Chef Hua
Chapter 458: Episode 251: Alone and Struggling

Chapter 458: Episode 251: Alone and Struggling

Meng Yuhuai came home earlier than usual that day; it was still light outside when he entered his home, and on the table in the courtyard, two cold dishes had already been laid out, with the fragrance of various foods wafting from the kitchen.

Tang Maolin seemed to have just returned home himself, wiping his face with a basin of water. When he looked up and saw him, he greeted him warmly with a grin, "Yuhuai’s back?"

Meng Yuhuai smiled and greeted him with a "Uncle," and in the next instant, Hua Xiaomai came out of the kitchen with a plate of braised pork belly, placing it on the table. She gave Meng a smiling glance without a word and brought another basin of cold water for him to wash his face.

Usually, it was just their family of three in the courtyard, and even if Meng’s mother saw him and his wife getting close, she would grumble a few words, but deep down, she was pleased and saw no need for them to be overly discreet. However, now that another relative had arrived, they had to be more reserved.

Normally, with just the couple in the courtyard, Tang Maolin should have given them space, but not only did he not leave, he even came over to pat Meng Yuhuai on the shoulder, laughing heartily, "These last few days, I’ve been frequenting Fuzhe County, and only then did I realize that your Lianshun Escort Agency is extremely well-regarded in the city. People give it the thumbs up! I heard that just a few days before we arrived, you caught a group of thieves? Wow, truly remarkable! You must be quite skilled to work there!"

"Uncle, you’re giving me too much credit," Meng Yuhuai replied with a light smile, his response seemingly perfunctory.

Huh? This attitude?

Hua Xiaomai was ringing out a towel for him and couldn’t help but look up at him upon hearing his words.

Normally, he was always sincere with people and wouldn’t brush someone off so casually, let alone his own uncle. But at that moment, he seemed to look gloomier, as though he didn’t have much spirit. Could it be that something had happened?

With these doubts in her mind, and Tang Maolin present, she couldn’t ask outright, so she simply hurried Meng Yuhuai to wash up and went back to the kitchen to help Meng’s mother.

Before long, the meal was ready, and everyone took their seats around the table.

Meng Yuhuai truly wasn’t in a good mood that evening. Normally, as he left the Escort Agency and walked home, he would look forward to wondering what delicious dish his wife had made, but that day he had no appetite whatsoever, pushing his rice around and picking at the lighter dishes with a couple of chopstick’s worth, before he put his bowl down to simply sit by her side.

At the other end of the table, Tang Maolin was in great spirits, eating with relish as he chattered non-stop about his day in the city and took the opportunity to praise the Lianshun Escort Agency once more.

"Really?" Mrs. Ding reacted with feigned surprise, "Wow, that’s not easy at all; I’ve heard from others too, saying that escorting and securing the goods is a life on the edge of a knife—mess it up, and it can cost you your life! Do you remember, long ago when we visited your older sister, Yuhuai was still small? You saw him and said that the boy was destined to succeed, and look at him now, you were right!"

Hua Xiaomai inwardly groaned, "Not good," unable to help blaming Mrs. Ding in her heart. Of all things to say, she had to bring the conversation around to those three words "cost you your life." She turned to look at Meng Yuhuai and indeed saw that his expression had turned even darker.

"Why talk about such things?" Meng’s mother also sensed something, her face immediately turned sour, and she said icily, "As a young man, you’re praising him to the heavens every day, so much so that he forgets his own name—is that doing him any good? As for you, with time to inquire about idle gossip of the Escort Agency, why don’t you focus more on finding some work there?"

Being reprimanded, Tang Maolin felt somewhat embarrassed and forced a laugh, taking a few bites of his rice, "Why not look for work? I’ve been... just haven’t made up my mind yet. This Fuzhe County is much livelier than our hometown, after a couple of rounds, I’m dazzled!"

"I’m just saying it like it is, no need to curse me in your heart," Meng’s mother glanced coldly at his face and added sternly, "I have no other intentions, but you, a grown man, idling away the days—what’s that amount to? The locust plague back home was an unavoidable disaster, but now that you’re out here, you should be focusing on earning money to support your wife and daughter—that’s the right thing to do."

After finishing, she bowed her head to her meal and said no more.

"I know, I have it in mind," Tang Maolin replied awkwardly, laughing twice and saying a few pleasant words before skillfully steering the conversation back to a story he had heard in a teahouse that day. He spoke animatedly and imitated the storyteller’s gestures so vividly that he couldn’t stop for a while.