Chef Hua
Chapter 333: Episode 190 Narrow Path_2

Chapter 333: Episode 190 Narrow Path_2

The statement was disheartening, and Hua Xiaomai truly disliked hearing it. She decisively turned her head, furrowed her brows, and pondered for a moment before quickly instructing the two men, "Ma Qiang, go back to Zhenwei Garden now and explain today’s events in detail to Master Lei. Have him arrange for some men to immediately make a trip to Qingping County—as Fuzhe County has already been taken by others, we can’t afford to neglect business in other areas. He Fusheng will stay with me in the county for a while longer, no matter the outcome, we still need to inquire at those restaurants and taverns, at least to put our minds at ease."

Ma Qiang acknowledged her command, and handed over all the sauce samples he was carrying to He Fusheng, then turned and ran off. He seemed to have a quick stride; he squeezed into the crowd and, in just a moment, disappeared without a trace.

Hua Xiaomai sighed quietly, then turned to He Fusheng and said, "Let’s go," before turning to look for another tavern.

...

After bustling about for most of the day, and merely grabbing a couple of snacks to fill their stomachs at noon, Hua Xiaomai and He Fusheng had visited nearly every eatery in the city, but to no avail.

Most of the various sized taverns and restaurants, nearly seven or eight out of ten, had signed contracts with West City’s "Wanji" Soy Garden, some lasting even up to six months, naturally leaving no possibility of collaborating with Zhenwei Garden. There were one or two small taverns, still untouched by Wanji’s "sweep," but clearly indicating that they only dealt in small businesses with tight budgets, using only cheap ingredients. When He Fusheng timidly took out those simple and charming little sauce jars and bottles, the shopkeeper simply shook his head and waved his hands, dismissing them with a single word: "Please."

Hua Xiaomai felt a stifling frustration as she watched the sun move westward while standing at the street corner, feeling somewhat lost.

How could that damn "Wanji" act so swiftly? Just a delay of two or three days and they leave nothing for anyone else!

What should we do now? Rush to West City and make a huge scene with Wanji’s owner, leaving them disheveled? Humph, she really did feel like doing just that, but firstly, they were legitimately doing business, who could blame you for being late? And secondly... it was just her and He Fusheng, what if they couldn’t overpower them?

Perhaps noticing her dark expression, He Fusheng felt somewhat intimidated and shrank to one side, daring not to make a sound, but standing around like that was obviously not solving anything. Having no other choice, he mustered up his courage and cautiously spoke, "Boss, we’ve checked every eatery in the city, maybe we should..."

Hua Xiaomai took a long breath from the bottom of her heart, glanced back at him, and replied, "Alright, it’s getting late, you go back first, I’ll go to Lianshun Escort Agency and return with Yuhuai. Once you’re at Zhenwei Garden, discuss today’s events with Master Lei, tell him I’ll find some time tomorrow afternoon to come and discuss strategies with him."

He Fusheng had been eager to leave, and hearing this, he couldn’t nod his head fast enough, turning away with a smile and running off. Hua Xiaomai watched his retreating figure, sighed again, and slowly made her way toward Victory Street.

She didn’t know how long she had walked when she reached an alley just wide enough for two people to pass, a delivery cart blocked her path.

This location was unusually quiet within the bustling market area; typically few walked here, and Hua Xiaomai had taken this route because it was a shortcut. The cart stretched across the middle of the already narrow road, completely obstructing it. She frowned slightly, just about to step over the front of the cart, when suddenly a small door next to it opened. Two young men dressed as shop assistants, carrying heavy sacks, struggled out and tossed them onto the cart with a loud thump.

It seemed this was the back door of a store. Hua Xiaomai peeked inside and saw a very tall woman walking out giggling and talking, but when she saw the men handling things roughly, her smile vanished and she scolded sharply, "Be careful, handle it gently! If you damage my rice, don’t expect to see a single penny of this month’s wages!"

So... was this a rice shop? Hua Xiaomai couldn’t help but take another look at the cart, noticing that the cloth sacks had yellowed and blackened a bit, and were quite dusty, looking filthy as if they had been piled up in a storeroom for a long time.

Such rice, let alone eating, just another look at it was off-putting. Hua Xiaomai couldn’t help but frown and sized up the woman, feeling somewhat puzzled.

Why would a woman, dressed so neatly and tidily, buy such low-quality rice? She wondered whether it was for personal use or...

Perhaps feeling her gaze, the woman twisted her waist, glared fiercely, and snapped, "What are you looking at, haven’t you seen someone buy rice before?"

Hua Xiaomai, having been steeped in disappointment all day, had little energy to argue and simply stated, "You’re blocking my way."

"So what?" The woman defiantly placed her hands on her hips and shook her head, "If you can’t get by, just wait. Keep your eyes to yourself, and don’t give me a reason to be rude to you!"

Such people really should have Hua Erniang or Old Mother Meng come and speak with them! Hua Xiaomai cursed silently, unwilling to stir trouble, raised her leg to step over the front of the cart, quickly left the narrow and lengthy alley, crossed Victory Street, and headed straight to Lianshun Escort Agency.

At that moment, Meng Yuhuai had not yet left. She rushed into the gates filled with grievances, and only here did she feel she had found someone she could confide in. Unable to hold back any longer, she hastily dashed through the main gate, greeted the smiling Da Zhong and others with a nod, and reached the front hall entrance. She still minded her manners and didn’t blindly barge in, only standing at the doorway and softly called out to the tall figure.

Meng Yuhuai turned around at her call, and seeing his little wife huffing and puffing while running toward him, with a particularly distressed look, he felt a jolt in his heart, stepped forward quickly, lowered his head, furrowed his brow, and asked, "What brought you here?" (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation ticket and monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)