in-law came over, and she surely has the freshest locust flower honey!"
"Oh, I see Master Qin has lost weight. You’ve come all the way back, you need to replenish well. I happen to have an ancestral recipe for food therapy."
"Come on, where did you get an ancestral recipe for food therapy? Doesn’t your family only have the recipe to boost a child’s appetite? Eating hawthorn slices."
"What do you know? My family has lots of ancestral recipes!"
"Master Qin, don’t pay attention to them; my family..."
The uncles and aunties in the restaurant surrounded him, causing a chaotic scene. Even the boss of the convenience store across the street popped his head out excitedly, taking a flurry of photos of Qin Huai’s back like a devoted and responsible paparazzo.
In this scenario, Qin Luo immediately transformed into a professional bodyguard, standing in front of Qin Huai, dragging the suitcase with one hand, clearing a path with the other, while shouting, "Make way, make way."
This caused a number of sporadic passersby to stop and watch, thinking a celebrity had come.
The onlookers were a bit puzzled, wondering why a celebrity would come to the community restaurant and what kind of new promotional method this was, with the fans being all elderly people.
They didn’t understand, didn’t understand.
Yunzhong Restaurant’s top star, Qin Huai, escorted by bodyguard Qin Luo, smoothly entered the restaurant with the suitcase.
Qin Huai hadn’t expected that there would be so many people in the restaurant.
Qin Huai understood that previously Yunzhong Restaurant had many chatting uncles and aunties every afternoon because the hot weather made everyone want to enjoy the free air conditioning. In the middle of summer, staying anywhere was the same as staying, and staying in the restaurant offered a chance to grab random freebies.
He didn’t expect that, even when he wasn’t at the restaurant, the uncles and aunties would still be willing to stick around.
This level of dedication felt like the difference when Huang Shengli no longer helmed the kitchen but Huang Ji’s old patrons still wanted to come and eat.
At that moment, Qin Huai’s eyes welled up.
Qin Huai took the suitcase from Qin Luo’s hands, looking at one familiar face after another.
Xu Tuqiang, Grandpa Qian, an auntie’s name he couldn’t recall, an uncle’s name he couldn’t recall, another name he couldn’t recall...
Qin Huai admitted he was a bit estranged after being in Gusu for a month.
But it didn’t matter, they’d soon be familiar again.
Qin Huai cleared his throat, as if about to announce something important. Everyone stopped talking, staring at him in unison, eyes full of expectation and joy.
"Has everyone eaten?"
"No, no, ever since you went to Gusu, Master Qin, we haven’t had snacks with our afternoon tea chats!"
"Yes, yes, no Dried Tangerine Peel Tea either, the chatting has been dull."
"We haven’t been able to buy steamed buns for over a month, and my little granddaughter doesn’t even want to come over after school anymore."
"It’s the same at my house. Every weekend, the first thing my grandkid asks is if there’s a bun to eat today."
Qin Huai coughed twice to interrupt everyone’s discussion, smiling as he said, "Luckily, I brought some raw dough. There should be enough quantities, so I’ll change into my kitchen attire now to steam them, and give each person one."
"Luoluo, send a message to Brother Yang."
Brother, wasn’t that whole box of raw dough brought for me?
If you give everyone one, how many do I get to eat?
Qin Luo was quite bewildered, quite upset, and didn’t want to send the message, but nonetheless complied.
Apart from Qin Luo’s ever-changing expressions, everyone in the restaurant was full of joy as if it were New Year.
Of course, this joy was confined to the main hall.
In the unnoticed back kitchen, there were actually two diligent pastry chefs who hadn’t clocked out yet.
Of course, in addition to these two pastry chefs, there were a few helpers. But as everyone knows, in movies and TV shows, these helpers are nameless, typically Helper A, Helper B, mere background NPCs passing through the protagonist’s world, so they don’t need substantial portrayal.
Having worked in the restaurant for over a month, received a month’s salary, gotten along well with colleagues, and become familiar with many residents of Yunzhong District, to the point of being able to name over half of the uncles and aunties present today, Li Hua and Pei Xing were puzzled:?
If none of the uncles and aunties have eaten, then who ate the snacks they made this afternoon?
Could those of you who were chatting so fervently outside at least glance through the glass? Two earnest pastry chefs who haven’t finished their shift are here in the kitchen!
These two are also pillars of Yunzhong Restaurant!
Almost more than half of our monthly revenue is supported by us!
We might have only appeared once, just met the boss briefly, but we’re important NPCs with names!
Uncles and aunties, you can’t just ignore us completely now that Qin Huai is back!
When Qin Huai wasn’t here, you were quite fond of our pastries too.
Pei Xing and Li Hua exchanged a look, seeing two words on each other’s faces.
Pei Xing looked at Li Hua again.
Ordinary appearance, ordinary name, an utterly average supporting role.
He, with an ordinary appearance but a protagonist’s surname, had the potential to become a supporting role!
Pei Xing flung his head proudly, continuing to make peach cakes.
There were less than two hours until the end of the shift. He planned to make a few more batches of peach cakes, which would sell well in the evening.
Is Pei Xing’s adolescent syndrome acting up again?