Chef Hua
Chapter 530 - 285

Chapter 530: 285

The crowd on the village path had already dispersed, and by this time, not a single customer remained in the shop, with the room empty and deserted. As soon as she stepped through the door, she saw Zhou Yunyun sitting at a table, her eyes as red as a rabbit’s, head hanging low, sobbing. Chun Xi and La Mei were standing by, both leaning in and speaking softly in an attempt to console her, but evidently, those reassuring words were of no use.

Master Tan and Wang Zhanrui also came out of the kitchen but didn’t head their way; instead, they just stood at the doorway, arms crossed. One with a stern face and furrowed brows, the other leaning against the doorframe, head drooping, his expression unclear.

Hua Xiaomai surveyed the room, guessing that the commotion at noon was likely related to her Daoxiang Garden, and almost certainly involved Zhou Yunyun. She walked over, placed a hand on her shoulder, and said softly, "What’s happened?"

It was only then that Zhou Yunyun realized she had arrived. Initially just sniffling, upon seeing her face, she could no longer hold back and burst out crying.

"Master... I’ve failed you, I’ve brought, brought trouble for you!" she sobbed while speaking, gasping heavily. Her words were so choppy it took her three attempts to say them unclearly, then she buried her head again and began to sob deeply.

Hua Xiaomai patted her on the shoulder without insisting further, then turned to Chun Xi and La Mei, "Sisters, tell me, what exactly happened?"

"What else could have happened? The young girl said it clear enough, she’s brought trouble on you!"

Before Chun Xi could speak, a thunderous roar came from the private room upstairs, and Mother Meng stomped out of the room with the door banging open.

"Hmph, what a trifle to cry over so much," she said disdainfully, stomping down the stairs, staring straight at Hua Xiaomai, "I know you think I’m too outspoken and you don’t want me to stand up for you, so even though they were causing such a commotion outside earlier, I was determined to stay upstairs and didn’t come down. Even so, just by listening, I’ve figured out exactly what happened."

Having said this, she sat down at the table and detailed the whole incident to Hua Xiaomai.

It turned out that the disturbance on the village path at noon had been caused by a takeaway stand.

Zhou Yunyun had been busily managing the stand for several days without any mishaps, becoming increasingly bold. She wanted to try making a new dish she learned from Hua Xiaomai, "Spicy Ginger Duck Shreds."

That day at noon, she prepared plenty of chili peppers and fresh ginger, intended for making "Spicy Ginger Duck Shreds."

Duck meat is cooling in nature, and people with a weak stomach would often feel discomfort after eating it, but if paired with heat-inducing chili and warm ginger, it could reduce that discomfort significantly. It’s a spicy, refreshing dish that is beneficial for the body, especially suitable for eating in autumn.

The food being stir-fried in the pot was especially fragrant, attracting many customers who came off the official road to buy takeout. It was very popular; however, the problem arose precisely because of this.

Around the end of noon, the queue at the entrance for the takeout dwindled, but there were still many customers inside the hall. Suddenly, a man and a woman came down from the official road and went straight to the takeout stand. Without a word, they threw the food box to the ground and pointed at Zhou Yunyun, accusing her of making the ginger chili shredded duck. The man had only taken a couple of bites when his stomach began to turn upside down, he felt nauseous but couldn’t vomit, and suffered from intense burning pain.

As Hua Xiaomai had imagined, the man didn’t speak much before he lay down on the ground, rolling around uncontrollably, and wailing about his unbearable pain. He demanded an explanation from the owner. The woman—that likely was his wife—also pitched in, raising her voice, and they started making a scene. This immediately drew many onlookers who gathered around, speaking all at once, the chatter was non-stop.

"I really didn’t mess up the ginger chili shredded duck," Zhou Yunyun said in a breaking voice, after Old Lady Meng finished speaking, "I keep everything the master says in my mind, I didn’t do anything rash. Others had eaten it without any issue, why is it just them..."

She was naturally cautious and timid, hardly daring to speak loudly. She usually obeyed others, and Hua Xiaomai believed she wasn’t making things up, so she said gently, "I know you wouldn’t act recklessly; don’t worry for now."

Then, turning to Old Lady Meng, she asked, "Where are they now?"

"Didn’t Xiu Miao go to call Pan Ping’an from the Sauce Garden?" Old Lady Meng said, rolling her eyes. "Lucky for us, he’s slick with words. Hearing their demands to see you, he told them the owner wasn’t around, and that making a scene wouldn’t help. He also mentioned that Zhenwei Garden and this restaurant are affiliated, and somehow he managed to coax those two to follow him to the Sauce Garden. Ji Xiang just went to check on them, and said they are still there, haven’t left!"

Hua Xiaomai breathed a long sigh of relief.

Pan Ping’an handled the situation perfectly by taking them to Zhenwei Garden, which was better than allowing them to create trouble on the streets or storm into the restaurant. Most workers in the Sauce Garden were robust and young; even if this couple wanted to stir up trouble, they wouldn’t easily get their way.

Now, she truly felt grateful to Pan Ping’an.

No matter how tricky and opportunistic he could be, at crucial moments, he indeed proved to be useful!

"In that case, I’ll go there myself and take a look."

She thought for a moment, then said to Chun Xi and La Mei, "Sister-in-law Chun Xi, come with me. Sister-in-law La Mei, stay at the shop. If any villagers ask about this matter, try to smooth things over as much as possible, and give Yunyun some more encouragement. Yunyun, stop crying. If today’s fault were yours, I would definitely punish you. But if you haven’t overlooked anything, you can be at ease; I won’t wrongly accuse you of anything, you won’t have to take the blame. Quickly wipe your tears and rest for a while. You still have to look after the takeout stand tonight, hear me?"

After speaking, she reminded Old Lady Meng to rest at the shop and walked out with Chun Xi. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote your recommendation ticket and monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com)