Chef Hua
Chapter 136: Episode 92 Uh... A bit pretentious

Chapter 136: Episode 92 Uh... A bit pretentious

Various flowers gathered from the forest and some wild vegetables had been washed and blanched at home, waiting only to be cooked in hot oil. Hua Xiaomai led Song Jingxi to the stove to take a look and smiled, "In our rural area, we can only find these common flowers. Those overly precious ones are indeed hard to come by. I’m afraid you’ll have to bear with us today, Mr. Song."

"This is already very good," Song Jingxi looked towards the stove and nodded slightly, the smile on her lips so measured that it was hard to tell whether she was pleased or dissatisfied.

Seeing there was nothing more to say, Hua Xiaomai invited her back to the table to sit down and immediately began to bustle about.

Tofu was boiled in water and jasmine and tender leaves picked earlier were added. Once the water boiled again, it could be served on a plate without any seasoning, relying solely on the natural fragrance;

Dried shrimp bought from the grocery store were mixed with finely chopped mushrooms, green onions, and stuffed into pumpkin flowers for steaming. Afterward, they were slightly seasoned with fresh soup, chicken fat, salt, and bean powder to create a bright and fragrant stuffed pumpkin flower;

Gardenia flowers were stir-fried with chives, lilies, and honeysuckle cooked into porridge, and purslane was mixed raw with garlic paste. As for the daylilies, Hua Xiaomai had originally planned to make ’four happiness’ gluten, but after turning over the entire village, she couldn’t find anyone selling baked gluten, so she presumed baked gluten wasn’t popular around Fire Knife Village and had to substitute it with ordinary gluten. Paired with wood ear mushrooms, tofu skin, and various spices and sauces, it turned out colorful and with a rich sauce.

In just a short while, dishes were served one after another. The unique fragrance of the flowers was quite enticing, drawing many villagers cooling off by the river to come over and look.

The various bowls and plates used at the noodle stall were specifically chosen by Hua Xiaomai. They were all simple and clean in color, which complimented the dishes made from fresh flowers perfectly, creating a visually appealing display. Song Jingxi looked carefully at each dish on the table, not in a hurry to start eating, and looked up with a smile to Hua Xiaomai, "You are quite efficient; in such a short time, you have prepared all the dishes and arranged them so exquisitely, it really isn’t easy!"

Hua Xiaomai thought to herself, isn’t that obvious? Back in her time, when she studied cooking and after graduating, she was supposed to manage the kitchen in a restaurant. If she were slow, how could business be good? She would probably end up being swept out within a few days! That year-round consistent hard training must be put to some use, right?

"Speaking of efficiency, I’m only passable," she then said modestly to Song Jingxi with a smile, "It’s good that I prepared all the ingredients at home, which made it convenient here by the river; otherwise, it might have taken much longer."

Song Jingxi smiled briefly and said no more, but Ke Zhenwu laughed joyously, "That’s also because you, Miss Xiaomai, did a thorough job preparing in advance, handle things systematically! You’ve prepared meals for my Escort Agency before, this I know very well indeed!"

Today, as usual, many people came for noodles. Hua Xiaomai squinted at Ke Zhenwu with a smile, chatted a bit more with the three of them, then went back behind the stall to roll noodles and cook, not standing by the table to attend to them.

It wasn’t until she left that Song Jingxi started to eat, picking up a piece of gluten.

Like frozen tofu, the gluten was particularly good at absorbing all kinds of sauce. The subtle fragrance of the daylilies and wood ear mushrooms, coupled with the rich soy aroma, just a gentle bite and the soup immediately overflowed, spreading to every corner, even permeating the gaps between her teeth with delicious flavors.

She almost imperceptibly nodded her head, turned to smile at Master Zhao, and then went to grab the plate of tofu cooked with fresh jasmine flowers, the corners of her eyes lifting as she took a bite.

Gardenia flowers, pumpkin flowers, purslane... After tasting each dish, the smile on her face gradually became more pronounced, and although she still hadn’t spoken a word, her expression couldn’t help but show a bit of satisfaction.

Even though Master Zhao usually enjoyed good food, he didn’t favor the dishes made with flowers, seemingly finding them too meager. After casually tasting a few bites, he put down his chopsticks and loudly said, "Miss Hua, let me try your noodles. Just cook your most expensive bowl for me to eat!"

Ke Zhenwu also hurriedly said, "Yes, I heard from Da Zhong and those few monkeys that your fish paste noodles are delicious; I’d like a bowl too!"

Hua Xiaomai acknowledged them, and swiftly prepared their noodles, serving it to them. Then the two men livened up, no longer caring if there were people watching, and began to slurp eagerly, enjoying the delicious taste.