Chef Hua
Chapter 475: Episode 259: Removing the Thorn_2

Chapter 475: Episode 259: Removing the Thorn_2

Meng Yuhuai hummed a laugh, his voice laced with indifference, "Whether she is sensible or not, I know well in my heart."

"What you’re saying... isn’t that just covering up for her shortcomings?"

"She’s my wife. Even if I were indeed covering for her, it would be the right thing to do."

"Hiss..." Tang Maolin sucked in a breath as if frustrated by the lack of resilience, pointing at Meng Yuhuai’s face with his finger before turning around to hoist up the bundle on the ground grumpily shouting at Mrs. Ding and Tang Dongyan, "Let’s go, let’s go, we’ve been practically driven out, what are we still standing here for? What relatives, what family, it’s all nonsense! Once they’ve married a wife, they don’t even recognize their mother. What’s the point of me being an uncle!"

Mumbling all the way, he walked further and further along the dirt road.

Hua Xiaomai carefully listened to the noises outside from the kitchen, knowing that they had probably really left, and breathed a sigh of relief within her heart. She then set the table with the dishes.

...

The radish and pork bone soup simmering in the pot was reserved for Meng’s mother to have a bowl before bed to help her digestion. The other dishes, primarily light in nature, were still abundant. Big plates and small bowls filled the table, but that evening, the three people in the courtyard were likely all without the desire to eat and drink heartily.

Meng’s mother hadn’t said much at the dinner table. Hua Xiaomai forced some cheerfulness to strike up a conversation with her. Seeing her just respond with a hum and not even lifting her eyelids, Hua Xiaomai ran out of options and simply coaxed her to eat a bit more before letting her go back to her room to rest.

After cleaning up the dishes, Meng Yuhuai was still sitting in the courtyard enjoying the cool air while his young wife took it upon herself to go back to their room to fetch clothes for a bath, not bothering to ask for his help. She soaked her dirty clothes in a large basin and dropped the words "I’ll wash them tomorrow morning," before going back into the room. Meng was confused about what kind of mood she was in. He sat reluctantly for a while but felt out of sorts all over. After much thought, he stood up sullenly and followed her inside.

In the unlit room, Hua Xiaomai pinched a cluster of burning mugwort and squatted on the ground, carefully fumigating each corner. The flame flickered across her face, now bright, now dim, casting warm yellow spots.

"What are you doing..."

Meng Yuhuai watched her small huddled figure, his heart softened, unable to utter any harsh words. He walked over and took the mugwort from her hands, gently pushing her back: "Be careful not to burn yourself, I..."

Before he could say "come," Hua Xiaomai had already rolled into bed, tucking herself into the blankets.

What a headache...

Meng, confused, sat stewing for a while, and after hastily fumigating the room and leaving a small crack in the window, he took his clothes to wash up. Upon his return, seeing her lying with her face inward, seemingly asleep, he pondered for a moment, steeled his heart, walked over with big strides, and scooped her up from the bed, blanket and all, firmly holding her head and said with a grave voice, "Just how long are you planning to be angry with me? You should at least give me a reason, let me know what I did wrong, shouldn’t you?"

"You’re not wrong, it’s me who caused trouble, making you deal with the aftermath. I am the one at fault," Hua Xiaomai hummed through her nose.

"I am truly going to spank you." Meng Yuhuai glared half seriously, half jokingly, "Spit it out!"

Hua Xiaomai glanced at his face and immediately lowered her eyelids, whispering, "I want to ask you, do you think uncle’s words today were excessive?"

Meng Yuhuai’s brows twitched involuntarily, but he remained silent.

"See, that’s your attitude." Hua Xiaomai’s lips curled slightly, "So I know, it’s impossible to reason with you. I figured it better not to waste my effort."

After saying this, she struggled to break free from his embrace.

But he wouldn’t let go, holding her tightly, "You say it, I’m listening."

Hua Xiaomai stopped struggling and bit her lip: "...I think mother has it hard. Today, when uncle said those things, I don’t know how you would have felt if you had been there, but at the moment, I felt murderous. It’s been many years since that incident, and I know it’s a thorn in your heart. I wasn’t directly involved, so I don’t have the right to lightly tell you to let go, but I hope you understand that mother is the real person in question. She was the one who caused the disaster, and no amount of afterwards could make up for it. Do you truly think she’s heartless, not taking it seriously?"

Meng Yuhuai shook his head, "You don’t understand..."

"I don’t understand, I only know one thing. You think mother made an unforgivable mistake, so all these years, you found it enough to blame her, even if you’re cold-hearted, she can’t do anything because she’s in the wrong. But what about her? Besides regret and sadness, she has endured a son’s indifferent treatment year after year. Her pain is surely greater than yours."

Hua Xiaomai spoke slowly, word by word, "I originally didn’t want to meddle with the issue between you and mother. I always felt casual words of consolation were useless. I just hoped that by getting along well with mother, maybe over time, you might change your perception, but... I know today’s matter has nothing to do with you. I shouldn’t have lost my temper with you, but whenever I think of the expression on mother’s face when she heard uncle’s words today, I just really... Maybe you’ll think I’m taking mother’s side and not considering your feelings, but how has she endured all these years? You should reflect on that yourself."

After speaking, she rolled out of his embrace and heaved a heavy sigh.

"In the end, mother is not upset because of uncle’s few words, she’s upset because of what? Don’t you understand?"

After finishing this sentence, she stopped talking, turned over away from him, and seemed to fall into a deep sleep within moments.

Leaving Meng Yuhuai sitting in the darkness for a long time. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)