The Yi family’s ancestors had been palace medicinal cuisine chefs for generations and were considered peerless in the industry. The middle-aged man might have accepted the remarks if someone with Chinese medicine knowledge evaluated the soup, but she was just a teenager.
The middle-aged man looked a little angry.
Even though she was Young Master Min Yu’s guest, did she have to keep finding fault in everything?
The middle-aged man was about to speak, but Old Mr. Yi suddenly walked in with a look of shock on his face.
“Tell me why I should add barley?” asked Old Mr. Yi, looking straight at Huo Yao with subtle excitement in his voice.
Huo Yao looked at the old man. He was in an apron and wore oversleeves. He was probably the person whom Min Yu had mentioned about.
Huo Yao turned her eyes to the bowl of soup placed on the table.
She said in a soft voice, “Barley has slightly cooling effects, so it can offset the warmth of the other ingredients in the dish. Although barley is common in comparison to the other ingredients you used, a medicinal dish is all about pharmacology. Despite how common certain Chinese medicines are, they are really effective once properly paired.”
When Huo Yao finished talking, Old Mr. Yi felt so agitated that he staggered. If he had not been holding onto the table, he would have tripped over.
The middle-aged man spotted something amiss with him and hurried over to help him up. He looked at Huo Yao and disregarded Min Yu’s presence.
In a harsh voice, he said, “What would a little girl know about pharmacology?”
The man inhaled deeply. He could no longer suppress his fury and shouted. “Do you know how long Old Mr. Yi has been studying pharmacology for? His family has been in the medicinal cuisine industry for generations. No one has ever criticized his dishes for being poorly concocted!”
Huo Yao glanced at him indifferently and replied. “If I were a 70 year old Chinese medicine physician telling you that, would you then take me seriously enough?”
The man instantly froze after hearing her argument but muttered two seconds later. “You’re being unreasonable.”
Zhuo Yun was worried that they might get into a fight if this continued. He hurriedly stepped in and said, “Miss Huo was just talking generally. She means no harm, so please don’t take it to heart.”
The middle-aged man sneered. “Stop talking if you don’t know better.”
Min Yu frowned. He looked at the middle-aged man coldly and said, “Do you mean youngsters don’t have a right to speak freely?”
It did not occur to the middle-aged man that Min Yu would suddenly intervene. Also, he was clearly on Huo Yao’s side. The man’s face flushed in sheer awkwardness.
Considering Min Yu’s status, the man turned his head and said softly after some time, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have been so blunt.”
Despite his apology, he did not think he was wrong.
Min Yu saw Huo Yao’s indifference. It was tough to perceive whether she was angry or not, but the atmosphere had been completely ruined.
“Sorry,” he said softly.
Huo Yao looked up when she heard Min Yu’s apology. She shrugged and replied nonchalantly. “It’s okay. It’s just my opinion, not everyone will accept it.”
Min Yu looked at Old Mr. Yi who was still in a daze. He stood up.
