Master Tan lingered in Zhenwei Garden for half a day but ultimately failed to get a straight answer from Hua Xiaomai. Having no choice, he bid farewell and left, not forgetting to agree with the two that he would return next month when the new sauce was ready.
Hua Xiaomai escorted him to the door, waited until he was far enough away, then turned back and sat down beside ng Yuhuai, puffing up with anger, "What do you make of this? On the first day of our opening, our very first business deal is soone wanting to buy on credit! When I first opened the little diner, Sister La i told that the first custor is particularly important, and there’s a lot of significance in it. I thought it was just a joke back then, but now I understand how uncomfortable it makes you feel when you encounter soone like this."
"Is this little thing worth getting so angry about?" ng Yuhuai was quite calm as he poured a bowl of tea and pushed it in front of her.
"Why wouldn’t I be angry?" Hua Xiaomai rolled her eyes, "It’s true I helped him before, but if we really get down to it, that day I was also annoyed by Scholar Wen’s pestering. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have ddled rashly! We don’t have any connection with him at all. How could he think of targeting Zhenwei Garden? I’ve tasted his cooking, and it’s not bad. If his little tavern isn’t doing well, it’s mostly business issues. Yet, he expects to turn things around with our sauce. Isn’t this ridiculous?"
While speaking, she turned her head and complained to ng Yuhuai, "And you, why should you even ntion ’co try the sauce next month and then we’ll talk’? You know well that I would refuse. It would have been better just to decline outright. By dragging it to next month, there will inevitably be another round of arguing. What if, by chance, you’re not at ho that day? Wouldn’t I have to quarrel with him all by myself?"
ng Yuhuai smiled, gestured for her to take a sip of tea, and said unhurriedly, "I knew you would not agree. However, when I saw him looking utterly distraught, clearly at his wit’s end, I thought he ca here on a whim, probably with his head all muddled, unable to think clearly. If we were to reject him outright, we might feel relieved, but if he then feels utterly hopeless and does sothing foolish, you probably wouldn’t feel good about it."
"Is it really that serious?" Hua Xiaomai subconsciously pursed her lips, still sowhat unconvinced. "He was really making quite the drama, even suggesting we take our sauce to sell at his little tavern. You described Lü Lane as a den of wolves and tigers; if we really agreed, wouldn’t it ruin our reputation?"
"That’s why I said. Master Tan was probably sowhat confused. His coming here today was most likely a spur-of-the-mont decision," ng Yuhuai continued calmly, "From what I observed, he should be an honest person. Once he sorts out his thoughts, he probably won’t co again."
Hua Xiaomai knew there was so truth in what he said. She pondered for a mont, glanced at him, and said, "Then let’s agree on this: if he still brings this up next month, you will handle it. I won’t get involved."
ng Yuhuai did not reply, just smiled. Seeing that the two bowls of noodles on the table had cooled down and congealed into a lump, inedible, he went to the kitchen to find so food for them to share. After a short rest, seeing that it was getting late, Hua Xiaomai went to the back kitchen to start preparing for the evening’s banquet, inevitably getting busy again.
That evening at Sauce Garden was even livelier than at noon. The villagers were busy with their own affairs during the day and couldn’t find ti to join in the fun, but by evening, they were free and brought their families to enjoy the feast. Since most of the attendees were villagers who knew each other well, after a couple of drinks, their voices grew louder, clinking their cups in the center of the table, making a racket until the tenth hour of the evening. Continuing the commotion might have upset the neighbors, so they gradually dispersed.
Aside from Master Tan’s unexpected visit, which had caused so unpleasantness, the overall atmosphere was quite good that day. Although Hua Xiaomai was so tired she could barely stand, seeing the ssy tables filled her with a sense of satisfaction. After washing her hands and stepping out of the kitchen, she bumped into Lei An’s wife and waved her over.
"Sister, you must have been terribly busy today as well?" she greeted the plump-faced woman with a warm smile, "You’ve just arrived, unfamiliar with everything here. Normally, I should have taken good care of you, but today I simply couldn’t spare the ti. You and Brother Lei mustn’t hold it against . After today, we will focus on making sauce properly. Have you and Brother Lei seen the order list that Uncle Ping brought over a few days ago? If you have any concerns, we can discuss them. I might be okay at making sauces, but running Sauce Garden is new to , and there are many things I don’t understand. My head is all muddled, and since you two are renowned and experienced in this field, I really need you to offer more advice."
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