Chef Hua
Chapter 495: Episode 269: Really Roundabout_2

Chapter 495: Episode 269: Really Roundabout_2

Hua Xiaomai curved the corners of her mouth into a smile, "There’s no helping it, Brother Lv knows this. He’s a stubborn one, very loyal. Whoever treats him well, he must repay them in kind. He was brought up by Uncle Ke, so he takes this affection very seriously——I apologize on his behalf for failing to meet your kindness, Boss Dong."

Lv Bin felt uncomfortable, turned his head to look out into the bamboo forest. On this side, Dong Deyou was repeatedly waving his hands in dismissal.

"There’s no need to apologize for anything, Lady. You are being too serious! Meng Yuhuai is a man of deep loyalty. I admire him all the more for his way of doing things. In my heart, I think if we can’t persuade him to join Shenglong Escort Agency, it would be nice to have an opportunity to cooperate with him sometime. To be frank, Shenglong Escort Agency is very interested in the deal with Ruijin Silk Store, but unfortunately, Lianshun got there first..."

Finally, he had gotten to the point. Such a roundabout way of speaking! Hua Xiaomai shook her head inwardly. They had taken such a big detour, she felt tired for both of them!

Dong Deyou glanced at her expression, seeing her smile with sincerity, he continued, "In the escort business, it’s very difficult to recruit people. I guess Lianshun Escort Agency has been short on hands since Lv Bin and the others left. Such a large deal might not be properly handled, so I intend to work together with them to make sure everything is done properly. Lv Bin and I have been in Fuzhe County for several days, but Meng Yuhuai hasn’t given us the chance to talk from start to finish. We are out of options, so we have come to ask for your help, hoping you could mention this to Meng Yuhuai."

"I’m somewhat confused myself, not sure if I can explain clearly!" Hua Xiaomai sighed, "Besides, it’s not good for a wife to meddle in her husband’s affairs outside the home. I’m afraid this might be difficult..."

"Lady, you only need to tell Meng Yuhuai that I would like to invite him for a drink tomorrow at your Daoxiang Garden, and just bring up the matter. That would be enough." Dong Deyou let out a sigh, leaned back in his chair, and smiled at Hua Xiaomai, seemingly a bit self-satisfied.

Well, now she had been dragged into this! After all, Daoxiang Garden was Meng Yuhuai’s business—if he cared about his wife at all, he surely couldn’t keep hiding his face, leaving her alone to cope with these two men, right?

Hua Xiaomai felt genuinely annoyed.

It was clear Dong Deyou coveted the six thousand taels deal, considering it a big piece of fat he wanted to bite into, yet he had to put on airs as if he were considering others’ interests. Simply put, whether Lianshun Escort Agency had enough hands was none of his business, not related to even a copper coin! The man was like a piece of sticky candy, once on your shoe, you couldn’t get it off—he wouldn’t give up until he got what he wanted!

With the conversation at this point, she could only vaguely respond, "My husband has been very busy with the escort agency these past few days. He told me in advance that if he’s delayed, he will stay in town to avoid the back and forth. If you trust me, I’ll mention it to him tonight if I see him, but I can’t guarantee that the message will get through. Boss Dong, if you plan to host a meal here tomorrow, it’ll inevitably cost you, and I would feel quite troubled. As for today’s meal, consider it my treat, thanking you both for congratulating me on the opening."

After exchanging pleasantries with them, she withdrew from the bamboo forest and hurried back to the main hall of the small restaurant.

At that time, Meng’s mother was showing off the gifts boxes brought by Lv Bin to Chun Xi and La Mei, turning them over in her hands. She saw Hua Xiaomai return and casually lifted the objects in her hand, "Tell me, if I accept these, can I open them up and take a look?"

"Why wouldn’t I accept them?" Hua Xiaomai, filled with suppressed anger, sat down at the table and habitually touched her belly, "They invited us to a meal for free and brought such a big trouble my way, I feel entitled to accept their gifts! Mother, just open them."

While speaking, she waved Qing You over and instructed, "We’ve just opened today, and I reckon we won’t get much business in the garden later. Fetch Ji Xiang to replace you, then go to the western village entrance and wait for your brother Yuhuai. After you see him, tell him not to come to Daoxiang Garden under any circumstances and to come straight home. Understood?"

Qing You agreed with a shout and turned to dash outside, while Mother Meng said, "Why not let Yuhuai come here? At noon, I saw you clinging to him like a shameless puppy, insisting that he come to pick you up in the evening!"

Chun Xi and La Mei burst into laughter with a snort.

"Mom, can you leave me some dignity?" Hua Xiaomai glanced at her helplessly, then gestured toward the bamboo forest, "Anyway, those two guys are annoying to death. If Yuhuai bumps into them, he will inevitably end up in a tussle, so it’s better that I save him some trouble."

Although Mother Meng did not understand the situation, seeing that her daughter’s expression was not joking, she quickly stood up after thinking for a bit.

"Then I might as well go home first to avoid Yuhuai missing Qing You and not finding anyone at home, and then he might head straight to the restaurant," she said, and with that, she stepped out of the hall.

Hua Xiaomai called out for her to be careful on the road and then flopped onto the table with a sigh.

...

Dong Deyou and Lv Bin sat in the bamboo forest for only a while before they came forward to bid farewell to Hua Xiaomai and left for Fuzhe County.

That evening, there were no other guests in the garden; a few tables were occupied in the main hall, but there was no need for Hua Xiaomai to get involved. Wang Zhanrui and Master Tan managed the dishes so neatly and thoroughly on their own.

By the time of the hour of Xu, the diners in the shop had all left, and Wang Zhanrui along with Master Tan went off to rest in Zhenwei Garden, while Hua Xiaomai returned to the south side of the village with Chun Xi and La Mei.

As soon as she stepped through the main entrance, she saw Meng Yuhuai sitting in the courtyard with Mother Meng, who was holding a couple of pairs of shoes in her hand.

"Look at these shoes your wife has made for you during her spare time. In all my years, I’ve never seen anything so ugly! The stitches are thick and big, and the seams are all crooked—luckily, you’re not out on escort duty much these days, or else, wearing these shoes on a long journey, it wouldn’t be two days before the soles would fall apart from the uppers! I suppose they could only be good enough for wearing around the house!"

Meng Yuhuai took the shoes and looked them over carefully, then laughed, "It doesn’t matter. Even if I wear the shoes out on the road, I can just fix them myself."

Hearing Hua Xiaomai’s footsteps, he looked up with a gentle smile, "Back already?" (To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)