Chapter 45 Leon is a whimpering flower! All the things in the world...

After the Knights’ first gathering at the North Point Night Market this year, the word “wok qi” gave Bo Ying new inspiration.

Qin Yonglian's calm attitude towards work also gave her new inspiration and thinking.

So, she stopped her constant exploration and instead stopped for a few months to review and summarize all her experiences over the years.

After some settling and refining, the girl happily discovered that the warmest and most common thing in the world is the fresh smell of fireworks.

She wants to show every different aspect of life through the art of food.

"Restaurant visits, livestreams, food reviews, and so on are all media. Gimmicks, techniques, ingredients...are also inherent concepts, at best, just methodologies."

Hearing this, Qin Yonglian looked at his girlfriend who was still talking, and asked with his eyes: For example?

Bai Ying curled her lips and tightened her grip on the man's arm. "For example, start by forgetting about Michelin and Black Pearl."

Break through empiricism and so-called standards and dig deeper into the story, which contains culture.

From ancient times to the present, culture is a stage where tradition, inheritance and innovation are performed in turn, creating a brilliant and colorful performance.

As the girl spoke of her excitement, her eyebrows raised in awe. Qin Yonglian took in the scene, smiled without saying a word, and gently stroked the back of her soft hand with his large palm.

Bai Ying thought he was encouraging her to say more. When she met those sparkling green eyes, a spark flashed in her mind, and she said:

"Molecular gastronomy, which is all the rage these days, uses precise technology to create a formula for cooking. It tells you exactly how many minutes, seconds, and how hot to cook an egg for optimal flavor. This leaves the food with only a single flavor, and it's becoming a real constraint for chefs."

"So, are mango egg yolk and lychee caviar delicious?" Qin Yonglian finally spoke, asking about two basic dishes in molecular cuisine.

Bai Ying understood what he meant and rested her chin on her hand. "So, let's look at things from two perspectives. Molecular cuisine's innovations in form and taste have broken through the inherent human mindset."

She likes this kind of discussion, which presents different viewpoints at the same time. Inspiration and creativity are like colorful fireworks blooming in the dark night, which is very interesting in itself.

"Hmm...it's a bit complicated. Wait until I open the mind map and you'll know." The girl thought of it and stood up as if to get the tablet.

Before he could finish his words, his body had been pulled back onto the other person's lap and sat down.

"Why has Yingying been thinking so deeply lately? I'll tell you by smelling it."

The man tightened his embrace and gently rubbed the girl's smooth forehead with his nose.

A warm breath lingered between them, like a soft feather tickling someone. Bai Ying giggled and asked, "Do you have an answer?"

Qin Yonglian seemed to be encouraged and his mood also improved. He said seriously, "Smelling it is not enough. You have to kiss it again to know."

After a passionate kiss of "exploring the truth", Qin Yonglian did have a new idea.

He strongly supported his girlfriend's new plan and suggested using AH Hotel as the first vehicle.

"Aihe is spread all over the world, and the kitchens of each hotel are closely connected with the local culture. Yingying, if my help can help you achieve your goal faster, please give me this opportunity."

Bai Ying looked up at him. The man's face was still flushed from the whispering in their ears. She couldn't help but raise her hand to hook the man's neck and pull him closer to her.

"I'm serious." Facing the girl's thoughtful gaze, Qin Yonglian kissed her and whispered, "I've got a new idea. AH serves five-star clients and high-end business travelers. If we change our mindset, maybe we can create another down-to-earth hotspot."

"Oh?" Bai Ying's eyes lit up, and she cooperated by kissing the man on the lips, sighing, "Kissing is indeed more efficient than brainstorming."

There was satisfaction in Qin Yonglian's smile.

"It's every gourmet's dream to discover the secrets of the kitchens of five-star hotels around the world, reflecting the local culture and people. This project allows me to pursue this alongside the everyday world."

Bai Ying couldn't hide her joy in her tone, "Leon, thank you!"

The help provided by Qin Yonglian was very intuitive. With the hotels under the Qin family in various places as the most direct carrier, the idea that had been colliding fiercely in Bai Ying's mind for a long time had its first practical implementation.

"On the fertile soil of traditional Chinese culture lie countless precious treasures."

Diet is a thread, and Bai Ying wants to string them together into the most stunning necklace through her own efforts.

Shuttled back and forth in the fixed steel jungle every day, she yearned for the free and unrestrained days in the past, and even couldn't wait to start this new round of exploration and creation.

"Don't think too far ahead. There are also many cultural forms worth inheriting on Hong Kong Island." Qin Yonglian rubbed the girl's head.

The girl looked at him expectantly, "For example?"

"For example..." Qin Yonglian said in a slightly drawn-out tone, "The closest one to us should be the Bun Rush on Cheung Chau Island the day after tomorrow."

"Grab the buns?" Bai Ying jumped up from the sofa.

Then he asked, "Is it the bun-grabbing scene in McDull?"

Qin Yonglian smiled and nodded.

McDull is a Hong Kong original cartoon character, a cute humanoid pig who loves to eat jelly chicken and chicken pat pat* (referring to the chicken butt part).

She is widely loved by fans because of her cute appearance and innocent heart.

In the animated film McDull, Master Li Gen, who speaks Teochew Cantonese, teaches McDull the traditional folk competition of bun-snatching on Hong Kong's Cheung Chau Island.

McDull's mother, Mrs. Mak, even wrote a letter to the President of the International Olympic Committee, hoping that bun-snatching would be included in the Olympic events.

Little boy* (Cantonese for child) McDull dreams of winning an Olympic gold medal and finally masters the "Twelve-Way Bun Snatching Technique".

Bai Ying has seen the film and remembers a line from McDull: "I went to grab the buns, not to see Shanshan, nor to win the world championship, but because I love my mother."

This cute and silly little pig is a true angel of positive energy.

Receiving his girlfriend's sparkling eyes, Qin Yonglian confirmed with a firm tone:

"That's right, it's at the football field at Pak Tai Temple in Cheung Chau. I want to take you there to see the authentic bun-grabbing scene."

*** ***

Grabbing buns from the mountain is an important custom in the traditional Lingnan festival "Taiping Qingjiao"①.

The "Taiping Qingjiao" was originally held by residents of Hailufeng, Guangdong, on Cheung Chau Island in Hong Kong. It is held on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, Buddha's birthday.

Bo Ying and the Knights had once visited Cheung Chau Island for seafood. Aside from a few emergency vehicles and electric cars, there were no cars on the island. Like South Cowes Island, it impressed me that it was a peaceful and tranquil island.

On this special festival day, when I set foot on the island for the second time, the spacious West Causeway was bustling with people and many foreign tourists, creating a completely different and lively scene.

Cultural parade floats dressed in ancient costumes slowly passed through the crowd, as if two parallel spaces of classic and modern times intersected here.

Thinking of the time when Bai Xuan and his wife took her to the temple fair when she was a child, Bai Ying was very excited and held Qin Yonglian's hand tightly.

The man gently returned the handshake and explained, "Legend has it that during the middle of the Qing Dynasty, a plague ravaged Cheung Chau Island. The islanders went to the Pak Tai Temple to pray for the gods' protection, and only then was the plague brought under control."

The girl turned her head sideways and listened attentively.

The man showed her the Pak Tai Temple with its seven-color ceramic dragon roof, which had a history of a hundred years. In front of the temple stood three bun mountains hung with steamed buns offered as sacrifices.

"In the past, the support was made purely of bamboo scaffolding, about ten meters high. Each bun mountain held nearly 20,000 buns, hence the local nickname for the Taiping Qingjiao Festival: the Bun Mountain Festival."

Bai Ying looked in that direction and seemed to see the prosperous scene of the festival decades ago:

At midnight, the clan leader gave an order and people rushed to climb up the mountain to grab the buns. These buns are mainly filled with lotus seed paste and are also called peace buns.

The ritual of grabbing buns symbolizes grabbing peace and good fortune. The more you grab, the better the omen.

In the 1970s, due to the disturbance caused by local gangs, the bun-grabbing activity inadvertently developed into a dangerous activity.

Later, for safety reasons, the government changed the bun-grabbing part of the "Taiping Qingjiao" to a "distribution" form, and distributed the peace buns to the residents on the island.

"I thought this traditional event had been cancelled."

Bai Ying looked at the three tall mountains in the distance.

The competitive map of the national game "□□ Hall" which was popular in the early 21st century was inspired by the game of grabbing buns, and the buns were hidden characters.

It is a way for society to commemorate and pass on local culture.

With the development of the economy, Hong Kong people have gradually restored this traditional cultural ceremony in order to develop local tourism.

Tour guide Qin patiently explained, "The bao shan we're seeing now are not the same as before. The bao shan are made of recyclable plastic, imitation buns. The ping 'an bao' is just for good luck."

Bai Ying looked carefully and found that the constructed frame was now mainly made of stainless steel, supplemented by bamboo scaffolding, which ensured the true restoration while improving the safety of the activity.

The current "grab the bun mountain" competition is still lively, but it has been changed to a more secure way.

Only twelve professionally selected contestants can compete in the Bun Mountain every year, and each contestant must receive special safety training in advance.

"Hundreds of people sign up for the Cheung Chau Bun Grabbing Competition every year, so the competition is fierce."

Hearing Qin Yonglian's familiar tone, Bai Ying couldn't help but ask, "Leon, have you come here to grab a bun before?"

"One year when I was in high school, I went to watch a game with Qin Yuan and Su Jiahao."

Qin Yonglian paused and explained, "Jiahao and I are together, and Qin Yuan is with Jiajia."

"Hey! I understand." Bai Ying understood the intention in the man's words, and held his big palms with both hands, shaking them again and again.

"The past is the past, the present is most important, and the future is also something to look forward to."

"Yes," Qin Yonglian replied, his eyes deep, "I just want you to be more certain of your judgment. From the beginning to the end, I have only one you."

The resounding sound of gongs and drums came from afar, and the float parade came back from the street, with the golden lion leading the parade shaking its head.

Children dressed up as characters from ancient and modern times, stood on floats with independent stories, and traveled along the streets of Cheung Chau.

The parade team beat drums and gongs, and a crowd of people slowly walked past Qin Yonglian behind him, like a frozen scene from a movie.

Bai Ying's gaze fixed for a moment, and all his attention was refocused on that handsome face with clear edges and corners.

"There is only one you." These words were like a warm ocean current, passing through the long river of time and surrounding her tightly.

"I know." The girl stood on tiptoe, tilted her head back and gave him a deep kiss on the lips.

Meeting the man's questioning gaze, Bai Ying smiled with her eyes curved, "There are eyes that told me a long time ago."

There are a pair of pure and innocent eyes, with only her in them.

She had long been convinced.

*** ***

"Let's go, I'll take you to eat real peace buns."

As the crowd moved, Qin Yonglian held Bai Ying's hand steadily.

When she heard that there was something delicious to eat, the girl's steps became lighter.

Due to fasting during the Taiping Qingjiao Festival, the peace buns used to offer sacrifices to the gods are not made with animal oil, and most restaurants on the island only serve vegetarian food.

Passing by McDonald's, Bo Ying discovered that even McDonald's had adapted to local customs and started serving mushroom burgers and French fries.

The most authentic local steamed bun shop is called Guo Jinji Bakery. When the two of them walked to the entrance of the alley, they saw a long line already.

“The founder of the bakery opened this bakery on the island in 1973, and now it has been passed down to his son.”

The Ping An Bao is a whole circle thicker than ordinary buns, and the word "Ping An" is written in big letters on the white and tender dough.

Bai Ying blew away the steam from the buns and handed them to Qin Yonglian first. "Have a bite, Leon. Stay safe and everything goes well."

"Let's eat Ping An together." Seeing him take a bite of the bun, Bai Ying smiled and took a bite herself.

Seeing a lively and energetic girl in front of him, Qin Yonglian couldn't help but smile brightly.

Bai Ying was infected by his smile and asked proudly, "Why are you smiling so happily? Are the buns your girlfriend fed you especially delicious?"

"Mm! It smells so good!" Qin Yonglian held her fingers tightly together, "I thought the peace buns were also red, warm, and fragrant."

"Red, warm, fragrant..." These words touched the softest and most primitive memories in the hearts of the two people, awakening the feeling of their first intimate contact with each other.

"I, I know another delicious place." To hide her flushed cheeks, the energetic girl pulled Qin Yonglian hard, "Let's go eat Pingji glutinous rice balls!"

After going around to the other side of the island, the rosy-cheeked girl's beating heart finally calmed down.

What you see in front of you are round, handmade glutinous rice balls. Gently break open the chewy and sticky outer skin, and you will find large chunks of fruit filling inside, including mango, dragon fruit, purple sweet potato, and durian.

Cute! Eye-catching! Mouth-watering!

"I want to eat them all, but I don't know which one to eat first!" Bai Ying expressed her worries.

My boyfriend dutifully held two boxes of glutinous rice balls and gently accepted my advice: "Then try a bite of each, starting with the flavor quality."

As expected, this suggestion was rewarded with a kiss from his girlfriend.

"Huh? I think I have a new idea. I'm just missing some inspiration." Someone leaned over, pretending to be thoughtful. "I just need a little help to explore."

"Come on, Mr. Qin, tell me about your idea."

Bai Ying understood, stood on tiptoe, and offered a fragrant "Kiss of Exploring Truth".

"The product inspirations from the Ping An Bao and Nuomici are also inspirations for the future development of AH Hotels. We aim to create unique designs and humanistic services, strike a balance between commercial and emotional aspects, and break away from the traditional non-standardization in the industry."

This has always been Qin Yonglian's unwavering motivation for the reform of the AH hotel chain.

Bai Ying raised both hands in agreement, "Food and service are essentially the same. They're both about the customer experience."

"So, Yingying, I'm very happy," Qin Yonglian said with a smile on his face. "We are doing the same thing."

*** ***

After eating and drinking, the two held hands and walked slowly along the seaside promenade to digest the food, enjoying the beautiful coastal scenery along the way.

Go up the mountain along Zhang Baozai Road and find the cave where the Qing Dynasty pirate Zhang Baozai once buried his treasure, which is now a must-see tourist attraction.

Cheung Po Tsai, a pirate active in the 18th century and the legendary Robin Hood of the sea, was rumored to have a cave in Cheung Chau full of treasures.

"In Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Chow Yun-fat plays the pirate captain Sao Feng. It is said that the character design was based on Cheung Po-tsai." Bai Ying was eager to find out.

"Leon, maybe we can find the treasure!"

Qin Yonglian looked at the narrow cave entrance and raised his eyebrows slightly.

The Zhang Baozai Cave is dark and narrow, but there are considerate scales placed outside the cave for tourists. If you are too fat, you may get stuck. Tourists who exceed the specified weight are not recommended to enter.

He is 1.92 meters tall and his weight is always kept at the standard 150 pounds* (about 70 kilograms).

Weight was not the problem, but height. He had to lower his head and bend his body to avoid hitting the rocks on the top of the rock.

Fortunately, the total length was only 4 meters. I entered through the narrow entrance, groped carefully step by step, and soon came out from another cave exit.

Seeing the blue sea and blue sky again, Bai Ying reached out and pinched her boyfriend's strong muscles, imitating the pirate captain's tone, "Look! I brought out the biggest treasure in the world."

The sea breeze was gentle, blowing the girl's hair on her forehead and soothing her heart.

"Seeing the scenery here reminds me of South Cowes. Leon, all the islands look great."

"All things bright and beautiful." Qin Yonglian couldn't hide the smile on his face.

This line is from the movie McDull. Bai Ying recognized it and blurted out another line without hesitation: "Yes, everything is so good! Everything in the world is so good."

Everything in the world is fine because of you.

"Leon, let me sing the Springfield Blossom Kindergarten school song for you."

The girl leaned forward and stood on a large rock by the mountain road, making her height equal to Qin Yonglian, with her hands just resting easily on the man's shoulders.

Before my eyes is the invincible beauty of the sea and sky, within my reach is my lover, and in the wind is the beautiful song:

"We are happy and good children.

Every day we sing together,

The geese are bored in the snow* (we are learning),

We are growing up.

We are the flowers of spring.

Bai Ying sang seriously in a cute tone, and was touched by Qin Yonglian's gentle and attentive listening. Taking advantage of his unpreparedness, she held her boyfriend's cheeks and kissed him quickly.

After succeeding, the girl playfully added, "Leon is a crying flower!"

-----------------------

The author has something to say: Bai Ying: A flower that is in full bloom, a flower as beautiful as jade, Leon is a crying flower!

Qin Yonglian: That’s right, today I am Qin Huahua.

[This is a message board full of flower special effects]

An Dun Han San is here again and fatter!

Thank you very much for your trust in Dunnizai.

I'm working very hard to recover and finish my manuscript. Go for it!

There is still a lot I want to write about this story. I want Bai Ying and Qin Yonglian to have a more perfect life.

The update pace will be slower, with two or three updates a week, and we will strive to update four, five, six, and seven times.

In short, I will post it immediately as soon as I have a draft.

This article is expected to be completed by the end of April.

The new article in the column is waving to everyone.gif

In the future, the full text of the article will be saved before posting, so you will no longer be chased by the saved article monster, and you will have a smoother reading experience.

Thanks again to all the cuties for their encouragement. I sincerely invite you all to see you in the story!

【Notes】

①The introduction of Bun Mountain and Cheung Chau Island comes from the Internet, documentaries and the author’s personal experience.

②The lyrics are a transliteration of the school song from Springfield Blooms. This song is super cute! Highly recommended!

Our country's traditional folk culture is profound and extensive. Please pay more attention to it. Its inheritance and innovation depend on you little cuties!

Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided nutrient solution between 2021-03-05 22:00:39 and 2021-03-19 20:30:55~

Thanks to the little angel who cast the mine: You are awesome!

Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!