Chef Hua
Chapter 86 - 67: Selling Noodles

Chapter 86: Chapter 67: Selling Noodles

Hua Ermu struggled to breathe with Hua Xiaomai’s arm around her neck, so she fiercely patted her on the back. Then, with brows knit tightly and eyes rolled as if against her will, she bumped Xiaomai away and returned to the eastern room. She dug out a small blue cloth bundle from the very bottom of the chest by the bed and carefully presented it.

As Hua Xiaomai unwrapped it, she saw the two ingots of silver given by Ke Zhenwu from the Lianshun Escort Agency, shiny and heavy. She couldn’t help but laugh on the spot, "Why would we need this much? Second Sister, you’re too generous!"

"Buzz off!" Hua Ermu gave her a disdainful look and mumbled as she counted on her fingers, "Pots, pans, ladles, stoves, tables, chairs, and all kinds of food—what doesn’t require money to buy? This silver was originally earned by you, and since you insist on setting up that food stall no matter what, having some money in hand will give you some peace of mind. Plus, I don’t use this silver on a daily basis. What, am I supposed to expect it to breed little silvers for me?!"

Without further ado, she shoved the blue cloth bundle into Hua Xiaomai’s arms.

"But Second Sister, don’t rush," Hua Xiaomai said, amused yet touched, and hurriedly stopped her hand, "Even if we have expenses at every turn, I won’t need as much as ten taels all at once. How about this—I’ll take one ingot, and you keep the remaining five taels. I’ll ask for more if it’s not enough. This way, I won’t lose it by being careless. What do you think?"

Hua Ermu hesitated, twisting her willow-like brows, but her movements slowed down.

"Well... that works too," she finally nodded after some thought, took back the other silver ingot Xiaomai had pushed towards her, and returned it to the chest. Stepping out to see Xiaomai still standing in the courtyard smiling at her, she forced a smile.

"Humph, don’t just stand there grinning like a fool—I’m warning you in advance. Use the ten taels of silver however you want, I won’t interfere. But if you do something stupid and lose all the money, I’ll beat you to death. At least that way, I won’t feel I’m at a loss!"

At a loss... really? What an oddly calculated statement!

Hua Xiaomai tried harder to contain her laughter and didn’t bother to prolong the conversation on that topic. She simply responded with an obedient giggle and went on with her chores behind the house without any further mention.

At dusk, Jing Taihe returned from the blacksmith shop. Seeing the pot of fragrant silver carp and tofu soup on the dinner table, he rubbed his hands together in delight, quickly washed up, and sat down at the table.

Today, Hua Xiaomai was also very happy, and she cheerfully told Jing Taihe about Hua Ermu finally agreeing to let her set up the food stall.

"Hmm, your Second Sister finally agreed?" Jing Taihe, with a piece of tofu in his mouth, smiled at the news and turned to glance at Hua Ermu, saying vaguely with a teasing tone in his voice, "What, you’ve come around?"

"What choice did I have?" Hua Ermu sighed half jokingly, half seriously, "My little sister’s been nagging me like a fly in my ear, driving me nuts. Just for a few days of peace, I gave in! She eyes Mother Sun’s profitable sugar water stand and covets it, but she doesn’t realize that running a stall isn’t a walk in the park. Not to mention anything else, just the initial investment for the necessary items could cost a fortune, and who knows how many months it’ll take to earn back the investment!"

Hua Xiaomai knew her Second Sister had really made up her mind to allow her this endeavor, so she let her ramble and didn’t talk back, only offering a giggle.

Jing Taihe bowed his head in thought for a while, seemingly pondering something. After a moment, he looked up at Hua Xiaomai, smiled, and said warmly and kindly, "Little Sister, what kind of food are you planning to sell?"

Hua Ermu was even more eager, following up with, "Yes, what do you plan to sell? We certainly can’t just copy Mother Sun and sell sugar water too, right? It wouldn’t be right to steal her business, since she only comes every three or four months—also, when do you plan to open your stall?"

Hua Xiaomai had been contemplating nothing but this during her free time recently, and she already had some ideas. She immediately smiled, and explained calmly, "I’ve thought about it, and since the stall will just be starting, it’s better to sell affordable eats to attract customers. Now It’s busy in the fields, and the villagers are bound to be especially hungry after a day’s work, so to begin with, I want to sell noodles, and occasionally some snacks like wontons and pan-fried dumplings."