CHAPTER 606: EPISODE 323: WHO WAS THE MASTER?

What... "methods"?

Hua Xiaomai was slightly startled, and she quickly looked toward Wang Tonghe, only to see the elder looking at her with a smile that was not quite a smile.

"Hmm... You’re asking about the origins of how this noodle dish is made?" she said uncertainly, pursing her lips slightly, "Well, this is just something I came up with in my free time. I was only thinking about making it delicious, without being too particular about it, and I didn’t follow any specific ’methods’—Why, is it not to your taste? That’s easy to fix. I can make something different for you..."

Wang Tonghe waved his hand, cutting her off, "That’s not what I’m asking about."

"Then what..." Hua Xiaomai became even more puzzled and couldn’t help but glance at Wang Zhanrui, only to see that he was equally bemused.

However, the elder seemed to have shifted his attention elsewhere, taking a look around before saying out of the blue, "May I... take a look in your kitchen?"

At this, not only Hua Xiaomai and the admiring Master Tan by her side, but even Wang Zhanrui, were taken aback.

His father, perhaps because of his years spent cooking, seemed to have completely lost interest in anything related to the kitchen after retreating to live quietly in the mountains.

The family had lived in the mountain for over a decade; in their daily life, Wang Tonghe would avoid cooking if he could, leaving the responsibility of the two meals a day to his wife. Although he taught his son the culinary arts with great care, he himself rarely cooked a single dish throughout the year, which often led his wife to complain that he had cooked for diners all his life, yet his own family had not enjoyed any of the benefits.

Since returning to Lingquan Prefecture and having time on his hands, Zhanrui had briefly shared with Wang Zhanrui his current situation, inevitably mentioning Hua Xiaomai, praising her for her culinary skills, especially remarkable given her young age and being a woman.

He hadn’t expected that his words would immediately pique Wang Tonghe’s interest, leading a man who hadn’t left his seclusion in the mountains for many years to now request to visit Daoxiang Garden with him. That would have been sufficient, yet what was more peculiar was that today, after years of indifference to the kitchen, as soon as he arrived at Daoxiang Garden and hardly sat down, he wanted to head straight to the kitchen!

What on earth was going on?

Full of confusion, Wang Zhanrui brooded over it silently, while on the other side, Hua Xiaomai was equally stunned, momentarily unsure of how to respond.

"Is it inconvenient?" Wang Tonghe asked with a slight smile as his gaze swept across her face, "Well, I understand that the kitchen is the heart of a restaurant, and it’s natural to be reluctant to let outsiders in. I was presumptuous. Don’t trouble yourself over it, young lady."

"No, no, no, that’s not what I meant at all," Hua Xiaomai hurriedly shook her head.

What a joke! The world-renowned Divine Chef Wang Tonghe wanted to visit her kitchen for inspection, and if he was in a good mood, he might even cook a dish or two, or give her some pointers. She wasn’t foolish; how could she let such an amazing opportunity slip by?

"If you want to take a look in the kitchen, I would be more than delighted; I’m thrilled by the offer," she said with a bright smile, guiding Wang Tonghe toward the kitchen. Being somewhat nervous, she stumbled over her words as she turned back to the others in the main hall, "The rest of you... don’t just stand there, finish your noodles and get back to work—Mother, take Walnut home soon, lest he gets scared by the influx of customers at the shop."

After speaking, she and Wang Tonghe stepped into the kitchen, followed closely by Wang Zhanrui, Master Tan, and Zhou Yunyun.

...

The kitchen of Daoxiang Garden was meticulously furnished.

Blue stone slabs made up the floor, with tight joints for easy cleaning, preventing oil stains from seeping through the gaps;

The range was spacious, not feeling cramped even with three people working simultaneously;

All kinds of fresh meats and vegetables were arranged according to Hua Xiaomai’s instructions, with knives used for preparing cooked foods never to touch raw meats...

This wasn’t an excessively luxurious kitchen, even somewhat overly simple, but its practicality and convenience were beyond question.

Wang Tonghe strolled leisurely through the room, examining each kitchen utensil in turn and afterward, turned back to Hua Xiaomai with a benevolent smile.

"When I was a chef in my early years, I worked in many different restaurants. Your Daoxiang Garden kitchen is the most comfortable and convenient one I have seen," he spoke in a calm tone, his voice fading to a whisper before suddenly changing the subject, "May I ask whom you apprenticed under?"

Hua Xiaomai’s heart skipped a beat.