Chef Hua
Chapter 341: Episode 194 The Old Drunkard’s Intentions_2

Chapter 341: Episode 194 The Old Drunkard’s Intentions_2

Hua Xiaomai nodded her understanding and chuckled, "His family has brought this situation upon themselves, it’s entirely of their own making. Mother knows it too, like looking in a clear mirror, naturally she won’t lend money to them so easily."

She had intended to say something pleasant to cajole her hard-to-deal-with mother-in-law but to her surprise, ended up putting her foot in her mouth. Upon hearing this, Old Lady Meng’s eyebrows shot up immediately and her voice grew louder by two notches, "What you’re saying is all nonsense! Even if I were willing to lend them money, which I’m not, I would need actual cash to do so, wouldn’t I! Yuhuai may indeed bring home money every month to support the family, but expenses are high and I’m not left with much at my disposal. What would I lend to her?"

With that, she shot a fierce glare at Hua Xiaomai.

This sounded like there might be something more behind her words...

A shock went through Hua Xiaomai’s heart, and she immediately regretted starting this conversation. If they continued, she feared Old Lady Meng’s hand would soon come swatting in her direction!

...Although it wasn’t right to make malicious assumptions about anyone, she did have her suspicions about the family next door, with their limitless potential. She wondered if Guan Rong’s mother’s visit to Old Lady Meng today was really just for the simple purpose of "borrowing money."

Not daring to carry on with the topic, she quickly forced a smile, "Anyway, no matter what they say, we’re firm on not lending them money, so that’s that. They can’t exactly resort to robbery, can they? Mother, please eat up before the rabbit meat gets cold. The taste won’t be as good then—Ah, do you want some more wine? Shall I go fetch some more for you?"

Old Lady Meng frowned but didn’t dwell on the matter any longer. She just rolled her eyes at her and lifted the wine bowl, drinking it down grudgingly.

...

In the evening, Meng Yuhuai came home after the hour of Hai as usual. Hua Xiaomai had been waiting in her room for him. As soon as she saw him enter the courtyard, she rushed to the kitchen to reheat the dishes she had set aside, and once he had finished washing up in the bathing room, she pulled him to the table to sit down, handing him a scallion pancake.

Having someone prepare a meal for him after coming home was a rarity for Meng Yuhuai. Experiencing it occasionally made him feel especially soothed. He slowly ate and smiled, "You seem to be in good spirits, so something good must have happened in Gu County today, right?"

"Not bad," Hua Xiaomai replied languidly, "Sister-in-law Zuo took me and Big Zhong with her to the well-known Wenmei Pavilion in the city. There was a bit of a commotion. In the end, we didn’t sell the sauce, but we did sign a few contracts with other eateries for one-year terms. Adding the orders from Provincial City and Qingping County, we won’t have to worry about not being able to sell the sauces in our warehouse anymore—Fortunately, I went there today. Guess what, at Wenmei Pavilion, I ran into the owner of West City’s Wan’s store! If I had been two days later, I probably wouldn’t have had a chance at those deals in Gu County!"

She could hardly contain herself and spoke to Meng Yuhuai about the tall and sturdy woman she had seen buying old rice in the city the day before, whispering, "In Sauce Garden, whether making rice oil or rice sauce, glutinous rice is always needed, yet she went to buy that unsought old rice. I can’t help but wonder what she’s really planning to use it for. Tsk, tsk, tsk, Sauce Garden has only been open for just over a month. If she starts cutting corners and deceiving customers with inferior products, it’s clear that her shop won’t last long!"

"So, what do you plan to do about it?" Meng Yuhuai couldn’t help but laugh and ask, "Run to Chunfeng Restaurant and expose the actions of their Wan’s business, taking the opportunity to snatch their customers?"

"I’m not that idle!" Hua Xiaomai pouted and said, "Without any proof, making such claims known all over the streets, wouldn’t that be offending people? How their family does business is their own affair. I’ll just mind my business properly; that’s all. As long as everyone’s water doesn’t violate others’ rivers, as long as she doesn’t come looking for trouble with me, I won’t make things difficult for her."

Meng Yuhuai nodded in complete agreement: "That’s the way to talk. We don’t need to worry ourselves with others. Just focus on doing our business well. As for whether their business can last or not, it’s none of our concern."

"I know." Hua Xiaomai then handed him another scallion pancake, worried he might choke, and hurriedly poured him a cup of warm tea.

For a split second, she really wanted to tell him about Guan Rong’s mother coming to borrow money today, but then she thought better of it.

Last year, the trouble that Guan Rong and her mother stirred up, although it ultimately failed to achieve anything and they ended up worse off than before, it was still an unpleasant experience for Meng Yuhuai. He could probably guess that just thinking about that household next door was enough to make him feel extremely uncomfortable. If it hadn’t been too much of a hassle to move, he would likely have wanted to leave long ago! Anyway, Old Lady Meng obviously wouldn’t lend them any money, so why bother mentioning it and make him feel upset?

With this in mind, she swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue, choosing instead to pick some trivial topics to make him laugh. After talking about some idle matters in the room, Meng Yuhuai smiled and said, "March has arrived, and the days are getting warmer and warmer. Those two acres of land have also been cultivated just about enough. I’ll have some free time tomorrow. If you’re free as well, why don’t we plant those chili seeds early to get it off your mind?"

She had pondered over the matter of the chili plants for a long time. Seeing him busy every day, she hadn’t rushed to bring it up, even considering hiring a couple of people to tend to the two plots of land if he really couldn’t find the time. Now hearing him mention it, her eyes instantly lit up, and she enthused while hugging his arm, "Really? We can plant the chili seeds tomorrow? That would be wonderful!"

Her excitement melted Meng Yuhuai’s heart, and he caressed her cheek, saying with a smile, "Knowing how important the chili seeds are to you, how could I deceive you? Such a big affair, I must handle it for you thoroughly, to spare you any distress. Tomorrow morning, I will go to the fields to take care of it, but it will inevitably be a day of hard work, so you’ll need to prepare some delicious food to reward me."

"No problem at all!" Hua Xiaomai, delighted, planted a loud kiss on his face and happily agreed. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for it with your recommendation ticket or monthly ticket at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)