"Ha, what do you an by ’you’re also a cook’?" Great Saint leaped out, triumphantly saying, "Don’t think we’re just boasting, You’ve heard of the Eight Treasures Conference, right? Look, last year, just last year, our boss had attended, and with just one dish, he took the top prize ho. If you don’t believe it, feel free to ask around! We don’t know what the situation is like in Gu County, and it wouldn’t be right for us to speak carelessly, but in all of Fuzhe County, when it cos to culinary skills, she accepts being second to none!"
"You’ve been to the Eight Treasures Conference?" the man surnad Tong raised his eyebrows, seemingly a bit surprised, "With your age, how could..."
"I just run a small diner, so naturally I don’t qualify to participate, but a fellow chef was too busy and asked for my help, so I went and helped make a dish, that’s all," Hua Xiaomai said nonchalantly, as if with humility, yet she did not deny Great Saint’s words.
Rubbish, when it cos to cooking, her confidence has never been inferior. Why the need for evasion?
The man surnad Tong nodded, hesitated for a mont, but eventually couldn’t restrain himself and pulled the young waiter standing aside closer, pointed at the Wulong Tuzhu in his hand, closed his eyes, and seed to make a big decision, "You just said, there are at least three errors in this dish of mine, what exactly are they?"
The waiter shivered miserably, pleading, "Sir, the custors are still waiting for their food. If we delay any further, it will get cold..."
"Let them wait!" the man scolded irritably, "Anyone who cos to Weni Pavilion has to follow my rules. If they can’t even wait this little while, they might as well leave now!"
Realizing that she wouldn’t be able to leave today without clarifying things, Hua Xiaomai patiently said, "First, your Wulong Tuzhu was cooked in a pottery vessel, which is ant to keep the dish fiery hot from the stove to the table, locking in the broth’s deliciousness to prevent it from escaping. But after cooking, you transferred it to a white porcelain bowl, which might look nicer but unfortunately reduces the flavor of the dish, isn’t this counterproductive?"
"This..." the man surnad Tong opened his mouth, "What else?"
"Second, Wulong Tuzhu should use the original broth for thickening, but you used water. You don’t need to tell you the differences, do you?" Hua Xiaomai continued in one breath, "Third, the shrimp paste wasn’t finely mashed, and the proportion of shrimp at to chicken mince was inappropriate. It might not seem like a big issue on the surface, but do I need to elaborate on the impact it has on the texture?"
She smiled, glanced at the man’s face: "Wulong Tuzhu is a ti-consuming and labor-intensive dish. I can tell that your skills are solid. If you ponder more on the details, the business here will undoubtedly prosper, drawing in crowds like clouds."
After spending an entire noon talking, she indeed felt sowhat weary, turned and nodded at Zuo Jinxiang, then headed outside.
The man stood there pondering for a long ti, quickly took a few steps forward, and whispered, "Your sauces..."
Hua Xiaomai, tired from Sun Great Saint’s handling, took two sauce jars and handed them to him: "Give it a try, if you’re interested, you can co to Fire Knife Village Zhenwei Garden looking for . Of course, I’ve promised that today’s issue won’t be discussed outside. Should you find out that this is spread, you can also co to Zhenwei Garden to... or deal with Lady Wan of West City Fuzhe County."
She glanced at the tall and robust woman who had been standing beside her for quite so ti, barely noticeable. She pursed her lips into a smile and finally stepped out of the Weni Pavilion’s grand entrance.
...
It was past noon, and all three of them were feeling hungry. They casually stopped at a little tea stall by the roadside to have so tea and snacks, and then proceeded to other restaurants to sell their homade sauce.
The whole day’s hustle was not in vain. They managed to beat Wan Ji to the punch, signing orders with four or five large restaurants, agreeing to deliver the sauce in a day or two.
Hua Xiaomai finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling even more tired than after a day’s work at a small diner. Zuo Jinxiang went back to her parental ho to visit her parents, so she and Sun Great Saint went ahead to Fuzhe County. They didn’t enter the city but went straight along the official road into Fire Knife Village.
It was not yet completely dark. She guessed that ng Yuhuai wouldn’t return so early, so she was not in a hurry and went first to Zhenwei Garden to discuss the day’s events with Master Lei. Then she leisurely walked towards the south of the village. Turning onto the narrow dirt road leading to her ho, she saw from a distance ng’s mother standing at the doorstep, with Guan Rong’s mother also standing beside, her expression filled with anxiousness as she spoke.
ng’s mother looked quite displeased, yet she didn’t just turn around and leave. She stayed put, listening with impatience written all over her face. Hua Xiaomai’s heart filled with doubts, and unconsciously, her steps quickened. In a few strides, she reached the two won, ignoring Guan Rong’s mother. Smiling, she said to ng’s mother, "Mom, what are you doing here?"
Seeing her suddenly appear, Guan Rong’s mother seed a bit frightened, but she didn’t leave imdiately. Instead, she grabbed ng’s mother’s sleeve and yanked hard.
"Tsk, all right, enough with the nonsense, haven’t I told you already? I can’t do anything!" ng’s mother brushed off Guan Rong’s mother’s hand, glancing sideways at Hua Xiaomai, and said, "What am I doing? What am I doing? You managed to co back early today, shouldn’t you cook so fresh food for ? Hurry up, I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!"
Hua Xiaomai crisply agreed and followed her quickly into the courtyard, rolling up her sleeves and cheerfully saying, "Mom, what would you like to eat? There’s a salted wild rabbit hanging from the beam. Should I braise it in red for you, perfect for a couple of drinks?"
ng’s mother humd sothing indistinctly, which sounded like a grunt of agreent. Hua Xiaomai then went to the kitchen, reached for the wild rabbit, and turned around, only to see ng’s mother standing at the doorway, looking at her displeasedly.
She thought for a mont and then smiled obediently at ng’s mother, asking, "Mom, what was Guan Rong’s mother talking to you about?"
"What good things could she say?" ng’s mother flicked her eyelid and snorted cold air from her nose, "Borrowing money, what else?"
(To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian) to vote for the recomndation ticket and monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian to read.)
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