Chef Hua
Chapter 81: Episode 64 Do you want to take a look_2

Chapter 81: Episode 64 Do you want to take a look_2

"Crazy? I was excited, elated, do you understand? Those chili seeds were given to me by Brother Meng from the Meng family. I wanted him to come and see, to prove that I haven’t completely wasted them!" Hua Xiaomai immediately retorted, then turned to Meng Yuhuai and asked, "Will you take a look?"

With such an eager expression on her face, Mr. Meng found it hard to let her down. After a moment’s thought, he nodded and said, "Sure, let’s take a look."

"Then follow me quickly." Hua Xiaomai could hardly wait, she turned around and dashed off, racing to the vegetable garden behind the house.

Meng Yuhuai couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time, and had no choice but to tie the horse to the tree and hurriedly follow her.

And then...

So, exactly what is so appealing about these sprouting chilies?

Standing beside the garden, Meng Yuhuai couldn’t help but silently ponder this question.

Whenever it comes to planting vegetables and flowers, they all look more or less the same when they just begin to sprout. Had Hua Xiaomai never seen this before? To be this excited about it?

He shifted his position slightly, only to see Hua Xiaomai smiling triumphantly, clearly waiting for a compliment. He reluctantly nodded and said, "Um, they’re growing... quite nicely."

As if!

Those tiny sprouts had barely poked through the soil. Without looking closely, one could hardly see anything. How could anyone tell whether they were growing well?

Meng Yuhuai and his wife mentioned that Hua Xiaomai had been staring at this garden all day. What on earth was she looking at?

"Right? Right?" Hua Xiaomai became even more self-satisfied, nodding her head and exclaiming, "Ah, they’re thriving splendidly. It won’t be long before they bear bright red fruits!"

Thriving splendidly? Where could she see that from? Meng Yuhuai couldn’t help but facepalm.

Meng Taihe and his wife were right; her sister was indeed a bit... well, overly excited today.

"Do these chilies really mean that much to you?" he asked after a thought.

"Of course, didn’t I tell you? When these chilies are ripe, I’ll give you some to try, and then you’ll know. These things are truly treasures!" Hua Xiaomai replied in an undeniable tone.

"Hmm." Meng Yuhuai nodded, "In that case, take good care of them, and if you encounter any problems, you can come to the Escort Agency to find me, and I’ll ask the Zhao Family’s gardener for advice—just, try not to keep staring at them."

"Sure." Hua Xiaomai replied absentmindedly, suddenly remembering something, and exclaimed, "Wait, Brother Meng, if I may ask, are you going home now?"

"Yes, Da Zhong told me my mother has been looking for me several times, so I’m going home to check on her," Meng Yuhuai nodded in response. Seeing that Hua Xiaomai looked peculiar, his expression grew serious, "What’s the matter? Don’t tell me my mother... "

"No, no, your mother is very well." Hua Xiaomai quickly waved her hand.

Your mother is naturally not at all inappropriate, but having returned home, the situation you’re about to face could either make you happy or angry, and that’s really hard to say.

When Meng Yuhuai heard that his mother was all right, he set his mind at ease, "Then I better be going now, as it’s getting late; you should hurry back inside too."

Hua Xiaomai smiled and nodded, bowed her head in thought for a moment, then curved her lips and said, "Brother Meng, although I’ve already thanked you, seeing these chili seeds germinate today truly made me incredibly happy. Don’t mind my prattle, but allow me to say it once more—thank you so much for helping me obtain the seeds from Old Master Zhao."

Meng Yuhuai also smiled back, said "No need to be so polite," and then turned to walk back to the front courtyard, where he bade farewell to Jing Taihe and the second lady Hua, took the reins of his horse, and headed to the southern part of the village.

...

That night, because of her joyful heart, Hua Xiaomai slept extremely soundly, and even her dreams were filled with laughter. However, at the same moment, in the Meng Family courtyard to the south of the village, a completely different scene was unfolding.

The night was deep, and most households had already turned off their lights and gone to bed, but a shaky candle still burned in the Meng Family courtyard.

In the darkness, Meng Yuhuai suddenly flung open the curtain fiercely and strode out from the hall, heading straight behind the house, ready to immediately untie the horse’s lead.

"Yuhuai, Yuhuai!" his mother also rushed out, her voice choked with tears, and without a word, she grabbed at his sleeve, "Where are you going?"

"I’m heading back to the Escort Agency," Meng Yuhuai replied rather coldly, soon untied the rope, and attempted to leave.

"It’s too late; the city has already closed its gates for curfew; you won’t be able to get in!" his mother said, growing more frantic, pulled the reins forcefully, and slapped them against him harshly, "What are you getting angry about with me? I busied myself with so many things, wasn’t it all for your sake?"

"I know you mean well for me, but still, you shouldn’t have taken advantage of my absence to..." Meng Yuhuai tugged a few times but couldn’t wrest the reins from her hands, and not daring to really pull away, simply let go, frowning at his mother.

"I merely met that girl and her mother once, without settling anything, is that worth your great anger?" His mother clung stubbornly to his sleeve, wiping her tears as she said, "Besides, look how old you are now. Do you really plan to never marry?"

"...I can judge these things myself." Meng Yuhuai spoke tersely.

"You can judge for yourself?" his mother cried out, "Marriages are to be arranged by the parents, I am your mother, even if I decided on my own, outsiders cannot criticize me! Look at those who grew up with you, Great Saint’s kids are already two, and even Jing Taihe, it’s because of his wife that he delayed it until today. Then look at you, you’re a year or two older than them! While I’m still hale and hearty, after you marry and have kids, I can still help out, but if we wait another year or two..."

The more Meng Yuhuai listened, the more frustrated he felt, grasping the reins again and said chillingly, "Mother, let go."

His mother was startled and let go reflexively; Meng Yuhuai immediately mounted the horse, kicked up a cloud of dust, and in the blink of an eye, disappeared without a trace.

Meng’s mother stood at the doorway for a while, pinched up her sleeve to wipe her eyes, and sighed deeply as she walked back inside.

Next door, Guan Rong had stepped out of her room, pushed open the door on her right, and in the pitch dark saw her own daughter sitting blankly in front of the bed, startling her.

"Were you woken up by the noise? Sigh, go back to sleep quickly, or tomorrow morning your eyes will be swollen..." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we welcome you to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast a recommendation ticket or monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)