Chef Hua
Chapter 510: Episode 276: Displeasure

Chapter 510: Episode 276: Displeasure

The words were somewhat ambiguous, yet Hua Xiaomai almost immediately understood his meaning.

Actually... it wasn’t hard to comprehend, was it? In a nutshell, wasn’t it all about that "frugality"?

In this world, there were generous people, but there was never a lack of those who were meticulous about accounting. There was nothing wrong with that—in fact, it could even be considered smart living. The banquets Hua Xiaomai had arranged in the past were for hosts who were very generous. However, in this era, common folks mostly valued thriftiness. To satisfy them and ensure both substance and appearance were adequate required quite some effort.

Hua Xiaomai had realized this early on, so she wasn’t at all surprised by the reaction of her brother-in-law, Qiao Xiong. With a pleasant smile, she said, "Our restaurant always puts our guests first. Why don’t you tell me your requirements first?"

Unexpectedly, the brother-in-law began to complain bitterly.

"My old man had a total of six children, yet only my brother and I were male. Two years ago, my brother took his family away to another place, and since then the old man has been living with me," he prattled on, "As I said earlier, everything else in our family is negotiable, it’s just that we have so many people, not to mention all those relatives and friends—heck, I did a rough count yesterday, and we’ll need at least five tables to be enough! It’s my father’s major birthday celebration, we can’t arrange for the banquet to look too shabby, lest people say I’m unfilial, which is really..."

Hua Xiaomai just smiled and said, "You don’t need to worry too much, banquets can be luxurious, and if you’re looking for savings, proper planning can still make for a satisfying meal, it all depends on the chef’s skills."

"Hey, I like what you’re saying!" the brother-in-law slapped his thigh, "According to me, get rid of things like abalone and shark’s fin, we don’t need them at all. First, it’s not easy to get them here; second, these things, to be honest, aren’t that tasty, it’s just that ordinary people rarely get the chance to try them, which has driven the price up; and third, my neighbor is an old doctor who knows his stuff, he told me that these sea creatures aren’t good in excess for older people!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Meng Lao Niang, leaning against the door frame, let out a scornful "Tsk."

Hua Xiaomai turned to glance at her, shook her head slightly to signal her, and then bowed her head in thought.

She had promised Qiao Xiong to give a good discount for the birthday banquet, not intending to make much profit from it—just to possibly earn some favor to start things off well for her business in the garden behind. But since it was a banquet for an elder’s birthday celebration, it should include at least a couple of presentable dishes, otherwise if guests saw and made a couple of jokes, it would be embarrassing for the hosts.

"Don’t take it the wrong way, I’m just making a suggestion," she said with a little smile, stretching her arm to take the menu that Zhou Yunyun handed over, "Forget the expensive dishes like abalone and shark’s fin if you want, but there should be one or two dishes to make the banquet look substantial, otherwise, it doesn’t look very nice."

The brother-in-law seemed to understand this was indeed reasonable and remained silent, holding the menu and looking at it for a long time. He lifted his head and asked with a touch of hesitation, "Then... how much does sea cucumber cost nowadays?"

... How was one supposed to respond? Tell you the cost price of sea cucumber at our little shop, and then you’d know exactly how much we earn from it?

"You might want to check the market price yourself, it’s considerably more affordable than other seafood," Hua Xiaomai avoided answering his question directly, speaking gently and quietly.

"I don’t have the time to go look, I’m busy with the birthday banquet and can’t spare a moment!" Qiao Xiong’s brother-in-law murmured under his breath, his expression as though someone were slicing his flesh with a dull knife, "... Fine, fine, my brother-in-law says you’re an honest person who won’t cheat me, I’ll trust you this once. Opt for the sea cucumber, but make sure it’s delicious, or I won’t pay!"

"Alright, alright, Xiaomai girl specializes in the catering business, she naturally knows how to arrange everything properly for you, don’t worry. Just decide on the menu, and if there’s anything you want to change, let her know as soon as possible. How much money it’ll cost is still under your control, right? If you really find it too expensive, I’ll chip in a bit when the time comes, okay?"

Perhaps he felt his brother-in-law was being a bit too stingy and embarrassing, Qiao Xiong couldn’t help but interject.

"It’s I who’s organizing my father’s birthday party, how can I let my brother-in-law pay? That won’t do, if people found out, I wouldn’t know where to put my face."