Chef Hua
Chapter 434: Episode 239: Boiled Fish on a Hot Day

Chapter 434: Episode 239: Boiled Fish on a Hot Day

The situation took a sudden turn, and the atmosphere in the room instantly became tense.

Mother Meng wasn’t truly angry, but she was surprised that Hua Xiaomai would do something as childish as "hugging the table leg", and she was truly astonished. She opened her mouth to speak, "You..." but then she didn’t know what else to say to her.

Hua Xiaomai regretted squatting down as soon as she did it, feeling deeply embarrassed, but there was no turning back and no other choice but to persist. Covering her face, burying her head, she felt too ashamed to face anyone.

As for Meng Yuhuai, he was quite amused by Hua Xiaomai’s actions and struggled to hold back his laughter. He bent down to pull her up gently, whispering, "Get up quickly, what’s the point of squatting here? You..."

"Don’t pull her, let her squat if she loves squatting!" Mother Meng interrupted him loudly. She looked down, staring at Hua Xiaomai’s face with a sneer and mocked, "If you have the ability, hug the table leg and squat here all night. Then, I’ll admit you’ve got some character. Otherwise, you can’t escape the inevitable. Sooner or later, I’ll drag you out of this house!"

Hua Xiaomai knew she was stubborn, and once she had spoken, it was as hard as climbing to heaven to take her words back. She almost wanted to cry and said with a puckered face, "Mother, you’re being totally unreasonable..."

"I’m known for being unreasonable in Fire Knife Village. Are you just realising that now?" Mother Meng scoffed, her eyes rolling in their sockets.

"It’s all baseless nonsense, and there wasn’t any mishap, but how did it become a fact when it came to you? Why won’t you let anyone explain? When my second sister was pregnant with Tie Chui, she still stayed alone with my brother-in-law in the western courtyard of the village, and no trouble arose from it. I..."

"How can you compare to your second sister? I’m well aware that, although your second sister seems tough to outsiders, she’s really sensible and knows exactly what to do and what not to do. How can you, a foolish girl who’s missing a few strings in her head, compare to her?"

...Is this what they call empathy between two strong-willed women? But what would Mother Meng think if she knew what Hua Erniang would say behind her back, and that because of her, she almost didn’t allow her sister to get married? Would she still be able to praise her?

Mother Meng was not someone who could be easily persuaded, and Hua Xiaomai couldn’t reason with her. After squatting for so long, her legs had indeed started to go numb. Helpless, she had no choice but to stand up awkwardly, leaning on Meng Yuhuai’s arm and tugging at his sleeve.

Big Brother, you’ve got to exert some effort here! If this keeps up, your wife is really going to be separated from you forever!

Meng Yuhuai took the hint, his eyebrows furrowing as was his habit. He dragged a stool over to seat Hua Xiaomai comfortably, paused, and then specially moved another chair behind Mother Meng. Clearing his throat, he spoke solemnly, "Just now in the bathhouse, nothing inappropriate happened. It was only because Xiaomai was afraid sitting in the bathtub for too long might be bad for the child. Standing on the side, she was worried about slipping, so she called me in. I understand you are worried for both of us, but why stress yourself over such a groundless issue?"

Even though he usually spoke to Mother Meng with a pleasant expression and sometimes even with a smile, as soon as he started talking, his tone was always somewhat stiff, directly throwing the words at her.

However, this time, although his tone was still not overly warm, it at least carried some warmth, and his gaze softened considerably.

"Even if you don’t trust Xiaomai, you should know what kind of person I am. How could I neglect such an important matter? I’m better acquainted with her habits than you, and it’s more convenient to have her by my side at night to take care of her, so you don’t have to be so flustered and busy," he added.

Mother Meng was slightly taken aback, as if she couldn’t believe he was speaking to her in such a gentle manner.

"Enough," she abruptly changed her mind in the blink of an eye, waving her hand, "You’ve always been sensible, and since you’ve spoken, I’ll trust you this once. But next time Xiaomai needs to bathe, call me, I’ll handle it. You’re a grown man and going into the bathhouse with your wife, even if you are a couple, is truly unseemly."

Then she glared at Hua Xiaomai, speaking irritably, "Don’t get too pleased with yourself. I trust Yuhuai, not you. If you cause any more troubles in the future, not even the face of the Emperor will save you!"