…It was now the afternoon, during which there were not so many customers around, so Ye Xiaoxian was finally free to have her meal.
After Xiao Baoshan came back home, Little Five, Little Six and Xian began arranging the table while Ye Xiaoxian brought over the last course.
Seeing that Xiao Baoshan had come home, Li Hongmei asked him to join them immediately.
Xiao Baoshan sat down next to Ye Xiaoxian subconsciously but Ye Xiaoxian did not look at him.
Due to the heavy steaming grease in the kitchen Ye Xiaoxian had been sweating a lot and her hair was sticking to her face. She wiped it up with her sleeves and after that her dainty little face looked rather fair.
Xiao Baoshan could not help but feel dearly sorry for Ye Xiaoxian. She was kept busy in the kitchen all day long so she must have been exhausted.
Xiao Baoshan had also heard that it was not healthy to inhale too much grease and so many cooks would end up suffering from consumption after years of working in the kitchen.
Xiao Baoshan was then considering how he should improve the working conditions for Ye Xiaoxian in the kitchen.
Since there were many people present Xiao Baoshan felt it was not proper to give Ye Xiaoxian her present right now so he hid it away and start eating the meal.
As he expected, Ye Xiaoxian’s cooking was indeed the best and he had eaten four bowls of rice in a row which made Little Five, Little Six and Xian exclaim in awe.
Fortunately Sister Ye’s husband was employed at the dock and if he stayed at home I wonder if he would make Sister Ye broke from eating that much.
…Xiao Baoshan still had not found an opportunity to give the bangle to Ye Xiaoxian.
Ye Xiaoxian just took a rest in the hall after having lunch.
The time for the diners to come and eat was not fixed so she had to stay here and be ready to go back in the kitchen to cook at anytime.
Little Five and the other two hands were also taking a rest in the hall, and only Li Hongmei and Xiao Baozhu went back to their room. Seeing that there was no chance to give Ye Xiaoxian her present, Xiao Baoshan then went to the kitchen alone.
He took a good look at the kitchen, noting the position of the air intake and the air outlet and found that there was no air circulation between them, so it was no wonder that there was so much grease here. In order to let the grease out, the design of the kitchen had to be improved.
Although Xiao Baoshan was not known for his articulation he was good at fixing things, especially doing so quietly. He began to work on it the moment he discovered the problems. He would occasionally pound there and thump here. He tore up something and then fixed something else and it did not take even two hours before he had improved the air ventilation in the kitchen.
When Ye Xiaoxian and Xian came in they found the kitchen lit up and well ventilated as Xiao Baoshan was winding up his work. Ye Xiaoxian’s attitude towards Xiao Baoshan then began to thaw and, meanwhile, she thought, ‘Although we’re a couple existing in name only, it’s good to have a man around to help me to do some work after all.’
However, Xiao Baoshan still had not got a chance to give her the bangle.
Once Ye Xiaoxian got back to the kitchen she began busying herself. There was a table of customers waiting for their dinner and when she started being busy she overlooked Xiao Baoshan who dared not disturb her at that moment.
So he had no option but to go back to his room and take a rest, hoping that he could give it to her in the evening.
Still, Ye Xiaoxian was also busy in the evening and was not free until late at night, so she was again exhausted. She washed up quickly and then went to bed.
…At noon, Young Master Zhang went for lunch with Skinny and Fatty again. Skinny and Fatty had found out that the cook of “The Xiao’s Cuisine” was called Ye Xiaoxian and her husband was a keeper of the dock and used to be a handyman in the government office.
Hearing the words “a keeper of the dock” Young Master Zhang then felt that he had a good chance. Keepers of the dock looked fierce but they were nobody in terms of social class and could only be bossy in the district around the dock.
But who was this Young Master Zhang? His pa was the constable who managed all the attendants and handymen working for the government office.
Young Master Zhang was short though, and with his pa as his backer he always harassed and flirted with women in the town. His watchword was: I’m short physically but my charisma makes me look seven feet high.
The reason that Young Master Zhang decided to flirt with women was because he was so short as a little boy that others always teased him by saying he could never find himself a wife. He was not happy about it and swore that he would get involved with two hundred pretty women in order to prove his charm.
Young Master Zhang had now singled out Ye Xiaoxian.
“The Xiao’s Cuisine” had somehow made a name for itself mainly because Lord Liu and Liu Qianqian always dropped by, but Young Master Zhang found it so trivial as to be overlooked.
Lord Liu’s job was merely a sinecure and he seldom came out to manage things, and besides, Young Master Zhang was convinced that he himself was a charming man. He did not support violent assault but believed that he could win a woman’s heart using his charisma.
Fatty asked Young Master Zhang, “Young Master Zhang, how are you going to win this chef lady?”
Young Master Zhang tried to put on an “evil but charming” smile, but it was only he himself who did not know how disgusting it was.
“Just my old plan, giving them money and gifts.”
Skinny echoed him right away. “You’re just so simple and direct, Young Master Zhang, every woman loves it.”
Young Master Zhang then shouted to Li Hongmei, “The old wifey there, come here.”
“…” Li Hongmei did not realize that he was calling to her for a while.
Old wifey? Heh, never mind, I shouldn’t stoop to their level and after all, all the customers here are our lords.
Li Hongmei put on a smile and walked in front of Young Master Zhang. “Sir, what would you like to order?”
Young Master Zhang immediately fished out three silver ingots, placed them on the table loudly and said cockily, “Ask your cook to come here and I’ll ask her what she can cook.”
Li Hongmei found that these three looked rather strange and recalled that they were the same gang from yesterday, so she smiled. “Our chef is busy right now cooking dishes and I’m afraid she’s not free to come here. Why don’t you sirs tell me what you would like to eat and I’ll deliver your order to her. Is that alright?”
However, Young Master Zhang said in a cold voice. “Who the hell are you? Hurry up and ask her to come out or I’ll sit here all day and have your business ruined.”
Li Hongmei could only go to the kitchen and tell Ye Xiaoxian. “Little Ye, those three short, fat and skinny men have come here again today and are asking for you to serve them. I can tell that they’re up to no good and may do something nasty to you, but Baoshan has already gone to the dock, so shall I go to the government office to look for your elder and third uncles…”
“Have they said something?” asked Ye Xiaoxian.
“They haven’t said much but insist to see you in person or they’ll occupy the table and spoil our business.”
Ye Xiaoxian sneered. She had been a chef for so many years and witnessed numerous unreasonable and nasty customers so she put down her spatula and said to Li Hongmei, “Ma, help me to cook this dish and I’ll go out.”
“Be careful, little Ye,” said Li Hongmei perturbed.
“Don’t worry, Ma, I’ll be fine!”
…Just as Ye Xiaoxian went out she spotted Young Master Zhang and his gang. Those three sitting together was such a sight and it would be hard not to notice them.
She wore a little smile on her lips and walked towards them. “I heard that you sirs are looking for me?”
Seeing Ye Xiaoxian come, Young Master Zhang immediately gave her his “evil and charming” smile and then put his hand on the table, tapping it beside the three silver ingots.
Ye Xiaoxian saw the three silver ingots on the table and immediately judged that the one seated here was a pretentious jerk.