Chef Hua
Chapter 223: Episode 136: Not a Loss

Chapter 223: Episode 136: Not a Loss

Hua Erniang’s willow eyebrows shot up in anger as her almond-shaped eyes glared fiercely, emitting a deadly aura all around her.

Oh no, Hua Erniang was on the verge of devouring someone again!

Hua Xiaomai felt a chill in her heart, knowing she was in deep trouble, and without taking the time to explain, she took off running. Unfortunately for her, her elder sister was tall and nimble, and with a long reach, she easily caught Hua Xiaomai by the collar and dragged her in front of her. With a cold sneer, she said, "Why are you running? Got a guilty conscience? Humph, you think you can get past this without me asking? Dream on! I have sharp eyes!"

"Can you let go of me first, elder sister?" Hua Xiaomai, caught tight and unable to escape, looked quite pitiful and started to get a little frustrated as she stamped her foot and said, "All this eyebrow flashing and eye signaling is so vulgar! I have nothing to hide, you..."

"Enough, enough, don’t give me that nonsense." Hua Erniang let her go, elegantly dusting off her sleeves, "I’ve been through it all. Your little flirtations are obvious to anyone. Luckily, it was getting dark and there weren’t many people on the road. If someone had seen you, could you explain yourself? Have some decency, will you! You are a young lady after all!"

Uh... don’t you realize how unconvincing that sounds coming from you?

Hua Xiaomai tugged at the corner of her mouth and muttered under her breath, "Forget it, talking about decency, huh? If we’re talking about being unrestrained, who dares to compete with you?"

Hua Erniang, upon hearing this, was momentarily stunned, unclear as to what Hua Xiaomai was implying, and felt a brief pang of panic. Taking advantage of this moment, Hua Xiaomai shook off her grasp and scurried back to the west room, slamming the door behind her.

...

After several days without setting up her stall, Hua Xiaomai wondered if her regular noodle-loving customers by the river missed her delectable dishes. The next morning, after getting out of bed, she avoided Hua Erniang’s gaze and ran to the village to buy plenty of fresh meat and vegetables, planning to prepare a few new dishes by the riverbank in the evening. On her way home, she arrived at the gate and saw Luo Yuejiao perched on the courtyard wall, craning her neck to peep inside.

Hua Xiaomai chuckled to herself, crept up to her, and suddenly slapped her shoulder, startling her as she exclaimed, "What are you up to? If you’ve come, why not come inside?"

Luo Yuejiao, startled by her, quickly turned around, her mouth puckering up high.

"Xiaomai, you can’t just scare people like that!" Yuejiao had barely finished her complaint when her annoyance turned back to delight, smiling broadly as she hugged Hua Xiaomai’s arm, "You’re finally back, I’ve missed you to death! I’ve been coming around your place every day, just waiting to see if you’ve returned. Afraid that Big Sister Jing might see me and I’d have to entertain her, I just waited outside the door, and after longing for so long, I finally saw you come back!"

"Did you miss me that much?" Hua Xiaomai couldn’t help but pinch her round face, "Are you just saying that to make me happy?"

"Not at all!" Luo Yuejiao said earnestly, "Without you here, my mother made me sit with my sister-in-law every day to embroider flowers—I was about to suffocate from boredom! Although I’m not skilled with my hands and feet, learning to cook with you is more fun, we chat and laugh together."

"I see, so you plan to come to my house to play and slack off." Hua Xiaomai said with a smirk, nodding, "In that case, I really have to be stricter with you. Come on, follow me inside and I’ll give you a thorough test. You’ll have to recite which ingredients should never be combined when cooking dishes."

With that, she pulled Luo Yuejiao’s hand and headed into the courtyard, only to run headfirst into Hua Erniang coming out of the kitchen.

Hua Xiaomai’s mouth twitched uncontrollably as she pushed Yuejiao in front of her and gave a forced laugh, "Look, Elder Sister, Yuejiao is here. I’m about to teach her cooking!"

"Oh, Yuejiao’s here..." Hua Erniang smiled pleasantly at Luo Yuejiao, then a glint of fierceness flashed in her eyes as she looked at Hua Xiaomai and said coldly, "Don’t think you can use Yuejiao as a shield to escape me, she can’t protect you for a lifetime!"

"What’s the matter?" Luo Yuejiao looked completely confused, glancing from Hua Xiaomai to Hua Erniang, "Did something happen?"

"Nothing." Hua Xiaomai stealthily stuck out her tongue and, taking Luo Yuejiao by the hand, they briskly entered the kitchen.

For the entire morning, the two stayed in the kitchen. True to her word, Luo Yuejiao was forced to stammer through a recitation of incompatible foods. With the variety being so complicated, she was nearly in tears by the end, and it was not until near noon that Hua Xiaomai finally agreed to let her take a break.