Chef Hua
Chapter 385: Episode 215 Fire Fish Fin

Chapter 385: Episode 215 Fire Fish Fin

The various differences between the city and the countryside almost start to show from the early morning each day.

No sooner had the first ray of sunlight touched the window lattice than the street outside was already a hubbub of noise. At the entrance of Dong’an Inn, the peddlers selling breakfast shouted vigorously, the wide streets rang with the clear tinkle of bell from the water-carrying ox carts, the helpers downstairs were cleaning and moving tables and chairs with a clamorous din, and the traveling merchants staying upstairs needed to leave early, stomping on the floorboards so loudly and calling out to their companions to hurry out.

Hua Xiaomai had suffered from a serious lack of sleep last night, and this racket woke her up. She struggled to open her heavy eyelids and instinctively reached for the space beside her, only to find it empty.

"If you’re tired, sleep a while longer. I’ve told the Yuan Family’s steward that we would rush over early in the morning. It’s not nice to keep people waiting too long."

Meng Yuhuai’s voice, laced with a smile, rose from inside the room, sounding fresh and clear.

It’s not fair...

Hua Xiaomai silently sighed in her heart.

She didn’t know if it was because they were in a strange place that made everything feel extraordinarily different, but last night’s activity had been intense. Yet, truth be told, it was he who exerted more effort, so why was it that come morning, he could be utterly unaffected, brimming with energy, while she felt as if her body was falling apart?

She stretched lazily, sat up slowly, and, a bit groggily, held the quilt and said, "If you leave now, when will you come back?"

"Hard to say." Meng Yuhuai came over and sat down by the bed, touched her fluffy and tousled hair, and said, "Definitely not before noon. There’s a lot of miscellaneous tasks to take care of and that’ll take some extra time. Here’s what we’ll do, I’ll come back for you in the afternoon. There are a few restaurants in the city I’ve tried a couple of times on my previous visits and found them quite good, I’ll take you to taste them—today will still be busy, but tomorrow should be free, then we can walk around everywhere."

Hua Xiaomai nodded vaguely, still somewhat dazed, "But I can’t just nest in this inn all day long, can I? Maybe I’ll take a stroll in the city too. There are many things in the Provincial City that we can’t even see in Fuzhe County, I might as well buy more to take back, good for gifts or for ourselves."

"Sure." Meng Yuhuai agreed, standing up to head towards the door, "If you’re going out on your own, just be careful with everything. Don’t just join in the excitement when you see it, stay away from trouble. You must be back to the inn by evening at the latest, got it?"

Seeing his readiness to leave, Hua Xiaomai immediately got anxious. She hopped out of bed and rushed in front of him, pestering him with outstretched hands, "How can I buy anything if you don’t give me any money?"

"You have no money?"

"None. This trip, other than the carriage fare, I don’t have a single copper coin on me, you have to support me."

Meng someone was very susceptible to this act; knowing full well she was being willful, he still smiled obligingly, reached into his purse, picked out a few pieces of broken silver, and handed the rest over to her.

"It’s not necessary to take so much." Hua Xiaomai opened the purse to take a look, thought for a moment, and then gave it back to him, snatching the pieces of broken silver from his hand and smiling at him, "It’s the thought that counts. It doesn’t look good for you to have too little Silver on you when you’re out on business—or how about you give me a silver note or something?"

"Stop messing around, if I don’t leave now, I really will be late." Meng Yuhuai picked her up and placed her back into the quilt, "Anyway, pay attention to safety, and if you don’t know the way, you can first ask the shopkeeper downstairs."

After giving a few more instructions, he opened the door and walked out.

Hua Xiaomai had indeed planned to sleep a little longer, but ever since opening the little restaurant, waking up early had become a daily necessity and gradually turned into a habit. Suddenly finding herself at leisure, she was unable to fall back asleep. After lying in for a short while longer, she decided to get up, asked for hot water to wash up, and then drifted out of the door.

The last time she had come to the Provincial City was to attend the Eight Treasures Conference, and she was occupied with all sorts of preparations almost from dawn to dusk, and hurried off without getting a chance to properly observe the Prefecture’s scenery. Today, she truly had nothing to do, and even if she spent the entire day wandering about aimlessly, it would be all right. She slowed down her pace to a crawl, walking and clicking her tongue in amazement all the way.

Indeed, not only was the Provincial City crowded, but the purchasing power of the common people was truly astonishing. Whether it was the richly decorated shops downtown that intimidated one from stepping in or the unassuming little stores, they were all filled with people early in the morning, including many young ladies and wives. Shopkeepers and assistants were as busy as tops, grinning from ear to ear while a continuous flow of copper coins kept clinking onto the counters, emitting a crisp ringing sound.