Chef Hua
Chapter 413: Episode 228 Together_2

Chapter 413: Episode 228 Together_2

Indeed, to understand a person’s "pulse," one must interact with them, and in this world, there is originally no one "who cannot be gotten along with." During the period Meng Yuhuai was away from home, Hua Xiaomai and Meng’s mother actually had quite a good time, and Chun Xi and La Mei went from puzzled to surprised, gradually becoming dumbfounded.

Suddenly, seven or eight days passed, and that afternoon, after seeing off the diners, Hua Xiaomai washed her hands and came out of the kitchen to sit in the hall, summoning Chun Xi, La Mei, and Zhou Yunyun.

"After tomorrow’s noon business is done, I want to go to the County to buy some things, so we will not open in the evening. You two sisters can go home early to rest, but Yunyun, you can’t be lazy. You must practice your knife skills diligently in the kitchen. I will check when I return." She casually picked up a cloth, wiped her hands, and said with a smile.

Being closed for half a day wasn’t a big deal, and Chun Xi and La Mei weren’t very concerned about it, chuckled, and patted her on the shoulder, "Come on, we all know you want to see brother Yuhuai, and you talk about buying things. Why the secrecy in front of us? We won’t laugh at you!"

"I do plan to see him, but I indeed need to buy some things," Hua Xiaomai was not embarrassed by their weak attack and remained very calm, "I’m thinking that we need to have a cart in our store. It would be convenient to go to the County to buy ingredients or to travel anywhere. Relying just on our legs is indeed both slow and tiring. Tomorrow I’ll go have a look, and if suitable, I’ll buy it. I’ll also take some food and clothes to Yuhuai. The rainy season has passed, and the sun is getting more intense every day; the few clothes he has are probably not enough."

"Will you come back in the evening?" Chun Xi asked mischievously, giggling.

"If I don’t come back, will you bite me? It doesn’t matter as I don’t live at your house. Why all these pointless questions?" Hua Xiaomai glanced at her and then turned to Zhou Yunyun, "By the way, Yunyun, run another errand for me to Zheng Yakuai’s place tomorrow. Tell him I’m looking to hire a young helper. If he has a suitable person, bring him over for me to see. The salary and everything else can be discussed."

Zhou Yunyun obediently agreed, but Chun Xi and La Mei were both dumbfounded, and said in astonishment, "Xiaomai sister, what are you doing? We have enough staff now, all is well, why hire more? Could it be... you think we’re not doing well?"

Hua Xiaomai suppressed a smile, "Scared now? We’ll see if you still scheme against me later! You two sisters are naturally very good, very diligent and helpful, but our store currently only has women, and that’s somewhat inconvenient. Hiring a young helper to run errands and do some heavy lifting will surely save us all some trouble, won’t it?"

Only then did Chun Xi and La Mei relax, patting their chests saying, "That was close, that was close," and as they were speaking, Meng’s mother came downstairs grumbling.

"All day you keep me cooped up in that private room, the room is cramped, and the ceiling too low, it’s suffocating, I can hardly breathe! In such a big Fire Knife Village, how did you choose such a rundown place for our business?"

Hua Xiaomai didn’t even lift her eyelids, pointing outside and saying, "Look, it’s spacious out there, why don’t you eat there from now on? You can move around any way you like, even somersault while eating, and no one will stop you—You didn’t want to jostle with the diners, so I had you stay upstairs. Now you complain again, what exactly would make you happy?"

Meng’s mother had just come downstairs when she was ticked off and was about to explode, but then she heard Hua Xiaomai say to Zhou Yunyun, "Go bring out the Coral Watermelon Soup I left on the stove."

Zhou Yunyun agreed and went off. Soon enough, she indeed brought out half a watermelon. Meng’s mother bent over for a closer look and saw that the watermelon rind had been cut into a floral shape, the flesh cubed, and drizzled with a thick syrup of tremella and almonds. Leaning closer, the cool air wafted up, faintly carrying with it a sweet scent of honey.

"I know it’s hot today, Mother, and you would like something cool to eat, but indulging too much in cold foods can harm the body. This Coral Watermelon Soup was cooled in well water for a while before being set aside to rest. Eating it now should be just right. Mother, take a look, does it suit your taste?"

At this moment, Hua Xiaomai turned her head to glance at Old Lady Meng, her lips curled into a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

Old Lady Meng wanted to act tough, but the dish’s soupy liquid looked pretty with an appealing color, and it was pleasantly cool... In the end, she couldn’t resist. She pursed her lips, picked it up, chose a table a bit farther away, and began to eat, spoonful by spoonful, without saying another word.

Hua Xiaomai couldn’t help but suppress a chuckle and was about to say something when, at that moment, someone walked in from outside. She looked up and saw it was Manager Jiang from Magistrate Tao’s residence.

After the celebration for the scholars had ended, there should have been no further interaction, so why had he suddenly shown up?

Curious, Hua Xiaomai quickly stood up with a smile and said, "Oh, Manager Jiang, what brings you to our humble shop today? It’s terribly hot outside, come inside and have a seat!" While speaking, she turned to order Zhou Yunyun to pour some tea.

Manager Jiang still had that impatient demeanor, waving his hand, "Don’t bother me, no need for tea—I don’t know where you got your luck, but after the scholars’ banquet, my master couldn’t stop praising your culinary skills, saying they were unmatched. Upon hearing about this, my lady became curious to try your dishes herself, given your remarkable skills and the fact you are a woman. She feared you might be busy, so she sent me ahead to inform you; she will come tomorrow evening. You must serve her well, for any mishap would only reflect poorly on you!"

The Lady Magistrate is coming? Hua Xiaomai felt a sudden jolt of unease.

She and Meng Yuhuai hadn’t seen each other for several days, and she missed him terribly. She had already planned to visit him tomorrow, but now...

Perhaps seeing some hesitation on her face, the irritable Manager Jiang immediately showed displeasure and said in a strange tone, "What, is there a problem?"

A problem? There indeed was, but could she really say it? Hua Xiaomai sighed internally, shaking her head like a rattle: "Not at all, I was just wondering if Lady Tao has any dietary restrictions, or..."

"Just make sure the food isn’t too oily, something light would be best." Having dropped this remark, Manager Jiang turned and left, not even stepping past the hall.

"Was that really necessary?" Hua Xiaomai muttered under her breath when he was far enough away, turning to see Chun Xi and La Mei smirking, and she playfully glared at them.

Because of this unexpected visit, the next day proved to be extremely busy, filled with the purchase of many fresh vegetables and thorough preparations in the kitchen. In the early evening, a carriage stopped in front of the small diner, and the Lady Magistrate indeed arrived. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation ticket or monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)