Chef Hua
Chapter 483 - 263rd Episode: Exquisite Tea Dishes_2

Chapter 483: 263rd Episode: Exquisite Tea Dishes_2

This guy really knew his stuff, making it to this level without anyone being surprised.

Next, there were golden slices of melon pan-fried with pork, slightly red Songluo shrimp, and vibrant green Pu’er Vegetable Soup.

Wang Zhanrui obviously had a deep understanding of various tea cooking and brewing methods, skillfully integrating different teas with ingredients. The rich and fragrant aroma of the tea was present without overshadowing the main ingredients, yet it was very much noticeable. Liu’an melon slices and Pu’er cut through the greasiness, Songluo added fragrance, and black tea eliminated fishiness – each used impeccably.

Chun Xi and La Mei’s chopsticks danced in the air as they ate joyfully, exclaiming loudly, "Wow, using tea in cooking actually seems to enhance the flavor more than just drinking it; your skill is truly amazing, today really opened my eyes!"

As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something, turning his head towards Hua Xiaomai, hurriedly adding, "It’s good, but if you want to compare with our boss back home, I’m afraid you’ll need two more years of practice!"

Meng Yuhuai didn’t speak, merely popping a shrimp into his mouth and nodding slightly.

Only Old Lady Meng, waving her hand with an impatient face, said, "Do you all think it’s good? These flavors are so bland and pale, I don’t like them!"

...You know your taste is strong; you don’t need to announce it so bluntly, right?

Wang Zhanrui took a cloth to wipe his hands, slowly untied his apron, took in everyone’s comments without showing any emotion, and said to Hua Xiaomai, "The variety of ingredients is too limited. Dishes like Longjing Clam Soup, White Tea Braised Pork, and Dragon Cake Stewed Duck can’t be made. You just had a taste to get a rough idea of my skills. As for the future, I will let you know what ingredients I need the day before, and your only job will be to send someone to get them as per the list."

Hua Xiaomai raised an eyebrow, "How do you know for sure that I will keep you here?"

"Unless you’re foolish," Wang Zhanrui said indifferently.

Hua Xiaomai almost spat out blood.

Can’t you speak nicely?! Although you are indeed skilled, the person in front of you is, after all, your prospective employer. Is there no need to show some respect?

"Alright," she didn’t want to lose face in front of colleagues, lowered her eyelids to contemplate for a moment, then nodded, "Your skills are indeed very good. If you could help in this restaurant, it would definitely benefit the business. You can see that this place is currently being renovated and is supposed to reopen in August. At that time, you can choose either the fish pond in the garden or the bamboo forest in the northeast corner as your kitchen, as I won’t be able to, and you’ll also need to manage the business of the restaurant with the other chef. As for the salary, it’ll be the same as the other chefs. Come back when the restaurant is about to open, and we will discuss it in detail."

"Alright." Wang Zhanrui seemed to take it for granted, immediately agreed, paused, and then asked, "I heard you once hosted a banquet for scholars?"

"That’s right," Hua Xiaomai nodded slightly, "What about it?"

"I heard from people in the city that although this little restaurant is in the village and doesn’t look impressive from the outside, the owner’s culinary skills are extremely remarkable, so much so that even famous chefs from big restaurants in Fuzhe County can’t compete — they were referring to you as the owner, right?"

"I did say it was me, what’s the issue?"

"Nothing," Wang Zhanrui’s expression became slightly stern, "From now on, I will cook here, and when we have time, we can exchange some skills."

So that was his motive!

Competing in cooking, it seems that every chef relishes this.

Hua Xiaomai didn’t respond, simply stood up, smiling and said, "It’s getting late, you’re not from Fire Knife Village, you should find a place to rest soon, and we also need to get home quickly. Come back before the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Having said that, she walked towards the southern part of the village with Old Lady Meng and Meng Yuhuai.

...

Chun Xi and La Mei were almost full after eating in the small restaurant, but Old Lady Meng had barely touched her chopsticks and was still hungry when she got home.

Hua Xiaomai knew that the dishes made with tea were not to her taste. Upon entering the courtyard, she quickly brought out a large basin filled with beef tripe, skillfully cleaned it, cut it into fine strips, and began to cook.

Unlike the subtle and gentle aroma of tea, the taste of chili was aggressive. Soon, the kitchen was filled with a spicy and pungent aroma that directly assaulted the nostrils.

Next to the heavy kitchen smoke, Old Lady Meng stood far from the door, inhaling deeply while constantly urging Hua Xiaomai to speed up and not to linger too long in the smokey area.

Just then, a scream suddenly came from the neighboring courtyard.

"I won’t!"

It was followed by a heart-wrenching bout of crying.

The noise was really loud, startling Hua Xiaomai, causing the spatula in her hand to fall into the pot with a clang.

Old Lady Meng rushed over, examined Hua Xiaomai up and down, seeing that she wasn’t scalded, and said irritably, "Can you be a bit careful? Could it kill you?"

Before her words were finished, she rushed out to the kitchen, yelled over the courtyard wall, "What are you wailing about in the middle of the night? Keep your own bad luck to yourself and don’t drag others down with you! If you scare my grandson, your whole family’s lives put together won’t be enough to compensate! Cry out again, just try it, I’ll rip your house’s roof off!"

This scolding was particularly effective; from the neighboring courtyard, only separated by a courtyard wall, the crying promptly subsided, turning into intermittent sobbing.

Hua Xiaomai picked up the spatula, looked down at the fire, furrowed her brows slightly, and inadvertently turned to look in the direction of the courtyard wall.

If she hadn’t misheard, that crying sounded like it was coming from Guan Rong. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)