Chef Hua
Chapter 33: Episode 26: Taking the Leading Role

Chapter 33: Episode 26: Taking the Leading Role

"Really?" Hua Xiaomai’s eyes lit up, followed by a twinge of guilt in her heart.

It seemed like she was harboring selfish thoughts... After all, wasn’t Guan Rong only feeling unwell, which was why she had left her alone in the county? What was so critical about a young girl getting drenched in the rain or feeling exhausted? Yet, she harbored a grudge, not wanting to partner with Guan Rong in business anymore and even decided to give up on the bamboo shoot business. She was so petty, but there Guan Rong was, still looking out for her, trying to arrange opportunities for her to earn money—Hua Xiaomai, do you really have any face left?

How could Guan Rong know the many thoughts that had passed through her mind in that instant? She led her by the hand with a smile, saying, "Why would I lie to you? On the day of the beam-raising, my dad and mom will also be there to help out! Let me tell you, in our Fire Knife Village, only three or five families can afford a bullock cart, and Li Brother Three is one of them. I wouldn’t dare say he’s extremely rich, but he definitely is well-off and won’t worry about food and clothing. If you really are willing to help with the banquet, you would surely earn quite a bit! I’ve already given him my word of honor, saying you wouldn’t let them down, so please don’t turn me down!"

"I’d be delighted, how could I possibly refuse? Even just to not let you lose face, I must make sure this meal is done well," Hua Xiaomai replied with a pursed smile, "But still, with the New Year just around the corner, why would Li Brother Three choose to have the beam-raising now? Doesn’t it seem a bit rushed?"

Guan Rong shrugged and winked charmingly, "There’s no helping it. Li Brother Three consulted a Taoist priest from the neighboring village who said that his new house must have the main beam raised before Chinese New Year’s Eve, otherwise there would be unrest in the household. Everyone in the village believes this; who would dare take it lightly? Instead of questioning here, you’d better go home and prepare. With the money earned from this job, you’ll have more to spend, and you can buy some extra good dishes for the New Year!"

Upon hearing this, Hua Xiaomai no longer asked further. After chatting with Guan Rong for a bit and thanking her, she turned and headed back to the west of the village.

The preparations for the beam-raising were urgent, and Li Brother Three couldn’t wait. That very night, he had his wife make a trip to the Jing Family’s courtyard to finalize the arrangements.

Compared to the last time she cooked for Qiao’s Paper Shop, this task was undoubtedly much simpler and more relaxed. Plump Li Sister-in-law always had a smile on her face. Throughout the negotiation, there was not a single disagreement. Whatever Hua Xiaomai suggested was met with repeated "Sure, sure, sure" and "Okay, okay, okay" from her. The beam-raising ceremony was set for two days later, and Hua Xiaomai didn’t need to rack her brains over the menu in advance. Vegetables, fruits, and meats were to be prepared and purchased by the Li Family themselves; all she had to do was arrive early and make sure the food was well prepared to ensure nothing was wasted. That would suffice.

Much pleased by the ease of the task, Hua Xiaomai nevertheless began to worry—Li Sister-in-law hadn’t specified how much she would get paid for preparing the banquet.

Right in front of her, Li Sister-in-law of course readily agreed, stating she definitely wouldn’t short-change her, but what does "not short-changing" actually mean? Instead of making vague promises, wouldn’t it be straightforward to name a specific sum and avoid any possible quarrels later?

Since the other party didn’t bring it up, Hua Xiaomai didn’t feel it would be polite to pursue the matter and could only silently pray that the Li family was generous. Yet Hua Erniang, just before returning to her room, couldn’t help but leave with a sly remark, "Little sister, how come I’ve heard that Li Brother Three is not someone particularly generous?"

What does that mean? Hua Xiaomai’s heart sank, and she was about to ask further when that dainty young woman had already sashayed back to her room and closed the door, off to enjoy "pleasures" with Jing Taihe, leaving Hua Xiaomai alone in the yard, looking skyward in silence, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Perhaps she was just joking, right? It must be, fists clenched!

...

The big day of the beam-raising arrived in the blink of an eye, and as usual, Hua Xiaomai got up early in a hurry to head to the Li Family’s place, where a celebratory atmosphere greeted her as soon as she arrived.

The fir chosen for the main beam had been carefully selected, appearing to be at least sixty to seventy years old—straight and evenly branched. With red paper attached and lucky bags hanging on it, it leaned against the courtyard wall. A brand-new red-lacquered wooden table displayed a whole pig and colorful offerings for the gods. Firecrackers had already been set off twice, and the courtyard ground was littered with red scraps, as if Chinese New Year’s Eve had arrived early.

Hua Xiaomai didn’t have time to look closely. While following her neighbors who came to help, she found her way to the kitchen in the backyard. Just as she was about to step in, a figure suddenly appeared before her, blocking the doorway like a tower.

"Oh? Please excuse me, I need to..." Hua Xiaomai instinctively looked up, only to be startled.

In front of her was a middle-aged man with broad shoulders and a wide waist, and as for his appearance... well, it wasn’t pleasant, and that slab of flesh across his face could make one tremble involuntarily.

The man already looked intimidating enough, and with a cleaver in his hand, he resembled a fearsome deity. Hua Xiaomai was immediately frightened, she scratched her head and after a long pause, she carefully put on a smile and stammered, "Big, big uncle, could you please move a little to the side?"

"Humph!" The man looked her up and down with disdain, rolled his eyes, and carelessly pointed into the kitchen, barking, "You’re the girl here for the second-class banquet? There, your ingredients are over there, don’t get all muddle-headed and take mine, my cleaver isn’t one for looking!"

"What second-class banquet?" Hua Xiaomai was even more confused.

"Nonsense!" The man grew more impatient, spinning the cleaver in his hand briskly and said irritably, "I’m in charge of the first-class banquet, and you, a girl who hasn’t even grown out her hair, at best you know a tiny bit of the culinary craft. Naturally, you can only be responsible for the second-class banquet! Be grateful that you’re getting paid at all, do you still want to compete with me?"

Without waiting for Hua Xiaomai’s reaction, he turned and left, guarding a basket full of vegetables by the stove protectively.

Hua Xiaomai was lost in a fog, wanting to go out and ask Auntie Li about it. She searched around but couldn’t find her, and it wasn’t until she grabbed a helper that she finally understood what had happened.

It turned out that today the Li Family was hosting guests for a big celebration, preparing two sets of banquets. One set was for the local officials, village elders, and other prominent figures, while the other was for the neighbors who came to help and the craftsmen building the house.

There wasn’t anything wrong with this, but the problem lay in the fact that the Li Family had arranged different menus for the two banquets.

The local officials and village elders dined in the main hall, where the meals were prepared by Chef Wei from Chunfeng Restaurant in the county, the man with the face full of flesh she had met earlier; as for the neighbors and craftsmen, they were seated in the front yard, and needless to say, Hua Xiaomai was in charge of their menu.

"If Chef Wei hadn’t been so proud, refusing to cook for both banquets, why would Brother Li have needed to hire two chefs?" The helper threw out this comment and dashed off, leaving Hua Xiaomai alone, on the verge of tears.

Turned out Mama Hua was right—Brother Li’s family was indeed stingy! Even on such an auspicious occasion as a house-raising, they treated their guests differently. How much more could her wages possibly be?

She had given herself a pep talk all morning, convincing herself that since she had taken on the job, she had to see it through to the end. She could just avoid dealing with them in the future. With reluctance, she returned to the kitchen and checked the basket of ingredients that belonged to her.

Chef Wei had the brand-new stove with a basket full of plump fish and ducks, while her side was? Hmm, all the necessary items were there, but the vegetables and meat looked as though they had been hit by frost, wilted and scrawny, barely adequate for the second-class banquet. Hua Xiaomai took a deep breath, quickly sifted through the contents of the basket, and picked out a chicken and two pig’s feet, then she stopped allowing herself to overthink and got busy at lightning speed.

She chopped the pig’s feet into small pieces, slathered them with soy paste, and threw them into a clay pot along with the whole chicken to stew. Hua Xiaomai reached for the ham hanging from the beam above her, cut off two slices, and was about to finely chop them when Chef Wei, surrounded by several apprentices, suddenly whirled around her like a gust of wind.

"Hey, girl, don’t you touch that ham!" He glanced sideways at the chopping board, his lips curling, "Well, well, not bad knife work there!"

***********

Tears in my eyes, I beg for your collection, for your recommendation ticket, (>_<)