Chef Hua-Chapter 586: Episode 313: Thank the Teacher

Zhou Yunyun, when asked like this, became even more panic-stricken, clacking her teeth against her lower lip without managing to squeeze out a word for a long while.

The fifth day of the first lunar month is the day when the market reopens, and after the New Year’s rest, merchants of all sizes in Fuzhe County, with the notable exception of those in the food and drink industry, choose this day to reopen their doors for business.

On the "breaking fifth day," cooking with raw rice is not allowed, which for those running restaurants, seems like someone has locked them up with a giant padlock; they can more or less do nothing at all, which is why most of Fuzhe County’s eateries choose to skip this day and reopen on the sixth to welcome customers.

Daoxiang Garden was no different, so Hua Xiaomai planned to take advantage of this day to clean up the place inside and out, and also to test Zhou Yunyun’s culinary skills.

Seeing the girl silent, she pursed her lips and smiled, "What’s the matter, I gave you more than a month to prepare, and you still feel it’s not enough? Are you not confident in yourself?"

"It’s... pretty much ready," Zhou Yunyun quickly lifted her head and glanced at her, "Brother Wen and sisters Chun Xi and La Mei have been very willing to help, whatever ingredients I need, Qing You and the others have also made great efforts to procure them, I practiced many times, and I’m familiar with the steps, it’s just that I have no certainty. Master, you’ve always had high demands for kitchen work, and I’m afraid..."

"I ask you, who did you learn your culinary skills from?" Hua Xiaomai raised her eyelids and swept a look over her face.

"From you, Master..." Zhou Yunyun said timidly.

"I’ve been teaching you hands-on for more than a year, and now you doubt whether your cooking can pass the test. Are you subtly insulting me?" Hua Xiaomai turned up the corner of her mouth as if quite displeased.

Zhou Yunyun knew she was joking and wasn’t frightened, but with a worried frown and a wave of her hands, she said, "It’s at this point already, Master, please don’t tease me. You know full well I’m just afraid I won’t make it."

Upon hearing this, Hua Xiaomai lowered her head and pondered for a moment before speaking softly, "Let me tell you something. When we reopen on the sixth and I come to take a look, I will then temporarily stop going to the shop. I’ve already spoken to sisters Chun Xi and La Mei as well as informed Scholar Wen, and didn’t tell you because at the time you were focusing on preparing the dishes for your final test. I didn’t want to disturb you."

"Oh, I guessed that," Zhou Yunyun wasn’t very surprised and nodded, "I remember you mentioned before that Doctor Xing from Baosheng Medical Hall said the baby in your belly is due to arrive in the second month, and you should be resting well at home anyway."

"That’s why I need your help," Hua Xiaomai smiled at her, "All in all, I will need two to three months when I can’t come to the shop and offer no help in the kitchen. If you ruin those dishes and fail your test, then Daoxiang Garden will only have Chef Tan and Chef Wang to manage everything -- it will be chaos. If we have you to help, it will be greatly beneficial to me and our entire Daoxiang Garden. No matter what, you must give it your all, strive to prove yourself."

The girl was far too mild-mannered; a little pressure might actually be a good thing for her.

Zhou Yunyun didn’t say anything, just nodded solemnly.

Hua Xiaomai smiled, "You’ve been a cook at the takeaway stand for so long, serving so many customers, and not once has anyone complained. A mere few dishes, you’ll surely be able to handle perfectly. Don’t overthink it, and if you’re really nervous, just go over the steps in your head a few times, think it through back and forth, and you’ll naturally get a sense of it." freēwēbηovel.c૦m

"... Okay," Zhou Yunyun paused for a long while before answering, and then gently exhaled.

Hua Xiaomai understood her feelings at the moment and patted her shoulder with a smile.

When she had to take her graduation exam back then, she was also restless... Although she knew she would have no problem, she still couldn’t completely relax.

Such is the state of people facing significant moments.

...

After several days of doing nothing but eating and sleeping, the fifth day of the first lunar month finally arrived.

Qing You, Ji Xiang, and a few other workers lived near Fire Knife Village, and they got to the shop early in the morning on this day, rolled up their sleeves as soon as the doors opened, and started a thorough cleaning, leaving not a speck of dust in every corner from top to bottom of the restaurant. They also hauled household items to the garden, working diligently without wasting a moment.

The uncle in charge of the fish pond skimmed dry lotus leaves with his boat, Chun Xi and La Mei, along with two female workers, rushed to the vegetable field by the threshing ground, pulling a large cart of cabbage back. As for Wen Huaren, he was early to lean on the counter, planning to arrange for people to purchase ingredients in the afternoon. When he found the time, he flipped through a couple of pages of a book, occasionally writing and drawing, looking quite at ease.