In Fire Knife Village and throughout Fuzhe County, the old folks prefer to celebrate their birthdays according to the custom of "celebrating the ninth but not the tenth," which is believed to be because "nine" sounds like "longevity" in Chinese, while "ten" implies that perfect completion invites decay.
When Hua Xiaomai first arrived in Fire Knife Village, strictly speaking, she couldn't be considered a real cook, just an apprentice at most. Back then, preparing a banquet was a tremendous affair for her, necessitating full dedication and effort.
However, after spending more time in the trade, she gradually got the knack of it.
In fact, the most difficult patrons for a restaurant to please were always the discriminating gourmets. Having seen and tasted a lot, they could instantly critique every dish presented to them, easily noticing even a minor misstep in seasoning and not hesitating to comment, or worse, to scold vehemently if they were particularly bad-tempered.
