Chef Hua
Chapter 219: Episode 134 Are You Willing?

Chapter 219: Episode 134 Are You Willing?

Once past the city gate of Fuzhe County, there was the official road. Although it was spacious, there were no streetlights in that era. At night, everything around was engulfed in darkness with heavy shadows of trees, which looked somewhat intimidating.

Meng Yuhuai put all his belongings on the horse’s back. It was he who had offered to escort Hua Xiaomai back to the village, yet he still walked five steps ahead of her in silence, just as before. Hua Xiaomai followed behind him, also not in the mood to speak, so she simply lowered her head and kept walking forward.

Now and then, the hooting of an owl came from the woods and whether it was a grasshopper or a cricket in the deep grass by the roadside, their cries were heart-wrenching. Other than that, there were only the rhythmic "clop clop" sounds of horseshoes striking the hard road, which somehow made the surroundings feel even more silent.

Long ago, Meng Yuhuai had also escorted Hua Xiaomai back to Fire Knife Village. On that journey, she had chattered incessantly, asking questions that left him unsure how to respond, forcing him to sharply tell her to shut up. However, today, with the girl so quiet behind him, he actually found it a bit unsettling. He looked back at her, stopped, and waited where he stood.

After leaving Lianshun Escort Agency, Hua Xiaomai’s thoughts circled back to the recent events in Provincial City. She didn’t notice that the person in front had stopped. She kept walking with her eyes downcast and suddenly "bang," her forehead struck hard against something. Looking up, she saw it was the saddle on the big black horse.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch..." She gasped in pain, hastily reaching to rub her forehead. Meng Yuhuai stood in front of her, his brows suddenly furrowing, his fingers twitching as if he wanted to touch her head but ultimately, he pulled back, clicking his tongue and said, "What are you thinking, not watching where you’re going?"

"No. " Hua Xiaomai thought to herself, I’m already seriously hurt, can’t you say something gentle to make me feel better? She glanced at him and said exasperatedly, "Why did you stop suddenly?"

Meng Yuhuai paused and softened his tone a bit, "... I wanted to ask you, how have things been in Provincial City these past days? The Eight Treasures Conference..."

"Enough already, Uncle Ke just finished interrogating me, and now you too?" Hua Xiaomai waved her hand dismissively and said, "In short, Boss Song’s Taoyuan House took the top spot at the Eight Treasures Conference. I, after much thought, ultimately decided not to make a living there and so, here I am back here."

"Was there some trouble?" Meng Yuhuai looked her over.

Hua Xiaomai pushed him slightly, gesturing for him to keep walking, and didn’t answer his question. She fell silent for a moment, then sighed, "I always thought that being a chef was simply about making a dish perfectly, making both oneself and others find no fault, and if the diner is happy, then it was enough. But in reality, is anything that straightforward? As long as you are in business, as long as there are transactions involving silver coins, you inevitably get tangled up with ’interests.’ Even the simplest things become complicated. Someone like me, even if I earned more money at Taoyuan House, it wouldn’t make me happy. Rather, I prefer to stay honestly with my sister and her husband, at least, they genuinely care for me."

It wasn’t clear whether she was speaking to Meng Yuhuai or comforting herself.

Even though she couldn’t get over this hurdle in her heart, missing out on such an opportunity to lead the kitchen at Taoyuan House still felt somewhat regrettable.

Meng Yuhuai walked the horse next to her, his brow furrowing even more as he turned to look at her, "What exactly happened?"

"I can’t say! " Hua Xiaomai waved her hand at him, half-joking with a laugh, "If I told, I might be hunted down!"

"Do you think anyone could harm even a hair on your head?" Meng Yuhuai seemed to take her seriously, said sternly.

Hua Xiaomai glanced at him and saw his dark eyes still shining in the night, as if harboring two stars, his expression utterly serious. Her heart skipped a beat. She clicked her teeth against her lips, not saying a word.

Unable to find more to say, they simply continued walking quietly.

Not far from the official road, scattered graves occasionally had so-called "ghost fires" dancing on the grave mounds. Unconsciously, Hua Xiaomai looked around and just caught sight of a greenish glow with a long tail moving swiftly behind a large tree. She was startled, stumbled slightly, and nearly fell. Meng Yuhuai, quick as ever, grabbed her hand and securely steadied her.