Chapter 29: Truly Out of My League!

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Truly Out of My League!

It seemed that women all loved taking photos before eating. Who knew when this trend had started.

Only when Zhong Jing leaned in closer did she realize that the candied date pastries made by Chen Jingle were even better than she had imagined. She marveled, "How is this only seventy or eighty percent there? I’d say it looks no different from what the master chefs at state banquets make! This outer layer is formed during the deep-frying process of the mille-feuille dough when the inner oil core is fried out. I just don’t know if the taste is the same. Of course, I’ve never eaten anything made by a state banquet chef."

It was simply a work of art! She wasn’t a professional; she just liked watching master chefs cook. The process itself was a kind of enjoyment, much like how some people enjoyed watching others trim donkey hooves or transport bananas.

Chen Jingle smiled and said, "You’ll know once you taste it."

"This is called a candied date pastry?" Nanny Liang leaned closer.

Zhong Jing nodded. "Yes, Mom. Don’t be fooled by its appearance; it’s actually incredibly labor-intensive. Even head chefs have to toil for several hours to make it. It’s all meticulous work. If you put this portion in a high-end restaurant outside, it might sell for 588 yuan, and it would be the kind you have to book in advance. After all, not just any chef knows how to make it."

What? 588? Nanny Liang was startled. There were two portions here—wouldn’t that be over a thousand?

Seeing that the claims were getting increasingly exaggerated, Chen Jingle hurriedly waved his hand. "That’s too much, too much. It’s really just a regular little pastry. At the end of the day, it’s meant to be eaten."

"Eesh. That might be true, but can what ordinary people eat be the same as what the big shots eat?" Zhong Jing shook her head. If it weren’t for Chen Jingle, they might not even have had the chance to eat this pastry in their entire lifetimes. They were truly benefiting from his presence.

"The craftsmanship is just a bit complex, don’t mythologize it too much," Chen Jingle said helplessly. He thought, "I should have made something simpler if I had known."

Zhong Jing chuckled. "I’ve seen a lot of so-called master chefs spend a long time just trying to replicate this. Who knows how many times they failed in private."

"Everyone has their own specialty. It’s normal."

"You can even make candied date pastries. Could it be that you can make Awakening Lion pastries too?" Zhong Jing asked curiously.

Chen Jingle shook his head. "I’ve never made one, but I know about it. The level of complexity feels a bit higher."

"Just a bit more complex?" Hearing this, Zhong Jing wore a bizarre expression. When ordinary people saw the shape of an Awakening Lion pastry, their scalps would tingle in sheer dread! In his eyes, it was actually just a bit more complex. What kind of culinary prodigy script was this! To think there was actually such a character by their side!

Mr. Liang and Nanny Liang initially only knew that Chen Jingle was their son Liang City’s classmate and long-time friend, and that he had been a huge help in the recent transfer back to the city center. They never expected him to possess such a skill. Such a young pastry master was truly a rarity!

Seeing everyone looking at him with wondrous gazes, Chen Jingle had no choice but to say, "Let’s try it first. Personally, I think the taste is alright, but I don’t know if it will suit everyone’s palate."

"Are we really going to eat it?" Liang City stretched his neck to look.

"Of course, pastries are meant to be eaten."

"Alright then."

Zhong Jing began distributing them to everyone. "Dad, Mom, come, try a top-tier traditional Chinese pastry that can usually only be tasted at state banquets!"

"Haha, thanks to Chen, our eyes have been opened," Mrs. Liang laughed heartily.

Hearing this, Chen Jingle truly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Liang City, holding the child, jumped anxiously. "What about me? What about me?"

Zhong Jing rolled her eyes. "You wait a moment."

Liang City’s face immediately fell.

Chen Jingle waved off the candied date pastry Zhong Jing offered, indicating that he had already eaten, and then reached out to help Liang City hold the baby. The moment Little Mingyue was in his hands, she beamed with joy.

Liang City was so moved he almost teared up. Finally freeing his hands, he decisively joined the pastry-eating army.

"Is the taste alright?" Chen Jingle asked with a smile.

"More than alright, it’s super delicious!" Zhong Jing gave a thumbs-up. "The surface is a thin layer, very crispy. The red bean paste filling inside is light and sweet, accompanied by the fragrance of pine nuts. The texture is very complex and absolutely fantastic! Those who say it looks good but tastes bad are going to be proven dead wrong. How could something worthy of a state banquet not taste good? That’s a place where even the tableware has to be specially customized!"

Clearly, like Liang City, she was also someone who loved to eat and knew how to appreciate good food.

Mr. Liang and Nanny Liang both nodded in agreement. They didn’t understand anything about complex craftsmanship, but taste couldn’t lie; it was indeed delicious. Even setting aside the production process, if it were sold for fifty or a hundred, there would surely be people willing to foot the bill.

Liang City nodded even more continuously. "With this level of skill, you’re definitely a pastry master. The meat sauce buns you made last time were amazing enough, but I didn’t expect you to have this up your sleeve too. It’s more than enough to open a shop! Want to consider it?"

"Forget about opening a shop. I don’t have the energy for that," Chen Jingle shook his head.

"Why? Are you very busy? You stay at home every day and never go out."

"It has nothing to do with whether I’m at home or not. Mainly, I just don’t want to do it. It’s too much of a hassle."

"I can only say, that’s so you!" Liang City was speechless. He shook his head and then smiled again. "But it doesn’t matter. Anyway, whenever you make them again, just remember to save a portion for me."

"Watch how you speak!" Nanny Liang glared at him reproachfully. He was far too ill-mannered! Who talked to a guest like that?

Liang City didn’t mind. Based on his understanding of Chen Jingle, he definitely wouldn’t get angry over such a trivial matter.

Chen Jingle smiled faintly. "I’ll make them next time I’m free."

Zhong Jing, while eating the candied date pastry, was pondering another issue. Previously, she had said she wanted to introduce Chen Jingle to her younger sister, Zhong Qing. That brat Zhong Qing had even complained that he was too old, but looking at it now, she felt that Zhong Qing was a bit unworthy of Chen Jingle!

Besides being young, what advantages did Zhong Qing have? Even her looks weren’t necessarily better than Chen Jingle’s! She would truly be marrying out of her league! However, Zhong Jing still wanted to give it a try. What if it worked out?

Therefore, catching Chen Jingle off guard, Zhong Jing secretly snapped a photo of him holding Liang Mingyue and sent it directly to Zhong Qing. She thought, "Hmph, let’s see if you don’t regret it to death after complaining about him before!"

Nanny Liang, who saw this from the side, looked at her daughter-in-law in confusion. Zhong Jing hurriedly leaned over to explain in a low voice. Upon hearing this, Nanny Liang’s eyes instantly lit up.

Oh ho, so that was how it was! If they could really pull it off, then everyone would be relatives.

After tasting the candied date pastries, everyone was utterly satisfied.

Zhong Jing wiped her hands, wanting to take her daughter back. Having a guest help look after the child was far too improper. As a result, the little girl absolutely refused. She hugged Chen Jingle’s neck tightly and wouldn’t let go, not even wanting her own mother to hold her.

Zhong Jing fell silent. She wondered if she was a bit too much of a failure as a biological mother.

"It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ll just hold her." Chen Jingle was also very speechless at his own baby-magnet constitution.

To alleviate her own embarrassment, Zhong Jing had no choice but to say, "Then you guys sit here. I’ll go to the kitchen and cook."

Nanny Liang also stood up. "I’ll go help."

Liang City changed seats, sitting next to Chen Jingle. He fed Little Mingyue a tiny bit of candied date pastry, though, of course, the vast majority still went into his own mouth.

"You guy, just how many more skills are you hiding?"

"I’m not hiding anything. I just learned all of them recently."

Great, that sounded even more infuriating. Did he think skills were plastic bottles on the side of the road, where picking them up made them his?