Chef Hua
Chapter 551 - 295 They Started Arguing_2

Chapter 551: Chapter 295 They Started Arguing_2

Whether it was troublesome or labor-intensive, since the dish had been ordered, it needed to be properly prepared. Hua Xiaomai had to shake off her laziness, pick out the necessary ingredients, and, followed by Qing You carrying them, headed to the small kitchen in the bamboo forest.

...

The weather was not quite cool yet, slightly breezy, which was rather pleasant. The guests dining at Daoxiang Garden generally preferred to sit by the fishpond. Compared to that, the bamboo area was much quieter.

While Wang Zhanrui was busy in the restaurant at the front, Hua Xiaomai entered the kitchen and immediately got to work, preparing the ingredients for the other dishes first before focusing all her energy on the "Mutton Square Hidden Fish."

The mutton had been marinated since the shop opened in the morning, with more than a dozen spices and half a bottle of Shao Wine. After three hours of marination, the spices had thoroughly permeated the meat, becoming part of the juices, and even before cooking, the meat already released a strong fragrance.

Freshly slaughtered live crucian carp was cut, salted, and rubbed with Shao Wine, wrapped in caul fat, and stuffed into large chunks of mutton, then placed in a clay pot to stew slowly over low heat. When the mutton was tender enough to melt in the mouth, a few lotus petals were added for garnish, and it was ready to be served.

By then, the mutton had reached a state where it melted upon entry into the mouth, and the carp was thoroughly tender, even its bones had softened. However, it was precisely the layer of caul fat that kept all the savory flavors within the mutton. The light flavor of the carp perfectly offset the greasiness, and a bite sent the piping hot soup rushing down the throat—this era believed in "fattening up in autumn," and enjoying such a dish in this season not only nourished but also provided a rich, meaty flavor that truly satisfied one’s cravings.

The dish required nearly two hours of simmering in the pot. Fortunately, the guests were not in a hurry and were comfortably playing chess among the trees. Hua Xiaomai, standing by the stove until her back ached, turned the fire down very low and had Qing You watch over it while she went around to the front to chat briefly with Granny Meng before returning. By then, another group of guests had seated themselves in the grove, and another pot of Dendrobium Old Duck Soup had appeared on the other stove, slowly releasing a hint of medicinal fragrance.

This... must be Wang Zhanrui’s medicinal cuisine, right?

Hua Xiaomai moved closer to take a look. Seeing the fire in the stove was a bit high, she instinctively frowned and reached to lift the lid of the clay pot.

Her original intention was merely to prevent the soup from drying out, which would have made today’s effort pointless. However, just as she lifted the lid, Wang Zhanrui came in and upon seeing her action, immediately roared in anger, "What are you doing? Don’t mess with my stuff!"

Hua Xiaomai was startled, her hand loosened, and the lid fell onto the stove, making a "clang" noise.

Wang Zhanrui’s face darkened as he stomped over to the stove, picked up the lid and threw it aside, then turned around and rudely said, "This is a medicinal dish, you can’t just lift the lid, otherwise the medicinal essence will escape, and it won’t be of any use! Any cook should know this; surely even you must understand that?"

As a chef, it’s generally taboo to let others touch the food that’s not yet cooked. Hua Xiaomai knew this all too well and still felt a bit guilty, intending initially to apologize to Wang Zhanrui.

However, seeing how unreasonable he was speaking, her face immediately fell and she coldly said, "If it’s your dish, you should be minding the stove properly. Just look how much soup is left?"

Wang Zhanrui glanced into the clay pot and for a moment was at a loss for words, his expression still unsightly. After a long silence, he coolly said, "That’s also my business. After all, I will figure out a way to fix it, as long as it doesn’t stop you from making money."

...and he still thinks he’s right!

Hua Xiaomai had been holding back her anger for several days, and now she couldn’t contain it any longer. She slapped the stove hard, "Master Wang, you’re a grown man, acting all passive-aggressive every day, how is that fun? If you have a complaint or dissatisfaction with me, you can speak frankly. Why do you need to put on a cold face to irritate people? If you think this Daoxiang Garden is too small to hold your ’greatness,’ just say the word, and I surely won’t make any effort to hold you back!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhanrui froze, glanced at her face, and finally stiffly choked out, "When did I ever say I looked down on Daoxiang Garden and wanted to leave? Don’t falsely accuse people."

"Fine." Hua Xiaomai simply rolled up her sleeves, ready to argue, "We’re both working in this small kitchen today, my dish isn’t even ready, I’ve got time, why don’t you tell me, since you don’t want to leave, who are you putting on that face for every day?"

"This is the face my parents gave me, what can I do about it?" Wang Zhanrui turned away to look out the window, saying dully, clearly not willing to cooperate.

"You..." Hua Xiaomai was simply furious, all the frustration she had been feeling these past days flooded out at once.

Really... there’s no peace at all. Just as the garden was successfully fixed and opened, and everything at home was going smoothly, she thought there wouldn’t be any more troubles. Yet, it seemed like fate just wouldn’t allow her ease, sending Wang Zhanrui, this scourge, to torment her!

Qing You had been in the small kitchen helping Hua Xiaomai mind the fire, initially planning to report to her when she returned before organizing the front. He hadn’t caught a break. Suddenly seeing her and Wang Zhanrui arguing, like needles clashing against wheat, neither giving in, he was so startled that he immediately rushed forward saying, "Boss, you... take a moment to cool down, we can talk things out nicely."

Turning to Wang Zhanrui, "Master Wang, our boss is a lady, give her a little slack, why must you aggravate her so much? You..."

Hua Xiaomai had no patience to let him finish, smacking the stove again, "I don’t like to dawdle, we must clear things up today!"(To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)