Chef Hua-Chapter 563 - 301

Upon closer inspection, she almost immediately felt a pang of sympathy.

The shells of the Liyun crabs were extremely hard, and their bodies were small. Extracting the roe from the female crabs required a considerable amount of effort. Wang Zhanrui had probably arrived at the shop early in the morning and started working right away; his fingers were already a bit raw. Every time he peeled one, he grimaced in pain—it was clear that it hurt a lot.

To gather a whole jar of Liyun seeds, at least a thousand female crabs needed to be peeled. Chun Xi was right; Daoxiang Garden had only seven or eight helpers in total. How could they handle everything?

After pondering for a moment, she couldn’t help but advise him, "Master Wang, don’t we still have to prepare Lady Feng’s banquet today? Now that your hands are injured, dealing with hot oil later will only make it more painful..."

"I have it under control," Wang Zhanrui managed to reply with a smile despite being extremely busy, "Master Tan and I came earlier today especially, and we have already tidied up all the ingredients for the banquet. Yun’er has also helped a lot. In a while, we just need to start cooking. These little crabs have to be processed while they are fresh; otherwise, once the crab dies, it won’t be of any use."

"Then... at least take a break."

Hua Xiaomai knew he was stubborn and rarely listened to advice, so she saved her breath and went back into the hall to call Chun Xi and La Mei for instruction.

Lacking manpower, the only option was to hire some helpers. Now that winter wheat had just been sown, and the men were busy, but the young women and daughters-in-law at home were idle. It was a good choice to have them help out and get paid two coins for their labor.

Chun Xi and La Mei were well-known busybodies in Fire Knife Village, skilled not only in ferreting out all sorts of village gossip but also in spreading the word.

Without seeming to exert much effort, continuing their duties inside and out, by noon, during the banquet preparation, they bustled about as if they had never left the shop. Yet by afternoon, just as it reached the hour of Wei, more than a dozen village women arrived in groups, expressing their willingness to work for a fair wage.

The Liyun could be eaten from autumn deep into the winter, so peeling the roe could be considered long-term work. With not much else to do at home except for mundane chores, peeling crabs was by no means tiring for the women; it came with the added perk of earning money, like a pie falling from the sky. Everyone was excited and assured with pats on their chest that they were always diligent and would not shirk their responsibilities.

After discussing with Chun Xi and La Mei, Hua Xiaomai selected ten dependable and honest village women to help. They were told that working at the shop would pay them twenty wen a day, and if they filled a jar with Liyun seeds, they would receive an additional twenty wen. The chance to earn money easily roused their enthusiasm, and they rolled up their sleeves and got to work with vigor.

Daoxiang Garden had plenty of space, so finding a place to work wasn’t difficult. Hua Xiaomai had Qing You lead the workers to clean up a room next to the small kitchen by the fish pond, summoning the women there and moving the freshly delivered Liyun for them to work on and chat inside, as long as they kept their voices down and weren’t easily heard from outside.

There was no need to fuss over choosing a supervisor; they had the fiery-tempered Meng Lao Niang at hand. Her authority was well-known throughout Fire Knife Village. With her in charge, the women hardly dared to slack off, which was quite reassuring.

With time to spare, Hua Xiaomai would occasionally stop by to check in.

When women gather, chatter is inevitable, digging up fresh and old stories from the village, no less passionate than men discussing politics. Seeing Hua Xiaomai, they often joked with her, and in their banter, they invariably mentioned the new house being built by the Meng Family.

"These past mornings, heading to the east side of the village, I always see the bustling construction at your house, the clanging and banging—it’s quite lively!"

One of the women, a sister-in-law with the surname Huang, said cheerfully, "The way you’re living these days, it gets better and better; we can only watch with envy!"

Turning to Meng Lao Niang she continued, "Auntie, your heart must be blooming with joy now, right? Your son has always been capable, and now that he’s married such a daughter-in-law, you just sit back and enjoy the good fortune—tsk tsk, when will I encounter such good fortune?"

Meng Lao Niang wasn’t actually idle; although Hua Xiaomai only tasked her with supervising the help, she didn’t just watch from the sidelines and peeled crabs every day without pause.

Upon hearing Huang Sister-in-law’s comments, Meng Lao Niang turned her head away and snorted coldly, "Don’t praise her; given her temperament, a couple of compliments will send her tail wagging into the sky, forgetting her own name! Just look at all this fuss about having everyone peel crabs, I wonder how much better the taste can be. If the dishes made with these crab seeds don’t sell, see if she won’t be the one crying!"

Meng Lao Niang had said such things more than once, mixing truth with jest, and it was unclear if she really felt this way or simply enjoyed mocking Hua Xiaomai. Each time she heard it, Hua Xiaomai could only let out a long sigh.

A cook’s sensitivity to ingredients was not something she expected Meng Lao Niang to understand. Already three or four jars of Liyun seeds had been harvested, preserved by submerging them in Shao Wine, yet the patrons of Daoxiang Garden had not had the chance to taste dishes made from them.

It was through Wang Zhanrui that she had learned of the existence of such excellent ingredients as Liyun seeds. Thinking to herself, the first time they were served to guests, it was only right for Wang Zhanrui to take charge of the cooking.

The opportunity came very quickly. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)

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