Chef Hua
Chapter 539: Episode 290 Extracting a Confession

Chapter 539: Episode 290 Extracting a Confession

There are generally two types of people in this world who you can never forget in your lifetime.

The first kind is naturally your kin. Blood is thicker than water, and no matter how much time passes, you will always reserve a place for them in your heart;

While the other type is those who have wronged you.

People tend to remember the injustices they’ve suffered much more vividly. Even if they’ve long put the incident behind them and haven’t thought about it for a long time, the mere sight of that person’s face can instantly make them recognize the individual from the crowd, and they would never mistake someone else for them.

Now, Hua Xiaomai found herself in precisely such a situation.

Truth be told, over the two years she had been in Fire Knife Village, she was hardly bullied. Although the villagers were somewhat gossip-prone and enjoyed watching spectacles, they were, for the most part, simple and could distinguish right from wrong; they wouldn’t truly resort to malicious schemes to hurt someone. The likes of Guan Rong, regardless of where they were, are a rare breed, not the norm.

Before she was married, she had Flower Second Mother and Jing Taihe looking out for her. After she married Meng Yuhuai, even if just for his sake, people would be more polite to her. Moreover, she was skilled with a stick and never held back when striking someone in anger. Therefore, no one with a full stomach and nothing better to do would go out of their way to provoke her.

But at this moment, in the Sauce Garden, the individual hiding behind everyone else...

Hua Xiaomai narrowed her eyes and let out a faint smile.

She would definitely not mistake him; he was Fatty Wei’s apprentice.

In the past, Fatty Wei, jealous over her taking over the catering job for the Li family, led his apprentices to kidnap her. They locked her in an abandoned house in the village for an entire afternoon. He was one of those four apprentices. Hua Xiaomai had only seen him once, and hadn’t come across him again in the two ensuing years. Yet today, the moment she caught sight of him, she immediately recognized him.

In truth, she didn’t harbor much resentment toward this apprentice; after all, he only followed orders and had no say in the matter. If any anger was to be vented, it should be directed at Fatty Wei. Taking out her frustrations on a mere underling was utterly pointless.

But well... times change. Now that he had come along with a crowd to stir up trouble, it was a different matter entirely.

Hua Xiaomai had no time for careful thought; her mind was occupied by one thing only: Since she had caught him red-handed today, she absolutely could not let him off.

She even felt a twinge of glee in her heart.

Previously, she worried about how to draw out the instigator lurking in the shadows. Now that she had encountered an old acquaintance, things were much easier! What once seemed a bothersome puzzle might now be solved with brute force alone. Why not go for it?

Without raising suspicion, she took a few steps back, pulling Chun Xi and La Mei forward, and shielded herself thoroughly to ensure no one noticed them. Then, she turned around to face Great Saint and whispered, "Great Saint, you must know some martial arts, don’t you?"

"What?" Great Saint was startled at the question, and then he began to break out in a cold sweat.

"Little Wheat, what are you up to?" His eyes widened, "You’re not thinking of... giving these people a beating, are you? Look, we all know they’ve been instigated to cause trouble here today, and I totally get why you’re upset, but we can’t just act rashly! Not to mention anything else, there are about twenty of them, tall and short, and we’ve just got a few men, and we also have to protect you ladies, no..."

"I have a clear idea of what I’m doing, Great Saint, don’t worry, I won’t act recklessly," Hua Xiaomai reassured him with a smile. "Just tell me, from childhood to now, when you’ve fought with others, did you lose more, or did you win more?"

"How did you know I’ve been in a fight? That was back when I was a child..." Although Great Saint was still clueless about her intentions, he decided not to ask further and scratched his head. "Let me put it this way, I definitely can’t compete with Brother Yuhuai, but against ordinary folks? Handling one or two is well within my capabilities."

"That’s good enough." Hua Xiaomai nodded, gave him a few quick instructions, then took a deep breath and stepped into Sauce Garden.

Pan Ping’an and Lei An were in a tight spot, surrounded by a tumult of voices that thundered incessantly into their ears. Suddenly, they heard a woman’s voice, as if mustering all the strength in her body, shout, "Everyone quiet down!" They quickly turned around and spotted Hua Xiaomai enter cautiously and unhurriedly.

The courtyard indeed fell quiet for a moment, but soon the noise resumed, this time with an added undertone of disgruntled mutterings. They grumbled, "What right do you have to silence us? We’re here to seek an explanation today! Without one, we’re not leaving!"