Chef Hua
Chapter 301: Episode 174 Zhenwei Garden_2

Chapter 301: Episode 174 Zhenwei Garden_2

He was so considerate that Hua Xiaomai felt a sweet tenderness in her heart. She said no more, embraced his arm, and together they returned to the south of the village.

...

In the following days, Meng Yuhuai indeed took Hua Xiaomai out every day. In the evenings, when they returned from Fuzhe County, he would go to the small restaurant in the east of the village to bring her home. Hua Xiaomai did not dine with old lady Meng, and the chances of running into each other were few. Although they always exchanged cold looks when they met, they did not argue again, and overall, life was still quite bearable.

About three or four days later, Wu Wenhong once again came to Fire Knife Village.

This time, he naturally came because of the Sauce Garden. Upon stepping into the restaurant, he first took out two hundred silver notes and slammed them on the table. He then invited Old Master Liu and several other village elders to mediate and formally acknowledged in writing that the Sauce Garden belonged to Hua Xiaomai, with the land deed also kept by her. Once the Sauce Garden was operational and profits were made, he would take a twenty percent share.

Afterward, Hua Xiaomai, together with him, found Zheng Yakuai nearby to help scout for a suitable location. By chance, the distillery run by the family of Niu Ali, who was an apprentice to Chef Wei, was struggling to continue business because their brew was too unpalatable even for the villagers. Wu Wenhong decisively decided to take over the place, spending seventy-four silver notes in the process.

Hua Xiaomai was extremely pleased with the distillery. Being a similar fermentation-based business, it already had many tools and equipment, up to sixty or seventy percent new, which could be used directly without the need to spend extra money on new purchases. Moreover, the distillery also had an open courtyard, perfect for placing various sauce jars.

Brewing in the twelfth lunar month and making sauce in the dog days of summer, the garden remained the same, but the products it produced were completely different. After emanating the smell of distiller’s grains for over a decade, it would soon be filled with the rich aroma of sauce.

Having settled this matter, Wu Wenhong soon left Fire Knife Village. Before his departure, he told Hua Xiaomai that he would soon find two experienced sauce masters in Qingping County and send them over to help. The tasks left for Hua Xiaomai seemed not too numerous, yet were quite troublesome—next, she had to delicately choose a proper name for the Sauce Garden and then earnestly hire a couple of workers.

Regarding the name of the Sauce Garden, Wu Wenhong clearly expressed that he would not interfere, merely laughing and letting Hua Xiaomai decide on her own. Hua Xiaomai racked her brains, pondering for a long time internally, lamenting her own lack of literary talent. She initially thought of asking Meng Yuhuai, but he was barely literate and really couldn’t offer any constructive ideas. As for her stepmother and Jing Taihe, she had even less hope for them. Frustrated and pulling at her hair, she had no choice but to bring Zhou Yunyun and seek help from the destitute scholar Wen Huaren by the riverside.

It was true that she had had quite some dealings with Wen Huaren, enough to call their acquaintance close, yet this was her first time visiting him. As a newly married woman with a young woman in tow, it did not seem appropriate to march right into his home. Thus, she stood outside, explaining her purpose. Incidentally, she also observed the interior of the house and couldn’t help but click her tongue in wonder.

She knew that Wen Huaren lived a life of poverty, but she hadn’t expected him to be in such dire straits. The house contained only the simplest of furniture—a table missing a corner, a cabinet that could barely stand—just enough to meet daily needs. By contrast, a table by the window was piled with numerous books. Additionally, there was a large, cracked, coarse pottery bowl holding a couple of stale buns, probably days old, suggesting the nightly toll of his studies, marked also by drippings of candle wax.

Noticing Hua Xiaomai’s gaze, Scholar Wen felt somewhat embarrassed, scratching his head as he said, "To have you... ah, now I should address you as sister-in-law, have you laughing at me, sister-in-law, this place is unfit for seeing people. Since you stopped setting up your stall by the river, even if I wanted to mooch something to eat, I had no place to go, surviving day by day on buns and pickles. Having eaten too much, sores have started to form at the corners of my mouth, really..."

Hua Xiaomai smiled at his words, "I know your life isn’t easy. How about this? You name the Sauce Garden something nice and catchy, and whenever you feel like craving something, you come to my little restaurant for a bite, I won’t charge you—that said, we need to agree upfront, if you dare to show up for three meals a day, I still won’t spare you, I’ll still kick you out with a broom!"

Scholar Wen’s eyes brightened at her words, yet he awkwardly hesitated, waving his hands reluctantly, "How could that be right? Your place is a business, and if I go there to eat and drink for free, it wouldn’t be proper..." Although he said this, a smile crept onto his face as though he was about to cry.

Zhou Yunyun, following behind Hua Xiaomai, couldn’t help but chuckle upon seeing his expression, but then feeling it was inappropriate, she quickly turned her back.

"Alright, don’t be so falsely modest with me. If you want to eat, just say so outright, what’s there to be embarrassed about?" Hua Xiaomai waved her hand impatiently, "Let’s talk about this later, just help me think now, what should I name the Sauce Garden? I’ve pondered for several days and still can’t come up with anything, it’s driving me nuts!"

Scholar Wen indeed pondered for a while, then carefully suggested, "Sister-in-law, your dishes are both colorful and delicious, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to describe them as ’delicacies on a jade plate.’ And given how your sauces are bound to be fine, good sauce can truly elevate a dish. While many can make sauces, very few possess your skill. The sauces made by your hand can truly be considered precious — How about calling it ’Zhenwei Garden’?"

Zhenwei Garden? Hua Xiaomai mulled over these three characters in her mouth, and then heard Zhou Yunyun’s soft voice behind her, "Master, I think this name sounds pretty good."

"Is that so?" Hua Xiaomai turned around, "You think it sounds good?"(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to cast your recommendation ticket and monthly ticket at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)