Chef Hua
Chapter 279 - 164: The Ultimate of Color

Chapter 279: Chapter 164: The Ultimate of Color

After winter set in, the days grew short, and by the time Wu Wenhong and his wife’s carriage arrived at the eastern entrance of the village, dusk had completely enveloped the area, casting the surrounding woods in a thick verdant hue.

Inside the restaurant’s main hall, however, it was bright with light. Warm yellow illumination spilled from the wide-open doors, blooming on the ground in a pool of light like water. As the temperature dropped, a few hardy insects still braved the cold, circling in the halo of light, seeming too dazed by the lively hubbub to venture inside.

Hua Xiaomai was bustling about in a sweat in the kitchen. Hearing that the Wus had indeed come, she quickly finished stir-frying the dish in the pan, plated it, and handed it to Chun Xi with instructions to serve it. Then she quickly washed her hands and hurried out to greet them. As soon as she looked up, she saw Wu Wenhong propping up his wife at the entrance, both of their expressions somber and despondent.

It seemed their visit to the Prefecture to seek medical treatment had probably not gone well...

Although Hua Xiaomai was not well-acquainted with the couple, she knew life was hardest for those tormented by illness. She could not help feeling anxious for them as she sighed inwardly and approached with a smile. Before she could ask anything, Wu Wenhong shook his head at her.

"Young lady, here we are again, causing you trouble." His voice carried a trace of weariness as he turned and gestured towards the carriage, sighing, "Everyone says the doctors in the Prefecture are skilled, but these past two days, accompanying my wife, we visited nearly every renowned clinic— their words were no different from our own physicians in Qingping County. They dressed up their explanations in complexity, esoteric and inscrutable, but in the end, they haven’t offered a single effective remedy. Look, my carriage is now filled with a whole basket of medicine packs. Not to mention how long she will have to take them, but for a person who cannot stomach food, being force-fed medicinal soups every day is even more torturous, isn’t it?"

Hua Xiaomai sighed in response, involuntarily glancing at Lady Wu’s face.

A woman in her thirties, well-off and dignified, supposed to be living comfortably, yet reduced to a listless state by this aversion to food, devoid of any vitality or spirit, too lethargic even to speak. This truly was...

Wu Wenhong was a bit downcast, his head drooping as he stared at his toes for a long time before speaking up again, "Young lady, I wonder if you might have come up with anything?" It sounded as though their trip to the Provincial City had worn him down, and his tone was clearly not hopeful.

"These past few days, I’ve indeed come up with a few dishes." Hua Xiaomai nodded, "Lady’s illness baffled even the doctors in the Provincial City, so I am unsure myself, but it’s still worth a try. However, the restaurant is quite busy at the moment. Could I ask you both to wait in the private room upstairs for a while? As soon as I get through this rush, I’ll attend to this important task. Right now it’s mealtime, and although Lady cannot eat, you shouldn’t go hungry. How about I cook up a couple of simple dishes and have someone send them up for you to fill your belly?"

Wu Wenhong felt touched and nodded repeatedly, "Lady, we are but strangers, yet because of Brother Su’s word, you are willing to take such trouble; you are truly kind-hearted. Your husband is a fortunate man indeed! This illness has been lingering for over half a year; am I not willing to wait a moment longer? Please, go ahead with your work."

Hua Xiaomai smiled at him, thinking to herself how grateful she was to Su Yuchang for entrusting her with this task, which she truly didn’t want to treat carelessly. However, preparing these dishes had taken a lot of time and cost a fair amount of money. Apart from that, it would be fine as long as you pay the bill at the end. Then she called La Mei over to lead the couple upstairs while she returned to the kitchen.

...

The restaurant was open until the beginning of the hour of the Pig each day, but in truth, after the hour of the Dog, there were generally no more customers. After seeing off the last patron, Hua Xiaomai instructed Zhou Yunyun to clean up the stove thoroughly, then immediately set to work. She was quick and had prepared the time-consuming dishes well in advance, so it didn’t take long to get everything ready. She had Zhou Yunyun, Chun Xi, and La Mei move everything upstairs all at once.

Though Wu Wenhong said he was not in a hurry, he was still a bit anxious. Seeing Hua Xiaomai finally enter the room, he abruptly stood up from his chair.

Perhaps due to the tension, his hands trembled slightly as he fixed his gaze on Hua Xiaomai’s face, his voice trembling, "Young lady, is it... all ready?"

"Yes." Hua Xiaomai nodded reassuringly at him, "Let’s take it one dish at a time."