Chef Hua
Chapter 489: Episode 266: Grand Opening Coming Soon_2

Chapter 489: Episode 266: Grand Opening Coming Soon_2

Hua Xiaomai hadn’t expected Meng Yuhuai to return home so early and, knowing he felt uncomfortable at the sight of the Guan Family’s mother and daughter, she hurried to change the topic. She busily fetched a basin of water from the tank and placed it in front of him, striking up a conversation with a smile, "Why did you come back so early today?"

"Didn’t you want me to find some time to ask Brother Taihe about some matter? It’s not a busy time for farming right now, and his blacksmith shop closes early. I arranged all my tasks for the morning and hurried back," Meng Yuhuai glanced at her, "Let’s put that aside for now, first tell me, what just happened?"

She couldn’t avoid it...

Hua Xiaomai pouted, "It’s nothing, Guan Rong just insisted on having a word with me, she even reached out to pull me. My mother saw it and, afraid she’d touch me, rushed over and they exchanged a few words."

"Hmm, stay away from that family, don’t get mixed up with them, from now on we’ll pretend not to know them," Meng Yuhuai touched the top of her head and spoke nonchalantly.

Indeed, Guan Rong was about to get married and leave Fire Knife Village. From today onwards, she was essentially a stranger.

It’s ironic that Guan Rong seemed to be the first friend Hua Xiaomai made after coming here, who knew it would end up like this?

Mom Meng was still fuming with anger, gripping the spatula as she stood at the kitchen doorway, grumbling furiously, "I really regret it, why on earth was I so blinded by lard to agree with your father to build our house here? Now we’re stuck with these clingy pests!"

"Alright," Meng Yuhuai turned his head and chuckled, "I’ve been thinking about this the past few days, our yard is indeed too small. Xiaomai will give birth not long after the new year, and for a year or two we can still manage, but as the children increase, it’s inevitable things will get cramped. Sooner or later we’ll have to build new rooms. I’ll think about when might be a good time, and we’ll discuss it together when we have a chance."

"The sooner we move, the sooner we can relax!" Mom Meng muttered as she entered the kitchen.

But Hua Xiaomai just snickered, giving him a sideways glance, "From what I’m hearing, you’re planning to have a bunch? Sure, why not, since I’m the one who has to go through the hardship, not you..."

"I’ll take care of you when you’re working hard, our family can afford it, having a few more kids won’t matter," Meng Yuhuai replied with a smile, taking the towel she offered and wiping his face.

"Save it, you better take care of the Escort Agency. I, your wife, am the least of your worries," Hua Xiaomai tweaked him, "But tell me, what exactly did my brother-in-law want with you?"

The man named Meng splashed the water away and, pulling her to sit down in the courtyard, he said unhurriedly, "Actually, it’s not a big deal. Didn’t I just tell you? Brother Taihe’s blacksmith shop can only do some good business during the busy farming seasons, and it’s quite slow otherwise. Now that he has a son, he wants to strive harder to make money to provide for his wife and child, so he plans to move his blacksmith shop to the county, where making money should be easier. The issue is with finding a shop space, and since I walk around the county often and know more people, they’d like to entrust me to scout for locations, which might be even more convenient than seeking out Zheng Yakuai."

"Is it just for that?" Hua Xiaomai raised an eyebrow, "Isn’t that just a matter of mentioning it? Was there really a need to invite me over for a meal?"

"I feel the same way," Meng Yuhuai laughed, "Looking at Taihe’s expression, it seems there’s something else on his mind. But since he’s not willing to talk about it now, let’s not rush him; we can just wait."

Hua Xiaomai was puzzled by this, but upon hearing it, nodded in agreement and exchanged a few more words with him before going off to help Old Lady Meng in the kitchen.

Within a couple of days, the small restaurant in the east of the village was finally completely refurbished.

Meng Yuhuai took a day off especially to visit the place with Hua Xiaomai, checking for any oversights and settling all the outstanding payments.

Just over three months ago, the area behind the small restaurant was a piece of forest that looked particularly creepy at night; but now, it was a fresh and clear sight, with bamboo groves and fish ponds complementing each other, and the simple wooden house appearing faintly visible among the greenery—although it wasn’t a stunning fairyland, it was still charming and refreshing.

The small restaurant had also been transformed.

The two-story building had been repainted, and all the tables and chairs were brand new. The space hadn’t changed, but it now looked much more spacious and brighter than before. Standing in the main hall, one could feel surrounded by sunlight, which made the heart feel particularly bright and open.

Hua Xiaomai walked all around inside and out, then dragged Meng Yuhuai for a round trip around the garden. Finally, standing on the village road and looking back, she felt a great sense of accomplishment.

In the era where she had lived before, such "agritainment" gardens were common, but here they were a novel attraction, drawing the villagers to come and gawk. Even the people passing by on the official road would often stop and linger, expressing their admiration.

Although she was not yet sure how well the business would do in the future, just having such a garden was already something that filled her with joy and excitement.

Chef Tan and Wang Zhanrui had returned before the Mid-Autumn Festival and agreed to a monthly wage of fifteen strings of cash. Once business picked up, the amount could be gradually increased. Both of them seemed satisfied and accepted the terms with a smile.

There were now four workers at the shop. Qing You would continue helping in the small restaurant at the front, while the other three were distributed between the bamboo grove and the fish pond, each taking care of their respective areas. Hua Xiaomai had also asked Zheng Yakuai to find two female workers, so even if female customers were to visit later on, they would be well attended to.

"Qing You, remember, in the next few days go and buy some fishing rods and similar items, and place them by the fish pond. We do have a pond full of fish, after all. It would be quite interesting if the dining guests had the whim to fish for a bit," Hua Xiaomai instructed as she gathered the shop’s workers together and pondered.

"As for Yun’er, you will follow Chef Tan and Master Wang as a junior chef. Although I am your master, both of them have quite good skills. Whether you can learn anything from them depends on your own ability," she added, thinking out loud.

After saying this, she took a deep breath and, smiling broadly, announced, "Everyone, our garden is ready to open for business."(To be continued. If you enjoy 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.)