"Was the old master happy?" Hua Xiaomai lifted her head to ask a question while handing the bill to the brother-in-law to check.
"Of course he was happy; with so many relatives gathered together, the dishes you made were to his taste, how could he not be pleased?" The brother-in-law reluctantly took the bill, looked down at it, and said, "Dad’s teeth aren’t good; that dish called ’A Foot of Silver in the Plate’ was perfect for him to eat—I rember our nu didn’t include such a dish; it was... given for free, right? You’re not going to charge extra for it, are you?"
He really was worrying about this!
Hua Xiaomai silently laughed to herself, her response calm and collected, "It was on the house; don’t worry, we..."
Before she could finish, it seed the brother-in-law finally saw the total on the bill and hissed in a breath through clenched teeth.
"A birthday banquet costing this much money, tsk tsk..." he muttered under his breath, clearly feeling the pinch again.
Hua Xiaomai was simply speechless.
The banquet had scallops, sea cucumber, and other delicacies, and each table was only seven strings of cash; what more do you want, big brother? We had already agreed on the price beforehand, didn’t we? You clearly understood, but now you’re still sighing over it, hoping to get an extra discount?
Honestly, in the year she had run the restaurant, she had never done business with such thin margins like today!
Frugality is a virtue, but the al is already eaten; coming over to grumble about it—that’s not very decent, is it?
The little one inside her was getting bigger, and although she was still moving about briskly, she was indeed feeling less energetic, so she was too lazy to argue with Qiao Xiong’s brother-in-law and just kept her mouth shut, her face still wearing a pleasant smile.
"The banquet was so sumptuous; just imagine how much more you would’ve spent at the banquet hall you reserved before!" Qiao Xiong was generous and couldn’t stand to see his brother-in-law being so finicky, so he spoke up on Hua Xiaomai’s behalf, "It’s rare for the old master to be so happy today. Just looking at his thrilled expression, isn’t your money well spent? Go out and ask around; even here at Daoxiang Garden, could others get the sa table for this price?"
"I know, I know... sigh, can’t I stop talking now if it gets nowhere?" The brother-in-law seed a bit embarrassed, mumbling sothing indistinct while dragging his feet, but eventually, he took out the money and paid the bill.
After sending off the large family, the garden finally quieted down. It wasn’t yet ti for dinner, and everyone had a rare mont to catch their breath.
Zhou Yunyun, secretly pleased outside for a little while, returned to the kitchen, busied herself for so ti, and brought out a small bowl of soup, offering it to Hua Xiaomai.
"Master..." she said cautiously, "We had so leftover scallops and sea cucumber from this morning’s preparation, and it would be a waste just to leave them there, so I made a Ginseng Clam Soup, adding a bit of Sumr Withered Grass. You should take a couple of sips. I heard from Chef Tan that it’s really good for pregnant won. When his eldest was still in the womb, and their family still had so spare money, he would make this for his daughter-in-law to drink."
Hua Xiaomai knew this was indeed a soup suitable for pregnant won, so she took the bowl from Yun’er, unable to resist teasing her, "I only asked you to take charge of the takeout stall tomorrow, and already you’re growing bold; daring to use such expensive ingredients?"
"It’s not difficult; just throw the ingredients in and watch the fire," Zhou Yunyun replied with a smile, looking down, "Otherwise, I wouldn’t have the nerve to try this."
"Then let have a taste." Hua Xiaomai was well aware of her good intentions, scooped a small spoonful, and was just about to bring it to her mouth when ng Lao Niang rushed down from the upper floor like a whirlwind, through the door of the private room, without a word, snatched the soup bowl away with swift and precise action.
"Mom, what are you doing?" Hua Xiaomai got a shock and looked up at her with wide eyes.
But ng Lao Niang had no intention of answering her and, holding the soup bowl, ran straight into the kitchen to set it down, then headed back upstairs.
This was really... like a child throwing a tantrum and ignoring people. How much ti had passed, and she still hadn’t cooled off?
Feeling sowhat helpless and considering she was the junior, she thought it best to make the first move. She glanced at Chun Xi, who was snickering at the side, and followed upstairs herself.
When she pushed the door open and entered the room, ng Lao Niang was sitting by the table, holding two pieces of cloth, seemingly working on a small garnt for a baby. Probably because they didn’t know whether the unborn child was a boy or a girl, the fabric and patterns were quite plain, suitable for both.
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