At 4:17 the next morning, the diligent Master Qin got up early to wash up and met Mr. Xu, who had also risen early and was neatly dressed, in the front yard.

The moment he saw the spirited Mr. Xu, Qin Huai's first thought was that old age does not deceive me; elderly people do sleep less.

Yet Qin Huai thought that when he gets older, he definitely won't sleep less. When he was young, he had to wake up early every day. When he retires, he's determined to sleep until after 9 a.m. Even if he wakes up and can't fall back asleep, he will insist on lying in bed until 9 before getting up!

"Good morning, Mr. Xu," Qin Huai cheerfully greeted Mr. Xu.

"Happy New Year, Master Qin!" Mr. Xu also greeted Qin Huai with a smile, "I've boiled a pot of hot water, would you like some tea?"

Qin Huai couldn't bring himself to let Mr. Xu make tea for him. After asking where the hot water was, he immediately expressed that he must make tea for Mr. Xu and invited Mr. Xu into the kitchen.

At this time, the sky was still dark, and it was a bit chilly outside. The kitchen was slightly warmer indoors. Also, since Fuling Cakes are essentially pancakes, once Qin Huai prepares the batter, he can start the fire, which will make the kitchen even warmer.

Mr. Xu happily accepted Qin Huai's early morning invitation to chat in the kitchen. He entered the kitchen, skillfully found a small stool to sit on, and watched Qin Huai make the Fuling Cakes.

According to the recipe Zhao Cheng'an sent yesterday, and the related information Qin Huai found online, Fuling Cakes need to be thin and crispy and have a wonderful fragrance fresh off the griddle. While they might taste bland on their own or in dishes, they become most delicious when eaten hot straight off the stove, much like the meatballs every household fries during the New Year.

Qin Huai deftly prepared the batter and then started making pancakes.

Soon, batch after batch of paper-thin, seemingly delicious but actually flavorless Fuling Cakes were done.

Qin Huai invited Mr. Xu to try them: "Mr. Xu, would you like to try? Although these pancakes may not have much flavor, they're particularly fragrant right after they're cooked."

Speaking with a Fuling Cake in his mouth, Qin Huai's words were slightly muffled.

Mr. Xu cheerfully accepted Qin Huai's invitation again, went to Qin Huai's side, and started eating one pancake after another as he cooked them.

"How is it?" Qin Huai asked.

Mr. Xu nodded with a smile, "It's quite fragrant."

As Qin Huai continued making pancakes, he pondered how to blend the sweet filling. He had mentally reviewed the recipe Zhao Cheng'an sent yesterday and found it quite normal, but he felt that perhaps there wasn't enough honey.

Believing that a seemingly ordinary snack like Fuling Pancake should have a slightly milder flavor, Qin Huai reasoned that during the New Year, children should have some sweets to enjoy. While excessive sweetness makes them cloying, insufficient sweetness diminishes the festive feel.

Thinking this, Qin Huai stuffed another pancake into his mouth, believing his idea was sound. Since Fuling Cakes themselves lack much flavor, they naturally need a standout sweet filling as a complement.

"Mr. Xu, what did you guys find out after getting tarot readings from Zhou Hu yesterday?" Qin Huai asked.

"Not much, the boss had a good fortune prediction, so we all checked our fortunes too. I also asked about interpersonal relationships. At my age, I'm curious if there's still a chance to meet new friends or reunite with old ones."

"Xiao Chen had a lot of random things read; he even asked whether to buy Huihui a cat as a pet in spring."

"It was quite interesting."

This summed up Mr. Xu's take on yesterday's tarot sessions with Zhou Hu.

Qin Huai deduced that yesterday's fortune-telling by Master Zhou had rather favorable outcomes, or perhaps Master Zhou's tarot readings never resulted in anything bad.

No wonder Chen Huihong ultimately transferred 300 yuan to Zhou Hu, requesting 20 more readings today.

"Xiao Qin, what are you planning to make? Fuling Cake?" Mr. Xu asked.

Qin Huai hadn't expected Mr. Xu to know about Fuling Cake. Having not seen them sold in any snack shops in Gusu, he curiously asked, "Mr. Xu, have you tried them?"

"I have, but it's been many years since," Mr. Xu replied, "Little Nuo used to love making these during the New Year, said they were festive. Plus, they're easy to carry and make great gifts. Every year, my eldest would ask Little Nuo to make more to gift to leaders and friends."

"After Little Nuo passed, nobody made them, and Fuling Cake was never seen again at home."

Qin Huai hadn't realized that Xu Nuo made Fuling Cakes too, evident of his limited knowledge.

Indeed, Qin Huai's knowledge of snacks mainly came from the Snack Encyclopedia. Those listed in the book are what Qin Huai knew how to make; anything not listed, he didn't. Being ignorant seemed understandable.

"Was the Fuling Cake you had before sweet?" Qin Huai asked.

Mr. Xu didn't expect Qin Huai to care about the flavor of Fuling Cake. After pondering briefly, he confidently said, "Sweet."

"They were sweet snacks; certainly sweet. Sometimes my eldest would even find Little Nuo's Fuling Cake not sweet enough."

"Back then, snacks were all sweet; if they weren't, nobody would eat them."

Hearing this, Qin Huai understood and was more determined to modify Zhao Cheng'an's recipe later on by increasing the honey.

Mr. Xu, after eating five or six Fuling Cakes and sipping two mouthfuls of tea, returned to sit at the side.

Qin Huai had made over 200 Fuling Cakes and felt the quantity should be sufficient. If not, he'd just make more; after all, they cook quickly, and he started making the sweet filling.