Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle

Chapter 1323 1323: Shi Dadan's Secret and New Year's Eve Dinner (Part 1)

My name is Shi Dadan, and I am Dang Kang.

Most of the time, I'm honest and sincere, allergic to words, love to eat staple foods, and enjoy good dishes. I have a good nature and good relations with people. My best friend is my brother Xu Nuo, no wait, now it's Qin Huai. Whatever his name, he is my best brother, the best brother I've had in two lifetimes.

But I have a secret I've never told my good brother. Before, I couldn't say it, now I can, but I don't know how to say it. I'm afraid he'll be mad at me, that he'll feel I've deceived him. I'm afraid that once this secret is out, I won't be his good brother anymore.

But I know, I have to tell him, because I don't want to deceive my friend.

.

The New Year's Eve dinner at the Qin Family was an absolute feast.

Recalling memories from several lifetimes and integrating culinary skills from those lives, Qin Huai finally had his fundamental skills catch up to his vision, becoming the Pro Max version of Qin Huai.

This time, Qin Huai truly understood.

If before, he often had some confusion about his culinary skills — like not knowing where his intuitions came from, or why some things he learned instantly while others required immense practice — he now understood everything. His techniques sometimes lagged behind his ideas and concepts in cooking; now, Qin Huai had full comprehension.

A great revelation.

As the group raised their glasses and uttered heartfelt New Year wishes, Qin Huai glanced at the dishes on the table and felt this New Year would indeed be a joyous one.

[Fermented Rice with Steamed Buns S-Level]

[Four Happiness Glutinous Rice S-Level]

[Locust Flower Buns S-Level]

[Crab Roe Pork Buns S-Level]

[Green Bean Cake S-Level]

[Yam Cake S-Level]

[Rice Cake S-Level]

[Potato Dumplings A-Level]

[Sticky Rice Cake S-Level]

[Chicken Soup Noodles S- Level]

[Red Silk Cake S-Level]

[Lotus Root Powder Balls S-Level]

[Dumpling Family Feast S-Level]

...

All dishes achieved S-Level, except for the Potato Dumplings, which due to an inherently poor recipe and high base value couldn't quite reach S-Level. The other snacks were at least S-Level.

Even if Xu Cheng were here, he'd end up slumped in his chair, rubbing his belly and sighing over the leftover dishes, wondering why his appetite couldn't match Shi Dadan's. Then, too full to sleep that night, his creative juices would flow, and he'd passionately write a 30,000-word food review, posting a preview on social media and urging the Taste's editors to work overtime to release a New Year special. Then he'd refuse to leave Qin Family Village until after the fifteenth of the lunar month.

Regrettably, Xu Cheng did not come.

Compared to Xu Cheng, the others didn't really understand culinary intricacies.

As an outstanding food critic, Xu Cheng had an extraordinarily keen palate, usually only found among top chefs. Regular people could merely tell if a dish was bad, average, tasty, or so delicious they were speechless (as per Qin Luo's evaluation system), but Xu Cheng could detail these four levels into sixteen specific distinctions.

If he wished, he could offer fair, objective reviews with a slight subjective inclination, describing with precision how delicious a dish was, whether the chef's skills had improved, what was good or lacking in a dish, what could be improved, and what kind of diners would especially enjoy it—all with a penchant for using parallel structures in his descriptions.

This capability was uniquely that of a food critic.

Members of the Qin Family lacked this talent. Neither Qin Congwen, Zhao Rong, nor Qin Luo, despite regularly savoring Qin Huai's snacks, nor did Old Master Qin and Granny Qin, who frequently received uncooked delicacies from their treasured grandson—none could pinpoint specifics beyond generally delightful taste.

But today, they could taste the difference.

In truth, Zhao Rong had plans to lose weight.

In the two years spent in Shan City, Zhao Rong gained over 20 pounds.

Zhao Rong believed her weight gain was multifaceted. One reason was her son's culinary skills had notably progressed, almost every few months creating delectable and new snacks. As Qin Huai's non-biological mother, she was duty-bound to support his career, and since the snacks were truly delightful, she couldn't resist, indulging excessively over these past two years.

She ate a lot but wasn't active enough.

When the Qin Family still operated a Breakfast Shop, Zhao Rong was up early and busy all day: buying groceries, washing vegetables, washing dishes, bookkeeping, scolding her daughter... managing it all left her tirelessly occupied, able to eat without gaining weight. Back then, she could confidently say she earned her keep the hard way.

Now, it's different. Now she hardly works, only occasionally checking Yunzhong Restaurant's accounts. No early rises, more late nights, sometimes secretly playing on her phone till dawn, careful not to let Qin Luo find out.

She no longer worried about Qin Luo's studies.

Qin Luo attended an international school, and Zhao Rong barely understood her curriculum. But the teachers were attentive and responsible, always informing Zhao Rong of Qin Luo's progress in a comprehensible manner. Zhao Rong saw her daughter's academic and intellectual growth over these two years and was relieved that her daughter, who once only craved food, was now maturing.

With no worries, Zhao Rong gained weight happily.

When, this winter, Zhao Rong tried on a coat bought three years ago and found she couldn't fit, she realized it was time to lose weight.