Chef Hua
Chapter 437: Episode 240: Disaster_2

Chapter 437: Episode 240: Disaster_2

Meng Yuhuai raced to the Escort Agency and jumped off his horse at the entrance, throwing the reins to Han Hu as he strode in. A quick glance around, and he immediately saw a person laid out by the wall, covered head to toe in white cloth.

A fierce pounding seized his chest. He stared for only a moment before subconsciously shifting his gaze away, exhaling a heavy breath of murky air.

Hearing the commotion, everyone in the courtyard turned to see him rushing in and quickly crowded around: "Yuhuai bro..."

Meng Yuhuai forcefully suppressed the sour ache in his heart, slowly swept his gaze over everyone, and said in a deep voice, "Has his family been informed? And what about Uncle Ke, has he received the message?"

"Someone has already gone to his home. By this time, his family must be aware. As for Uncle Ke..." A man stepped forward, his voice quivering slightly, "Yuhuai bro, as you know, he’s been ill with frequent relapses, the doctor said he must avoid any upset. We didn’t dare go and tell him. That... if you think it necessary, I can go right now..."

"Enough, it’s late today, and bothering him won’t do any good. It can wait until tomorrow." Meng Yuhuai shook his head, then turned to the others, "I hurried back and Han Hu didn’t go into much detail. Who went with you today, come out and tell me exactly what happened."

A young man named Li Yingchun, around eighteen or nineteen, approached with tears in his eyes: "It was that Warehouse Guard... after we escorted him out of the Money Vault in the evening and safely sent him home, we emphatically instructed him to stay at home if there was nothing important, and not to wander about. But he didn’t take our words seriously... Not long after we returned to the Escort Agency, his wife came looking for us, saying that he left home right after we did, claiming he was just going for a stroll, but he never came back. We questioned that woman for a long time to learn that the Warehouse Guard loved to gamble with others in his free time, and most likely had run off to one of his cronies’ to play cards. We had no choice but to go out and search from house to house. When we reached a friend’s near the Yao Family Alley, just as we were about to knock, we saw..."

He choked up and turned his back, sobbing twice before Meng Yuhuai barked, "Speak!"

Startled, Li Yingchun jumped, his shoulders shivering as he hurriedly continued, "Just as we were about to knock, we saw several figures dart into the alley. It was a dead end; once in, there’s no way out. We rushed after them, only to reach the middle and see someone draw a knife... It was dark, we could hardly make out the faces, but we had the sense that there were about six or seven of them, and it’s likely the Warehouse Guard was in their hands."

The rest needn’t be said, one only had to look at the person lying beneath the wall to know clearly, Meng Yuhuai clenched his teeth: "Ruffians aren’t capable of such life-threatening acts, and they should know that people from the Escort Agency aren’t to be meddled with. Those men are certainly out of the ordinary."

There was a pause before he continued, his voice rising a notch, "We can’t delay this matter; the faster it’s made clear, the better. We’re a total of fifteen men here, let’s split into two groups. Tonight, I’ll lead four men to patrol near Yao Family Alley. If we find nothing, first thing in the morning, Han Hu, you bring the other six to relieve us. The remaining three will need to go protect the other Warehouse Guards tomorrow."

After he finished speaking, he turned to leave immediately, but the others hesitated, looking at each other without moving. Han Hu, a bit uncertain himself, summoned his courage, approached, and stood behind him, saying, "Yuhuai bro, with this matter, wouldn’t it be better to turn it over to the County Government?"

"Better?" Meng Yuhuai spun around suddenly, his eyes flashing with an intimidating glare, "First, our own brother is gone; with such a matter, what face do we have to rely on others? Second, you all know the rules of this profession without me saying—they’re clear in your hearts. To seek help from the Government when trouble arises means we can no longer stay in this line of work! Third, with a Warehouse Guard missing, we must give an explanation to Magistrate Tao; how can we expect him to intervene and help? We’re all our own people, no need for secrets, if any of you wish not to go, just step forward, I won’t make it hard for you!"

Usually a very mild person, his sudden fury was a bit frightening, and with his taller stature, he cast a larger shadow in the courtyard. Clutching tightly his fists, his eyes nearly spitting fire, the crowd couldn’t help but feel a start in their hearts.

Li Yingchun wiped his face and approached him, his voice cracking, "Yuhuai bro, I’ve just been there once and have some understanding of the place. I’ll go with you."

Seeing him take the lead, the rest also agreed, and soon they split into two groups, with four men following Meng Yuhuai as they quickly left.

...

Hua Xiaomai stayed at home, feeling restless. She tossed and turned, unable to sleep well all night, eventually dozing off as dawn approached, only to wake up again soon after, peering out the window from time to time.

The sound of Meng’s mother’s voice finally came from the courtyard, mid-hour.

"Coming back at this hour, haven’t you slept all night?"

Hua Xiaomai flipped out of bed, shoveled on her shoes, and opened the door, only to see Meng Yuhuai standing at the entrance looking very weary.

Seeing her come out, Meng Yuhuai glanced at her face and immediately frowned, "You didn’t sleep either?"

"How could I not? I just woke up," Hua Xiaomai hurriedly smiled back at him.

Meng Yuhuai, apparently in no mood to inquire further, nodded slightly, pulled her into the house, and closed the door. He sat down at the table and said, "I came back to check on you and let you know that I might be extremely busy these next few days, so I’ll be temporarily staying at the Escort Agency."

"Oh," Hua Xiaomai replied nervously, "then you..."

Before she could finish asking, she was suddenly pulled into his embrace.

The material of summer clothing was thin, and it didn’t take long for her to feel a slight damp heat on her shoulder. She grew even more flustered but didn’t dare to ask, simply patting his back gently, as a sort of comfort.

They remained in this position for a long while, until Meng Yuhuai finally lifted his head, his eyes red.

"Xiaomai, Da Zhong is dead..." (To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)