Gourmet: The Master Chef Just Wants to Leisurely Set Up a Stall - Chapter 45

Geng Mingyan’s eyes were red and swollen, clearly from crying.

“It’s nothing, you’re making a fuss. Let’s just get to work,” she deflected Hou Guihua’s concern with a forced smile while continuing to prepare the rice batter without missing a beat.

“Did that bastard Zhou Mingliang bully you? I’ll go find him!” Hou Guihua wiped her sleeves and turned to leave, but Geng Mingyan quickly held her back.

“Guihua, I’m fine, you don’t need to worry about me. We’re at work.”

“If I don’t care, who will? Is it that Zhou Mingliang? Don’t be afraid, Old Geng, I’ll stand up for you. The two of us can take him down!”

Hou Guihua was still furious, ready to confront Geng Mingyan’s husband, Zhou Mingliang, who worked on the construction site.

“It’s just a small thing! You know me, I’m like this—narrow-minded and prone to crying,” Geng Mingyan held onto Hou Guihua tightly, refusing to let her go.

“I know you too well—soft-hearted, always being the good person getting taken advantage of!”

“Guihua, it’s really not…”

“Then what is it? Tell me properly. Don’t say not to worry; if I don’t, you’ll be muddled again!” Hou Guihua insisted, hands on her hips.

“…It was about the past again. We argued last night over something trivial, I brought up old issues, and he accused me of doing so. It led to another argument over that issue—really nothing more,” Geng Mingyan spoke weakly, clearly lacking the energy to elaborate.

“What right does he have to accuse you of bringing up old issues? He can’t control himself, yet blames you! And you, why did you let him fool you in the first place? If he wants to fool around outside, let him stay out there! When your shop was doing so well, why couldn’t you see past this?”

“How many times has this happened? He’s just a heartless scoundrel, clueless trash! Is he worth it? If he had any conscience, he wouldn’t say such things!”

Hou Guihua’s rant about Geng Mingyan continued as Zhao Xiaojing quietly stepped aside, retrieving Hou Guihua’s bun-making board. She took out the risen dough and began rolling out the wrappers.

“Guihua, stop it. Xiao Zhao is young; how will she marry after hearing all this? Go roll your dough—Xiao Zhao’s already started for you.”

Despite feeling down, Geng Mingyan noticed Zhao Xiaojing helping on the side. As an outsider, Hou Guihua felt indignant but, reminded by Geng Mingyan, hurried over to make buns.

“Sorry, Xiao Zhao, I got too angry and had you working for me—it’s really not fair…”

“No worries, Sister Hou. I’m just practicing. Sister Hou is quite chivalrous.”

“Sigh, what chivalry? I’m mad at Sister Geng for not standing up for herself!

You’re not one to pick fights! You’re so kind; if you could truly let it go, why argue over it after so long? If you can’t get over it yet continue with him, life becomes twisted!”

As Hou Guihua continued venting, she turned to scold Geng Mingyan, who remained silent.

“Your Sister Geng is kind-hearted to a fault but too soft. She suffers silently and never speaks up. I’m fiery and impulsive because if I weren’t, she’d bottle everything up! If I didn’t stand up for her, she’d end up hurting herself while benefitting others,” Hou Guihua explained to Zhao Xiaojing as Geng Mingyan remained quiet.

Caught by the heavy mood, Zhao Xiaojing glanced at Geng Mingyan, who continued working.

“Sister Hou, I’ll help Sister Geng—let her rest a bit.”

“Alright, alright, go ahead.”

Zhao Xiaojing put down the dough wrappers, wiped her hands, and approached Geng Mingyan.

“Sister Geng, you didn’t sleep well, did you? Let me handle this; you should rest.”

Without waiting for a response, Zhao Xiaojing took the knife from Geng Mingyan and began chopping scallions and ginger.

“Oh, Xiao Zhao! This isn’t right—I feel bad letting you do this when you still need to learn buns from Old Hou…”

“Xiao Zhao means well and cares about you. Look at your swollen eyes—take a seat and rest. Come back for frying the rice cakes and youtiao later!”

Coaxed by both Hou Guihua and Zhao Xiaojing, Geng Mingyan finally relented. She didn’t go rest but stood aside watching Zhao Xiaojing work.

After finishing the scallion and ginger, Zhao Xiaojing mixed them into the rice batter. Recalling Geng Mingyan’s steps for making rice cakes, she seasoned the batter with salt and pepper powder as usual, stirring evenly.

“Guihua, you always tell me to be decisive and divorce. Your husband left early, and you have no children; it’s different for me—you wouldn’t understand.

Not to mention other things, he’s the kids’ father and treats them genuinely well. He only keeps a few hundred yuan from his salary for himself—the rest goes to me. He covers the kids’ tutoring, expenses, food, clothing—everything. The kids depend on him and need their dad.

You might say there are plenty of men out there and I could remarry. But would remarriage mean having another child with someone else or hoping they treat my kids as their own?”

Seeing Zhao Xiaojing managing smoothly, Geng Mingyan paused before calmly addressing Hou Guihua.

“You always have a point! Sounds nice—why were you crying today? If you’ve truly figured it out, why bring up old issues? If Zhou Mingliang is indeed so good that he’s beyond reproach, why bring it up?”

Hou Guihua retorted sharply.

“Who’s perfect in this world? Neither of us is—we can’t expect others to be. I’m wrestling with myself, angry for being stubborn back then—for running a shop in Hecheng instead of coming here sooner to build a life together…”

Hearing this while cutting dough strips with chopsticks, Zhao Xiaojing paused momentarily.

In her past life, after her divorce and spousal abuse, she constantly reflected on her inadequacies, blaming herself for not reading signals or avoiding pitfalls…

Women often slip into self-blame as victims, accustomed to compromising as men’s appendages.

But this mindset isn’t right. Whether seeking a better marriage or life, compromise suppresses one’s true desires for another’s fulfillment.

Others won’t respect or appreciate your sacrifices. Lowering boundaries results in lesser outcomes.

“It’s his fault—he’s shameless!”

Startled by Hou Guihua’s outburst, Zhao Xiaojing’s chopstick hand trembled, dropping the chopsticks.