I'm A Baller - Chapter 133
Chapter 133: Handmade
Lin Weiwei couldn’t do anything to Wang Yan because he had no desire for her. In the end, she couldn’t win the fight, but she couldn’t ignore him, either. What should she do?
Nothing.
“Go, Go, go. I want to eat the King’s Cake of Fau-chon with almond filling!”
Lin Weiwei was a woman who knew how to control her emotions. She threw away the messy thoughts in the back of her mind and immediately became happy again.
Affected by her happiness, Wang Yan’s mood was also good. He walked with her to the big supermarket on the third floor.
Fau-chon was a very interesting high-end food supermarket. It was very unconventional, but quite profitable.
Cakes, desserts, French foods, cafes, wine cellars, all kinds of jam and chocolate made on the spot could be found here. All kinds of things that should not belong to the supermarket could be found here.
However, it was essentially a dessert shop, wasn’t it amazing?
It was Wang Yan’s first time visiting such a supermarket, so everything was new to him.
However, he was different from ordinary curious babies. Even if his eyes were full of inquiry, his posture was still upright. Therefore, he did not look like a loser who was watching a show that he was no part of, but more like a young master who was inspecting his own industry.
When he saw the handmade chocolate, his eyes lit up.
Fau-chon’s handmade chocolate was very famous among the middle-class consumers. It was made with Valrhona’s raw materials, exquisite master-level craftsmanship, and the century-old French brand’s super high-quality…
Anyway, he should just buy it.
Lin Weiwei was actually not a eating machine. She was a little afraid of this thing.
“Pure cocoa butter chocolate… if you are going to buy this thing for Liu Li… Well, actually, she has been practicing harder than me. It’s okay for her to eat some.”
“I’m actually very interested in this handicraft.”
Wang Yan focused his attention on the person who was making cakes.
It was a young man with an ordinary appearance. His expression was as focused as Wang Yan’s. He treated a pile of raw materials as seriously as he treated his lover, so he had a unique charm with him.
He did not greet Wang Yan until he was done with the work at hand.
“Hello, two guests. My name Is Qi Heng. I am a professional majoring in LCBP CAP Chocolatier with a licence of Cap Pâtissier. Currently, I am a Chocolatier apprentice who is still pursuing his dream. If your requirements are not high, I would be happy to serve you.”
The young man smiled confidently. Wang Yan originally wanted to find a “Master” to help, but when he thought of the guy’s focused expression, he suddenly changed his mind.
Perhaps, in the matters of the heart, it was better to let fate take its course, and there was no need to demand perfection.
“Can you help me make some chocolate? I hope I can help you with some less complicated work as you make it.”
Qi Heng smiled in understanding. “For your girlfriend?”
He smiled and quietly glanced at Lin Weiwei.
Blind!
Wang Yan and Lin Weiwei silently complained at the same time.
“No problem. You can help with the less complicated part, and even the complicated part, too. The chocolate doesn’t have to look perfect.”
You know my heart!
In an instant, Wang Yan liked the guy.
“Thank you! Then where should we start?”
Artisanal chocolate making was a simple and complicated at the same time.
I’m not going into the details of the complicated parts, lest I’ll be criticized by the readers.
The simple parts are really simple.
First, make ganache.
Melt the chocolate, add the fresh cream, and let it emulsify. It is equivalent to a kind of chocolate milk filling.
Under the guidance of Qi Heng, Wang Yan stood in front of the operating table, adding chocolate into a bowl, adding fresh cream in batches; starting from the middle, he fully stirred the emulsification by drawing small circles.
Qi heng instructed, “The mixer should be placed at the bottom of the bowl, starting from the center and then moving to the surrounding chocolate. All of it should be evenly mixed. When stirring, you should be careful to not create bubbles… Yes, you are doing a good job.”
After making ganache, Qi Heng asked again, “Do you want to add some nuts?”
Wang Yan thought for a moment and ordered three types. “Hazelnut, Batanmu, Pistachio.”
The nuts of the moderate size were sprinkled into the bowl. After stirring, they were fully integrated with the chocolate.
While waiting for ganache to solidify, Wang Yan asked Lin Weiwei, “What shape do you think l should make?”
“The heart shape, of course!”
Lin Weiwei raised her eyebrows in disdain, as if she was saying, “It was a stupid question.”
Wang Yan thought seriously for a moment and shook his head regretfully. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can do it.”
Cutting ganache into the shape of a heart by hand?
Sister, do you think I’m the Superman?
Lin Weiwei choked and got furious. “Then why did you ask for my opinion?!”
“Just asking! You look bored.”
Shut Up! Shut Up!
You Bastard, not only did you show off your love for your girl in front of me, you even teased me! You!’re ruthless!
Lin Weiwei turned around and went to search for the King’s Cake. She didn’t bother to answer him.
Wang Yan did not get distracted. He worked quietly.
When the ganache was solidified, he cut the it into small pieces and dipped them into the warm chocolate before scooping them out. This way, the surface of the ganache was covered with a thin layer of chocolate shell.
“Without a chocolate shell, we usually call it raw chocolate. It perishes fast and can only be stored in the refrigerator.”
Qi Heng smiled and handed over an exquisite packaging box to him.
“And the one you’re making now is technically called a French bonbon. It’s not up to standard as a product for sale, but as a gift, it’s very good.”
“Thank you.”
Wang Yan didn’t raise his head and carefully placed the chocolate in the box.
The final step should be to sign the card with a message.
Wang Yan thought for a moment and wrote down a few words in a dignified regular script —
Spring grass dream is also fine in summer.
It came from Xin Qiji’s poem Hexinglang. Wang Yan had shown this poem to Liu Li on the train when he first met her.
Qi Heng watched Wang Yan finish writing and could not help but exclaim, “Wow, what beautiful calligraphy! Your girlfriend is so lucky.”
Qi Heng had seen all kinds of people as he worked at Xinguang Place.
Wang Yan was dressed in luxury clothes, which showed his wealth.
His temperament was excellent, which showed his upbringing.
He was accompanied by a beautiful woman but didn’t flirt with her, which showed his loyalty to his girlfriend.
He was patient enough to make chocolate in person, and he was focused throughout the whole process, which showed his sincerity.
He also wrote a line from a poem with beautiful calligraphy, which showed his knowledge and skills
He was a perfect model for a boyfriend. Men would be envious of him while women would yearn for him, and gay men would fall in love with him.
In his opinion, no matter who his girlfriend was, she should feel lucky and happy to have him.
However, Wang Yan was not happy. After a moment of silence, he replied, “I’m even luckier.”
He paid 900 yuan for this handmade chocolate and left.
He turned around and found Lin Weiwei, who was frantically buying low-fat desserts. He dragged her to buy a bunch of imported snacks, mainly red jerky, seafood, and low-fat healthy foods. Then, he found a gift packaging store.
“Give me a big box.”
Wang Yan gestured the size of the box which could almost fit a mini fridge.
“Wow, Gouzi, you’re up to something! Did you prepare something else for Liu Li?”
Lin Weiwei suddenly understood and was very excited.
She was, after all, kind and always happy for her good friend.
Wang Yan raised his eyebrows and smiled mysteriously. “It’s a secret.”
He looked like he deserved a beating.
