Chef Hua
Chapter 336: Episode 192 Wulong Tuzhu

Chapter 336: Episode 192 Wulong Tuzhu

Hua Xiaomai, who barely had two ounces of flesh on her body, had been taken care of by Hua E’rniang since her arrival in Fire Knife Village. Although she was no longer as skeletal as before, her constitution was ultimately weak. One day, she was suddenly shoved hard on the shoulder. She lost her balance and lurched, her body involuntarily falling to the side, and she almost tumbled to the ground. Thankfully, Zuo Jinxiang was there to catch her. Before she could regain her footing, the strong scent of perfume filled her nostrils.

"What’s wrong with you, pushing people around without any reason? We all need to go through the gate. You could have just walked in like everyone else, so why did you have to push someone?" Zuo Jinxiang couldn’t stand to see one of their own being treated unfairly. She firmly supported Hua Xiaomai’s arm while she scolded at the figure who had carelessly barged through.

Hua Xiaomai, not wanting to cause a scene, gently tugged at Zuo Jinxiang, signaling her not to make a fuss, and glanced unassumingly at the person responsible, only to be taken aback.

This... Wasn’t this the same woman she had argued with over buying rice in that narrow alleyway just yesterday?...No mistake, that tall and robust figure, with such glaring eyes, was hard to forget after just one glance!

However, if this woman had bought rice in Fuzhe County, she was likely a local. Why was she in Gu County now, and how had they run into each other right here in Wenmei Pavilion?

The woman obviously hadn’t paid much attention to Hua Xiaomai the previous day, and, not remembering that she’d met her before, she rolled her eyes at Zuo Jinxiang’s rebuke and sneered, "So what if I pushed you? Who asked you to be in the way? It’s not like this door belongs to your family. Everyone’s blocking it, and if you’re looking to be disliked, don’t blame me for taking action!"

Zuo Jinxiang couldn’t stand injustices and was not someone easy to bully. Upon hearing this, she laughed, looked the woman up and down, and spoke with a sneer, "Tsk, I’d like to know who is blocking the way. Just you alone could block this large doorway so tightly, even more than a curtain. You have some nerve, we’re certainly no match for you!"

Hua Xiaomai almost laughed out loud but quickly composed herself and tugged at Zuo Jinxiang again, trying to stop her from causing trouble. However, the woman’s anger was already stirred by Zuo Jinxiang’s words. She glared daggers at them and turned around to shout loudly, "What are you, dead? Watching me get bullied and doing nothing? Your wages for this month are deducted, all of it!"

It was at this moment that Hua Xiaomai realized the woman had brought others with her, pushing the usual heavy cart. The two workers at her side, upon hearing their wages would be deducted again, frowned deeply, resembling walnuts, and reluctantly stepped forward, ready to roll up their sleeves.

Great Saint saw this and nonchalantly stepped in front of the two men, smiling broadly as he said, "What’s this about? It’s just women talking, a little back-and-forth, some bickering, nothing more. But here you are, ready to show your fists, that doesn’t seem right, does it?"

Although he wasn’t very tall, a hearty diet had made him particularly sturdy, and with his large hands and feet, he had a menacing presence when he stood before people. The two men, who had only stepped up because of the money, were very reluctant, and feeling intimidated by his interjection, they took a couple of steps back and forced a smile. As the woman wasn’t looking, they gestured to Great Saint to let it go.

Hua Xiaomai truly didn’t want to make a big deal out of such trivialities. She turned to the woman and said, "Wenmei Pavilion is open for business. If you’re allowed to be here, so am I. Since you’re in a hurry, why don’t I just step aside for you?" Having said that, she really did step aside, making a "please" gesture.

With the intention of smoothing things over, if this had been any ordinary person, they would have gratefully accepted the de-escalation of the situation, making a big issue small and a small issue nonexistent. But the tall and strong woman wouldn’t have it. She shook her head twice and snickered, "Oh, are you afraid now? If you’d said you were scared earlier, we might not have escalated to this point, right? Well then, just apologize to me. Considering your young age and ignorance, I won’t hold it against you."

This really was... Accepting a favor and behaving high-handedly, taking an inch and wanting a mile! Zuo Jinxiang couldn’t tolerate it and was about to fire back with sarcasm, but Hua Xiaomai didn’t want to stir up more trouble. She hurriedly pulled at Zuo Jinxiang, ready to speak up, when a few male voices came from behind.

"Lady, if you want to enter, then move it along. Don’t stand there blocking the door. You alone have managed to seal it shut, leaving not even a crack. Is it that Wenmei Pavilion isn’t doing business today?"

Everyone instinctively turned around to see three or four customers standing under an old plum tree, looking impatiently at the woman and sizing her up with "tut-tut-tut" sounds, as if they were quite annoyed.