Chef Hua
Chapter 574: Episode 307: Dispute

Chapter 574: Episode 307: Dispute

Hua Xiaomai widened her eyes at Meng Yuhuai, feeling even more perplexed, tilted her head, and gave him a smile, "That’s strange, why have you come back so early today? You said I didn’t need to take care of it, could it be... Whatever Scholar Wen went out to do earlier, wasn’t related to my shop?"

Meng Yuhuai had just made a round through the village, fully aware that the chances were slim, yet he still carefully inspected every nook and cranny, and sure enough, didn’t find a trace of Tang Maolin. Although he was usually composed, he couldn’t help but feel a hint of uneasy apprehension. He didn’t answer Hua Xiaomai’s question, but instead glanced towards the garden, "Where is mother?"

Hua Xiaomai didn’t even need to think, "I just went to the village with mother to buy some fresh goods, preparing to make New Year’s merchandise. Mother said she wanted to bring them home first to store everything properly, so..."

At this point, she suddenly realized, her heart skipped a beat, and the smile on her lips disappeared in an instant, "Could it be there is some trouble at uncle’s side?"

If it weren’t for this reason, Mend Yuhuai probably wouldn’t have specifically inquired about Meng’s mother’s whereabouts. Looking at his expression, it was clear that he was trying to avoid the topic!

Meng Yuhuai didn’t expect her to guess the situation so quickly and was slightly taken aback, "...It’s just a small matter, don’t worry about it, I will handle it myself."

He was always gentle with his wife, but at this moment he was in a hurry, so his tone inevitably came off somewhat harsh.

Hua Xiaomai had been his wife for so long, how could she not know what kind of person he was? Speaking in such a tone clearly indicated that the matter was not minor. She bit her lip, "Are you trying to make me worry for nothing? Mother is not here right now, and I won’t tell her anyway, do you have to guard against even me?"

"When have I ever guarded against you?"

Meng Yuhuai sighed helplessly, "I just didn’t want you to worry... I found out today that uncle has not gone to work at our new house for four or five days now. Aunt and the workers who work with him don’t know where he went, so..."

He paused, not immediately continuing with what he was going to say.

Hua Xiaomai glanced at him and thought to herself: So, aunt led cousin Dongyan to the shop to make a fuss, insisting on asking you for justice, right? No wonder you came back so early today; it turns out it was for that family!

Look, what was said before? That family of three led their days in harmony, but the moment Tang Maolin showed up with his wife and daughter, trouble was bound to stir, otherwise they would never be at peace.

If she had known this would happen, they should never have allowed Tang Maolin to take on the carpentry work for the new house. What about now? Hasn’t it just caused a load of trouble for himself?

Hua Xiaomai admitted to herself that she wasn’t very worried.

Fuzhe County was still a relatively peaceful place. Tang Maolin, a man who clearly wasn’t from a wealthy household and didn’t have much money on him, why would anyone target him out of the blue?

"Report to the authorities," she glanced at Meng Yuhuai, felt a bit tired, and sat down at the table edge, "For a missing person, the government must be involved. They have the experience and manpower, it’s always better than us blindly bumping around like headless flies."

Meng Yuhuai shook his head, "I’ve discussed it with aunt, and she doesn’t want to involve the authorities, afraid of making too much of a fuss. You know, the common people generally have a dread of the government and would rather not interact with them unless necessary."

Alright, that argument seemed reasonable, but the true situation was known only to him.

Hua Xiaomai nodded indifferently, "Then... otherwise, ask the brothers from the Escort Agency for help, have them inquire around the city—the Escort Masters know a lot of people."

"It’s a private matter after all, it’s not good to trouble them too much." Meng Yuhuai was still shaking his head.

Hua Xiaomai was getting annoyed, she put down the cup in her hand, "This won’t do, that won’t work, have you decided to shoulder this problem alone?"

Meng Yuhuai noticed she was getting unhappy and, considering her pregnancy, didn’t want to start a fuss in front of a whole restaurant’s worth of people, so he could only furrow his brow slightly, "He is my uncle after all, I can’t just ignore it... Alright, I have my own plan. Right now, aunt and cousin are waiting at the entrance of the village, Cheng Yong and I plan to escort them back to the city, and learn more about the situation. It’s almost time for the evening market, you should start preparing for business. Let’s not worry about this anymore."

Having said that, he nodded to Chun Xi and La Mei to take good care of things, then turned and left.

Hua Xiaomai’s chest was filled with a surge of irritation, and after sitting in a daze for quite a while, she barely managed to suppress the urge to explode.