However, no matter how much she asked, ng refused to say anything more, only smiled and gently placed her on the ground, then rolled himself into bed, wrapped under the covers, and fell asleep without another word.
...
The next day, ng Yuhuai went to Lianshun Escort Agency early in the morning and indeed sent a swift-legged young errand boy to search in the Lu Family Alley for a certain Tan-surnad tavern, to explain the situation about recruiting a chef to Master Tan and ask him to go directly to Zhenwei Garden in Fire Knife Village if he was interested.
Hua Xiaomai wasn’t sure whether this would work out or not, so she still lazed at ho that day, enduring the incessant chatter of Mrs. Ding and Tang Dongyan in turns; she clearly felt annoyed but had no choice but to tolerate them with patience, ensuring her deanor appeared compliant.
Just before noon, as Mrs. ng’s dishes were already laid out on the table, a little runner from Zhenwei Garden suddenly ca running, barging in without regard to anything else and hurriedly calling Hua Xiaomai outside, ntioning that soone had co to apply for the chef’s position.
Hua Xiaomai guessed that it was probably that Master Tan and hastily bade her elder goodbye, not without being scolded a few words, then followed the little runner out the door. Once they entered the gate of Sauce Garden, indeed, she saw the man sitting awkwardly on a long bench, hurriedly standing up and rubbing his hands on his clothes as he heard their footsteps.
She had expected him to co but hadn’t imagined he’d co this quickly, almost as if he couldn’t wait another mont, could it be that his little tavern in Lu Family Alley had still not seen any improvent in business?
"Master Tan, please have a seat, don’t be shy," Hua Xiaomai greeted him with a smile, gesturing for him to relax.
"Did I arrive at a bad ti?" Master Tan, having walked all this way, looked as if he had been pulled out of water, squeezed out a nervous smile, "Upon hearing your ssage, I hurried over, didn’t even bother to check the ti properly, arriving right at alti, you..."
"No worries," Hua Xiaomai shook her head soothingly, letting him sit back down on the bench, and said with pursed lips, "Since you are here, you must know what for, so let’s cut to the chase, do you wish to be the chef at my little restaurant?"
Master Tan didn’t answer imdiately, rely lowered his head with a bitter smile, staying quiet for a long while.
What did that an? If you are willing, just say so— besides, if you don’t wish to work under soone and get paid for it, why even bother coming?
It had been many days since soone had applied to be a chef at the small restaurant, and the staff at Sauce Garden had all treated this as quite the spectacle. It happened to be during the lunch break, so they crowded around. Among them, Great Saint always had a lot to say, seeing that Master Tan wasn’t speaking, he jokingly yelled,
"Look at you, why are you so hesitant? You’re already here, why act like a reluctant bride? From Fire Knife Village to the County, it’s neither near nor far, but walking here must have been tiring, especially with the heat being so intense, isn’t this just pointless suffering?"
With that shout, Master Tan seed even more unsure of where to place his hands, glanced in Great Saint’s direction, then turned and smiled at Hua Xiaomai: "It’s not that I’m unwilling, it’s just... earlier, I foolishly thought about running a tab in your Sauce Garden, and after I went ho, the more I thought about it, the worse it tasted, feeling like I had done sothing stupid, and I’ve been too ashad to co back since, let alone face you. Actually, your little restaurant now has quite a reputation in the city, I had heard about the job opening for a chef long ago, and was quite tempted, but..."
So it was for that reason, just as ng Yuhuai had said, this man had indeed thought everything through?
Hua Xiaomai smiled upon hearing this: "That’s all water under the bridge, why keep rembering it? I know Master Tan, you are not the type to take advantage of others, probably just a montary lapse, and I guessed you would realize soon after going back. Since you are interested in applying for the chef position, why keep hesitating? I’ve been quite worried about this matter recently."
After pondering, she probed further: "Is your tavern still difficult to manage nowadays?"
"Ah," Master Tan laughed with a sigh, "These past few days, I was about to return the shop back to the owner. Even if you hadn’t sent soone to find , I couldn’t have continued with the business. I have thought it through, rather than struggling to keep going, making my wife and kids suffer, drinking boiled water for als, better to honestly find a job and at least have a stable inco every month, enough to support them. I know you are an excellent chef, and for the other chefs in your little restaurant, naturally, I presu your demands are not low, and I am still wondering if you could be satisfied with my cooking skills."
Hua Xiaomai smiled, curving the corners of her mouth, and turned to look towards Lei An’s wife: "Is Yun’er still busy in the kitchen?"
Before she could finish speaking, they heard Zhou Yunyun’s voice coming from the direction of the kitchen: "All set, Master, I’ve got the als ready!"
The little runner, always quick-witted, roughly guessed what Hua Xiaomai intended to do, and realizing there might be an amusing scene to witness, didn’t wait for her instructions; he dashed to the kitchen to clear the stove space for Zhou Yunyun.
anwhile, Hua Xiaomai amiably said to Master Tan: "I don’t an to boast, but in the area of culinary skills, I believe I am sowhat better than you. Although I want to hire you as a chef, and you also have the desire, we still need to seriously test your skills before it can be settled. I’ll say the unpleasant part upfront. If after the trial I feel that your cooking does not fit the needs, I will not reluctantly keep you, so you should be prepared."
Master Tan, who had just begun to calm down a little, felt his palms sweat upon hearing this, opened his mouth slightly, nodded: "How will the trial be conducted?"
"Very simple, I will give you the topics, and you make three dishes right now." (To be continued. If you like this story, please vote for it with a monthly ticket or recomndation ticket at Qidian (qidian). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian to read.)
Reviews
All reviews (0)