Chef Hua
Chapter 290 - 169: Three Gifts (Part 3)

Chapter 290: Chapter 169: Three Gifts (Part 3)

Ever since Hua Ermother became pregnant, she had been in a state of detachment from affairs, and Jing Taihe forbade her from getting involved too much. It wasn’t until Hua Xiaomai mentioned it that she suddenly realized, clapping her hands together, "Yes, isn’t it the 22nd today? He really hasn’t come back! Could it be that he doesn’t want to continue the business anymore?"

"Impossible," Hua Xiaomai pursed her lips, "Our sauces are not unsellable. Just look at the excitement Uncle Ping’an had each time he returned every month; you’d know how important he considers this business. How could he just give up on it casually? I reckon he’s probably been held up by something. We don’t need to worry. Just wait a couple more days; he will definitely be back. Besides, we are not waiting on that little bit of money to spend."

Hua Ermother smiled faintly and, bowing her head in thought, spoke with some hesitation, "I... actually discussed this with your brother-in-law. Now that you’re married, it’s not quite appropriate if we still consider the sauce business as something we do together—after all, your brother-in-law and I haven’t really contributed much, and I’m also worried about what your mother-in-law might say. Before you were married, if she caused trouble, I could still handle her, but now, I have to consider things for you. I can’t just go ahead and start a fight with her, because in the end, you are the one who would suffer. So, from now on, you can run the business by yourself, there’s no need..."

"What do you mean by that?" Hua Xiaomai immediately furrowed her brows, saying irritably, "Are you trying to wash your hands of me now?"

Since Hua Ermother became pregnant, she had been learning to gradually control her temper, and now it was starting to show results. If Hua Xiaomai dared to talk to her in such a tone before, she would have jumped up to hit her immediately, but now, she just clicked her tongue and still spoke in a soft and gentle tone, "Wash my hands of you? You are my own sister. We can never be truly separated in this lifetime. I was just thinking that running the restaurant business together is already something I worry might cause your mother-in-law to nag you. If she finds out about the sauce as well..."

"When did you become so scared of everything?" Hua Xiaomai interrupted her without thinking, "You said it yourself, we are blood sisters, inseparable for life. Some things may change after I got married, but others won’t. I’m the same now as I was before I left home, and this matter remains unchanged! There’s no room for discussion. You don’t need to say anything more about it. I’m going to stew the wild chicken soup right now, then I must hurry back to the restaurant on the east side of the village. Just keep an eye on the fire for me."

Having said this, she didn’t wait to see Hua Ermother’s reaction and ran into the kitchen, rolling up her sleeves.

Hua Ermother couldn’t argue with her, and also had to take care of her own belly, so she could only sigh softly.

...

Hua Xiaomai’s guess was not wrong; Pan Ping’an had indeed been held up by a major event, and furthermore, this event made him extremely happy, restless, and eager to return to Fire Knife Village as soon as there was a glimmer of hope for resolving it.

This time, however, he didn’t go to the Jing Family courtyard to find anyone but went straight to the east side of the village.

At that time, Hua Xiaomai was cooking a dish of venison pan-fried with wild mushroom sauce.

While the venison was still fresh, she sliced it thickly, coated the surface with a wild fruit puree, and then marinated it with pepper, Shao Wine, and salt until all the gamey smell was gone, before slowly pan-frying it in a large pot over low heat.

Wild mushrooms, yellow sauce, Shao Wine, and salt were boiled down into a sauce, thickened on high heat, and poured over the pan-fried venison on the plate, garnished with a couple of fragrant lemongrass and perilla leaves. It looked beautiful, and a bite was both substantial and tender, filling the mouth with the fragrances of wild mushrooms and venison.

This was a new dish introduced by her small restaurant, not cheap but greatly welcomed by touring traders. In the last few days, she sold over a dozen plates and, as a result, attracted even more patrons. Everyone traveling along this official road knew that the small restaurant in Fire Knife Village served good venison, and it swiftly gained a bit of fame.

When Pan Ping’an arrived, the restaurant was quite full. He was in such a hurry that he didn’t watch his step, stumbled over a small stone and went sprawling forward, landing flat on his face right at the entrance, instantly causing an uproar of laughter from the restaurant hall.

Hua Xiaomai, hearing the commotion from the kitchen, hurried out and saw Pan Ping’an’s predicament. She exclaimed, "Ah," and quickly rushed forward to help him up, asking with concern, "Uncle Ping’an, are you alright? Did you hurt yourself anywhere? Hey, slow down, what’s the rush?"

Pan Ping’an didn’t feel any pain, didn’t even bother to dust off his clothes, and just revealed a big smile, "Xiaomai girl, I have good news, really good news knocking at the door!"