Chef Hua
Chapter 257: Episode 153: Taking on Apprentices

Chapter 257: Episode 153: Taking on Apprentices

Hua Xiaomai’s eyebrows involuntarily raised, and she subconsciously turned around.

Not long ago, she had casually mentioned to Luo Yuejiao that she wanted to take on an apprentice, to spend some time carefully teaching them. That way, even if she were tied down by family matters later on, there would be someone to temporarily manage the restaurant’s business. It hadn’t been very long since then, had that girl found a suitable candidate already?

Luo Yuejiao entered the courtyard with a spring in her step, followed by a skinny girl who was half a head shorter than she was, looking somewhat timid. The girl lowered her head and didn’t dare even to lift her eyelids.

"A girl?" Hua Xiaomai pursed her lips in slight surprise.

She herself was a young woman and naturally held no prejudice against women cooking, but... in this era, most girls would start arranging their marriage around the age of thirteen or fourteen. After that would come the preparation of their dowry and marriage, among other matters. Which family would send their daughter to apprentice? Wouldn’t it be a wasted effort?

Upon hearing her question, the girl slightly lifted her head, her gaze swiftly swept over Hua Xiaomai’s face, then quickly shifted away.

"Sister Xiaomai, don’t look down on her for being a girl; she’s just as capable as you!" Luo Yuejiao ran up to Hua Xiaomai’s side in a few strides, latched onto her arm with a hint of coquettishness, and said cheerily, "I usually just learn one or two dishes from you and I’m already complaining to no end. I think to be an apprentice in the kitchen, one must be able to endure hardship. Just for this reason alone, she’s the most suitable! We’re the same age, and I’ve known her since we were children. I know her better than anyone. She’ll surely be able to help you."

The... same age? Hua Xiaomai’s eyes widened in shock. She took a good look at the girl from head to toe, then shifted her gaze back to Luo Yuejiao.

One so thin and shivering, afraid to look people in the eye, while the other was healthy and lively with a bright smile and sparkling eyes. How could there be such a big difference between two girls of the same age?

... Okay, she wasn’t one to talk, with such a slight frame herself, but this girl...

"What’s your name?" After a moment’s thought, Hua Xiaomai stepped forward and smiled gently.

"Zhou Yunyun..." The girl didn’t dare look up, her ears and cheeks instantly flushed, and her voice was as timid as a mosquito’s hum.

Can’t you be a little less like this? It makes me seem like an old witch who eats people—why be so fearful?

Hua Xiaomai frowned and pulled Luo Yuejiao aside, lowering her voice, "Her temperament...

Being a cook involves interacting with others. Not to mention exchanging pleasantries with diners, just to understand their preferences in food requires some conversation. This girl’s introverted and timid nature seems unsuitable.

"Sister Xiaomai, listen to me," Luo Yuejiao tugged at Hua Xiaomai’s sleeve, her face drawn in distress, "Yun’er is very pitiable. Her father, Zhou Qing, is a known idler in our village. His family is poor as can be, yet he spends his days not working, only knowing how to drink and gamble. Even if he only has a single coin in his hand, he’ll find a way to spend it. And when he’s drunk or loses money, he’ll take it out on her mother and sisters by hitting or yelling, covering their bodies with bruises. They only have daughters in their household; she’s the eldest, and now that she’s of age to be married, her father hasn’t made any arrangements... My mother says she’s truly grown up in hardship."

Hua Xiaomai’s lips twitched involuntarily, and she couldn’t help but glance back at Zhou Yunyun, still speaking in a soft voice, "Is her coming to apprentice with me her own idea, or her father’s?"

"Oh, how could she have any ideas?!" Luo Yuejiao stomped her foot, "She wouldn’t dare go east if her father pointed west, if he told her to stand, she would never dare to sit down. If it wasn’t for the rumor I spread a few days ago, making her father think it was a profitable opportunity, why would he send her to me to ask for this?"

"But..." Hua Xiaomai’s brows were tightly knitted and never relaxed, "Her father should know that being an apprentice doesn’t pay a wage..."

Luo Yuejiao was both annoyed and amused, rolling her eyes at her, "Sister, how can you be so silly? While it’s true that apprentices don’t get paid, they do get food and lodging, which means one less mouth to feed at home! After a few years when she finishes her apprenticeship, she’ll be able to earn money with her skills. By then, won’t her father be able to rely on her to support him?"

After pausing, she sighed, "Sigh, I know this may not be the best thing for her, but I always feel that perhaps only by mastering a skill can she improve her current situation. Sister Xiaomai..."