Chef Hua
Chapter 233: Issue 141: Just in Time

Chapter 233: Issue 141: Just in Time

Hua Xiaomai was taken aback at the words.

Opening a restaurant naturally meant hiring assistants, but the storefront to the east of the village was still being renovated and painted. She thought it wouldn’t be too late to discuss hiring once everything was ready. To her surprise, Chun Xi seemed even more anxious than she was.

"Of course we need to hire people, otherwise I definitely won’t be able to manage by myself, but..."

She tried to explain her thoughts to Chun Xi, but the young wife couldn’t wait and, grabbing her, spoke loudly, "Ah, I’m not going to beat around the bush, let’s be upfront. I know your restaurant will definitely need staff, how about me and your sister-in-law La Mei?"

With that, she dragged another person from the thick of the crowd.

It was only then that Hua Xiaomai realized that La Mei had come with Chun Xi that day, but lacking Chun Xi’s ability to push through the crowd, La Mei was stuck outside. Amused, Hua Xiaomai stretched her face into a smile and said with pursed lips, "So both of you sisters-in-law would like to help out at my little restaurant? You have your families to take care of and children to look after on a regular basis. Do you have the time?"

"You needn’t worry about that!" Chun Xi said confidently, patting her chest, "Rest assured, we will dedicate ourselves to the work when it’s time. We won’t bring any household trivialities into the restaurant, we will definitely not make it hard for you. Regarding cooking skills, of course we can’t match even a little finger of yours, but washing vegetables, plucking leaves, carrying plates, washing dishes, and the like - we can handle those tasks with no trouble and definitely help you out!"

In her spare time, Hua Xiaomai had heard Hua Erniang mention that Chun Xi and La Mei, despite being chatterboxes who loved gossip, were actually quite adept at household chores, both inside and out, leaving no room for criticism. Since she needed to hire staff for her little restaurant anyway, instead of hiring a couple of kids and having to be mindful in speech and maintain distance, it would be far more convenient to have these two sisters-in-law lend a hand.

"Speak up, will you?" Chun Xi, growing impatient, nudged Hua Xiaomai and said, "Isn’t this just a matter of saying yes? If you agree, me and La Mei will certainly do our utmost. Just look at our relationship with Erqiao, we won’t cause you trouble in that little restaurant; but if you don’t wish to, that’s also fine, we’ll interact as usual afterwards. I won’t be mad or hold a grudge against you."

La Mei nodded emphatically, "Yes, Xiaomai dear, don’t feel pressured. Me and Chun Xi are not petty people!"

Seeing the eager faces of the onlookers around her, Hua Xiaomai couldn’t help but smile and said to Chun Xi and La Mei, "I couldn’t ask for more than having both of you sisters-in-law willing to help me, I’m beyond happy, but there are some things we need to get straight first. On ordinary days, the restaurant will need to do business, and inevitably you two will have to hustle. I’m younger than you, so when it’s time..."

"Oh dear, you really think we don’t understand common sense? There’s no need for you to say these things, we know them all. In short, once we’re at the restaurant, we’ll do whatever you ask, right?" Chun Xi, seeing that Hua Xiaomai was mostly in agreement, was so overjoyed she didn’t know what to do and gave her a firm slap on the shoulder, causing Hua Xiaomai to stagger, then she and La Mei exchanged a smile of relief.

The hiring of two assistants for the shop was settled, marking the resolution of a significant issue, but Hua Xiaomai’s days of working from dawn to dusk had just begun.

It wasn’t until then that she realized how difficult it was for a young woman to run and manage a restaurant. Fearing any slip-ups, she had to personally attend to even the smallest matters, and her physical strength naturally fell short compared to men’s. Running back and forth between home, the eastern fields, and the shop, she would sometimes come back to the western chamber at night, so exhausted that her arms and legs felt no longer her own, collapsing onto the bed without the strength to even open her eyes.

While opening the restaurant was her longstanding wish, when the exhaustion became too severe, she sometimes grumbled inwardly.

After all, her lifelong pursuit was now seemingly settled, so why put herself through such torment? If the restaurant opened and then failed to attract customers, not earning a single copper, all her toil would have been for what?

...

Within a couple of days, Chun Xi indeed brought the old Taoist from Taiping Temple outside the village. After calculating for a while, he declared that opening the restaurant on the twenty-sixth of the eighth month would bring smooth proceedings and was the most suitable date. Hua Erniang treated the Taoist’s words as a divine decree, and Hua Xiaomai simply went along with her, diligently overseeing the decoration of the premises every day, ensuring that everything was properly arranged before the grand opening, so as not to miss the auspicious moment.