Chef Hua
Chapter 415: Episode 229: A Wake-Up Call_2

Chapter 415: Episode 229: A Wake-Up Call_2

Hua Xiaomai shook her head, indicating it really was nothing, and passed several other dishes in front of her, letting her try each one.

The "Sesame" stir-fried with river sand, as large as the pit of a longan fruit, simply seasoned with oil and salt, was incredibly crisp and flaky; the "Lotus Seed Cake," wrapped in peppermint frost and sugar then baked, was sweet and refreshing. After eating a piece, most of the summer heat dissipated from her body. With each dish Mrs. Yang tried, she felt compelled to praise it twice over, her eyes squinting with delight, repeatedly saying she had truly indulged her taste buds that day.

Not until that moment did Hua Xiaomai finally relax. She smiled and said, "I’m at ease knowing the food suits your taste, Madam. I won’t disturb you further. Please enjoy your meal at your leisure, and should you need anything, simply call out."

Having said that, she led Chun Xi and La Mei out of the private room and went straight to the kitchen.

Due to the visit from the Lady of the County Official today, Meng Yuhuai chose not to stay in the upstairs private room. Seeing Zhou Yunyun hesitate to come too close to her, Meng sat alone in the not-so-spacious backyard, with nothing to do, occasionally looking up at the sky or down at the ground, and now and then raising her hand to shoo away mosquitoes that buzzed by.

Now with some free time, Hua Xiaomai efficiently prepared dinner and brought it to the backyard to share with Meng Yuhuai. When the two gathered, they invariably exchanged a few jests, making the meal quite enjoyable. Mrs. Yang had to hurry back to the County that evening, and after dining and sitting for a while, she also came downstairs, sending a maid to call out from the backyard.

"I enjoyed the meal today," she said, looking fondly at the hurried Hua Xiaomai. "Before, I had no idea that in such a small village, there would be someone as capable as you. It was truly an eye-opening experience today. If you ask me, it would be difficult to find another woman in Fuzhe County with your culinary talent."

As she spoke, she stepped out of the hall, looking around and letting out a slight sigh.

"Is there something unsatisfactory, Lady?" Hua Xiaomai asked, not understanding, and looked up at her.

"It’s not that there’s anything unsatisfactory, it’s just that..." Mrs. Yang sighed once more, "Fire Knife Village is indeed far from Fuzhe County. I made a special trip today to taste your cooking, but I don’t know when I’ll be able to spare the time to come again. Even if I’d like to host a banquet here, the guests I’d invite may not be willing to travel so far. If there were some scenic spots nearby your small restaurant, it might pique the interest of others, but the surroundings here are barren... there is nothing at all."

Hua Xiaomai followed her gaze and immediately felt a similar urge to sigh.

Fire Knife Village was not wealthy, and compared to Fuzhe County, it was certainly much shabbier, especially her little restaurant, backed by a large swath of dark forest, beside the official road, with nothing but fields in front of it and not even a single house. Who among those rich or noble from the city would lightly come here?

Her small restaurant was indeed doing good business, but that did not entirely alleviate her worries, as the customers were highly transient. There were regulars, but they were mostly traveling merchants who passed by every few days on the official road. The majority of other patrons, after passing by once, might not come back for half a year or even a year—a deficiency in regular customers is definitely a big taboo for a restaurant!

Yet, what could she do about this situation?

"This place even looks rather frightening at night!" Mrs. Yang added weakly, "Moreover, this isn’t particularly a place that caters to female customers. By coming here once, I cause you to lose business. Even just for that reason, I probably can’t come regularly or bring friends here. Sigh, it’s frustrating to finally find a place I like to eat, only..."

Hua Xiaomai really couldn’t find a way to continue the conversation and could only smile politely at her, exchanging a few cordial words before sending her off in the carriage. As soon as the carriage was far enough away, she couldn’t help herself and looked around once more.

This place... it really seemed the more she looked, the more remote it became. The more she looked, not only did Lady Yang find it distasteful, even she herself couldn’t like it!

She didn’t know how long she had been standing there when suddenly, the extremely displeased voice of Old Lady Meng came from behind.

"What are you doing standing there like a fool? Everyone has left, aren’t you planning to go home?" Before her words had finished, she had already come over with a stomp stomp stomp.

She had just been in the back yard and heard every word of Hua Xiaomai’s conversation with Lady Yang. Seeing her daughter-in-law looking around aimlessly, she scoffed and said, "Look, look, look, what’s there to see? They were right, there’s nothing around your shabby little eatery; you’re destined to do business fit only for the poor! They despise this place for being shabby, do you think you can conjure up a scenery for her?"

Those words struck Hua Xiaomai like a bolt of lightning, sharply illuminating her mind in an instant.

"Mother, what did you say?" She walked over quickly, without much care, and vigorously grabbed Old Lady Meng’s sleeve, "Could you repeat that, please?"

"What, are you deaf?" Old Lady Meng rolled her eyes with impeccable precision, "I said, could it be that you really intend to make some scenery for her?"

... Why not?! Hua Xiaomai’s eyes widened in an instant.

She suddenly realized that she seemed to have extricated herself from a narrow perspective. The conflict that had arisen between her and Meng Yuhuai not long ago had been resolved in this moment—and most satisfactorily and perfectly.

Why must she absolutely go to the Provincial City? If she could attract those diners clutching their silver to this obscure little village, that would truly be her skill!

She was so happy she wanted to jump for joy, and hugged Old Lady Meng’s neck tightly, crying out, "Mother, you’re so smart! One sentence from you and I’ve had an epiphany, thank you!"

"You’ve gone mad, get off me now!" Old Lady Meng first stood there in shock before desperately trying to pry off the arms wrapped firmly around her neck, "Reeking of cooking fumes, do you want to suffocate me? What are you plotting now?!"

"I’ll discuss this matter with Yuhuai later, and if he agrees, then it won’t be too late to tell you." Hua Xiaomai couldn’t stop smiling and finally let go of her, but still persisted in holding onto her arm, "Come on, let’s go home. I’ll make you a couple of delicious dishes to show my appreciation!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, and your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)