Chef Hua-Chapter 556: Episode 298 Drinking at Night

Wang Zhanrui glanced back and saw Meng Yuhuai standing at the kitchen doorway, smiling at him. He then lowered his eyes to the jar of wine in his hand and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, though he wasn’t particularly surprised.

It was closing time, and Hua Xiaomai had disappeared early in the morning. Meng Yuhuai, who usually didn’t manage affairs at Daoxiang Garden, had suddenly appeared, persistently asking him to drink. It wasn’t hard to guess why, was it?

"As a cook, I tend to avoid alcohol as much as possible."

He said indifferently, "Too much drinking numbs the tongue and inevitably impairs the sense of taste, which is detrimental rather than beneficial to cooking."

However, Meng Yuhuai wasn’t discouraged in the least and still wore a smile, "I’m not the type to force people to drink until they’re drunk. Just a couple of light drinks should be fine—didn’t Master Wang also drink quite a bit of osmanthus wine on the Mid-Autumn Festival?"

While speaking, he stepped a bit closer and grinned, "The weather has been cool lately, and it’s actually quite comfortable to sit and have a few drinks at night. Once the weather turns cold in a couple of months, it won’t be possible to sit outside anymore."

Wang Zhanrui pondered for a moment, then nodded silently twice. Turning around, he looked at the remaining ingredients in the kitchen, made two dishes to accompany the drinks, namely candied yams and crispy fried fish, packed them in a food container, thought for a moment, and then sliced a plate of soy sauce pork liver.

"Are we heading to the fish pond, or...?" he asked, raising his head, but saw Meng Yuhuai smiling and shaking his head.

"Today, I’ll take you to a different place." Meng Yuhuai picked up the two wine jars and took the lead out of the kitchen. Although Wang Zhanrui was clueless, he was too lazy to ask questions. Carrying the food container and grabbing an oil lamp, he followed.

The two of them walked to the riverbank not far south of the village.

At that hour, almost no one was walking around the village, apart from the sound of the rushing water, there was no other noise.

Several small fishing boats were moored by the river. Meng Yuhuai took the oil lamp from Wang Zhanrui, walked over to the boats, and placed it on the gunwale. He then carelessly sat down on a nearby rock, tapped lightly on the mud-sealed top of a wine jar, and with a crisp sound, a robust aroma of wine burst forth.

Wang Zhanrui frowned, watching him for a while, then also sat down on the ground, opened the food container, and took out the dishes and utensils.

The amber-clear wine was poured into the bowl with a gulping sound. Taking a sip, it was mellow and sweet. A slight breeze by the river mingled with the dampness of the water swept across his face, truly adding a touch of comfort.

Meng Yuhuai and Wang Zhanrui clinked their bowls together, then started drinking on their own, occasionally grabbing some dishes to eat, praising Wang Zhanrui’s cooking skills from time to time, but beyond that, they exchanged no other words. frёeweɓηovel_coɱ

Wang Zhanrui was not the type to stay calm easily. After reluctantly accompanying him for a while, he became somewhat impatient and knitted his brows. "Leader Meng, what exactly did you need me for?"

Meng Yuhuai just smiled gently and started talking about a completely unrelated topic.

"Master Wang’s culinary skills are so brilliant, you must have been in the food industry for many years, right? Always been a chef in restaurants?"

"...Yes," Wang Zhanrui didn’t understand his point and hesitated, "I never had a formal master. From the start in this culinary world, I was already skilled. Initially, I was the chef in small food stalls that could only fit two or three tables. Later, I also worked in several larger restaurants, though none of the stints lasted long, three to five months at most. Speaking of which, your Daoxiang Garden is the largest eating establishment I’ve ever stayed at, but only..."

He didn’t finish his sentence, just shook his head and sighed.

Meng Yuhuai didn’t pick up on his words, pondered for a moment, and then started another unrelated topic: "I’m a layman and don’t understand how to judge good or bad in culinary skills, I just need to know that the dishes taste good. What do you think of my wife’s cooking skills?"

"Her?" Wang Zhanrui became even more confused, and without thinking, said, "She is indeed a rare talent. I’ve occasionally observed her working in the kitchen, and her natural talent goes without saying, but what’s even more rare is her solid fundamental skills. Whether it’s knife skills or control of heat, such skill couldn’t be achieved without years of day-to-day hard practice— I’m really quite curious, where did she get all this ability? Leader Meng, do you know who her master was previously?"

Meng Yuhuai couldn’t help but laugh, took a sip of wine, and shook his head helplessly: "Not only do I not know, but even her own sister doesn’t know where her cooking skills come from. She doesn’t want to tell, so she made up some ridiculous story to placate me, which really doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. I originally planned to confront her about it, but after some thought, I realized it’s not such a big deal after all. Since she hasn’t stolen or robbed anyone, I just let it be."

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