Chef Hua
Chapter 409: Episode 226: Old Stories_2

Chapter 409: Episode 226: Old Stories_2

Hua Xiaomai curved her lips into a smile, yet did not step outside, but leaned against the door, watching as he meticulously fumigated every corner of the room.

When mugwort burns, it produces a lot of smoke which is quite pungent. Standing in the room for a bit, the smell of the smoke would drill straight into one’s nostrils. Hua Xiaomai couldn’t help but turn around and cough a couple of times, and Meng Yuhuai turned his head back, "Didn’t I tell you to go out?"

Hua Xiaomai put on a shameless face, chuckled hehe, "I’ll just stand here, don’t mind me."

However, Meng Yuhuai’s mouth did not twitch in the slightest; he turned back around. After a moment of silence, as if he had finally made up his mind, he started talking out of the blue.

"After they had me, my father and mother didn’t have a second child for over ten years. It was probably when I was thirteen that my mother finally got pregnant again, and according to the doctor, with twins."

Hua Xiaomai didn’t expect him to suddenly be willing to speak about this matter, and she was a bit nervous, not daring to make a sound.

"Didn’t I tell you before? When my father was alive, we had land at home. It wasn’t much, three to five acres. Life wasn’t rich, but it was still passable," Meng Yuhuai spoke in a very low voice, and then continued, "But my mother, I don’t know whether to say she was never satisfied or perhaps too competitive. Whenever she saw others even a bit wealthier than our family, she would fee displeased. When back home, she would complain endlessly to my father—you’ve lived with her long enough to know that her mouth never has kind words, and everything she spits out is as nasty as can be. My father was a simple man, never talked back. To put it plainly, he just let her bully him. Since I could remember, every day in my home was spent that way."

"It was the year my mother was pregnant that coincided with the agricultural off-season. There was a temple to be built on a mountain not far from Fire Knife Village. Nearby people were called to help, offering twenty cents a day, which was quite a lot. My mother would nag at my father’s ear all day, telling him to go work and earn money, and my father agreed, joining the villagers in carrying lumber. I went to watch the first day, and the logs were as thick as our home’s big water barrel, requiring two to three men to carry them together. Alas, after five or six days, an accident happened."

"A group was carrying timber up the mountain, and suddenly the first two people lost their grip and the log rolled down. At that time, my father was right behind; it unluckily hit him. His leg was instantly immobilized, and he coughed up blood. He had to be carried home, and when a doctor was called to examine him, he said the leg injury was secondary; the critical issue was the damage to the internal organs. He prescribed medicine and advised home rest. But even then, my mother wouldn’t stop."

"While my father rested in the house, she, with her big belly, spent all day quarreling with neighbors. After cursing one household, she would start on another, creating noise and making a scene, and it wasn’t just that. In no more than two days, she felt that the supervisor overseeing the temple construction had given her too little money for medicine, so she incessantly went looking for trouble with them. I couldn’t hold her back. Seeing her with her belly, I didn’t dare to use force, and she actually got away. On her way down the mountain, she herself slipped..."

Hua Xiaomai’s hands, which were behind her back, suddenly clenched. She almost didn’t dare to listen, wanting to turn and run out, but after pinching herself hard, she managed to remain standing.

Unaware of her reaction, Meng Yuhuai continued indifferently, "Knowing that the children were gone, my father couldn’t make it through the night; merely dragging on for another two or three days before... When my father died, his eyes weren’t even closed... At fifteen or sixteen, I joined Uncle Ke’s Escort Agency. After making money, I sold the land at home. These matters, speaking of them now after so many years, make me seem somewhat petty, but whenever I think about it, how my family should have had both parents and two younger siblings, I just can’t..."

After a long pause, hearing no movement behind him, he turned his head to find Hua Xiaomai staring blankly at him, her eyes misted over with a layer of moisture.

He actually smiled, waved her over, touched her head, then held her in his embrace, "See, I knew you would react like this. Everyone in the village knows about these things, but they are all willing to give face and not bring it up easily. I also know that your second sister didn’t want to marry you to me, not because I’m much older than you, but mostly for fear that you’d be mistreated by my mother in my home. But no matter what, you’ve become my wife, let’s live well together, and these things will gradually fade."

Hua Xiaomai understood why Meng Yuhuai always unconditionally protected her in front of Old Lady Meng. Many times, even if Old Lady Meng was at fault, it wasn’t that she was completely right, but he would always stand on her side. In the end, it was all because of the shadow of the past in his heart.

She also wanted to comfort him, to tell him, "You have me now, and we will have our own children in the future," but some things lost can never truly be replaced.

...

Meng Yuhuai was a man of strong character. Having unearthed those sorrowful past events that night, after a night’s sleep, he immediately returned to his usual self: clear-headed, spirited, and full of energy.

Magistrate Tao had been pressing for a speedy resolution, and not two days later, he packed up his belongings to temporarily reside at the Escort Agency. Hua Xiaomai walked him to the edge of the village, and when she returned, she saw Old Lady Meng sitting alone in the yard, sorting the dried mushrooms.

To completely eliminate the grudge between mother and son... hmm, it seemed to be quite a challenge, but now there were only the three of them left in the house. If she did nothing at all, it wouldn’t seem quite right, would it?

Exhaling a long breath softly, she hopped into the yard, pulled a cheerful smile for Old Lady Meng, and greeted warmly, "Mother!" (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)