Chef Hua
Chapter 408: Episode 226: Old Stories from Years Past

Chapter 408: Episode 226: Old Stories from Years Past

The yard was teeming with mosquitoes; it was not a good place to idle around. Just now, while chatting and cooling off with Meng Yuhuai, we would occasionally move our hands and feet to keep them at bay. Now, as I stood still, those blood-sucking critters aimed straight for any exposed skin.

After standing for a while, Hua Xiaomai managed to endure it until two large welts formed on her face. Truly unable to bear it, she turned her head to glance at both doors of the rooms, scratched the side of her cheek in distress, and with a mix of sighs and groans, returned to her room.

Meng Yuhuai was already lying on the couch, seemingly without having taken off his clothes, and even pulled the quilt over his head. He resembled nothing so much as one of those sulking children. Hua Xiaomai couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the sight. She walked over and sat beside him, first patting his back and seeing no response from him, she decisively lifted the covers, and in a hushed tone admonished, "It’s so hot, you’re sweating all over, and you just roll on the couch without washing up, soaking the bedding. Are you planning to clean this up later?"

While speaking, she fanned her hand beside his face.

Yet he seemed to be fast asleep, too lazy to even stir, without giving off even the slightest sound.

"Tsk," Hua Xiaomai felt helpless. Lowering her head, she got closer to him, with a hint of a smile, and whispered, "Is this ongoing strife with your mother because of her trying to arrange marriages for you before? After all, you didn’t marry any of those girls; I got lucky instead. It’s been such a long time, and you’re still holding onto it as a big deal. How old are you this year?"

The big guy on the couch still refused to make a noise, only as if he moved a little.

At a loss, Hua Xiaomai thought to herself that marrying a man with a calm and steady character, she had expected to worry less, yet had not anticipated that everyone has a sensitive side, and in this case, any mention of his mother turned him into a firecracker ready to go off at any moment. She worried, yet also found his behavior quite endearing. She decided to elongate her tone and hum, "Are you including me in your displeasure? Alas, despite being several years older than me, we’ve only been married half a year, and you’ve already started with the silent treatment. If I’ve done something wrong, can’t you tell me so I can fix it?"

Meng Yuhuai sat up abruptly with a huff, frowning and said, "You very well know it’s not about you. It has nothing to do with you. Why take responsibility for faults that are not yours?"

"You’re alive? You can talk?" Hua Xiaomai let out a laugh, "If it’s not my fault, why do you give me only your back? You don’t engage in conversation; who are you really punishing?"

Meng Yuhuai glanced at her face and remained silent.

"I’m not stupid, I know you’re not the petty type. If it was just the marriage talks from the past, you wouldn’t hold a grudge for so long; it’s not even worth it." Seeing his reaction, Hua Xiaomai hugged his arm and leaned her head onto his shoulder, speaking softly, "Look, twice since our marriage, you seemed like you were about to reveal the reason but ended up not spilling a single word. That only leaves me worrying. Don’t you trust me?"

"It’s not that..." Meng Yuhuai looked down at her, heaved a sigh, and said, "Just think, in this village, besides the Taihe family, which is the only three-generation lineage with few people, whose house isn’t bustling with family? Only mine is just my mother and me since I was twelve or thirteen. Isn’t that strange? The rest I’d rather not say. It’s not that I don’t trust you; it’s just old stories that needn’t trouble you."

Hua Xiaomai had already guessed that this probably had to do with his father, who had died early. She had entered the Meng Family home half a year ago, and only on the second day after their marriage, did she bow before Old Master Meng’s tablet, but aside from that, mother and son never mentioned his name again—indeed very unusual.

After thinking a bit, she laughed and waved her hand, "It’s alright if you don’t want to talk about it; rest assured, I won’t ask others about it."

Then she wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Look at you, sweating so much. You go stand in the yard for a bit, I’ll use mugwort to fumigate the room. You see, I was outside in the yard for just a little while, and my face got bitten all swollen—afterward, I’ll make some hot water for you so you can take a bath, at least you’ll sleep more comfortably."

Having said that, she started to pull him up and push him out of the room.

Meng Yuhuai didn’t hurry outside but instead turned her face to examine it, indeed noticing two big red welts on her cheeks. He exhaled and, taking wide strides into the yard, grabbed a handful of mugwort, lit it, and brought it inside, "I’ll do it. You go stand outside."