Chef Hua
Chapter 419 - 231 Harmony_2

Chapter 419: 231 Harmony_2

"Enough, definitely enough!" Hua Xiaomai nodded repeatedly, delighted to wrap her arms around his neck, "Ah, that takes a load off my mind! My husband Meng Yuhuai is handsome and extraordinary, sensible, and well-off—having such a good husband, heaven has truly treated me well."

"Hmm." Meng Yuhuai feigned calmness and responded, seemingly indifferent to her blatant flattery. However, the next moment, he pointed towards the door and chuckled softly, "Now that the important matters are discussed, you, go boil the water."

"Got it!" Hua Xiaomai nodded enthusiastically and instantly turned to run out.

...

By late night, the streets were empty, not a soul stirring, and the narrow room in the back of the Escort Agency had quieted down.

Having floated in and out of sleep, Hua Xiaomai, feeling as limp as water, rested on Meng Yuhuai’s arm and muttered sleepily: "I know you have to go protect the Warehouse Guard early tomorrow morning. Don’t just leave without telling me; wake me up, and I’ll leave with you."

Meng Yuhuai, still catching his breath, looked down at her as she spoke, her eyes barely able to stay open, her entire being nearly drifting to sleep, which made him chuckle. He reached out with his other hand to wipe the fine sweat from her forehead.

The cramped and simplistic room was starkly different from their home, but having a familiar scent by her side was enough to let her sleep peacefully.

The dawn light gently cast the first bright glow on the window sill.

No sooner had it turned dawn than Meng Yuhuai dug Hua Xiaomai out of bed.

Yawning as they boiled water to wash up, they left to buy breakfast and share it, chatting idly about minor things.

"Speaking of which, when can you finally come home to stay?" Hua Xiaomai stuffed the last piece of sesame cake in her mouth, swallowed a big sip of tea, and frowned, "We’re always living separately, what kind of way is that to live?"

"Guarding the Warehouse Guard isn’t a matter of one or two days. I think Magistrate Tao plans for the long term," Meng Yuhuai pondered for a moment, "by the end of May, the boys from Provincial City will be coming back. Only then might I have a break. But I want to advise you, I think our field’s chili is about to bear fruit. If you are free, go check it more often and be a bit more vigilant; don’t mess it up."

Hua Xiaomai nodded, understanding, "I get it." Just when she was about to say "I’ll come see you again in a few days," she heard him add: "About buying the land, I already discussed it with you in detail last night. Have Zheng Yakuai help you with it, you needn’t run about yourself to avoid overworking. Discuss the price as I told you, and if the landlords refuse, don’t get entangled with them; if it really doesn’t work out, come find me, and I’ll make time to come back."

"Okay, I’ll try to handle it first, and if there’s no way, I’ll come to you," Hua Xiaomai smiled slightly.

The two of them tidied up and left the house together. At the front door, they bumped into Zuo Jinxiang, who had gone out early to buy groceries. She had a knowing, somewhat peculiar smile in her eyes.

Hua Xiaomai didn’t bother with her, exchanged greetings, and upon exiting Lianshun Escort Agency’s door, she parted ways with Meng Yuhuai and headed towards Fire Knife Village.

Back at the small restaurant, Chun Xi and La Mei had already opened early. Fish, vegetables, and meats were delivered. Indeed, a brand-new ox cart was parked at the entrance, but the ox had been taken to the backyard, temporarily tied under a tree, waiting for the ox shed to be built in a couple of days.

Seeing Hua Xiaomai return, the two sisters-in-law inevitably teased her once more, and it was only then that Hua Xiaomai revealed her big decision.

She had initially thought that this would not be easy and expected much opposition from them, but to her surprise, both burst into applause simultaneously.

"This is really good news!" Chun Xi said with a beaming smile, "Our Fire Knife Village hasn’t had a decent restaurant for so many years. Girl, since you have the heart to tackle this big undertaking, I will definitely roll up my sleeves and help you all I can. I was worried that if you ventured to Provincial City for this food business, I could never follow, but now I have no such concerns, my heart is at ease!"

La Mei nodded repeatedly.

Their support naturally made Hua Xiaomai happy. She turned around and saw Zhou Yunyun standing by the kitchen, also smiling. She pointed at her and said, "Don’t just stand there grinning. I’m telling you, a place this big, relying on just one chef will definitely be too much. I need to hire more help, and you need to hurry and finish your apprenticeship. Whichever kitchen you want to manage later, whether the one by the fish pond or by the bamboo forest, I’ll let you choose."

Zhou Yunyun’s eyes widened suddenly, her face flushed with excitement, and she stammered, "Master...Master, rest assured, I will definitely work hard, I’ll only be of help to you, not a disgrace!" She even clenched her fists.

Hua Xiaomai chuckled, responded, and after chatting for a while with the three of them, she went to the kitchen to work.

At noon, Meng’s mother came to the small restaurant for lunch as usual and asked in detail about Meng Yuhuai’s situation but didn’t say much else. In the afternoon, as Hua Xiaomai was considering sending Zhou Yunyun to invite Zheng Yakuai, unexpectedly, he arrived first with three or four young men.

"The other day, sister-in-law, you mentioned needing a helper, so I kept an eye out. I think these few are quite suitable. Why don’t you have a look and see which one to keep?"

Turning to look, Hua Xiaomai saw that the few were sixteen or seventeen-year-old youths, appearing honest and sturdy, seemingly capable of handling work. Pleased, she turned back to Zheng Yakuai with a smile, "Big Brother Zheng, your work has always been reliable. What’s there for me not to trust? We can talk about this later; at the moment, there’s a more important matter—I intend to buy this small restaurant and the forest behind it, and will inevitably trouble you to help with the arrangements again." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we invite you to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)