Chef Hua
Chapter 107 - 77: Talk Reasonably_2

Chapter 107: Chapter 77: Talk Reasonably_2

"Okay, I’ll remember that," Hua Xiaomai obediently agreed and then turned back to persuade her stepmother earnestly to stay at home. After changing into clean clothes, she followed Jing Taihe out the door.

...

The village chief’s home was situated on the east side of Fire Knife Village, identifiable by a large pomegranate tree planted in front of it. Leading Hua Xiaomai, Jing Taihe hurried there, stopping outside the gate, where he couldn’t resist giving her another reminder.

Actually, Hua Xiaomai was already fuming inside, wishing she could drag that old village chief out and shake him violently, asking him, "Have you gone mad, have you gone mad?" But she knew she had to keep her cool.

After all, who held the speaking power in this village? Life in the world, no matter the era or place, inevitably involves compromises, but these so-called "compromises" also must have a baseline.

She could speak mildly and make concessions with the village chief, and if he had any requests that weren’t too excessive, she might agree depending on the situation. But his forbidding her to set up a stall was unacceptable.

Taking a deep breath outside the courtyard, she stepped through the gate behind Jing Taihe and immediately saw an old man sitting in a wicker chair, squinting at the sun.

The old man seemed to be in his fifties or sixties, his face as wrinkled as a walnut, bathed in the morning sun, yet he appeared quite content.

Indeed, the spring sun felt comforting on the skin, almost embarrassingly pleasant, making her somewhat reluctant to disturb his tranquility!

Hua Xiaomai scoffed softly, just about to speak, when she saw Jing Taihe gesturing to her and then began, somewhat uneasily, "Mr. Liu, I..."

The old man suddenly opened his eyes as if dazzled by the sun, staring at him for a long while, as if only then recognizing who he was, and abruptly sat up straight, sighing, "Taihe, what brings you here again? Didn’t we clarify everything last time? Or is there still something you can’t quite grasp?"

Jing Taihe opened his mouth but before he could reply, Hua Xiaomai peered over his shoulder and smiled at the elderly village chief, "Mr. Liu, sorry to disturb you, it was my brother-in-law who brought me along."

"You?" Mr. Liu stared at her for a long moment but did not engage her in conversation, instead turning his head to ask Jing Taihe, "Ah, this is your sister-in-law, isn’t it? She’s been in our village for a while now? I heard she’s the one running that stall by the river? Alas, I understand your dissatisfaction, but I am helpless here, the villagers have great objections! Look at my age, how many years do I have left? Please, let me have some peace!"

"That’s not it, Mr. Liu, I’ve thought it over carefully, and honestly, I don’t see how our little noise could bother anyone, you see..." Jing Taihe, who typically was not talkative, now seemed particularly tongue-tied, rubbing his hands anxiously.

"Tsk, are you saying I’ve wrongly accused you?" Mr. Liu’s expression still seemed amiable, but his words left no room for objection, "Our families bear no grudges, why would I make things difficult for you? People come complaining to me, I can’t just ignore it, right? You can pursue other forms of livelihood, I have to mediate all sorts of things here in the village, it’s not easy for me either!"

He hadn’t spoken much, yet every sentence sounded like a complaint. Hua Xiaomai rolled her eyes internally, still smiling, "Mr. Liu, may I ask who exactly we are disturbing by setting up our stall by the river? I’d like to go and apologize in person, maybe..."

To her surprise, Mr. Liu continued to treat her as if she were invisible, only addressing Jing Taihe, "Taihe, how can your sister-in-law be so clueless? If I told you who it was, wouldn’t that breed resentment between you two? We live in the same village, we need to look out for each other and make concessions, don’t we? Only then can we live peacefully, don’t you think?"

Hua Xiaomai raised an eyebrow.

Ignoring her? Fine, as long as he could hear her, that was enough.

"Mr. Liu, you say living in the same village requires making concessions to each other, but why is it only us who must make concessions for others? You’ve only heard one side of the story and already you’re asking us not to run our stall anymore, do you really know how much noise we make each night? Actually, this is simple, you could just come with us to the river, stand in front of a few neighboring homes, and let me speak loudly from where I usually set up my stall. If you can hear clearly what I’m saying, then indeed we are being too noisy. How about that?"

Mr. Liu looked impatiently at her for the first time, "In the daylight, there are all kinds of noises everywhere, but at night, it’s much quieter, how can you compare the two?"

Hua Xiaomai pressed her lips together in a smile, "No problem, then we can go at night."

"...I’m old, my ears don’t work well."

"That’s not a problem, we can ask your son, daughter-in-law, and grandchild to join you, or perhaps some villagers could help out, that would work."

"You!" Mr. Liu was thoroughly angered, slamming his hand on the armrest of the wicker chair, "You young lady, why are you so tiresomely persistent? I’m old, my arms and legs aren’t what they used to be, I don’t have the energy to indulge your folly!"

Hua Xiaomai smiled again, "I just think, you being the village chief and always most just in your dealings, this method is simple and cost-effective. It would show your fairness and impartiality if you gave it a try... do you truly not even want to try?" (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to give it a recommendation ticket or monthly ticket at Qidian.com (qidian.com) Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)