Chef Hua
Chapter 403 - 223: Rustic Banquet_2

Chapter 403: Chapter 223: Rustic Banquet_2

Various elegant dishes filled the large table, but in the center was a strikingly bold "Braised Shark’s Fin," which not only added a bright touch to the otherwise delicate spread but also elevated the social value of the meal. Speaking of which, Magistrate Tao had set the price for this scholars’ banquet at twenty Silver, but with three full tables of guests, this amount of Silver was certainly insufficient. The hosting restaurant would inevitably have to chip in a bit more. But well... to be able to create such a satisfactory feast of one’s own making was also a joy in itself, wasn’t it?

Busy until nearly noon, Hua Xiaomai finally managed to prepare all the dishes, took a deep breath, glanced over the stove with self-approval, and smilingly turned to Zhou Yunyun, saying, "Now, I will test you. Why did I insist on adding a dish of Braised Shark’s Fin to this banquet? Don’t you tell me it’s just for prettiness, or I’ll bop you!"

"Um..." Zhou Yunyun was a bit flustered, rubbing her hands, "I guess, those delicate wild vegetables are akin to the scholars attending the banquet today, and that big shark’s fin in the middle represents Magistrate Tao. It highlights the theme of today’s feast and creates the sense of stars clustering around the moon, which is really perfect. But Master... aren’t you sucking up a little too much?"

"Who are you calling a suck-up?" Hua Xiaomai glared, "Since we’ve taken up this job, we naturally need to make sure both guest and host are well pleased. If the scholars like it and we flatter Magistrate Tao a bit, I call that being thorough in my duties! You’re quite shrewd; you can’t hide my intention from you. But dare to say I’m a suck-up again, and see if I don’t twist your mouth!"

As she spoke, she patted her chest and sighed, "Genius, I am truly a genius! Tell me, how did I come up with these delicious and attractive dishes? You are lucky to have me as your master. You might as well stand aside and chuckle to yourself!"

Having been with her for a long time, Zhou Yunyun gradually learned her nature, knowing she was not really angry, and stepped aside with a giggle, "Of course, I should thank Heaven for having a good master like you, but who else praises themselves like this?"

"Those scholars are so refined, I reckon they would not deign to praise this cook. Am I not allowed to sing my own praises?" Hua Xiaomai gave her a look, "I see your boldness growing by the day. Now that we’re almost done with our tasks, come clean with me. What exactly is going on between you and that sour scholar, Wen Huaren?"

"Wha... What?" Zhou Yunyun got a huge fright and hastily backed away, her face flushing red, "Master, what are you saying? Wen... Big Brother Wen..."

"I was thinking of being subtle and slowly probing, but your boldness today shows there’s no need for me to beat around the bush, right?" Hua Xiaomai snorted with laughter, "You surely did not stint on helping that fellow when I was not at our small restaurant. Under the pretense of letting him taste-test for you, you were actually finding ways to feed him a full meal. Don’t think I have no clue! Out with it, how much of my kitchen’s ingredients have ended up in his stomach?"

"No, I only used the ingredients I practice my Knife Skills with..." Zhou Yunyun hurriedly shook her head, but halfway through speaking, she realized she had slipped up and quickly covered her mouth.

Hua Xiaomai glared at her: "I’m not going to eat you, why so scared? I know you wouldn’t casually take the expensive ingredients from the restaurant for him, besides, it was me who agreed he could come to our little restaurant to munch anytime. I can’t go back on my word. I just wanted to remind you that..."

Before she could finish, a matron hurried in with a smile, "Master Hua, the banquet is about to begin, shall we start serving the dishes?"

Hearing this, Hua Xiaomai had no choice but to swallow the words she was about to say, leaving Zhou Yunyun with a "I’ll talk to you more when I get back," then turned to instruct the matron, "Carry out the dishes one by one, I’ve instructed you before about the order of serving, make sure there are no mistakes. Also, that little charcoal stove for the dishes, make sure the charcoal is well-stocked, otherwise, if the fire goes out halfway through the meal, that would be truly embarrassing. I won’t go out front, I leave the rest of the matters to you all, please handle them diligently."

The matron nodded repeatedly in agreement, and then called a couple of people to carry out the dishes from the stove one by one. Confident that there would be no mistakes, Hua Xiaomai also washed her hands, took off her apron, went around to the back of the kitchen, sat on a large rock to watch the birds, and also took the opportunity to rest properly.

With wine present, the scholars rarely gathered and ate without regard to the time of day. Hua Xiaomai could occasionally hear the sounds of laughter and the clinking of glasses from the front corridor. The banquet lasted until the late hours before finally ending.

It was also at this time that Magistrate Tao finally had a moment of respite and sent his steward Jiang to call Hua Xiaomai over, saying he had a few more words to speak with her.

"Steward Jiang, was everything smooth with today’s banquet?" Hua Xiaomai had never dealt with an Official and did not know his preferences, inevitably asking one more question, "Do you know why Magistrate Tao wants to see me?"

"Whether it was smooth or not, why don’t you go to the front and see for yourself?" Steward Jiang always appeared impatient in front of her, rolling his eyes and saying, "As for why my lord wants to see you, how could I, a mere servant, make such conjectures? You haven’t been caught red-handed, what is there to fear? Just follow me quickly, and stop asking unnecessary questions — ever since the final selection for the scholars’ banquet was announced, I’ve had frequent dealings with the five restaurants, and among them, you are the one with the most issues!"

Amused yet resigned, Hua Xiaomai no longer bothered to argue with him, but followed him straight to Fangzheng Pavilion. There, she saw that the corridor was mostly empty and the tables were clear of all platters and bowls, and even the soup had been drunk clean. She felt relieved inside and her lips curved into a smile.

Magistrate Tao sat steadily in the pavilion, holding a teacup. Seeing her approach, he immediately greeted her with a slight smile, "Today’s scholars’ banquet was excellently done, Master Hua. You’ve worked hard."(To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation ticket, monthly ticket, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)