Chef Hua
Chapter 351: Episode 199 Scared_2

Chapter 351: Episode 199 Scared_2

He laughed as he spoke, clearly intending to make his wife relax a little with a joke.

But upon hearing this, Hua Xiaomai became even more panicked. Without further consideration, she hurriedly asked him to help her write down the dishes she had thought of over the past few days. After some thought and minor adjustments, the accountant at the Xunzhenwei Garden neatly transcribed everything onto a piece of plain paper. Then she called over Great Saint and gave him instructions.

"I had originally thought of finding a cheaper way to procure the ingredients, but it seems now I can only use the most foolish method," she said, frowning and trying to express herself clearly, "Great Saint, you are good at dealing with people. Could you possibly take the trouble to go to the Provincial City tomorrow? Once there, you should find Uncle Ping’an and let him lead you to reliable shops in the city to buy those precious ingredients. I will give you a list, and you must not worry about the price, just follow the list to make the purchases—this is just the preliminary selection, so you can buy a little less. If I make it through this round, we can buy more later."

Great Saint also noticed her distress and quickly agreed, then chuckled, "Sister, why are you so anxious? Your skills are unmatched in all of Fuzhe County, what’s there to worry about? If you ask me, this gourmet banquet is almost certain to be yours. Just wait to become famous—why be so frightened?"

Hua Xiaomai gave a bitter smile and shook her head: "I won’t lie to you, this is the first time I’ve cooked professionally, and I feel quite unsure. I know my cooking isn’t bad, but..."

"Ha, I think you’re just scared because you have to deal with the Government," Great Saint said with increasing laughter, "After all, as a young woman, it’s normal to be a bit timid. But with Meng Yuhuai backing you up, why fear the wolf before and the tiger behind? Just use all your skills boldly, and you’re sure to dazzle them. Don’t be nervous, okay?"

His words hit home, and Hua Xiaomai also felt that her fears were indeed unreasonable. She took a deep breath and showed him a smile, "Thanks for your comforting words. Actually, this is a matter for my small restaurant, not related to Zhenwei Garden. I shouldn’t have asked you to help, but now, I really have no other choice. Let’s just get through this preliminary round first."

"Don’t be polite with me," Great Saint said nonchalantly, waving his hand, "If you really get selected, having the gourmet banquet go off splendidly would also be great publicity for Zhenwei Garden. I’m well aware of that! Alright, while it’s still quiet at the Sauce Garden, I’ll head to the Provincial City first thing tomorrow. I’ll make sure everything is tidy and organized for you—just brace yourself!"

...

Great Saint was extremely efficient and only took two or three days to go to the Provincial City and back, actually buying quite a lot of precious ingredients. Hua Xiaomai inspected them one by one and, seeing they were all top-quality, felt greatly relieved. Then she put all her energy into honing her cooking skills.

Not only did she need to strengthen herself in various aspects, but Zhou Yunyun, who would accompany her to the selection and assist her, also needed thorough training. Areas that required precise knife skills were naturally not left to her apprentice, who still had much to learn, but she had her practice diligently on side dishes and refine the simpler techniques of cutting, slicing, and trimming, making sure she wouldn’t be more of a hindrance when the time came. After about ten days of preparation, on the morning of the second day of April, the two hurried to Fuzhe County with their ingredients and menu, heading straight to the location of the selection for the gourmet banquet.

Magistrate Tao regarded this banquet as quite significant, having secured a spacious location near the County Government for the selection. Since the preliminaries began at the end of March, the place had been constantly crowded with countless chefs and restaurant owners coming and going daily, and many locals drawn by the news. Although they couldn’t enter to see the novelty, they still crowded at the door, clinging to the doorframes and peering in, pointing and discussing with giggles and laughter, enjoying themselves immensely.

For such a grand event, Meng Yuhuai personally took his wife to the entrance. After asking her several times whether she truly didn’t need his company and seeing that despite a restless night she was quite calm, he felt somewhat reassured, reminded her not to rush off after the event, and then returned to the Lianshun Escort Agency.

Taking a deep breath, Hua Xiaomai turned back and nodded at a trembling Zhou Yunyun before stepping into the venue.

The venue was previously an inn with tables and chairs cleared from the hall, leaving space in the middle with some chairs for waiting. Along the walls, small booths were partitioned off, with various kitchen appliances complete, presumably for the chefs to showcase their skills.

As soon as she entered, someone came forward to take her menu, which was put into a small paper bag and had her name written on the envelope. Immediately afterward, a well-dressed middle-aged man led them to a booth marked with the number "three" and informed her that this would be her cooking spot for the day.

Since entering the hall, Hua Xiaomai felt somewhat dizzy and absentmindedly nodded and thanked him. The man turned and walked away. Only then did she find a moment to herself, turning to look at Zhou Yunyun, who didn’t know where to put her hands due to nervousness, and calmly advised, "Just do as I’ve taught you normally, and you’ll definitely be able to help me. There’s really no need to be so nervous, I..."

She hadn’t finished speaking when she suddenly noticed a figure in the corner of her eye standing beside her booth and looking at her for quite a while before suddenly laughing.

"Is that you? I didn’t expect to encounter an old acquaintance here in Fuzhe County today."

Was... he talking to her? Hua Xiaomai turned her head in confusion, and indeed saw the man smiling at her. She scrutinized him and felt a sudden jolt in her heart, but managed to pull off a slight smile and said lightly, "Manager Han, it’s been a long time." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com) with a recommendation ticket or a monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)