Chef Hua
Chapter 396: Episode 220 Blessings and Misfortunes Go Hand in Hand

Chapter 396: Episode 220 Blessings and Misfortunes Go Hand in Hand

The day when Master Zhao came, Hua Xiaomai was called over in a hurry by Sun Great Saint, who rushed to the small restaurant. It was in the idle afternoon when Hua Xiaomai was in the kitchen, carefully explaining to Zhou Yunyun how to cut the "Wen’s Thoughtful Tofu" and considering whether she should probe into when the girl got so close to Scholar Wen. Before she could think of a way to broach the subject without being abrupt, Sun Great Saint had hurried over, and without much ado, dragged Hua Xiaomai off to Zhenwei Garden.

As the weather grew hotter, Master Zhao, who was already somewhat chubby, had worked up a sweat coming from the county to Fire Knife Village, even though he had traveled by cart. Upon arriving at Sauce Garden, he sat amidst a pile of large sauce vats, seeking the coolness, while lifting his clothes to fan himself.

Hua Xiaomai walked in and was taken aback by how he seemed to blend in perfectly with the pots of sauce, and couldn’t help but laugh. She stifled her laughter and called out cheerfully, "Why did you come in such hot weather? I’ve been around the town these past few days. If you wanted to find me, you could have just sent someone to the village to let me know, and I would have conveniently dropped by your shop. Why go to all this trouble?"

"Ah, right, isn’t it?" Master Zhao, full of regret, stamped his foot and said, "I completely forgot, the responsibility for organizing the banquet for the scholars fell on you, and these past few days, you must have often needed to discuss with people from Magistrate Tao’s office. Ah, if I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have wasted this effort! Right, Xiaomai girl, I haven’t yet congratulated you. That Fatty Wei from Chunfeng Restaurant, he really is useless, absolutely infuriating!"

"Thank you very much." Hua Xiaomai smiled up at him, "That day, with Chef Wei... it was an unexpected incident. If we really analyze it, it’s not his fault either—Did you come today for that sauce matter?"

"Exactly," Master Zhao nodded, looking as if he had hit a sore point and immediately began to complain with a sorrowful look, "Didn’t I mention it to you last time at the final selection venue? Initially, I tasted the sample they sent from West City’s Wan Family, and thinking it was quite good, I signed a year-long order with them. The sauce they delivered in the first month was still decent, but from the second month on, they started causing me trouble!"

"What exactly happened?" Hua Xiaomai thought back to that plump woman buying old rice but didn’t mention it, only asked indifferently.

"Hmph, just talking about it makes me angry!" Master Zhao said angrily, waving his hand and raising his voice, "Every time their sauce arrived, they would very diligently help me move it to the storeroom. At first, I thought they knew how to conduct business and I praised them inwardly, but little did I know, they were tampering with the goods inside! They delivered two kinds of products; the better ones were all placed on top. After more than half a month, when I went to use them again, all that was left were sour and smelly items that could not be eaten at all! I sent someone to reason with their owner, guess what they said?"

This... was actually not hard to guess, right?

Hua Xiaomai already had a plan in mind, and upon hearing this, she just smiled and shook her head, "There’s no need to say it; they probably told you that it was due to your poor management that the sauce spoiled, and it has nothing to do with them, right?"

"You’ve hit the nail on the head!" Master Zhao slapped his thigh, "One month it was like this, and the second month the same. Recently, I’ve had to spend extra money each month to buy sauce, and with money pouring out like water, how could I not feel the pinch? I’d better just sign a new contract with your Zhenwei Garden sooner rather than later. I’ve tasted that little jar of sauce you sent last time, and the flavor was rich and strong, very good indeed. Had I waited a few extra days instead of rushing into things, I wouldn’t have this trouble now!"

"If you’re coming to support the business of my Sauce Garden, I naturally couldn’t ask for more. Starting from next month, I will deliver the sauce to Chunfeng Restaurant on time." Hua Xiaomai pursed her lips and smiled, "However, forgive my bluntness, you’ll have to sort out that deal with the Wan Family from West City properly because, after all, you also signed a year-long contract with them. Just in case..."

"I’m aware of that, and I’m already hashing it out with them." Master Zhao nodded before she’d finished, "Those people may look ordinary, but they are quite obstinate. I know this won’t be resolved in a day or two. Hmph, they can’t accuse me of being arrogant—money, I have plenty, and I’m not in a rush either, so I’ll just wear them down slowly! There are quite a few eateries in the city using their sauce, and I reckon, in the next couple of days, one by one, they’ll all turn to you. Girl, you are set to make a fortune this time."