Chef Hua
Chapter 273 - 161 Can’t Wait

Chapter 273: Chapter 161 Can’t Wait

The small restaurant in the east of town still had a red strip of paper that read "The Owner Has a Blessing" on the outside, but the door was ajar, perhaps due to the quietness around, as no one seemed to be passing by. Standing at the doorway, one could hear a rhythmic "tapping" sound coming from the kitchen.

Hua Xiaomai saw that no one was around, so she led Meng Yuhuai by the foot into the restaurant. As they reached the kitchen door and peered inside, they saw Zhou Yunyun standing by the stove, intently cutting cabbage with great focus, next to a basin filled with finely shredded cabbage.

This girl truly was hardworking. Hua Xiaomai quietly nodded in approval, and without intending to startle her, she called out to her with a laugh.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yunyun was still startled, her hand slipped, and she almost cut her finger. She hurriedly turned around, her face flushed with fright as she tried to widen her eyes, "...Master, when did you get here?"

"Are you alright?" Hua Xiaomai quickly walked over, grabbed her hand to check it, and couldn’t help but chide, "Didn’t I tell you to be careful while staying here? We are not even doing business, why is the door open? My footsteps aren’t light, how could you not hear them?"

"No..." Zhou Yunyun said with a bashful smile, "Perhaps the noise of chopping vegetables was too loud; I completely failed to notice. Just now, I had just cleaned both upstairs and downstairs. The floor was still a bit wet, so I opened the door to let it dry faster." Saying this, she turned to glance at Meng Yuhuai and greeted, "Brother Yuhuai."

Hua Xiaomai looked around and noticed that, despite a few days of absence, the restaurant seemed even cleaner than when it was open for business. Not a speck of dust could be seen on the stove or the brick floor, and even the window glass shone brightly.

"Why go through all this effort? Right now we aren’t even open. You might as well have waited a few days to clean it all at once," she said, looking at Zhou Yunyun’s face, "How is it, staying here these past few days? Are you scared at night?"

"Not scared." Zhou Yunyun pursed her lips, smiling as she shook her head, and glanced at the floor, "After all, I have nothing else to do. I clean every day so that when we reopen for business, Sisters Chun Xi and La Mei can save some effort—But, Master, why did you come? Didn’t you just get married yesterday?"

"Bored, just came to see," Hua Xiaomai replied, pressing her lips together, her expression serious, "I’m asking you, we haven’t been open these past few days, did anyone come asking about us?"

Although the business of her restaurant was far from booming, ever since Su Yuchang had promoted it, a few regular customers had come by whenever they passed along the official road next to Fire Knife Village to have a meal. Having closed for several days... surely someone would have missed it?

Zhou Yunyun clapped her hands, laughing cheerfully, "You wouldn’t believe it, but it’s true! I’ve seen that uncle before; he often dines here. The other day, when he passed by the official road and saw that our door was closed, he was worried... he rushed down to see. Coincidentally, I was at the door tinkering with something, and he came up to ask what was going on. After learning it was just a temporary closure, he was relieved. He spoke a lot with me, praised your cooking skills as unparalleled, and even exclaimed that having me as your apprentice was a blessing from my past life!"

After finishing, she shyly glanced at Hua Xiaomai, her lips moved slightly.

"What, getting a little impatient?" Hua Xiaomai obviously understood her meaning, smiling faintly, "Everything must be done gradually, and learning to cook is not something that can be mastered in a day or two. Even those with the greatest talent need at least a year to grasp the essentials. I know you’re eager, but swallowing hot tofu in one gulp does you no good. You need not worry, since I’ve accepted you as my apprentice, I will surely teach you all I know. How much you grasp, however, depends on you alone."

Zhou Yunyun dared not say more, quickly nodding in agreement. After Hua Xiaomai had a brief conversation with her and gave a few reminders, they toured the upstairs and downstairs before she left with Meng Yuhuai.

With nothing else to do, the pair strolled through the village, taking a trip by the river. With no old Mrs. Meng nagging in their ears, the couple enjoyed their sweet time alone, but as the weather grew colder, Meng Yuhuai worried that Hua Xiaomai might catch a cold from the chill wind by the river. After standing for a while, they returned to the south side of the village, just as they turned into the lane where their own courtyard was located. They ran right into Guan Rong’s mother.