Chef Hua
Chapter 537: Episode 289: Let’s Take an Arm Off First

Chapter 537: Episode 289: Let’s Take an Arm Off First

What should I do?

Hua Xiaomai didn’t quite understand what he meant at first, she lowered her head and scratched her temple, speaking with some confusion, "Didn’t I just say? If he only makes a scene this time, I’ll simply ignore him. But if he refuses to give up, don’t I just have to counter as the blows come and cover as the water rises? I’m in the open while he’s in the dark, he makes a move, and I’ll just cope with it. He will eventually slip up, and I..."

"No, that’s not what I’m asking you." Meng Yuhuai said solemnly, "You said you wanted to try to resolve this matter yourself, and I agreed. But you are pregnant now, do you know what you should and shouldn’t do?"

Only then did Hua Xiaomai suddenly realize, she wriggled out of his embrace, and stood firmly on the ground, she grinned and counted on her fingers, "Not to keep grievances bottled up inside, not to quarrel with others, not allowed to hit people with sticks, in the face of trouble, let the employees handle it as much as possible, one mustn’t rashly take the lead. And, there is one thing I must always remember..."

"What is it?" Meng Yuhuai, puzzled, looked up at her.

"Whether the trouble can be settled nicely is secondary," said Hua Xiaomai with a squint and a smile, as she touched her belly, "Keeping this little ancestor safe and without complications is what matters most."

Meng Yuhuai couldn’t help but chuckle at her manner, the corner of his lips curled up in what seemed to be satisfaction, and he nodded, "Good, the fact that you can speak these words shows that you really have thought it through, and I can be more at ease. Just remember, your man doesn’t just eat for free, you don’t need to personally fight over every issue, I am here for everything."

Hua Xiaomai "smacked" a kiss on his face and rubbed against his neck, "With your words, I feel even more at ease."

"...Don’t move around recklessly." Meng Yuhuai’s expression suddenly became somewhat unnatural, "Right now, you’re eye candy but off the menu, can you handle it if you stir things up? Move aside, I need to wash up."

Hua Xiaomai laughed and stumbled, seeing him stride quickly to the door, she yelled behind him, "You think I want to be that close to you? You reek of alcohol, it’s suffocating!"

This commotion wafted through the crack of the door into the courtyard, where Meng’s mother was throwing out water at the gate. She turned her head upon hearing this and rolled her eyes in an incredibly accurate expression, squeezing two words out between her teeth.

"Troublemaker!"

...

After that day, Daoxiang Garden had a few peaceful days.

The morning after the man and woman caused a disturbance, as a long line formed again for takeout at noon, Hua Xiaomai specifically sent Qing You to the door to ask each customer in turn if they felt unwell after eating the previous day’s food.

This inquiry had a dual meaning.

The first was, naturally, to express concern and let everyone know that Daoxiang Garden was very responsible, willing to think about the customers in every aspect, not the kind to try to shirk responsibility at every turn;

The second meaning was... if everyone who ate the ginger-spiced shredded duck was fine, except for that one man and woman, wasn’t the implication obvious?

Qing You was a truly honest fellow, remembering Hua Xiaomai’s instructions word for word, and after querying the entire crowd in front of the gate, he rushed back to the eatery’s main hall and confidently shouted, "Boss, everyone says that yesterday’s dishes caused no problems at all. As I said, the Zhou Family sister has always been cautious, so how could she be reckless?"

His voice was crisp and booming, covering the entire hall with its resonance.

The merchants who frequented the road were mostly very astute; understanding most of the implication after hearing this. Two regulars at Daoxiang Garden waved Hua Xiaomai over and said with furrowed brows and earnest tones, "Sister, you have offended someone, haven’t you? How could they resort to such lowly tactics? We come here every so often, so naturally, we know your place is always run cleanly, but how would outsiders know? You must be careful and watch out for their next move!"

"Exactly, exactly," the others agreed, "You must be aware of this yourself! Don’t worry, we travel the roads every day and know a lot of people, we will surely speak up for you and won’t let your Daoxiang Garden’s reputation be ruined!"

Grateful in her heart, Hua Xiaomai thanked them several times and, after thinking it over, decided to send a plate of pastries to each table.

She understood the principle of taking a slight disadvantage to gain a greater advantage.

After three or four days like this, people gradually began to forget about the incident that had occurred at the small restaurant, and it was almost never mentioned, everything returned to normal.

But new troubles were soon to raise their heads.