[He continued regardless of her expression. Whether he did that because he was oblivious or intentionally ignoring her was unclear. All that mattered was the result. He examined her new dumpling, checking its size and seams.]

Good.

[However, he did not tell her to make more. He looked for a dumpling she cooked earlier. When he found a suitable, thoroughly cooked one, he put it before her.]

Just taste it. Does it taste good to you? The inside should be savoury and juicy. The dough should be tender, not limp, not firm.

[He tried to keep the description simple. She looked completely new to this; the people here were idiots for hiring her. The filling did not smell bad, which was a relief, but nothing stood out to him. It was bland. This would not compare to the rest of the delicacies they were putting out for the festival. He grabbed a knife and quickly added chopped scallions, garlic, and ginger. After drizzling in a touch more soy sauce and toasted sesame oil, the new filling smelled much more appealing.

He did not wait for her feedback on how it tasted before adding to the filling, that was not why he told her to taste it. If she were to have any hope of improving, she needed to learn to taste often.]