Chef Hua
Chapter 286: Episode 167: Three Gifts (1)_2

Chapter 286: Episode 167: Three Gifts (1)_2

Speaking of which, she turned back and stared seriously into Meng’s eyes, "Honestly, if that person comes to find you and offers a lot of Silver Coins to take you to ’do great things’, would you go?"

Meng Yuhuai looked at her somewhat helplessly and then suddenly curled the edges of his lips, "I’m afraid you’d chop me with a kitchen knife."

"Ha..."

He rarely joked, and Hua Xiaomai, very charitably, burst into loud laughter, her voice particularly loud in the quiet winter night, quickly covering her mouth with her hand.

The kitchen, which was closest to Old Lady Meng’s room, with the sounds of chopping ribs and slicing radishes and their laughter, easily drifted through the door and into her ears. She felt a wave of irritation and wanted to throw off the covers, get out of bed, and go over to scold them, but held back because she somewhat feared her son.

Meanwhile, in the Guan Family’s house, separated from the Meng Family courtyard by only a wall, in a dark room where no lights were lit, rustling sounds emerged.

...

From that day on, Meng Yuhuai had completely left behind the idyllic leisure of newlywed life, going out early and returning late daily, devoting most of his thoughts to the Lianshun Escort Agency.

Every morning, Hua Xiaomai would have him take a bowl of soup to Ke Zhenwu to drink, not knowing if it would be useful, just as a token of her thoughts.

It seemed that Ke Zhenwu, so fond of good food, would gradually feel better with the daily companionship of good soup, wouldn’t he?

A few days passed, and this morning, after Hua Xiaomai had prepared Old Lady Meng’s meal and left it in the pot, she also sent Meng Yuhuai out. Realizing it was getting late, she hurriedly headed to the east of the village.

The small restaurant’s door was already half open; Chun Xi and La Mei were inside sweeping the floor and wiping the tables, while Zhou Yunyun was busy arranging various vegetables delivered that morning in the kitchen. Busy and cheerful, a figure seemed to flash past the door.

Chun Xi turned her head and saw a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy peeking inside the hall, looking around curiously.

"Can I help you?" Chun Xi was a bit bewildered, dropped the cloth in her hand, and stepped out, "We don’t do business in the morning; if you come to eat, you’ll have to wait until noon."

"I’m not here to eat," the boy said with a grin, shaking his head, his speech quite articulate, "May I ask, is Chef Hua around?"

"Looking for Xiaomai?" Chun Xi eyed him up and down, shaking her head, "She’s not here yet! I see you’re not from our village, if you’re looking for her for something, why not... come in and sit for a while?"

"No need, no need!" the boy gestured with his hands, "I’ll just wait for her here—she’s definitely coming today, right?"

Chun Xi snickered and waved her hand, "If she doesn’t come, we can’t even do business here!"

After speaking, she didn’t converse further and turned her head to continue cleaning and tidying up around.

So, when Hua Xiaomai arrived at the front of the small restaurant, she saw a skinny, spry boy loitering outside like a little monkey.

The weather was cold, and he kept his hands tucked into his sleeves, hopping around the ground, with a bamboo basket by his feet stuffed full, not revealing what was inside.

Hua Xiaomai felt puzzled and quickened her pace. Perhaps hearing the footsteps, the boy turned his head, his eyes lit up instantly, and he ran up eagerly, smiling broadly, "You must be Chef Hua, right?"

"Chef Hua"... This was the first time anyone had addressed her like this, and Hua Xiaomai felt a bit uncomfortable, hesitating for a moment with a slight smile emerging on her face, "May I know who you are?"

"I’m Dongzi," replied the boy cheerfully, moving the bamboo basket at the entrance over to her and pushing it in front of Hua Xiaomai, "My master sent me to deliver this; it’s all for you, Chef Hua. Have a look, what do you think?"

Hua Xiaomai became even more baffled, glanced into the basket without looking closely, and frowned slightly, "Your master is..."

"Exactly, just a few days ago, my master and Lady came over, and thanks to your help, Lady’s condition has improved a bit," said Dongzi crisply as if popping beans, grinning, "My master is so grateful and was determined to repay you well for the favor. So, he’s been busy these past two days gathering these things, saying you’ll definitely find them useful. Take a look, do they meet your preference?"

"Your master is Mr. Wu, and you come from Qingping County, right?" Hua Xiaomai started to understand.

That day when Wu Wenhong and his wife left, they kept thanking her for her assistance, pledging to repay her properly. At the time, she didn’t take it to heart, feeling it was already quite good since she had been paid for the meals and made a profit. Yet unexpectedly, Wu Wenhong had taken the matter to heart and had earnestly sent gifts her way!

Exactly, you remember, right?" Dongzi grinned widely, "My master said, you’ve been such a big help, even excessive thanks wouldn’t be considered too much. Although Lady still doesn’t have much appetite, at least she’s able to eat something each meal, and the smell of cooking oil doesn’t bother her as much. She keeps thinking about that particular Soft Cake you made, and my master said, once Lady is a bit healthier, he will definitely bring her here to properly enjoy your cooking!" He urged her to quickly check the items in the basket.

Hua Xiaomai proceeded as told, bent down, and peeled off a layer of oiled paper on top of the bamboo basket, revealing several tightly tied paper bundles with straw strings.

At this moment, Chun Xi and La Mei, hearing the conversation outside, also came out. Dongzi joyfully nodded to them and started showing the items to Hua Xiaomai, continuously prattling, "Look, Dill Seeds, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and authentic star anise from Lingxiu Prefecture, all better than the ones commonly seen in the market. As a chef, you’ll definitely find them useful, and you needn’t spend money to buy them. And this, this is something my master insisted must be personally delivered into your hands." He then dug out two large paper bundles from the bottom of the basket and handed them straight to Hua Xiaomai.

His seriousness made Hua Xiaomai slightly suspicious, and she brought the paper bundle close to her nose for a sniff, her eyes flashing instantly, too eager to delay, she swiftly opened it.

Inside were two large packets stuffed full of dried chilis, each plump and brightly red, looking very pleasing.

"This stuff isn’t easy to get! The day my master saw you use it in cooking and heard you casually mention you didn’t have much left, he immediately took it to heart. I reckon, at this moment, all the chili seeds in Qingping County are probably right here," Dongzi, seeing Hua Xiaomai’s astonishment, grinned even wider, "Don’t be too happy just yet; all the items in this bamboo basket are just the first round of gifts, there are still two more items being prepared. Once they’re ready, I’ll bring them to you!"(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)