Chef Hua
Chapter 92: Episode 70 Let me help you wash the dishes

Chapter 92: Episode 70 Let me help you wash the dishes

Thanks to Hua Xiaomai’s newly opened food stall, the riverside in Fire Knife Village was indeed bustling with activity that evening. The crowd of spectators came in waves, with many bringing their children to join in the fun. There was certainly a lot of interest, but ultimately, there were more onlookers than eaters.

Jing Taihe also came to the riverside later in the evening, intending to lend a hand, but was promptly sent away by Second Mother Hua. The three of them ended up eating dinner at the stall, and by the time it was the beginning of the Hai hour, there was hardly anyone walking around the village anymore. Hua Xiaomai figured that business was over for the night, and called Second Mother Hua to pack up. They pushed the cart with all their household belongings on it slowly back home.

Once they entered the courtyard, Jing Taihe immediately went to fry medicine for Second Mother Hua, while Hua Xiaomai started tidying up in the kitchen. Only Second Mother Hua, constantly rubbing her shoulders, took the box of money and went straight into the main house to meticulously count it. Not long after, Hua Xiaomai and Jing Taihe also came in.

"Brother-in-law, it was you who asked Great Saint to come over to the stall today, wasn’t it?" As Second Mother Hua immersed herself in counting the money, Hua Xiaomai sat on the table, chatting leisurely with Jing Taihe with a smile, "He couldn’t stop praising how delicious my noodles were, his voice was so loud it was as if he was trying to scare those onlookers. I knew he meant well, and barely held back my laughter—I was close to bursting into laughter!"

Jing Taihe knew Sun Great Saint’s temperament quite well; although he hadn’t witnessed the scene personally, he could guess what it was like and said with a laugh, "I just mentioned it to Brother Sun, and he slapped his chest promising to support you. He’s always had a warm heart, but no matter what he does, he insists on making the biggest commotion possible. That’s how he’s been ever since we were kids, and it seems he will never change."

"However, thanks to his fuss, people couldn’t help but come to the stall to have noodles," Hua Xiaomai said, giggling at the thought of Sun Great Saint’s exaggerated antics, almost doubling over in her chair, her mouth stretching back toward her ears.

As the two bantered back and forth, Second Mother Hua grew irritated, slammed the cash box down on the table, and said loudly in annoyance, "Laugh, laugh, all you do is laugh! I’ve counted, we sold eleven bowls of noodles today, and there are a total of seventy-six copper coins in this box, plus thirteen coins from Great Saint’s goodwill which we have to return! After expenses, our profit might barely leave us with thirty copper coins. You two are overjoyed, but I’m worried to death!"

"Worried? Second Sister, what’s there to worry about?" Hua Xiaomai didn’t understand and turned to look at her.

"You’re asking me?" Second Mother Hua was even more hot-tempered, "Guarding that stall every night, worn to death by the end of the month and not even making a string of coins. If I fall ill from overwork, we’ll still have to spend money on soup and medicine. This business is too unprofitable!"

"Second Sister, I think you’re the one who’s truly muddled," Hua Xiaomai shook her head upon hearing this, "We’re only on our first day of business and turning a net profit of thirty copper coins is something to be happy about."

"I’m muddled? Tell me, where exactly am I muddled?" Second Mother Hua snapped, slapping the table fiercely.

"Isn’t that obvious?" Hua Xiaomai smiled slightly, "Let me ask you, how many households are there in Fire Knife Village and how many people in total?"

Second Mother Hua was inwardly puzzled, but actually started counting on her fingers, "There must be seventy or eighty households, maybe three to four hundred people?"

"Out of these three to four hundred people, if one-tenth or two-tenths come to eat noodles every day, calculate how much money we could make?"

"Well... naturally, that would be a substantial income, but today, in actual truth, we only sold eleven bowls! And you absolutely refuse to compromise on ingredients, always choosing the most expensive items, otherwise, our profit could be even higher!"

"Ah!" Hua Xiaomai sighed, "Today was our first day opening the stall, most people were just curious and came to watch. Making thirty copper coins, I think, is already quite good. Think about it, although today we only sold eleven bowls of noodles, the number of onlookers was countless. These people will definitely talk about it with their wives, fathers, and mothers when they get home. In a day or two, the news about our stall will spread throughout the village and maybe even to other nearby villages before long. By then, business will naturally pick up."

Second Mother Hua opened her mouth as if to say something, but Hua Xiaomai quickly raised her hand to stop her and continued, "Moreover, the most important thing when starting a business is to establish a good reputation. Our noodles are already a bit more expensive than others’, so we have to rely on the taste to attract customers. You say my ingredients are expensive, but I say they are worth it. If my noodles were no different from others’, why would people spend their money at my stall?"