Chef Hua
Chapter 132: Episode 90: Playing the Gentleman

Chapter 132: Episode 90: Playing the Gentleman

Chun Xi’s husband’s family has the surname Luo, and naturally, the round-faced girl in front of her was unmistakably Luo Yuejiao. Putting aside what her personality was like, her appearance alone was quite endearing, and thus Hua Xiaomai smiled warmly at her, "You must be Yuejiao, right?" She then reached out to take the food box from her hands.

"Sister Xiaomai, you can just call me Yuejiao." Luo Yuejiao waited until she had a firm grip before opening the lid of the food box, revealing a dish of stir-fried mushrooms and meat, and another dish made of chives, bean sprouts, and garlic shoots.

Well... in terms of appearance, though it was not necessarily beautiful or delicate, it was still fairly presentable, at least the green was green, and the red was red, making the colors quite distinct.

It was by far better than that "black mess in a pot" from Jing Family’s Second Mistress!

Since moving into the Jing Family’s small courtyard, Hua Xiaomai realized that her tolerance had improved significantly, and she now felt even more favorably towards Luo Yuejiao. Seeing her nervous expression, she even smiled at her, picked up a pair of chopsticks, and took a small bite of the mushrooms, but then...

She almost vomited it out.

Had Luo Yuejiao, on her way out, encountered a salt seller, was overcome with malicious intent, killed the man, and stolen his bag of salt? The dish was so salty that she almost spit out a mouthful of blood!

In front of Chun Xi and Yuejiao, it would not be proper for her to spit out the food she had already put in her mouth, so she forced herself to swallow it and then picked up the mixed vegetable dish.

...Good, the salt in this dish was fine, but it was as if she had overturned a vinegar pot!

Perhaps her facial expression was too unpredictable, as Chun Xi, watching anxiously from the side, pulled at her sleeve repeatedly, asking, "How is it, how is it?"

The always kind-hearted Sister-in-law Chun Xi, seeing her dear friend in distress, got irritated as well, exclaiming, "Yes, how is it, how is it?"

Only Yuejiao, seemingly very aware of her own capabilities, just hung her head and fiddled with the corner of her clothing, mumbling guiltily in a low voice, "I’m sorry, Sister Xiaomai, I’ve made you suffer..."

Hua Xiaomai was almost at her wits’ end, straining her neck to swallow the mixed vegetables, and then patted Luo Yuejiao on the shoulder, and when she started to speak, her voice was a bit hoarse—clearly from the stir-fried mushrooms with meat.

"Did you figure out how to make these dishes on your own, or did your mother teach you?"

Luo Yuejiao guiltily glanced at her: "My mother... My mother indeed told me how to cook it, but I don’t know what happened, once I stood by the stove and the flames started, I felt utterly confused, I didn’t know where to put my hands, my mind was a blank... Sister Xiaomai, was it very bad?"

Hearing this, Chun Xi immediately tried to take the chopsticks from Hua Xiaomai, repeatedly saying, "It can’t be that bad, it looks quite fine!" As she spoke, she picked up a piece and sent it to her mouth.

Hua Xiaomai thought to herself that suffering alone was enough, why should others suffer too? Hurriedly, she snatched the chopsticks back and smiled, shaking her head, "The taste... isn’t very good, but it’s not beyond help. Sister Chun Xi, if you trust me, leave Yuejiao here, and let me try."

"That would be wonderful, truly wonderful!" Chun Xi clapped her hands immediately, nodding vigorously in agreement.

After sharing a laugh with her, Hua Xiaomai turned back, patted Luo Yuejiao on the shoulder, and with a heartfelt and serious tone, added a bit of solemnity, "Starting today, we’ll begin from scratch, bit by bit... let’s take it slow."

Chun Xi took Luo Yuejiao aside, carefully instructing her to be obedient and to observe carefully, went through a long fuss with her, after which she excitedly went home to report the good news to her mother-in-law. Hua Xiaomai led Luo Yuejiao to the kitchen, looked around at all the pots and pans, and was suddenly a bit stunned.

In her previous life, she was accustomed to being a student, teaching someone to cook was entirely new to her, and she didn’t know where to begin. Luo Yuejiao stood properly behind her, not saying a word to hurry her, just curiously looking around with wide eyes.

Though this girl was only learning to cook to please her in-laws, cooking after all was not a task to be taken lightly. Hua Xiaomai pondered for a while, deciding that it was best to start with the basics.

With her plan set, she first took Luo Yuejiao to the backyard, pointing out the vegetables one by one in the vegetable patch, asking her to recognize them all over again.

"Sister Xiaomai, we have over twenty acres of land at home, I know all these vegetables, why must I recognize them again?" Luo Yuejiao obediently reported the names of the cabbage, flat beans, and eggplants, but was still somewhat puzzled, turning her head with big eyes blinking steadily at Hua Xiaomai’s face.