Chef Hua
Chapter 322 - 185: Good Craftsmanship

Chapter 322: Chapter 185: Good Craftsmanship

Master Tan lingered in Zhenwei Garden for half a day but ultimately failed to get a straight answer from Hua Xiaomai. Having no choice, he bid farewell and left, not forgetting to agree with the two that he would return next month when the new sauce was ready.

Hua Xiaomai escorted him to the door, waited until he was far enough away, then turned back and sat down beside Meng Yuhuai, puffing up with anger, "What do you make of this? On the first day of our opening, our very first business deal is someone wanting to buy on credit! When I first opened the little diner, Sister La Mei told me that the first customer is particularly important, and there’s a lot of significance in it. I thought it was just a joke back then, but now I understand how uncomfortable it makes you feel when you encounter someone like this."

"Is this little thing worth getting so angry about?" Meng Yuhuai was quite calm as he poured a bowl of tea and pushed it in front of her.

"Why wouldn’t I be angry?" Hua Xiaomai rolled her eyes, "It’s true I helped him before, but if we really get down to it, that day I was also annoyed by Scholar Wen’s pestering. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have meddled rashly! We don’t have any connection with him at all. How could he think of targeting Zhenwei Garden? I’ve tasted his cooking, and it’s not bad. If his little tavern isn’t doing well, it’s mostly business issues. Yet, he expects to turn things around with our sauce. Isn’t this ridiculous?"

While speaking, she turned her head and complained to Meng Yuhuai, "And you, why should you even mention ’come try the sauce next month and then we’ll talk’? You know well that I would refuse. It would have been better just to decline outright. By dragging it to next month, there will inevitably be another round of arguing. What if, by chance, you’re not at home that day? Wouldn’t I have to quarrel with him all by myself?"

Meng Yuhuai smiled, gestured for her to take a sip of tea, and said unhurriedly, "I knew you would not agree. However, when I saw him looking utterly distraught, clearly at his wit’s end, I thought he came here on a whim, probably with his head all muddled, unable to think clearly. If we were to reject him outright, we might feel relieved, but if he then feels utterly hopeless and does something foolish, you probably wouldn’t feel good about it."

"Is it really that serious?" Hua Xiaomai subconsciously pursed her lips, still somewhat unconvinced. "He was really making quite the drama, even suggesting we take our sauce to sell at his little tavern. You described Lü Lane as a den of wolves and tigers; if we really agreed, wouldn’t it ruin our reputation?"

"That’s why I said. Master Tan was probably somewhat confused. His coming here today was most likely a spur-of-the-moment decision," Meng Yuhuai continued calmly, "From what I observed, he should be an honest person. Once he sorts out his thoughts, he probably won’t come again."

Hua Xiaomai knew there was some truth in what he said. She pondered for a moment, glanced at him, and said, "Then let’s agree on this: if he still brings this up next month, you will handle it. I won’t get involved."

Meng Yuhuai did not reply, just smiled. Seeing that the two bowls of noodles on the table had cooled down and congealed into a lump, inedible, he went to the kitchen to find some food for them to share. After a short rest, seeing that it was getting late, Hua Xiaomai went to the back kitchen to start preparing for the evening’s banquet, inevitably getting busy again.

That evening at Sauce Garden was even livelier than at noon. The villagers were busy with their own affairs during the day and couldn’t find time to join in the fun, but by evening, they were free and brought their families to enjoy the feast. Since most of the attendees were villagers who knew each other well, after a couple of drinks, their voices grew louder, clinking their cups in the center of the table, making a racket until the tenth hour of the evening. Continuing the commotion might have upset the neighbors, so they gradually dispersed.

Aside from Master Tan’s unexpected visit, which had caused some unpleasantness, the overall atmosphere was quite good that day. Although Hua Xiaomai was so tired she could barely stand, seeing the messy tables filled her with a sense of satisfaction. After washing her hands and stepping out of the kitchen, she bumped into Lei An’s wife and waved her over.

"Sister, you must have been terribly busy today as well?" she greeted the plump-faced woman with a warm smile, "You’ve just arrived, unfamiliar with everything here. Normally, I should have taken good care of you, but today I simply couldn’t spare the time. You and Brother Lei mustn’t hold it against me. After today, we will focus on making sauce properly. Have you and Brother Lei seen the order list that Uncle Ping brought over a few days ago? If you have any concerns, we can discuss them. I might be okay at making sauces, but running Sauce Garden is new to me, and there are many things I don’t understand. My head is all muddled, and since you two are renowned and experienced in this field, I really need you to offer more advice."