Chef Hua
Chapter 101 - 74 Who is that person_2

Chapter 101: Chapter 74 Who is that person_2

"No," Hua Xiaomai shook her head.

She had also been startled by the sudden sound just now, but she quickly calmed down.

Although there were many trees along the riverbank, and the shadows flickered as far as the eye could see, the place was always bustling with people, and since it was a necessary path to reach various parts of the village, anyone with ill intentions would hardly dare to act recklessly here.

Moreover, if Meng Yuhuai was qualified to be the Leader, his fists should be something to reckon with... right?

With this thought, she breathed a sigh of relief, looked up with a smile, and said, "My second sister accompanies me here every day, and there are plenty of people from the village who come to eat. How could we run into any trouble? Look, don’t you see that I even have a stick with me? If anyone dares to come here and cause trouble, I’ll beat them up just like I did with Fatty Wei!"

"Ah?" Wen Huaren immediately raised his eyebrows in surprise when he heard this. "I’ve heard people say that there was a girl who beat up the chef from the county at the doorway of Jiufang, making him unrecognizable. Was that you, Xiaomai?"

Hua Xiaomai proudly jutted her chin, "Who else could it be? So you see, you better think carefully. If you dare to come to my stand and eat and drink without paying, it won’t come cheaply!"

"I’ve said before that I’ve never freeloaded, why must you mention it time and again..." Scholar Wen was quite annoyed, but he couldn’t bring himself to use harsh words, and could only shake his head and sigh repeatedly.

However, Meng Yuhuai did not appear as lighthearted as the two of them. His gaze swept sharply across the woods once more, and without further discussion, he put down his chopsticks and stood up. He first asked Scholar Wen, "Are you done eating yet?" and then turned to Hua Xiaomai: "There haven’t really been any customers coming out for noodles today. I think you should just pack up your stand. I’m heading back to the county and will take the western exit from the village. Hurry up and pack, I’ll give you a lift on my way."

"Isn’t that... a bit unnecessary?" Hua Xiaomai looked up at him, "Who knows, in a little while, when families come out for a walk, they might still be interested in eating something at my little stall. Leaving now, they’ll think I’m just being lazy today! It was just a noise after all. Maybe someone lost their way, or a cat has snuck in. It doesn’t necessarily mean..."

"Stop the nonsense, pack up quickly." Meng Yuhuai would not let her ramble on, and with a light rebuke, he turned his back to her and said no more, making it clear there was no room for negotiation.

Hua Xiaomai had no choice but to mutter under her breath and pack up all her belongings, following Meng Yuhuai to the west side of the village.

The number of people on the road was still sparse. Meng Yuhuai led the horse in front, while Hua Xiaomai pushed her pile of belongings, trailing five or six steps behind him. They didn’t speak much along the way.

Since she was typically talkative and Meng Yuhuai was naturally reserved, both remained silent. As time passed, they started to feel uncomfortable.

After a while, Meng Yuhuai suddenly turned back, cleared his throat, and said in a low voice, "Don’t set up your stand for the next couple of days unless it’s necessary, and try to stay indoors as it gets dark. After all, missing a day or two of business is not a big deal."

His words seemed to come out of nowhere, causing Hua Xiaomai to feel apprehensive. She pursed her lips and said, "Meng Family’s big brother, did something happen? Why are you suddenly... "

"It’s also because of those footsteps just now, I remembered some things I heard today in the county. I won’t tell you more, don’t meddle in unnecessary matters. Just staying at home won’t be wrong," Meng Yuhuai quickly interrupted her.

"Tch, you make it sound so easy. You don’t rely on this for your living! If I don’t set up for a few days, that’s a few dozen or even a couple hundred copper coins less for me!" Hua Xiaomai muttered softly.

"Is money more important or is life?" Meng seemed a bit impatient as he glanced back at her, his expression also turning somewhat somber.

Fierce! Hua Xiaomai inwardly rolled her eyes fiercely and, noticing the small courtyard of the Jing Family just in front, hurriedly took a few quick steps and dashed forward to open the door with a swing.

Meng Yuhuai stood outside the door for a moment, and seeing her enter the yard, was about to take out his purse while saying, "I haven’t paid you for the bowl of noodles earlier..."

"All right!" Hua Xiaomai shook her head, "I clearly saw you were full and yet you forced yourself. It’s only four copper coins. Instead of giving them to me now, why don’t you bring your brothers from the Escort Agency to my stall another day to support my business? I’d be even happier with that."

"That is reasonable." Meng Yuhuai mused for a moment, then let his hand drop again and said with a stern face, "Then I’ll be heading back to the county. Make sure you lock the door and hurry back inside."

After a moment’s thought, he added, "If someone you don’t recognize comes knocking, you must not let them into the yard."

"Big Brother Meng, I’m not a three-year-old child anymore, I know what I’m doing!" Hua Xiaomai was almost amused to tears and waved him off, "You better hurry, or else you’ll miss the curfew!"

...

Hua Erniang and Jing Taihe didn’t return home until after the hai hour that evening. Hua Xiaomai, bored from waiting, went to sleep first and didn’t see them when they arrived. The next morning, as she came out of the west room, Hua Erniang grabbed her right away.

"Little sister, oh my, there’s trouble!" Hua Erniang’s face seemed as if she was facing a great enemy, yet for some reason, she appeared somewhat excited, which looked quite bizarre. "I heard that yesterday a prisoner escaped from the jail in the county. That man is guilty of all kinds of crimes like murder and looting, and he has a capital case on his back! This morning, when I heard about it, it scared me so much, my heart felt like it was about to jump out! What if he comes to our village, how terrible that would be!"

Hua Xiaomai suddenly widened her eyes, and she couldn’t help but think of the strange footsteps by the river the night before.

No... It couldn’t be such a coincidence, could it? She immediately felt a bit scared.

Dear heavens, thankfully Meng Yuhuai made a quick decision to force her to pack up and go home, otherwise, once he left, she would have been the only one left by the river... It was unthinkable!

Hua Erniang caught her breath and then continued, "Fortunately, the man was caught last night. It turned out he didn’t even make it out of the city and was found hiding in a small inn, caught red-handed! It was a false alarm, a false alarm indeed!"

Hua Xiaomai was left speechless, involuntarily rubbing her forehead.

Sister, can you speak without gasping for air?

It seems that Meng Yuhuai was so nervous last night probably because he thought the thief had come to Fire Knife Village. But... if it was as Hua Erniang said and the fugitive was captured in the city before he could escape, then whose footsteps were those in the woods last night? (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation ticket, monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)