The days passed quickly, and before one knew it, it was already the seventh day of the seventh month, the official date of the Eight Treasures Conference.
On this day, all the renowned eateries and taverns in the city were hardly doing regular business; only the backup cooks and a few attendants remained at the establishnts. The head chefs would have to go to Huayin Pond in the southern part of the city with their bosses early in the morning to ensure preparations were fully in order.
As for a place like Taoyuan House, where the owner herself did the cooking, they simply closed for the day, not planning on doing any business at all. Song Jingxi had been restless from the previous night. As soon as Uncle Liang ca to deliver the fish and had just entered the doorway, she imdiately rushed forward to inspect them ticulously. Seeing that both the rougheye rockfish and the Guilin fish were plump and tender, she felt sowhat relieved. Then she ran to the back kitchen to check all the ats and precious vegetables, making sure there were no omissions. After confirming everything, she talked with Hua Xiaomai for a while before reluctantly heading ho.
Early that morning, just as the day was breaking, carriages were already waiting in front of Taoyuan House. Hua Xiaomai watched the attendants pack up all the ingredients and was just stepping out when Song Jingxi pulled her into the carriage.
Having spent several days together, Hua Xiaomai understood that Song Jingxi valued the Eight Treasures Conference highly. Though puzzled, she didn’t ask further questions. Suddenly being pulled into the carriage and feeling the sweat on her wrist, she was even more astonished and looked up at Song Jingxi, "What are you..."
Song Jingxi was in no mood to listen to her speak. She grasped her hand and spoke incessantly, "Xiaomai, you must be fully alert today, and focus solely on the cooking. Do you understand? It’s just one day; though it’s tiring, if we can secure a good outco for Taoyuan House, I will definitely not be stingy with the reward, and will make sure you are satisfied."
...Was this still the Song Jingxi who was usually calm and asured, even in her smiles? Hua Xiaomai involuntarily furrowed her brows, nodded, and replied, "Hmm," thinking before adding, "But..."
She had wanted to say that she would do her best to cook the two at dishes assigned to her that day, but she didn’t know the skills of the other chefs in the prefecture and couldn’t rashly guarantee a top place. Before she could voice this, there ca a couple of light tapping sounds from the carriage wall. Song Jingxi imdiately lifted the curtain of the small window and poked her head out.
Through the gap between the curtain and the window, Hua Xiaomai glimpsed soone standing outside, most likely Qing Tao, who had been gathering information about other taverns for Song Jingxi. They whispered to each other with such low voices that their words were indiscernible; Hua Xiaomai strained her ears yet could only make out a few fragnts like "Biyue Pavilion" and "already properly arranged."
What exactly were these master and servant plotting?
Hua Xiaomai, baffled and curious, listened more intently, but Song Jingxi had already whispered, "You may go," and quickly retracted her head, flashed a smile at Hua Xiaomai, dropped the curtain, and footsteps gradually faded away as the carriage began to slowly move forward, passing through several streets before stopping outside Huayin Pond.
Before this, Hua Xiaomai had never been to Huayin Pond. As soon as she alighted from the carriage, she was so startled by the scene before her that she took a couple of steps back.
The crowd was so dense it was as if everyone in the city had converged there; people were packed so tight that water could not have escaped, with multiple layers of people, heads everywhere, completely blocking the entrance.
"Every year, the Eight Treasures Conference is like this; I’m used to it, but you, you must have been quite scared, right?" Song Jingxi also got out of the carriage, stood beside Hua Xiaomai, laughing, "Nearly everyone loves a spectacle; who would miss such an opportunity? Don’t be afraid; just stick close to , and nothing will go wrong."
Strangely, after briefly speaking with Qing Tao, her mood seed much relaxed, leaving Hua Xiaomai even more confused. There was no ti to say anything as several accompanying attendants rushed forward, pushing and pulling, forcefully paving a path through the crowd. Qing He, following behind Song Jingxi and Hua Xiaomai, used all her strength to push the two towards the garden. It took the effort of about the ti it takes to drink a cup of tea to finally squeeze into the venue unscathed.
Ahead was a vast lotus pond, in full bloom, the lush green leaves completely covering the water surface, and delicate pink-white flowers bursting through from beneath, tender and beautiful. Standing by the pondside, a breeze wafted over, reducing the heaviness of the sumr heat sowhat.
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