Chef Hua
Chapter 281: Episode 165 must be repaid

Chapter 281: Episode 165 must be repaid

The private room was very quiet at the moment.

All eyes were fixed on the small bowl in Lady Wu’s hands, with an occasional sound of swallowing—it wasn’t due to gluttony, but rather such a dish was quite a shock to their eyes.

Hua Xiaomai, who was feeling somewhat tired from standing, took a seat in the chair without making a sound, bowed her head, and slightly smiled.

Although she had always been in the business of selling candied sweets, she admitted she wasn’t skilled with sweets, knowing only a few recipes. This dish, made with Plum Sauce, pyracantha, and syrup, was her own creation from her previous life. It was based on the method of "Sugared Various Fruits" and Dong Xiaowan’s "Flower Juice Sugar Syrup", to which she added the tart and salty Plum Sauce, offsetting the sweetness and aiding in preservation. It only needed to be hung in a cool well overnight to set into a smooth Soft Cake, and could be augmented with different petals and fruits according to the changing seasons.

Because the dish was truly beautiful and the taste was so pleasantly sour and sweet, Hua Xiaomai had always considered it her trump card. Yet, she never imagined that it would end up being used on a person suffering from anorexia.

Lady Wu remained still, looking at the small bowl in her hands for a long time before finally lifting her head.

"Is this really edible?" Her chest rose and fell slightly, a hint of hope in her eyes, as she hesitated, "May I... try some?"

"You want to eat?" Hua Xiaomai jumped in surprise.

She knew that for someone suffering from anorexia, the delectable dishes before them were as fearsome as arsenic. She hadn’t expected that the woman would suddenly have a hearty appetite today; she had only hoped that her dishes would spark some interest in eating, which would have been satisfying enough. But now... she actually asked to eat it voluntarily?

"Hmm..." Lady Wu’s lips curved into a smile, "I’ve lived for so many years, never having seen such a dish. I truly want to know what the taste of such a beautiful dish is like."

Wu Wenhong was so excited that he was almost crying, clumsily handing her a spoon and urging anxiously, "Lady, although this cake looks beautiful, it is still a cold dish. It’s getting cold these days, you shouldn’t eat too much!"

"I understand," Lady Wu nodded, scooped up a small spoonful of Soft Cake, held it in mid-air for a long while, took a deep breath, as if she had made a great decision, and hesitantly put it into her mouth.

Everyone, including Wu Wenhong, Hua Xiaomai, Zhou Yunyun, Chun Xi, and La Mei, was staring at her intently, not daring to blink.

Lady Wu savored the spoonful of Soft Cake in her mouth for a long time, slowly swallowed it, fell silent for a moment, then looked up and gave Hua Xiaomai a slight nod, her eyes glistening with moisture.

"Lady, you... don’t feel like vomiting?" Wu Wenhong’s hand trembled with fear as he summoned the courage to ask.

Lady Wu didn’t speak, but just smiled softly at him, shook her head, and looked back down at the table, pointing to the Chopped Pepper Fish Head and ventured to ask, "This... may I also try this?"

Hua Xiaomai was even more shocked, almost jumping up.

If her ears hadn’t deceived her... Had she succeeded now? Although anorexia couldn’t be completely cured in a day or two and would still require a long recovery period, at the very least, the woman had now become curious about various foods, which was a tremendous progression!

She took a deep breath, waved to Lady Wu, and said earnestly, "As I said before, all these dishes were prepared for you to view, and right now, you cannot eat them. You haven’t eaten properly for half a year; such a spicy dish might be too much for you. With time on your side, once you’ve recovered, won’t you be able to enjoy delicious food then?"

Lady Wu didn’t insist and gently "hmm"ed in agreement, then softly said, "Then may I take this Soft Cake made with Plum Sauce and pyracantha back with me?"

"Of course!" Hua Xiaomai felt even more joyful, "I’ve made several more bowls, so you can take them home and eat them slowly. But as I’ve said before, don’t be greedy; it’s crucial to recover first."

Lady Wu nodded in agreement, and over on the side, Wu Wenhong could no longer contain himself. He grabbed her hand and said repeatedly, "Do you really feel like eating? Your stomach doesn’t feel upset, and you’re not bothered by the smell of oil?" He went on and on without end.

After quite a while, he finally remembered Hua Xiaomai was still there. Without another word, he took out two ingots of ingot silver from his pocket and clinked them down onto the table.