Chef Hua
Chapter 327 - 187: The Art of Peddling (Part Two)

Chapter 327: Chapter 187: The Art of Peddling (Part Two)

This layer, Hua Xiaomai had also thought of. Knowing that she probably wouldn’t make money from it this year, she didn’t feel disappointed. Flipping her eyelids, she feigned anger and said, "Humph, you won’t let me do it, but I’m not even keen on it! With my exquisite skills, fair pricing, and honesty toward young and old alike, it’s your loss for missing out, Lianshun Escort Agency! Besides, I’m busy enough with my restaurant and Sauce Garden, and I don’t need these few silvers. Thanks for saving me the trouble!"

Having said that, she jumped off his lap and turned to climb onto the bed.

Meng Yuhuai knew she was joking and adored the petulance she showed only in front of him. He hurriedly got up and followed her, embracing her waist and rolling into the covers with her, engaging in a joyful affair.

...

Suddenly, more than a month passed. The cabbage and radishes in the two patches of land near the threshing floor had been thoroughly harvested by Meng Yuhuai. He then fetched some fertilizer water and meticulously watered the fields, waiting for the weather to warm up a bit more before he could scatter all those big bags of chili seeds into the fields.

Because of the Spring Wine Banquet, he had indeed been busy at the Escort Agency, always racing against the curfew bell to leave the County at the last moment. After going home, he had no time to chat with Hua Xiaomai. Washing his face and feet, he’d roll into bed and sleep. He didn’t have the time to shave the stubble on his chin, which in a few days grew dense and prickly, quite painfully so.

He was not accustomed to socializing, but such affairs would likely become more frequent in the future, so he had no choice but to adapt quickly. The hardship was unquestionable. Hua Xiaomai knew he was tired and wanted to stew some nourishing soups for him but was simply too busy. Therefore, she could only prepare the food in advance at the little restaurant every evening, cooking to his tastes. She would then heat it up in the pot and bring it to his bedside so he could at least eat a few bites.

Springtime was the busiest season for traders everywhere. Everyone wanted to do a couple of good deals while the spring was warm and flowers were blooming. The roads were busy with traffic every day, at times even livelier than the markets. With more people on the move, the little restaurant’s business naturally boomed. For several days in a row, by noon and evening, the hall would be so crowded that there wasn’t even room to stand.

As for the takeout stall at the front door, the lines grew longer every day. Many regulars would bring their own food containers, but even so, the restaurant’s prepared food boxes were always in short supply. Chun Xi and La Mei, overwhelmed, had to pull aside Hua Xiaomai to discuss a solution.

"Such trivial matters, you don’t need to ask me," Hua Xiaomai, standing in front of the takeout stall enveloped in thick smoke, could barely open her eyes while she hurriedly stir-fried in the wok. "Go find the craftsman who makes the food boxes and order a thousand from him. When the time comes, I’ll go settle the account with him."

Chun Xi agreed and was about to leave when Hua Xiaomai thought for a moment and quickly called out to her, "Don’t be in a hurry. This afternoon I have to go to Zhenwei Garden, and I might be delayed there for a good while. I’ll leave some money with you in case Master Liu delivers beef. Pay him with that. If anything urgent comes up, send Yun’er to fetch me."

"Is it about the new batch of sauce being ready?" Chun Xi stood beside her, her face bursting with a smile as she exclaimed, "I haven’t congratulated you yet; looks like a hefty sum of silver is about to fill your pockets again!"

Hua Xiaomai found time to turn around and flashed a smile at her.

For the entire month since Zhenwei Garden had opened, the first batch of sauces had matured. Hua Xiaomai had already tasted each yesterday. The celestial sauce, dried fermented black beans, and single-ingredient sauce maintained their traditional quality. The remaining five new products were also exceptionally rich in flavor. The divine vinegar was sour yet fragrant; the Sichuan pepper soy sauce was fresh with a hint of sweetness, and upon careful savoring, a slight numbing sensation could be felt. Thanks to the choice ingredients and proper management, the sauces’ color was particularly bright and tender. It could be said that not even the century-old Antai Garden’s sauces necessarily surpassed them.

Now that the sauces were ready, the next step was to consider how to sell them. Pan Ping’an had hurried back to Fire Knife Village early, planning to send most of them to the major restaurants in the Provincial City. As for the rest, they would certainly require some thought.

After several restless nights, tumbling thoughts about this very matter, Hua Xiaomai had come up with a rough plan. Barely surviving the midday rush at the small eatery, she didn’t even have time to rest before immediately rushing off to the Sauce Garden.

The various sauces were already potted and stacked high in the large warehouse, leaving the courtyard rather empty. Hua Xiaomai hurried in and almost bumped into Great Saint, nearly hitting their heads together. She quickly stepped back.

"Yo, perfect timing, sister! Master Lei was getting anxious and had just sent me to check whether you’d finished up at the small eatery. It’s a coincidence you’re here," Great Saint quickly stepped aside, grinning, "Did I bump into you?"

"No, I’m fine," Hua Xiaomai waved him off with a smile. Just then, Lei An and his wife came out of the warehouse, carrying two pots of sauce. Spotting her, they quickened their pace and rapidly approached.

"You’ve come at just the right time, boss," Lei An, who had just finished some heavy lifting in the storeroom and was sweating profusely, lifted his clothes to wipe his forehead while panting, "We’ve counted the stock, and aside from those to be sent to the Provincial City, each type of sauce still has a surplus of a hundred or two hundred pots. Do you have a plan for how to deal with them?"

Hua Xiaomai nodded slightly, gathered the other workers, and began to speak with an unhurried smile, "Uncle Ping’an will handle the business in the Provincial City; we needn’t worry, just wait to make money. But we do need to give some thought to the County and our village. These past days, I’ve thought up a method. I’ll share it with you first, and if any of you have other ideas, feel free to speak up. We can discuss it together."

As she spoke, she took one of the pots of sauce from Lei An’s wife, looked it over from top to bottom, shook her head as if dissatisfied, and muttered to herself, "This pot is too big; it will be a loss."

"What do you mean?" Lei An asked, his face full of confusion.

Hua Xiaomai ignored his question and turned to Great Saint, "Brother Great Saint, you are acquainted with the owner of that pottery shop. Please go see him first thing tomorrow morning. Ask him to make a batch of trinkets: bottles about three inches tall and small sauce pots the size of a palm, three hundred of each. Tell him we’re in a hurry for this batch; if he needs extra money, that’s fine too." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to cast your recommendation ticket, monthly ticket at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)