Chapter 24: Overflowing with Fragrance

The twenty-minute wait passed quickly.

Once the pastry dough had rested, Qin Lang folded the ends of the spiral-shaped dough backward and used a rolling pin to flatten them into circular pastry wrappers.

Next, he took the prepared red bean paste and salted egg yolk fillings, wrapped them inside, and pinched the seams shut to form perfectly round balls.

After demonstrating the process once, Qin Lang handed the remaining work over to Cao Dongdong, as was his custom.

There were twenty plump egg yolk pastries in total, each about the size of half a fist, looking incredibly appetizing.

He placed them on a baking tray with the seams facing down, brushed the tops with an egg wash, sprinkled them with black sesame seeds, and poked a small hole in each to reach the center.

With the final preparations complete, Qin Lang slid the tray into the oven.

"Top heat at 230°C, bottom heat at 170°C, for twenty minutes."

Watching Cao Dongdong take notes rapidly, Qin Lang nodded with satisfaction.

Since the oven's temperature and time were controllable, it was much friendlier for beginners—which was exactly why he felt Cao Dongdong was well-suited for making pastries.

"Did you get all that down?"

"Got it!" Cao Dongdong nodded vigorously.

With Qin Lang providing almost hands-on instruction and precise numbers for every critical step, he would truly be a fool if he couldn't learn it!

"Then you'll make the next batch yourself," Qin Lang said with a smile.

"No problem!" Cao Dongdong’s eyes lit up.

Even if Qin Lang hadn't suggested it, he was already itching to try. However, before starting, he definitely had to taste the egg yolk pastry Qin Lang had taught him to make.

As the oven continued to bake, a faint, flaky aroma crept through the sealed layers of the oven and drifted out.

Cao Dongdong, catching a whiff of the scent, couldn't help but swallow his saliva; Danbao, standing to the side, was faring no better.

"Ding!"

The oven chimed.

After such a long wait, it was finally time to eat!

"Stay away from the oven door," Qin Lang reminded him with a smile before pulling the door open.

A rich, intoxicating fragrance instantly flooded the kitchen.

It was a complex scent—the aroma of flaky pastry, the sweet fragrance of red bean paste, and the savory, rich essence of salted egg yolk. The egg wash and sesame seeds on the surface added a layer of toasted richness, making the aroma even more layered and enticing.

It was a scent that hooked the appetite, making one desperate to pick one up and take a bite immediately.

"Let me try!" Cao Dongdong, impatient, grabbed one with his bare hand, only to yelp and juggle it between his hands. "Hot, hot, hot, hot..."

"Gulp."

Seeing Cao Dongdong’s predicament, Danbao chuckled to itself, then poked its egg-yolk head forward and took a big "nom" out of one of the pastries.

As a Fire-type food spirit, it wasn't afraid of such temperatures at all!

After one bite, Danbao's eyes almost turned into heart shapes.

This taste... it wasn't just the egg yolk it was familiar with, but also the sweet red bean paste and the fragrant, flaky crust! It absolutely loved it!

"You dare to grab it with your bare hands right out of the oven!" Qin Lang teased Cao Dongdong, speechless. He carefully picked one up, blew on it until it cooled, and took a bite.

The outer layer was flaky and distinct, while the inner red bean paste and salted egg yolk were moist rather than dry, offering a dense, smooth texture. As he chewed, the rich flavors melded together, filling his mouth with a wonderful taste that made Qin Lang close his eyes in delight.

He hadn't had this kind of egg yolk pastry in a long time.

Although Cao Dongdong had burned his hands, he managed to eat the pastry as he had hoped. After just one bite, his eyes widened in shock.

"Is this egg yolk pastry something I made?!"

Such a marvelous piece of food had actually been created by his own hands!

Dad! Mom! I'm not a failure!

"Strictly speaking, you were just the assistant," Qin Lang rolled his eyes. "You'll make the next batch yourself, using this one as your goal."

"No problem!" Cao Dongdong nodded firmly. He gobbled down the first pastry and immediately reached for a second.

Danbao was eating even faster, leaving its body behind and flying its egg-yolk head back and forth over the tray, finishing a pastry in three bites.

By the time the two humans and one spirit were full, only six pastries remained on the tray.

"I guess lunch is skipped," Qin Lang said, rubbing his rounded belly and rolling his eyes.

He and Cao Dongdong had eaten four each, and Danbao had eaten six. They had essentially made a meal out of pastries.

"When you make them later, a quarter of this amount will be enough," Qin Lang cautioned before placing the remaining pastries into a food container.

Pastries weren't like other cakes; they were best eaten fresh out of the oven. Even if reheated, the flavor would be greatly diminished. So, Qin Lang decided to share the remaining six with Grandpa Zhao’s family.

Since Zhao Qian was there too, two each should be just right.

***

Next door, at Zhao Chuan’s house.

"Grandpa, Grandma, how is my cooking?"

Zhao Qian rested her chin on her hands, looking at Zhao Chuan and Liu Suyun as they tasted the dishes she had prepared, her face showing signs of nervousness.

She hadn't seen her grandparents in years, so she had specifically cooked her best dishes to show them the progress she had made in her culinary skills.

"Qianqian's cooking has already surpassed your grandmother's," Liu Suyun said with a kind smile, nodding repeatedly after tasting all the dishes.

"Hehe, no matter what, I'll always love Grandma's cooking." Zhao Qian hugged Liu Suyun’s arm and shook it gently, making the older woman’s smile even brighter.

"Qianqian is still the best, unlike this old codger," Liu Suyun glared at Zhao Chuan. "He got tired of my cooking and used his old face to go and snatch a child's dinner!"

"Huh?" Zhao Qian blinked, looking at Zhao Chuan in surprise. "Grandpa, whose dinner did you snatch?"

Zhao Chuan: "..."

So, was this topic never going to go away?

Awkwardly rubbing his nose, Zhao Chuan mumbled through an explanation of what happened last night.

After hearing the story, Zhao Qian’s surprise grew even deeper.

Egg fried rice? The origin dish of Qin Lang’s food spirit?

A sense of competitiveness couldn't help but stir in her eyes.

"Grandpa, then who do you think has better cooking skills, me or Qin Lang?"

Zhao Chuan: "?"

Oh, that's fine; he knew how to answer this one.

"Of course, my dear Qianqian has the better skills!" Zhao Chuan said with a serious expression and a firm tone.

Just as his voice trailed off, a knock came at the door.

Then, Qin Lang’s voice drifted in from outside.

"Grandpa Zhao, Grandma Liu, I made some pastries and brought some over for you."

"Clang—"

With the sound of a chair tipping over, Zhao Chuan stood up abruptly. His aged body burst with surprising strength, and with agility that defied his years, he scrambled to the door like a nimble monkey and flung it open.

"Oh, Xiao Qin, you really are too kind."

Zhao Chuan’s face was so wrinkled with smiles that it looked like a chrysanthemum. He quickly took the container from Qin Lang’s hand, sniffed it through the sealed lid, and his smile deepened as he hugged the box tightly to his chest.

"I’m so embarrassed to accept this~"

Zhao Qian: "???"

Grandpa!

Is this what you meant when you said my cooking was better?!