Chef Hua
Chapter 536: Episode 288 Try It Yourself_2

Chapter 536: Episode 288 Try It Yourself_2

Daoxiang Garden had such a troublesome incident, and without Hua Xiaomai having to say anything, the moment Meng Yuhuai walked in, he was grabbed firmly by Meng’s mother, who crisply and swiftly recounted the whole story, frowning as she said, "Your wife has never seen much of the world, getting scared over every little thing, yet she still tried to act calm in front of me. Since she’s pregnant, I think you need to put in more effort."

Meng Yuhuai hadn’t expected that in just one day of his absence from home, such an incident would occur, and precisely when Mrs. Yang was visiting, which made him somewhat suspicious. He twisted his brows habitually and dropped a line, "I’ll go and see her," before heading straight to the back of the house.

At that time, Hua Xiaomai was draping a garment over the clothesline, which was a bit too high for her short stature, making it a struggle. Looking around, she dragged a stone over and stepped on it.

As Meng Yuhuai came around, he immediately saw her wobbling there, fussing with the task, and couldn’t help but be startled. With a few quick strides, he rushed over, scooped her up by the waist, and snatched the damp garment from her hands, snapping, "Are you asking for a beating? If you can’t reach, can’t you ask Mother for help?"

Hua Xiaomai slid down from his embrace without answering his question, and giggled, "You’re back? Reeking of alcohol, you must have been socializing with someone again, right? Mother and I didn’t know if you’d come back for dinner, so we brought back dishes from Zhenwei Garden. I cooked them; if you’re hungry, I can go heat them up for you."

"Still able to laugh?" Meng Yuhuai shot her a look, "Why pretend in front of me? Mother already told me about what happened today."

"I’m not pretending," Hua Xiaomai shrugged earnestly, "To tell you the truth, when that happened this afternoon, I was indeed quite angry, all I felt was annoyance. But now, I’m much better. I’ve thought it through; we haven’t done anything wrong, we’re not in the wrong, so why should I make myself suffer? That would be playing right into their hands. I intend to be happy instead. To get upset over such people isn’t worth it."

"Is that the truth?" Meng Yuhuai raised an eyebrow.

"Why would I deceive you?" Hua Xiaomai quirked her mouth at him.

"If you can think that way, it’s for the best." Meng Yuhuai let out a sigh of relief, finished hanging the clothes in the basin with a burst of energy, and took her hand, "Come on, let’s go inside and talk."

So the two returned to the room and lit the lamp.

Meng Yuhuai sat at the edge of the table, lifted Hua Xiaomai across his lap, and furrowed his brows slightly, "You’ve gotten heavy."

Hua Xiaomai immediately protested, pointing at her belly, claiming righteously, "Hey, Leader Meng, please get it straight. It’s clearly he who’s gotten heavy—not me. Are you looking for a fight?"

Meng Yuhuai couldn’t help but laugh dismissively, waving his hand, "Alright, alright, it’s his fault he’s burdening you. Let’s talk about the serious matters. Mother mentioned that those two men this afternoon weren’t just trying to extort money; it seemed more like they were instructed by someone?"

"Mhm." Hua Xiaomai nodded decisively, "They demanded two strings of cash from me. After they left, I had Xiao Haozi follow them, and he saw them enter the County, heading into Tiansheng Street. I don’t need to tell you what kind of place Tiansheng Street is, do I? I bet that this time, it was definitely some rivals who didn’t like me and wanted me to suffer."

Meng Yuhuai agreed with this and knotted his brows, pondering for a moment before hesitating, "I’d rather not think in that direction but... I remember that a few days ago, when you went to the city to see Doctor Xing, you told me you met Old Master Zhao, and he made a couple of snide remarks. Do you think... could it be..."

He spoke this with reluctance in his heart.

That Old Master Zhao was an old friend of Ke Zhenwu. Over the years, although Meng Yuhuai didn’t have much of a relationship with him, they had frequent interactions, making them quite familiar with each other. If this incident was indeed orchestrated by him, it might inadvertently involve Ke Zhenwu as well.

The old man had made up his mind to retire and enjoy his remaining years in peace. If he was dragged into this murky situation again...

Hua Xiaomai looked up at him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and whispered, "I think... this has nothing to do with Old Master Zhao. If he really planned to play tricks behind the scenes, he probably wouldn’t have made those acidic comments in front of me the other day."

"That makes sense," Meng Yuhuai acknowledged, "Moreover, even though those two men went to Tiansheng Street, we can’t confirm that the ringleader runs their business there. It might just be a blind. Alright, I’ll go investigate tomorrow..."

"Don’t bother,"

Hua Xiaomai interrupted him before he could finish, "Let me handle this, will you?"

"Why?" Meng Yuhuai was puzzled, fixing his gaze on her eyes.

"I’ve been thinking, if they only make trouble this one time, I won’t bother with them; I don’t have the spare energy. But if they dare to come again, I plan to try and see if I can sort things out myself." Hua Xiaomai watched his reactions carefully and said slowly, "You don’t know how many times you’ve smoothed things over for me. Can I keep relying on you to protect me forever?"

Meng Yuhuai appeared even more displeased, scowling, "What do you mean? You’re not happy that I protect you? You’re my wife; is there a problem?"

"That’s not it; you misunderstand," Hua Xiaomai quickly waved her hands, "I just think, with more responsibilities at the Escort Agency, if I throw all my troubles at you, wouldn’t that exhaust you? Besides, I have Uncle Ping’an, Great Saint, and all the workers at Daoxiang Garden to help me. I want to know if I have the ability to resolve a problem completely and satisfactorily on my own. If I really can’t handle it, then I’ll ask for your help."

Meng Yuhuai sighed, considered for a moment with a serious face, and said, "If you have this mindset, I’m not entirely opposed. But you’re in a delicate situation right now; do you know what you ought to do?"

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)