Chef Hua
Chapter 376 - 211

Chapter 376: 211

"Fighting?"

Hua Xiaomai wasn’t sure whether it was due to hanging out with Chun Xi and La Mei, but she had picked up a penchant for excitement, and her interest was piqued at the mention of a fight. However, she was aware of the need for moderation and didn’t forget to take a glance at the stove to ensure all the dishes were ready before she hurried outside, quickly instructing, "You stay here and don’t let anyone in. I’ll have a look and be right back."

"But Master, you go to enjoy the spectacle and leave me..." Zhou Yunyun was reluctant, but ultimately too timid to openly object, muttering under her breath.

"No backtalk!" Hua Xiaomai had no time to deal with her and rushed out after lifting the curtain.

She had vaguely heard the rambunctious shouting that must have belonged to Fatty Wei, and sure enough, when she looked toward partition number one, chaos reigned.

Chef Wei was a large figure, wrestling with a man who appeared quite lean, wielding a pot ladle and relentlessly aiming for the man’s head. The scrawny man was at a disadvantage due to his size, but didn’t want to give in easily; he dodged and aimed a kick at Chef Wei’s knee with agility resembling a monkey’s. Though he hadn’t yet succeeded, he also didn’t let the fatty gain the upper hand.

Two large pots of oil had been overturned on the ground, spilling what seemed like cow’s milk and creating a white, soupy mess; fish lips and fish maw alongside various other precious ingredients were scattered about, slippery—if one wasn’t careful, a fall was inevitable.

Hua Xiaomai watched Chef Wei and the man closely, finding the scene beyond belief, while a sense of supreme amusement welled up within her.

Other than her, an unknown woman, the chefs present for the final selection of the local notables’ banquet were all the rage in the city, their reputations well-known. For the competition, they’d cast aside all dignity and exhibited their worst behavior. Even if one won, how could they uphold the honor of "local notables’ banquet"?

However...

She looked around.

Where had Mr. Zhao gone? Given the situation at hand closely involved his Chunfeng Restaurant, he should, logically and sentimentally, be here to back up Chef Wei, yet there was no sign of him.

Wondering, Han Fengzhi came by with a chuckle, seemingly guessing her thoughts, "Stop looking. After Chef Wei entered the room, Mr. Zhao returned to Chunfeng Restaurant. He probably just came to check things out. With such a large business to run, he has no time to dawdle here."

Hua Xiaomai nodded, then asked, "Right, since you’re here, you must know what exactly happened—why did Fatty Wei and... who is that other person? Why did they start fighting?"

"That short fellow? He’s the owner and main cook of Gui Lin Inn, his surname is Sun," Han Fengzhi stroked his chin, his smile conveying a hint of mockery, "As for why they’re fighting... earlier, while Chef Wei was cooking, he had an urgent need to use the restroom. When he returned, he discovered the fish lips prepared as accompaniments to the cow’s milk were tampered with—they turned black as soon as they hit the pan, contaminated with something unknown. His apprentice claimed that in the meantime, only Chef Sun from Gui Lin Inn had been around, and that’s what led to the fight."

"If you saw everything, you surely know whether it was Chef Sun who switched the ingredients or not. Why not speak up?" Hua Xiaomai frowned and stamped her foot.

"I am merely a spectator, and I already promised Magistrate Tao not to intervene unnecessarily. Why would I rashly speak out?" Han Fengzhi smiled lightly, "Besides, as I recall, at last year’s Eight Treasures Conference, Song Jingxi swapped my Conch dish, and you should know that well, yet you stayed silent, didn’t you?"

"I..." Hua Xiaomai was at a loss for words by his retort, falling silent for a moment before her gaze returned to the two chefs.

Chef Wei and Chef Sun were still locked in conflict, spewing all manner of foul language as they fought, each seemingly eager to devour the other alive. Amid the escalating chaos, a door suddenly opened upstairs, and Manager Jiang emerged.

"What is the meaning of this! You’re all renowned chefs in the city, and you don’t feel ashamed?" His eyes gleamed with a cold light as he fiercely glanced downstairs, unsurprised at the mess of ingredients scattered about, his tone turning even more ferocious, "Magistrate Tao is upstairs. In front of him, you’ve turned a fine selection for the local notables’ banquet into a fiasco—do you want his reputation dragged down with yours?!"