Chapter 32: Clues to the Second Landscape Painting

“Ms. Song Hui, I would like to ask for your help in identifying this picture.” Qin Lang handed over his second landscape painting from the Traveler’s Book to Song Hui. “I wonder if you recognize the flower depicted here.”

At the mention of a flower, Song Hui’s interest was piqued.

She glanced at the picture and immediately her eyes brightened.

“This is the Scarlet Land Lotus, a very rare flower.”

After identifying it, Song Hui looked at Qin Lang. “The Flower Expo does have an exhibit featuring the Scarlet Land Lotus. If you need, I could—”

She hesitated briefly before continuing, “I have the authority to give you one after the expo ends.”

“No, no, no!” Qin Lang shook his head emphatically.

What he wanted wasn’t the flower itself but the location where it naturally grew.

All the flowers at the expo were kept in special pots, but the Scarlet Land Lotus in the painting was growing wild.

So even without looking closely, Qin Lang knew that wasn’t his target.

“I’m curious if there’s a place where the Scarlet Land Lotus grows naturally?” Qin Lang smiled. “To be honest, I’m a photography enthusiast. I want to find the Scarlet Land Lotus and take a photo similar to this one.”

Since he would need to inquire often while searching for other landscapes in the Traveler’s Book, Qin Lang had already prepared an excuse.

“I see…” Song Hui nodded in understanding. After some thought, her eyes lit up again. “I once transplanted Scarlet Land Lotus to Mount Xiashi.”

“Deep within Mount Xiashi, there might still be undiscovered patches.”

“Mount Xiashi…” Qin Lang’s eyes gleamed.

This mountain is located within Dongxia City, just west of Xiayun River. Although its elevation isn’t very high, it covers a vast area, and few people venture deep inside.

Moreover, the environment inside the mountain seems to match the scenery in the painting.

Hearing this, Qin Lang felt a strong intuition.

The location depicted in the second landscape might well be somewhere within Mount Xiashi!

“Thank you, Ms. Song!” Qin Lang quickly expressed his gratitude.

“You’re welcome,” Song Hui chuckled softly. “You’ve helped me greatly—it’s no trouble at all.”

As they spoke, a faint sweet aroma gradually grew stronger, drifting from the direction of the kitchen, causing a look of surprise to cross Song Hui’s face.

“That smell…”

Before she could say more, Cao Dongdong emerged from the kitchen carrying a baking tray. “Egg yolk pastries—please have some!”

Under everyone’s gaze, Song Hui carefully inspected one, gently pressing the surface with her fingers.

The slightly crisp crust and the layers of flaky pastry revealed inside after a crack made her expression appreciative.

Just the craftsmanship behind this flaky pastry showed considerable skill.

Once it cooled a bit, Song Hui picked up an egg yolk pastry and began tasting it according to her own standards.

From the crust to the filling.

After finishing one, her eyes shone with approval as she looked at Cao Dongdong. “Sweet but not cloying, richly fragrant and crisp.”

“This egg yolk pastry is excellent; it deserves a Daisy Badge.”

“Wonderful!”

Hearing Song Hui’s praise, a tense Cao Dongdong relaxed, cheering loudly before suddenly hugging Qin Lang. “Qin Lang, thank you so much!”

“If you hadn’t taught me how to make egg yolk pastries, I wouldn’t know when I’d get recognized by the food evaluators.”

Cao Dongdong knew his own culinary skills—given his past, it might have taken years of practice before passing the food evaluator’s assessment.

“Alright, alright,” Qin Lang said with a wry smile, gently pushing away the tearful Cao Dongdong. “Go put your badge away.”

“Okay, okay!” Cao Dongdong nodded enthusiastically, carefully taking the small badge, about half the size of a palm, from Song Hui’s hand, treasuring it like a precious jewel.

Watching Cao Dongdong’s excitement, Song Hui seemed to see her own early days as a Spirit Chef, letting out a nostalgic smile before turning to Qin Lang.

“Alright, Qin Lang, now it’s your turn to prepare a dessert.”

“Huh?” Qin Lang blinked. “I have to prepare one too?”

At those words, the room fell suddenly silent.

Song Hui gave a helpless yet amused smile. “Weren’t you here for the evaluation?”

Qin Lang was speechless.

Not exactly.

But as far as he knew, unlocking the second star vein required seven first-level Food Evaluator badges or one first-level Spirit Controller emblem.

It wouldn’t hurt to earn another badge for future plans.

As the saying goes:

Since I’m here, I might as well try.

“I’ll give it a go.”

With that, Qin Lang entered the kitchen.

Watching him step inside, a trace of anticipation appeared in Song Hui’s eyes.

She had already tasted Cao Dongdong’s egg yolk pastry, which Cao Dongdong had learned from Qin Lang.

She was curious to see how Qin Lang’s own egg yolk pastry would turn out.

---

“Egg yolk pastry? I’m not making that.”

Inside the kitchen, Qin Lang shook his head decisively when Egg Bao asked.

Cao Dongdong had already made egg yolk pastries; it would be dull for him to make the same dessert again.

Besides, preparing a new pastry would help Egg Bao gain some experience points.

Glancing over the kitchen ingredients, Qin Lang quickly formed a plan.

“Let’s make lotus pastries!”

Similar to egg yolk pastries, lotus pastries consist of two parts: the flaky crust and the filling, both using small wrapped pastries, but the methods differ.

Regarding the crust, lotus pastries require an important extra step: coloring. To achieve the final product’s alternating pink and white hues, half of the dough for the water-oil skin is mixed with red yeast rice powder for coloring.

As for the filling, lotus pastries use jujube paste instead of red bean paste and salted egg yolk.

Having skillfully prepared the water-oil skin, the shortening dough, and the filling, Qin Lang began the lamination process.

Though both are small wrapped pastries, egg yolk pastries use rolling and folding, while lotus pastries employ folding techniques.

Under the rolling pin, the water-oil skin wrapped around the shortening dough was swiftly rolled into a long strip. The resting period ensured no cracks appeared, demonstrating excellent elasticity.

After rolling the water-oil skin and shortening dough thin enough, Qin Lang folded the dough into three layers, rolled it out again into a long strip, folded it three layers again, rolled out, then folded twice, forming a neat square pastry dough.

This three-three-two folding technique created eighteen layers of dough and shortening inside.

If cut in half now, the cross-section would be perfectly clear.

And this was only the beginning.

Qin Lang repeated the process to prepare the uncolored dough and shortening.

Then he stacked the two differently colored doughs together and rolled them out once more!

After rolling the two dough layers to a certain thinness, he pressed the edges with his fingers to widen them, brushed egg white on the white dough side as an adhesive, and placed the jujube paste filling inside.

With the white dough inside and the pink dough outside, he wrapped the jujube paste, sealed the pastry, then shaped it into a smooth, round form.

One, two, three...

Finally, ten plump lotus pastries appeared on the table.

Placing the prepared pastries into the freezer compartment, Qin Lang grinned at the drooling Egg Bao.

“Just wait ten more minutes; then we can put them in the pot.”