Chef Hua-Chapter 686 - 363: Heartfelt Wishes (Part 2)
Meng Yuhuai had no idea that Daoxiang Garden was only open for half a day today. Seeing the scene before him, he felt puzzled. He tied up Old Black under a tree and leisurely stepped into the main hall.
There was not a single sound to be heard upstairs or downstairs, but the tung oil lamps lit all around crackled and popped quietly. Around dusk, every now and then a cool breeze would sneak into the room, causing the lamp flames to flicker, and the faint shadows on the wall to sway gently.
"Xiaomai?"
Meng Yuhuai called out softly, but of course, there was no response.
On the table in the center of the main hall, a green gauze lantern was skewedly placed, looking precarious as if it could fall to the ground at any moment, and if it ignited the wood, that would be no laughing matter.
"Messing around..." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
He couldn’t help but chuckle as he walked over to steady the lantern, and suddenly noticed a bowl on the table from the corner of his eye.
Half a bowl of clear, greenish broth was still steaming, with three or four cracked green fruits at the bottom, bloated from boiling, looking as fresh as if they had just been picked from a tree.
Was this... for him?
A smile appeared at the corners of Meng’s lips. He silently commended his wife for being full of clever tricks while never neglecting diligence, and immediately lifted the small bowl to his lips.
Only when he tasted the soup did he realize that the bowl had been lined with honey, which perfectly subdued the tartness of the fruits, leaving only a refreshing sweetness.
The green fruits inherently carried a sense of coolness, a kind of chill that even hot broth couldn’t dispel, rolling down his throat into his stomach, dissipating all traces of heat in an instant.
Meng Yuhuai’s mood improved almost instantly. After drinking the soup in just a few gulps, he wandered through the kitchen and the backyard, but still saw no sign of Hua Xiaomai.
He wasn’t in a hurry. He simply exited the restaurant’s door and turned to look into the garden.
This time, he wasn’t disappointed.
On a lush, dark green bush at the entrance of the garden hung another green gauze lantern, awkwardly tilted as if someone had struggled to hang it up there.
The smile on Meng’s lips grew wider. He pondered for a moment, then went back and locked the main hall door before following the lanterns’ guidance into the garden.
Every few steps there was a green gauze lantern, leading him directly to the side of the fishpond.
The lotuses in the pond were in full bloom. Someone had placed floating lanterns near the water’s edge, which flickered on and off, casting the bright red and white petals in even more vivid color.
This time, on a small stone bench by the pond, he found "Phoenix Brain" served on a plain white dish.
The sun-dried tofu had been thoroughly marinated in sweet wine lees, melting as soon as it hit the tongue, with a subtle aroma of alcohol, and without the need for any seasonings, it was an exceptionally delicious treat.
Meng Yuhuai, curious at heart, eagerly cleaned out the dish, extinguished the floating lanterns in the pond, and continued along the pebbled path.
Along the way, he tasted two or three more delicacies, circling the fishpond until the sky gradually darkened.
The light from the green gauze lanterns flickered and stretched all the way to the deep bamboo forest in the northeast corner.
Impatient, he quickened his pace. Stepping on the creaking dry bamboo leaves, he entered the forest and stopped in front of a stone table.
Aside from a lantern on the table, there was only a white porcelain plate, which held thinly sliced meat that looked even more vivid than raw, a pinkish hue so endearing it almost seemed a pity to eat it.
Still, he picked up a slice and placed it in his mouth, chewing carefully.
The meat... Initially, it tasted somewhat like cured meat, but further savoring revealed that it lacked the greasiness of cured meat, instead being exceptionally clean and tender. The meat seemed to have been cooked without any seasonings, yet naturally embodied a full spectrum of flavors, filling his mouth with a refreshing fragrance.
Meng Yuhuai couldn’t figure out how the meat had been prepared. He put down his chopsticks and looked around, shaking his head in resignation.
He had searched the entire garden; where else could that girl be hiding?
"Xiaomai, won’t you come out?"
He called out loudly while glancing in the direction of the kitchen and suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure darting behind a large tree. Then, Hua Xiaomai slowly emerged.
...
Today at Daoxiang Garden, Hua Xiaomai had truly been busy all day long. Except for a trip home at noon to feed Little Walnut, she had been holed up in the kitchen. Only when the afternoon was well underway and she estimated Meng Yuhuai was about to return did she sneak back home to wash up and change her clothes.
