Chef Hua
Chapter 261: Episode 155: Fried Chicken with Blistered Skin

Chapter 261: Episode 155: Fried Chicken with Blistered Skin

Hua Xiaomai was not the type to be strictly by the book. In taking on an apprentice, it boiled down to helping oneself and others, allowing Zhou Yunyun to acquire a skill while also finding herself a reliable future assistant. Titles, for her, were actually not important. The reason she let Zhou Yunyun call her "Master" could be summed up in one word—showing off, seeking just a bit of inner satisfaction.

Zhou Yunyun bit her lower lip with her row of neat, tiny white teeth, took small, timid steps, and moved over to Hua Xiaomai, her cheeks and neck turning bright red. Hanging her head, she called out in a tiny voice, "Master..."

"Do you find it very embarrassing to have me as your master?" Hua Xiaomai glanced at her sideways, shaking her head slightly in amusement, "That can’t be, can it?"

"How could it be?" Zhou Yunyun got startled, hastily lifting her head, "I’m overjoyed to be an apprentice here in the restaurant..."

"See, you can also speak up," Hua Xiaomai laughed, outstretching her hand and patting Zhou Yunyun’s shoulder like an elder, "I don’t know about other places, but here with me, I don’t fancy any dilly-dallying. When the kitchen gets busy, there’s a lot of noise; if you only hum and haw, and I can’t hear you clearly while I’m busy, won’t that be a waste of time?"

Seeing Zhou Yunyun nod carefully in agreement, she then took the girl around the kitchen for a quick tour, explaining the uses of various stoves and utensils in detail, and pointed to a corner piled high with vegetables, laughing, "Those are freshly harvested vegetables from my own fields, with most of them sent here, especially cabbages. They’re cheap, so when you have nothing to do, take a few and practice cutting them. It’s not about how pretty they are cut; the most important thing is to listen to your knife, get comfortable using it, and then I’ll teach you various knife skills and techniques. As for side dishes, seasoning, and heat control... those are matters for later. Don’t be in a hurry, we’ll take it slow."

"Hmm." Zhou Yunyun nodded again in a rush, thought for a moment, bit her lip, and said, "I’m not in a hurry, Master. Since you were willing to take me on, I will listen to you."

Hua Xiaomai curled the corner of her mouth, and added, "According to the rules, having you as an apprentice means I should provide for your food and lodging. But since your home is right here in Fire Knife Village, if you want to go home to sleep each night, that’s fine too, you..."

Before she could finish, Zhou Yunyun hurriedly interrupted, "No... no need, Master, staying here in the inn is just fine. It’ll save the trouble of walking back and forth, and I can also help watch the store... Master, can I stay here, please?"

Hearing this, Hua Xiaomai frowned slightly, "You don’t want to go home? Is your father still bullying you and your mother?"

"He... has gotten a lot better," Zhou Yunyun’s face fell a little, and she let her head drop slightly, "Since I last saw you, Master, he’s been restraining himself a lot. I... just don’t want to see him drunk every day."

Hua Xiaomai understood and did not press further, readily agreeing, "In that case, later on, I’ll ask Chun Xi and La Mei to clean up a room for you. Our little restaurant’s living conditions aren’t that great and, being close to the main road, it’s not too safe either. If you stay here every night, don’t go out once it’s late; you need to stay alert."

Zhou Yunyun’s face showed a trace of a smile, she eagerly agreed, and Hua Xiaomai talked to her about the common taboos in the kitchen and what to pay attention to, then sent her to wash her hands and start practicing with the cabbage.

While she was speaking, Chun Xi came in from the main hall.

"Three traveling merchants have arrived as guests, saying they want to continue their journey after eating and asking us to hurry. Hearing that there’s a month-old chicken in the restaurant today, they asked whether a ’deep-fried young chicken’ could be made," she briskly reported and looked up at Hua Xiaomai’s face.

"Why not?" Hua Xiaomai answered succinctly, "Sister, you pick out a chicken and clean it, I’ll get started."

Chun Xi nodded, about to roll up her sleeves to catch a chicken when Zhou Yunyun, who was diligently cutting cabbage, turned her head, pursed her lips, and ventured, "Master, how about I do the job of killing the chicken?"

Hua Xiaomai was about to ask "Do you know how to kill a chicken?" but after a moment of thought, she realized how unnecessary the question was. In this era, a farmer’s daughter, especially the eldest, likely helped their mother with all sorts of household tasks from a young age. Killing a chicken was nothing difficult, was it?