Chef Hua-Chapter 565: Episode 302 The Best Farmhouse Dish_2

The diners were so engrossed in their meal that they didn’t even want to talk, and what did that signify? Not just Hua Xiaomai, Wang Zhanrui was surely well aware of it too. As soon as those few diners left, he emerged from the bamboo grove with an unusually bright smile breaking across his face.

"He even made a special point of calling me over, said he had... never tasted such fine farmhouse dishes before, our Daoxiang Garden truly hides dragons and crouching tigers," he said, rubbing his hands together and speaking somewhat uneasily to Hua Xiaomai, "It’s not just the landlord who’s a master of culinary skills, but even the other chefs aren’t any less impressive—I’d always thought that after years of studying tea-infused cuisine, I should make something of a name for myself in that area, but I hadn’t expected it to be this Li Yunzi..."

Tea-infused cuisine or Li Yunzi, they’re all just ingredients. To a chef, what’s really the difference?

Hua Xiaomai opened her mouth, about to say something, when Chun Xi leaned in from behind, tugging at her sleeve, looking like she had something to say.

"I told you that sooner or later people would come knocking for you, and how is it now? With the first time comes the second, Chef Wang, today you’ve gained a good reputation thanks to that Li Yunzi, and it wasn’t for nothing that you spent most of the day toiling in the mud in the fields!"

She said this to Wang Zhanrui with a smile and seeing him nodding happily, she turned to the kitchen, before turning back to Chun Xi, "What’s up, is there something on your mind?"

Chun Xi grinned, "It’s nothing serious, just wanted to ask for leave. Today my sister Yuejiao is returning to her parents’ home, I left early this morning and haven’t seen her yet, and now that the shop’s not so busy, I thought I’d go see her. Otherwise, by the time the shop closes, she’ll probably have gone back to the city."

When Luo Yuejiao got married, Hua Xiaomai, being pregnant, was not suitable to be involved, according to the customs of Fire Knife Village, so only Chun Xi was sent with a gift. Knowing that she was returning today, she was also keen to see her. After a short consideration, she said cheerfully, "Sure, since it’s not busy right now, if it’s convenient, shall I go with you, sister-in-law?"

Chun Xi saw no reason to refuse, she turned to instruct La Mei, then happily pulled Hua Xiaomai out the door.

...

To enter the village from the east, you had to pass by the Meng Family’s new house construction site.

Meng Yuhuai, busy with responsibilities at the Escort Agency every day, had no time to supervise the work himself, so he had asked a childhood friend from the village, promising him some money, to oversee the work every day on his behalf.

As for Hua Xiaomai, she would not return home until close to the final watch of the night, and passing by the construction site while the craftsmen were working, was an unprecedented occurrence for her. She inevitably paused beside the road for a while, taking a closer look.

Construction had just begun half a month ago, and right now, there wasn’t much to show for it. On the open ground in front, the workers were mixing wet clay with chopped straw, preparing to build the walls.

The walls of this new house, both inside and out, were of course made of green bricks, but with an additional layer of straw-infused clay, it would provide insulation, keeping it warm in winter and cool in summer, making the house more comfortable to live in. Every decent family in the village placed great importance on this.

All the way, Chun Xi chattered nonstop to Hua Xiaomai about Luo Yuejiao’s affairs, her worries were apparent.

"This young sister-in-law of mine, don’t think she and I aren’t blood-related, we really hit it off in our daily interactions. Now that she’s married, I won’t lie, I’m really a bit worried, afraid her lively temperament might clash with her mother-in-law, so today I must see how she’s getting on... You..."

As she spoke, she turned to look at Hua Xiaomai and saw her staring unblinkingly at the busy craftsmen, so she changed the subject and casually said, "This house of yours, even though it’s not finished yet, I dare say that once it is, it will outshine every other household in the village. Your brothers, the Yuhuais, are really thoughtful, arranging everything so well—how did you come to be so fortunate, marrying such a good man?"

Hua Xiaomai smirked proudly at her, unashamedly reveling in her good fortune.

Chun Xi was accustomed to seeing her like this and was not surprised, she pointed towards the work site and added, "Those craftsmen, did that Zheng fellow help find them? They seem quite diligent in their work!"

"Yes, it was Brother Zheng who helped find them, we hardly had to worry about it at all," Hua Xiaomai nodded, "Now it’s also Yuhuai’s childhood friend who is helping to supervise the work; it’s really saved us a lot of trouble."

"Hmm," Chun Xi nodded, "When your house is ready to raise the main beam, I’ll definitely come to help, to bask in the joy. Not to mention anything else, just..."

Before she could finish speaking, she caught sight of Hua Xiaomai staring at the construction site, her eyebrows twisting together, her expression changing.

"What’s the matter?" Chun Xi asked, perplexed, following Hua Xiaomai’s gaze toward the site, "Is there a mistake? Is it possible that you understand this house-building business too?"

Hua Xiaomai shook her head, silenced her with a gesture, and bit her lower lip, walking forward a couple of steps to get a clearer view.

There were several sturdy trees next to the construction site, under which were laid out all kinds of woodworking tools. Perhaps because of the heat from the effort, in this late autumn weather, those two or three carpenters were working in just their undershirts, and despite this, steam was still rising from their bodies. They kept lifting their arms to wipe the sweat and would turn to joke with a companion now and then.

Beside these few carpenters, there was one person who just kept his head down, planing wood, not joining in the conversation with the others at all.

His silhouette from the back looked eerily familiar.

"What on earth is it?" Chun Xi’s patience was wearing thin, she tugged at Hua Xiaomai, "You could say something!"

"It’s nothing," Hua Xiaomai frowned again and turned to her with a smile, "Let’s go, let’s find sister Yuejiao first." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with a recommendation ticket, or monthly ticket, at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

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