CHAPTER 608: EPISODE 324 LEARN OR NOT

Rumors, those things that run the fastest without legs, only grow larger and more embellished as they’re spread around, swelling like a snowball with all manner of fanciful details, making them hard to disbelieve.

It was only to be expected, after all; the young wife in Fire Knife Village with the surname Meng, a mere slip of a girl, already possessed remarkable culinary skills. She had held a banquet for scholars and opened Daoxiang Garden. Even the Sauce Garden, which she hardly managed hands-on, was said to produce sauces superior to others—under the heavens, apart from Wang Tonghe, who else could have trained such a disciple?

Everyone entertained this very thought, and when discussing with others, they added a touch of conviction, as if what they said could not possibly be wrong. Within just three to five days, the topic was the buzz of the entire town.

At first, Hua Xiaomai didn’t take the matter to heart, hoping that once people had their fill of gossip and lost interest, the topic would naturally fade away. In her spare time, she even jokingly said to Wang Tonghe, "Since the rumors outside are so vivid, why don’t you just teach me a trick or two, and we can make these rumors a reality?"

Back then, she saw the whole thing as a joke, but as time went on, she noticed that not only did the rumors not dissipate, they seemed to be getting worse.

One evening, Hua Xiaomai was busy preparing dinner in the kitchen, while Old Mother Meng played with Little Walnut in the yard. Meng Yuhuai hurried back with Laohu, and upon entering the courtyard, he didn’t embrace his son as usual, but went straight into the kitchen. Pulling on Hua Xiaomai’s wrist, he blurted out, "You couldn’t possibly be Wang Tonghe’s disciple, could you?"

Still clutching her spatula, Hua Xiaomai laughed at his sudden question and reached out to touch his forehead, "Have you lost your mind? It’s just foolish talk from outside. How could you take it seriously? Lately, Old Master Wang has been coming and going from our shop, and you’ve heard it too—he himself said that he had no interest in taking on disciples, that he wouldn’t teach anyone else his cooking skills besides Wang Zhanrui. So why are you asking me now?"

"I remember that, of course," Meng Yuhuai replied, nodding with a frown.

With a grave face, he continued, "Just before I came back, I went to Daoxiang Garden. Old Master Wang was sipping tea in a private room, and I asked him again. He indeed said that he hadn’t met you before. But... now almost everyone in Fuzhe County, even throughout Tong’an Prefecture, seems convinced that you are his direct disciple, and they’ve been spreading the word like wildfire..."

"So what?" Hua Xiaomai retorted, nonchalantly pulling her hand away and stirring the vegetables in the pan, "The mouth is on their face; if they want to say such things, can I cover their mouths? Besides, I’ve never used Old Master Wang’s name to deceive anyone. I just do my business honestly. Such groundless rumors will get boring after a while, and then..."

Meng Yuhuai, looking very serious, pulled her over and pressed down on her shoulder, saying in a deep voice, "Zhao Laoye came to the Escort Agency today in high spirits, saying that it’s a great occasion for Old Master Wang to suddenly appear in Fuzhe County after years away, a joyous event for the culinary community. He has taken the lead, gathered all the chefs in the county and planned a banquet at Chunfeng Restaurant three days from now. He insists that Wang Tonghe and you must attend."

"Ah?" Hua Xiaomai was startled, and after a moment, she foolishly asked, "Even I’m invited too?"

"What else?" Meng Yuhuai tapped her on the head lightly, "They’re convinced you’re Wang Tonghe’s disciple, and they’ll need to work with you in Fuzhe County’s culinary world in the future. How could they invite the master and not the disciple? Anyway, I’ve already delivered the invitation to Old Master Wang, but as for you..."

Hua Xiaomai was too agitated to listen to him finish his sentence. A thought struck her immediately—things had gotten out of hand!

Hadn’t Zhao Laoye and the others even thought it through? If she were truly Wang Tonghe’s disciple, all she would have had to do was announce her master’s resounding name, and countless restaurants would have been clamoring to have her as their head chef, easily earning a good sum of money. Why would she endure the hardships of running a food stall by the river and save up to open a restaurant? Wasn’t that just asking for trouble?

Now, Zhao Laoye and the others had already sent out the invitations. If she didn’t go, it would inevitably be seen as arrogant and disrespectful, but if she brazenly showed up with Wang Tonghe at the banquet...