Chef Hua
Chapter 310: Episode 179: Paying Money

Chapter 310: Episode 179: Paying Money

The small restaurant was bustling with people at noon, and everyone was originally seated properly at their tables, eating and drinking merrily. Suddenly, spotting a scene worth watching, they all rushed to the door with a loud whoosh, craning their necks to look outside. In a moment, the doorway was completely blocked by excited faces, each sporting a smile, as if they truly believed that the Great Saint had picked this very moment to make an appearance on purpose.

The "thief" was tossed by the Great Saint and fell to the ground with a smack, stirring up clouds of dust. He did not hurry to rise but instead lay in the choking dust in a very peculiar posture, his head stubbornly angled downwards, as if he was utterly reluctant to reveal his true face.

Hua Xiaomai was accustomed to the Great Saint’s reliable method of handling matters, and knew that anyone he brought directly to her was very likely the true perpetrator of the arson. However, she still had several dishes yet to prepare, and the fire was still burning under her stove. For a moment, she was slightly disoriented and nervously said, "Maybe... Great Saint, could you take him upstairs to the private room for a while? After I serve all the dishes to everyone... then..."

"No rush, no rush!" chuckled the group of diners at the door, all of them saying in unison, "We’re not in a hurry, madam, you go ahead and take care of the important matters first!"

The Great Saint also laughed and pointing to the man on the ground said, "Right? Sister-in-law, you must be confused. This man burned your field, how could you invite him to the private room and treat him as a distinguished guest?"

While the others were fine, Hua Xiaomai always felt it extremely awkward to be called "sister-in-law" by the Great Saint. She immediately waved her hand and said, "Great Saint, in the future, you might as well follow my older sister and brother-in-law and just call me ’little sister’. This ’sister-in-law’... doesn’t suit."

The Great Saint did not mind, agreed with a "That works," and added, "Then take a look, do you recognize this man?"

Hua Xiaomai indeed looked down at the man lying on the ground, her smile wholly fading as she said sternly, "You’re pretending to be a Quail now, only now realizing you’re scared? Isn’t it a bit late? Lift your head up!"

The man wriggled twice but still hesitated significantly, unwilling to comply. The Great Saint, without any ambiguity, kicked him on the leg and demanded fiercely, "I’m talking to you, didn’t you hear? Do you want to taste my fist once more?"

"Heard it, heard it!" The man, frightened by the kick, quickly lifted his head and shrank back, looking toward Hua Xiaomai.

This man looked to be in his forties and seemed somewhat familiar, precisely because his features were very stereotypical: beady mouse-like eyes, a squat nose, and a pointy chin, all conveying a "thorough scoundrel" vibe that one could never forget after one glance.

He had definitely frequented the small restaurant before, no doubt about it!

"Isn’t this that Huang Popi?" In such a noisy scene, Chun Xi and La Mei naturally did not want to miss out; they rushed out of the house, pointing at him and shouting loudly, "Hey, Huang Pingfa, the nerve of you! After being chased away by Yuhuai that day, and not daring to argue face to face, you went around bullying women? Someone like you deserves to be single for a lifetime!"

Hua Xiaomai was momentarily stunned, almost wanting to laugh, but considering the occasion, she forcefully suppressed it.

A man who really looked like a scoundrel was indeed nicknamed "Huang Popi"? Is it necessary to be this appropriate? That’s so uncalled for!

She turned her face away, managing with great difficulty to suppress the laughter bubbling up her throat, cleared her throat seriously, and sternly said to that Huang Pingfa, "If I’m not mistaken, you once applied for a job at my Sauce Garden, and my husband felt you were unsuitable and kindly rejected you, right? And then, harboring resentment, you set fire to our cabbage patch?"

Huang Pingfa’s eyes were black and blue, obviously from the Great Saint’s beating, and he trembled with fear, mostly because of the Great Saint standing next to him, imposing and formidable. He first sneakily glanced at the robust man beside him, then looked pitifully at Hua Xiaomai, trying his best to appear sincere, and whispered, "No, madam, you misunderstand... Although I have a bad reputation, I am not so senseless. It happened while setting off firecrackers in the field, it was an accident that..."

Good, at least he admitted that the big fire that night was indeed his doing—that makes things much easier to handle!

"Spare me your nonsense!" The Great Saint kicked him once more, his voice menacing and fierce, "That’s not what you boasted to the villagers! You boasted, ’Don’t lose trust in me, I do the deed, I face the music—the Meng Family’s vegetable patch was indeed set ablaze by me, I only damaged half an acre of cabbage, It could’ve been much worse for them!’ "