Upon learning that Hua Xiaomai was heading back to the restaurant to trade so soon, Mother ng truly nagged for a good half of the day, complaining about her not staying at ho and how all the chores in the house then fell on her own head, and also mumbling about how Ha Xiaomai had such fine culinary skills, yet only used them to benefit outsiders.
Hua Xiaomai didn’t want to argue about this matter with her and, upon contemplation, simply smiled and said, "Mother, what if we do this? Before I leave the house every morning, I’ll prepare the als and leave them in the pots. When you want to eat, you can just heat it up yourself. I’ll make extra, so you also have the evening al ready, so you won’t have to worry about cooking. Isn’t that good?"
Mother ng glanced at her askance and with a mocking tone said, "Doesn’t that an I have to eat leftovers every day?" Before she could continue, she saw that ng Yuhuai’s expression didn’t look too good and ended up swallowing her complaints back down, falling silent.
Thus, just five days after her wedding, Hua Xiaomai reopened the doors of the small restaurant in the eastern part of the village to resu business.
Perhaps due to being closed for several days, it had enticed the gluttony of the regular custors, and on the first day of reopening, business was much better than before. Neighbors from the village arrived in succession, and many people also ca down from the official road. It was an unprecedented opening, and by noon, the dining hall was completely packed, with even a few people waiting outside the door. Hua Xiaomai was so overjoyed she nearly jumped up, hastily going into the kitchen to manage things. Despite sweating profusely, and feeling sore in her back after just an hour or two, her heart felt extraordinarily cheerful.
Fearing to disturb her, ng Yuhuai did not linger long at the shop, occasionally checking in to give her a few instructions before going about his own affairs. Day after day, business seed to be improving, and Hua Xiaomai breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that this trend would continue to thrive.
As usual at noon this day, the dining hall was filled with people. Hua Xiaomai was in the kitchen, cooking a dish of bamboo shoots and pork stew, occasionally turning her face to explain a thing or two to Zhou Yunyun, who was peeking around curiously, when Chun Xi suddenly hurried in from outside.
"Sister Xiaomai," she whispered, drawing closer to within earshot, sounding sowhat anxious, "you should take a look outside. There’s a man and a woman sitting at the table by the window asking to see the head chef."
"See ?" Hua Xiaomai frowned, "What for? Could it be that they think there’s a problem with the food?"
"Anyway...they’ve hardly touched the dishes on their table," Chun Xi was a bit uncertain, shaking her head.
"The food should not have any problems," Hua Xiaomai stated confidently, "I prepared each one personally, never delegating the work to anyone else, there can’t possibly be any mistakes—that much I’m very clear about. As for the ingredients we use, they’re all delivered fresh in the morning—everyone else is happily enjoying their al, how could it be just them who find sothing amiss?"
After thinking for a mont, Chun Xi ventured, "Maybe there’s so other matter? From what I can see, the two of them seem quite calm, not like they are looking for trouble."
Hua Xiaomai nodded, bit her lip, untied her apron from around her waist, and walked out. Chun Xi, seemingly worried that she wouldn’t cope well on her own and would be taken advantage of, followed closely behind, rushing into the dining hall and gesturing towards the window.
In fact, even without her hint, Hua Xiaomai could easily recognize the two of them.
All the custors in the dining hall were enjoying their als heartily, bantering and toasting, all except for the middle-aged couple sitting by the window who appeared to be engulfed in sorrow.
The couple seed to be in their thirties. The man was slightly portly, wearing a golden-brown satin jacket with a piece of jade tied around his waist—Hua Xiaomai wasn’t knowledgeable in such things, but even at a glance, she thought it must be quite valuable. The woman, though dressed rather exquisitely and looking very respectable, was horrifyingly thin, almost emaciated, and lacked any sign of vitality. The man picked up a piece of vegetable with his chopsticks, as if intending to put it in her bowl, but she imdiately shook her head vehently as if disgusted, seemingly on the verge of vomiting.
Hua Xiaomai pondered for a mont, then hurriedly approached them, wearing a slight smile as she said, "Excuse , is there sothing unsatisfactory with the al?"
The man looked up abruptly, montarily stunned upon seeing her, then glanced at Chun Xi standing behind her, and hesitantly said, "This... Is this the head chef of your restaurant? So young..."
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