Indeed, to understand a person’s "pulse," one must interact with them, and in this world, there is originally no one "who cannot be gotten along with." During the period ng Yuhuai was away from ho, Hua Xiaomai and ng’s mother actually had quite a good ti, and Chun Xi and La i went from puzzled to surprised, gradually becoming dumbfounded.
Suddenly, seven or eight days passed, and that afternoon, after seeing off the diners, Hua Xiaomai washed her hands and ca out of the kitchen to sit in the hall, summoning Chun Xi, La i, and Zhou Yunyun.
"After tomorrow’s noon business is done, I want to go to the County to buy so things, so we will not open in the evening. You two sisters can go ho early to rest, but Yunyun, you can’t be lazy. You must practice your knife skills diligently in the kitchen. I will check when I return." She casually picked up a cloth, wiped her hands, and said with a smile.
Being closed for half a day wasn’t a big deal, and Chun Xi and La i weren’t very concerned about it, chuckled, and patted her on the shoulder, "Co on, we all know you want to see brother Yuhuai, and you talk about buying things. Why the secrecy in front of us? We won’t laugh at you!"
"I do plan to see him, but I indeed need to buy so things," Hua Xiaomai was not embarrassed by their weak attack and remained very calm, "I’m thinking that we need to have a cart in our store. It would be convenient to go to the County to buy ingredients or to travel anywhere. Relying just on our legs is indeed both slow and tiring. Tomorrow I’ll go have a look, and if suitable, I’ll buy it. I’ll also take so food and clothes to Yuhuai. The rainy season has passed, and the sun is getting more intense every day; the few clothes he has are probably not enough."
"Will you co back in the evening?" Chun Xi asked mischievously, giggling.
"If I don’t co back, will you bite ? It doesn’t matter as I don’t live at your house. Why all these pointless questions?" Hua Xiaomai glanced at her and then turned to Zhou Yunyun, "By the way, Yunyun, run another errand for to Zheng Yakuai’s place tomorrow. Tell him I’m looking to hire a young helper. If he has a suitable person, bring him over for to see. The salary and everything else can be discussed."
Zhou Yunyun obediently agreed, but Chun Xi and La i were both dumbfounded, and said in astonishnt, "Xiaomai sister, what are you doing? We have enough staff now, all is well, why hire more? Could it be... you think we’re not doing well?"
Hua Xiaomai suppressed a smile, "Scared now? We’ll see if you still sche against later! You two sisters are naturally very good, very diligent and helpful, but our store currently only has won, and that’s sowhat inconvenient. Hiring a young helper to run errands and do so heavy lifting will surely save us all so trouble, won’t it?"
Only then did Chun Xi and La i relax, patting their chests saying, "That was close, that was close," and as they were speaking, ng’s mother ca downstairs grumbling.
"All day you keep cooped up in that private room, the room is cramped, and the ceiling too low, it’s suffocating, I can hardly breathe! In such a big Fire Knife Village, how did you choose such a rundown place for our business?"
Hua Xiaomai didn’t even lift her eyelids, pointing outside and saying, "Look, it’s spacious out there, why don’t you eat there from now on? You can move around any way you like, even sorsault while eating, and no one will stop you—You didn’t want to jostle with the diners, so I had you stay upstairs. Now you complain again, what exactly would make you happy?"
ng’s mother had just co downstairs when she was ticked off and was about to explode, but then she heard Hua Xiaomai say to Zhou Yunyun, "Go bring out the Coral Waterlon Soup I left on the stove."
Zhou Yunyun agreed and went off. Soon enough, she indeed brought out half a waterlon. ng’s mother bent over for a closer look and saw that the waterlon rind had been cut into a floral shape, the flesh cubed, and drizzled with a thick syrup of trella and almonds. Leaning closer, the cool air wafted up, faintly carrying with it a sweet scent of honey.
"I know it’s hot today, Mother, and you would like sothing cool to eat, but indulging too much in cold foods can harm the body. This Coral Waterlon Soup was cooled in well water for a while before being set aside to rest. Eating it now should be just right. Mother, take a look, does it suit your taste?"
At this mont, Hua Xiaomai turned her head to glance at Old Lady ng, her lips curled into a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
Old Lady ng wanted to act tough, but the dish’s soupy liquid looked pretty with an appealing color, and it was pleasantly cool... In the end, she couldn’t resist. She pursed her lips, picked it up, chose a table a bit farther away, and began to eat, spoonful by spoonful, without saying another word.
Hua Xiaomai couldn’t help but suppress a chuckle and was about to say sothing when, at that mont, soone walked in from outside. She looked up and saw it was Manager Jiang from Magistrate Tao’s residence.
After the celebration for the scholars had ended, there should have been no further interaction, so why had he suddenly shown up?
Curious, Hua Xiaomai quickly stood up with a smile and said, "Oh, Manager Jiang, what brings you to our humble shop today? It’s terribly hot outside, co inside and have a seat!" While speaking, she turned to order Zhou Yunyun to pour so tea.
Manager Jiang still had that impatient deanor, waving his hand, "Don’t bother , no need for tea—I don’t know where you got your luck, but after the scholars’ banquet, my master couldn’t stop praising your culinary skills, saying they were unmatched. Upon hearing about this, my lady beca curious to try your dishes herself, given your remarkable skills and the fact you are a woman. She feared you might be busy, so she sent ahead to inform you; she will co tomorrow evening. You must serve her well, for any mishap would only reflect poorly on you!"
The Lady Magistrate is coming? Hua Xiaomai felt a sudden jolt of unease.
She and ng Yuhuai hadn’t seen each other for several days, and she missed him terribly. She had already planned to visit him tomorrow, but now...
Perhaps seeing so hesitation on her face, the irritable Manager Jiang imdiately showed displeasure and said in a strange tone, "What, is there a problem?"
A problem? There indeed was, but could she really say it? Hua Xiaomai sighed internally, shaking her head like a rattle: "Not at all, I was just wondering if Lady Tao has any dietary restrictions, or..."
"Just make sure the food isn’t too oily, sothing light would be best." Having dropped this remark, Manager Jiang turned and left, not even stepping past the hall.
"Was that really necessary?" Hua Xiaomai muttered under her breath when he was far enough away, turning to see Chun Xi and La i smirking, and she playfully glared at them.
Because of this unexpected visit, the next day proved to be extrely busy, filled with the purchase of many fresh vegetables and thorough preparations in the kitchen. In the early evening, a carriage stopped in front of the small diner, and the Lady Magistrate indeed arrived. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian) to cast your recomndation ticket or monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian to read.)
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