Chef Hua
Chapter 95: Episode 71 What’s Different? Part 2

Chapter 95: Episode 71 What’s Different? Part 2

She had just finished cooking a bowl of shredded chicken soup noodles and was about to serve it to the table when she saw Guan Rong coming up to her with a cheerful smile, who took the bowl from her without a word.

"I’ll take it. You just focus on cooking the noodles. There are also two bowls of egg lo mein that have been waiting for a long time," she said, then turned and left.

Who are you giving orders to? I’m the real owner of this stand, okay?

Hua Xiaomai felt stifled by Guan Rong’s words, angrily tossing the ladle into the pot, wishing she could drag her over right then and clarify everything. But just at that moment, two uncles approached the stand, and she had to suppress her anger for the time being and force a smile to greet them.

Since there was an unusually high number of people today, the stand closed later than usual. It was past the hour of hai, yet there were still a few customers at the tables.

Hua Xiaomai, having been busy all evening, felt somewhat tired. She was resting against the stand when she inadvertently turned her head and saw Guan Rong chatting and laughing with a middle-aged woman, which made her frown immediately.

The middle-aged woman was obviously very familiar with Guan Rong, continuously eating noodles while lifting her head to chat.

"...The stand has only been set up for a few days, but the business is getting better and better! Young lady Xiaomai may look young, but her noodle-making skills are truly exceptional. When my husband saw the prices on the board at the beginning, he came back and nagged me about how she’s selling her noodles too expensively, but after trying them, we realized, the high price is justified by the quality! We all live hand to mouth, and eating noodles out every day would be unaffordable, but it’s quite nice to treat ourselves once in a while, right?"

Guan Rong also smiled, squinting her eyes: "Exactly, Sister Xiaomai’s cooking skills are indeed beyond reproach. Not just her noodles, but every hot dish and cold dish, even the most ordinary ingredients become something special in her hands!"

Hua Xiaomai glanced in their direction and unhappily tossed a pair of chopsticks into the basin of water.

Then, the middle-aged woman continued: "It seems to me that you’ve been working hard these last few days. Having to serve noodles, greet people, and clean up the tables... Your health has never been great, and being this busy every day, your mother must be very worried about you."

Guan Rong’s lips curved upward gently, and she said softly with a smile: "I know nothing about making noodles, so I can’t be of much help. I can only manage these miscellaneous tasks well, so that Sister Xiaomai can have less to worry about... I..."

I can’t listen to this anymore!

The frustration Hua Xiaomai had been holding back for days finally peaked at that moment. She carelessly threw down whatever was in her hand and called out in an even, calm voice as much as she could: "Sister Rong, could you come over for a moment?"

Guan Rong turned her head in response, walking over with a sweet smile and a light raise of her brows: "Hmm? What’s up?"

"It’s nothing much, I just feel you coming to the stall to help every day, and I really feel bad about it." Hua Xiaomai let out a long sigh, looking at her, "Standing by this stall for two or three hours at a time, even my second sister can barely handle it, let alone you. I’ve noticed you’ve been looking pale these past few days, it really makes me worry for you. I can handle this stall on my own, you..."

"I’m actually doing quite well!" Guan Rong cheerfully shook her head, "You say I look pale, but I feel that my spirit has gotten much better during this time. Indeed, people need to work more and be more active to become stronger. You’ve seen it yourself, lately more and more people are coming to the stall to eat noodles, how can you handle it all alone? I’m usually bored at home, so coming here to chat with you and relieve the boredom, and helping out with some simple tasks actually makes me feel better!"

"That’s not good." Hua Xiaomai slightly intensified her tone, and said firmly, "We both know that you’re only doing this because you treat me like a sister and you’re afraid I’m overworking myself, so you specifically come to lend a hand. However, to outsiders, it might seem like I’m taking advantage of you!"

She deliberately emphasized the words "taking advantage of you" a bit more, which made Guan Rong pause: "How could that be?"

Hua Xiaomai didn’t respond to her but continued, "If other people were to think that way, wouldn’t they have a point? The stall was my idea to set up, no matter how busy or tiresome it gets, I should bear it myself, not rely on the help of others. For example, when customers come to my stall, it’s my job to take care of them properly, there’s absolutely no reason for them to wash their own bowls or wipe the tables after eating. If that were the case, I definitely couldn’t keep doing business, can I?"

Guan Rong lowered her head and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, smiling slightly with downcast eyes: "Of course, it’s not appropriate to treat customers like that, but how am I the same as them, I..."

"How are you different?" Hua Xiaomai slightly lifted her chin, looking straight into her eyes.

Standing together, Guan Rong was half a head taller than Hua Xiaomai, which should have given her a bit of an advantage. Yet, for some reason, Hua Xiaomai’s demeanor suddenly made her feel uneasy, and the oft-repeated phrases like "we’re friends" that she was about to say, suddenly couldn’t come out.

After a long silence, Guan Rong managed a weak smile: "You’re usually so happy-go-lucky, I didn’t expect you to be so thoughtful, thinking about so much. I just felt that...sigh, alright, alright, I get it now. Almost everyone has left, and it’s getting late, why don’t we quickly pack up and go home to rest, okay?"

Hua Xiaomai furrowed her brows and gave Guan Rong another look before slowly making her way back to the stove.

She felt she had made her point quite clear, yet she still couldn’t shake off the feeling that it wasn’t right; she couldn’t just let it go based on Guan Rong’s assurance of "I know now." Even as she walked back to the Jing Family’s courtyard, she kept pondering over it all.

Hua’s second mother was waiting up for her; when she arrived, she busied herself putting everything in order, then yawning, she said there was porridge on the stove for her to heat up and eat.

Hua Xiaomai had intended to discuss the events of the past few days with her second sister, but seeing how tired she was, she simply let her go back to her room while she cleaned up and went to bed herself, carelessly.

Because her little sister had a night stall, Hua’s second mother wouldn’t call her to get up early in the morning. The next day, as soon as Hua Xiaomai opened her eyes in the morning and heard noises in the courtyard, she immediately jumped out of bed, slipped on her shoes, and ran outside.

"Second sister, I have something very serious to discuss with you—tonight, you should come with me to the stall!"

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation ticket and monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)