Transmigration: The Little Chef Calls The Shots-Chapter 1527 - 332, Madam Ming (Fourth Watch)

After arranging all affairs, Lin Yuan let Shopkeeper Liu handle the details such as the regular practice times.

Lin Yuan exchanged glances with Tian Hui, then nodded towards Madam Ming, "Madam Ming, could you and Xiao Huan come over for a moment? I have something to discuss with you."

Madam Ming seemed to have already guessed that Lin Yuan wanted to speak with her alone and followed behind Lin Yuan and Tian Hui with a light smile into the room.

Tian Hui always felt that there was something enigmatic about Madam Ming, so even if she remained silent, she continued to watch her with a scrutinizing gaze.

Madam Ming naturally noticed her scrutiny but didn’t mind it.

Lin Yuan nodded at her and with a smile, gestured towards a stool by the table, "Please, take a seat, Madam."

Without any formality, Madam Ming thanked her and sat down on the stool.

Xiao Huan stood beside Madam Ming, not hiding her status as a maid, and even straightened out Madam Ming’s clothes for her.

This seemingly casual gesture, however, conveyed a lot of hidden information to Lin Yuan and Tian Hui.

Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow and smiled, "So, Xiao Huan is Madam Ming’s maid!"

Madam Ming smiled lightly, "The Commandery Princess must have noticed this long ago?"

Tian Hui frowned slightly, finding herself liking Madam Ming even less. No matter Madam Ming’s background, she’s here now looking for a position at the Idle Tea House—why is she speaking so impolitely?

Lin Yuan silently patted Tian Hui’s hand to calm her and smiled, "Madam Ming seems unlike the average woman. May I know what brings you to my Idle Tea House?"

Madam Ming clasped her hands in front of her, showing no change in expression, and softly said, "The Commandery Princess and Eldest Young Lady can rest assured, I am certainly not sent by any other tea houses. To be honest, I am here for the Tea Ceremony."

Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised by Madam Ming’s straightforward response, and continued, "Just for the Tea Ceremony?"

Under Lin Yuan’s pressing questions, a few cracks appeared on Madam Ming’s composed face, her gaze flickering as she smiled, "The Commandery Princess is truly astute. To be honest, my family has encountered some difficulties, so..."

There was no need for her to continue; Lin Yuan and Tian Hui already understood that Madam Ming’s family had faced some troubles and needed her to find work to support them.

Upon hearing this, Tian Hui’s impression of Madam Ming immediately shifted. She was a kind-hearted woman and always felt pity for the unfortunate, especially for a woman who had to make a public appearance to support her family.

Glancing at Xiao Huan, who seemed a bit sad, Tian Hui became even more certain of her thoughts: Madam Ming must have lived well before, or else she wouldn’t have been able to afford a maid.

Moreover, she must have a good heart. Otherwise, why would a maid follow her loyally even after her downfall?

Lin Yuan thought the same as Tian Hui. Although she was curious about Madam Ming’s troubles, it seemed that Madam Ming was not inclined to share too much.

"Just now I was greatly enlightened by Madam’s discussions about tea. However, in my opinion, the simple tea knowledge at Idle Tea House might not satisfy you, right?"

Madam Ming did not evade the topic, nodding with a smile, "The Commandery Princess has understood correctly. Indeed, my husband’s family was previously in the tea business, so I am confident that I can help the Commandery Princess and Eldest Young Lady manage the Idle Tea House well."

Tian Hui was shocked by this implication. Could it be that Madam Ming wanted to be the Shopkeeper of Idle Tea House?

She glanced at Lin Yuan in astonishment, feeling that this situation was completely beyond her comprehension. She had imagined they would find a trusted individual to manage Idle Tea House, never expecting them to consider a stranger.

However, Lin Yuan obviously didn’t share the same thought as Tian Hui. With Xia Zheng around, no matter who the other party was or how much effort they put into hiding their past, Xia Zheng could uncover their background.

Thinking this way, Lin Yuan was no longer concerned about entrusting the Idle Tea House to Madam Ming.

"Although Madam is confident, I cannot simply hand over the considerable business of Idle Tea House based on a few words from Madam. How can you make me trust you?"

Madam Ming seemed to have anticipated Lin Yuan’s response and smiled, "If the Commandery Princess wishes, why not let me take charge for half a month? I guarantee that you will be satisfied after this period."

Madam Ming was suggesting an oversight role for the practice of the girls at Idle Tea House.

"Yuanyuan?" Tian Hui gently tugged at Lin Yuan’s sleeve, clearly not very supportive of Madam Ming’s suggestion.

Yet Lin Yuan nodded with a smile, accepting her offer, "In that case, I shall trouble Madam Ming for this half a month."

Having reached a consensus, Madam Ming and Xiao Huan then left the room.

Lin Yuan also had Shopkeeper Liu notify others that Madam Ming would temporarily be in charge of all matters at the Idle Tea House.

After the room was left with only Lin Yuan and Tian Hui, Tian Hui voiced her concerns with some uneasiness, "Yuanyuan, can we really rely on Madam Ming?"

Lin Yuan smiled, patted her hand, and said, "Sister Hui, I know what’s worrying you. Actually, it’s not a big deal. One of these days, I’ll have Xia Zheng check her background. Then we’ll know if she’s good or bad, right?"

Seeing that Lin Yuan had a plan in mind, Tian Hui finally felt relieved. She gave Lin Yuan a glare and huffed, "You girl, you always have a plan but never tell me. You made me worry for nothing."

Lin Yuan chuckled secretly and snuggled up to Tian Hui’s arm, just like Xiao Linshuang would pester her, and laughed, "It’s rare to see Sister Hui worried and angry. Of course, I have to get a good look!"

"How annoying!"

Tian Hui chided with a smile, poking Lin Yuan’s forehead with her finger, and then huffed and ignored her.

After staying at the Idle Tea House for a while longer, Tian Hui stood up and left first, saying that Tian Xuan had been acting petulantly at home these past few days and she had to rush back to check on her.

After Tian Hui left, Lin Yuan also took Shui Xian back to Dong Tian. There were only a few days left before the competition with Drunken Immortal Tower, and she needed to carefully research the menu and ingredients needed for the competition.

Sitting in the carriage and resting with her eyes closed, Lin Yuan suddenly heard a familiar voice outside. Her eyelids twitched slightly, and before she could open her eyes to look, Shui Xian spoke up with a laugh,

"Miss, that storytelling session you mentioned at the Idle Tea House seemed interesting. Can you tell me some stories too? I’m really curious about them!"

Lin Yuan arched her brow. Shui Xian was usually not a talkative person, but today she was acting a bit unusual.

Lin Yuan sat up straight and glanced outside the carriage curtain slit, immediately understanding.

Indeed, there was a familiar figure on the street being persistently hassled by an older man.

Even with just a glance, Lin Yuan recognized the girl—it was her maid, Yin Xing.

Meanwhile, Shui Xian kept babbling to herself, although she was facing Lin Yuan, her eyes flickered towards the outside of the carriage.

Lin Yuan inwardly curled her lip and continued to rest with her eyes closed. Shui Xian and Yin Xing were good friends, and considering how Shui Xian was covering for her today, she must be aware of what happened to Yin Xing. With that in mind, Lin Yuan decided to respect their privacy and not inquire about the matter for now.

Seeing that Lin Yuan had finally closed her eyes again, Shui Xian silently heaved a sigh of relief, glancing sideways at Yin Xing’s position, and quietly mumbled to herself, "Miss didn’t see Yin Xing just now, did she?"

The carriage driver, Lin Yi, suddenly flicked the whip, speeding up the carriage. However, as the carriage drove off, he couldn’t help but turn back to look.

The old man holding Yin Xing seemed to be acquainted with her, but it was unclear what their issue was. Although she wanted to leave, the elderly man wouldn’t let her go.

The carriage moved further away with a clatter until Yin Xing was no longer visible. Only then did Lin Yi turn his head back, his thick eyebrows twisted like braids.

Now that the business at Dong Tian was on the right track, Lin Yuan didn’t need to worry about it anymore. However, the upcoming competition with Drunken Immortal Tower was going to be a tough battle, and this was also the first significant challenge she had faced since arriving in the Capital city.

Therefore, Lin Yuan took this competition very seriously. She had come up with all the dishes on the menu herself and had Liu Limin and Liu Siliang personally prepare all the ingredients needed for the competition.

The competition was set in winter, and both establishments were intent on showcasing their culinary skills as well as their resourcefulness. Hence, for this competition, each would prepare their own ingredients. Whoever could prepare the most unusual or precious ingredients would undoubtedly stand out during the competition.

After busying herself at Dong Tian for a while, Lin Yuan thought of visiting the suburb of Linjiang.

Xia Zheng was in charge of the competition stage, and she had not visited it a single time in the past few days. Even the participants who signed up for the tasting hadn’t been her concern; she only heard from Shopkeeper Liu once that the participants had been selected and each had been given a special badge.

Lin Yuan raised her eyebrows. She had full trust in Xia Zheng’s responsibilities, but still went out of curiosity to the outskirts of the city to take a look. The preparations were already quite impressive.

Satisfied with a silent nod, Lin Yuan went straight back home by carriage.

The night passed without incident, but just as she got up the next morning, before even having breakfast, Shopkeeper Liu sent someone to find her, saying that something had gone wrong at Dong Tian.

What was more surprising was that not only did he want to see her, but the boy also specifically said that it was necessary to bring the girl Yin Xing along.

Yin Xing?

Hearing the boy’s words, Yin Xing and Shui Xian’s expressions changed instantly.

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