Chef Hua
Chapter 359: Episode 203: Shiny Silver Oh!_2

Chapter 359: Episode 203: Shiny Silver Oh!_2

"That’s just great!" Hua Xiaomai was not shy with him either; there and then, she quickly agreed, and the two of them unloaded the ingredients from the cart en masse. They cooked them right in front of everyone and, with a big smile, brought them to the spectators.

The quaint little restaurant instantly buzzed to life, filled with endless praises. As the food enthusiasm escalated, some even loudly clamored for wine, claiming that they couldn’t find such delicious fare all year round and not having a few drinks would be an injustice to themselves.

Hua Xiaomai served two freshly cooked dishes alongside a hot flask of wine directly to Ke Zhenwu. With a squint and a smile, she said, "Uncle Ke, you’ve taken the trouble to come all this way to my place today, and these two dishes are to whet your appetite. I’ve been really busy these days; once I am less busy in a couple of days, I will prepare some fine dishes for Yuhuai to bring over to your house."

"Girl, you’re being too polite, it’s my own choice to join the fun here, what does it have to do with you?" Ke Zhenwu laughed heartily, nodded, and picked up his chopsticks. Turning to Meng Yuhuai, he said, "You eat your wife’s cooking every day, so you surely won’t miss this bite. Don’t you fight with me over this now!"

Meng Yuhuai laughed, but did not reply. Hua Xiaomai looked up at his face, suddenly noticing a trace of gloom. She waved her hand in front of her eyes and teasingly said, "What’s wrong? Is Uncle Ke unwilling to share with you, making you sulk? Don’t be so petty. There’s plenty more dishes over there. You eat my cooking every day; you must be tired of it. Why not try something from the Biyue Pavilion?"

"...you go about your business, no need to cater to me." Meng Yuhuai forced a smile and said, "Once this place clears out, I’ll go with Uncle Ke to the county. No matter what, I still feel better going back to the Escort Agency."

Huh? A hint of doubt surfaced in Hua Xiaomai’s mind as she took another long look at him.

His attitude... seemed genuinely upset. Could he be angry with her? Had she done something improper today?

With people all around, she couldn’t discuss the matter there, so she awkwardly walked away, pondering on seizing him later at home to ask discreetly. As the evening approached, the restaurant’s patrons gradually left, and both Ke Zhenwu and Meng Yuhuai returned to the county. After taking a short break, Hua Xiaomai took Han Fengzhi to Zhenwei Garden. That man, generous as ever, really signed a two-year order, agreeing that from now on, all the sauces used by Biyue Pavilion would be supplied by Zhenwei Garden.

Biyue Pavilion was famously bustling in the Provincial City, demanding a significantly high quantity of sauces each month. Having secured such a big business deal, Hua Xiaomai felt utterly exhilarated. After bustling for an hour or two in the restaurant that evening and upon returning home, although she planned to confront Meng Yuhuai about the earlier incident, she found his demeanor had returned to normal. He chatted and laughed with her, seemingly high-spirited, as if the afternoon’s occurrences were but her own misconceptions.

Hua Xiaomai breathed a silent sigh of relief and hurriedly dismisses the matter, dedicating her efforts to preparing for the final selection of the banquet for the literati.

...

About three or four days later, Pan Ping’an returned from the Provincial City.

This time, he went straight to the small restaurant again, cheerfully dragging Hua Xiaomai to the private room upstairs. As soon as he entered, he couldn’t wait to untie the money pouch bound across his chest and with a thud, he threw it onto the table, delightfully saying, "Look, Xiaomai, the sauces sent to the Provincial City last month sold out completely! I even wanted to bring a jar or two back home for my wife to try in her cooking, but they didn’t even leave me the scraps! Here, all the money we made last month is right here, why don’t you count it?"

After speaking, he exaggeratedly rubbed his shoulders and sighed, "My goodness, carrying it all the way here nearly crushed me!"

The money pouch looked exceptionally heavy. Hua Xiaomai quickly untied the knot, and immediately, a pile of gleaming silver rolled out, roughly amounting to twenty-six or twenty-seven taels.

Knowing how much sauce Pan Ping’an had transported last month, she knew exactly how much they should have earned, so none of this came as a surprise. She merely turned and smiled at him, saying, "You’ve worked hard, Uncle Ping’an. In a moment I’ll have Mr. Xu from the accounting office calculate your share and give it to you."

"There’s no rush," Pan Ping’an waved his hand, continuing cheerily, "I know, you running your own restaurant makes a good enough income every month, and these twenty-odd taels of silver aren’t much to you. But look, this is where the real value lies!"