Chef Hua-Chapter 579: Episode 309: Wives Need to be Coaxed_2

Meng’s mother glanced at him, "I didn’t ask you, because firstly, I know you are headstrong, and I can’t stop you. Secondly, this issue has to be resolved, dragging it out isn’t a solution. Now it seems, you don’t appreciate my turning a blind eye, upsetting your wife like this?"

"I know she’s angry, and it’s my fault for misspeaking, but..." Meng Yuhuai let out a long sigh and sat down by the table.

"In these days, you and your wife haven’t even spoken a single complete sentence, have you?" Meng’s mother said crossly, "We live under the same roof every day, do you think I’m blind, that I can’t see it? Hmph, that wife of yours, she’s full of faults, sometimes I really feel like giving her a thorough scolding, but just because she sides with me, I can endure everything. Do you need me to tell you how hard it is for her, carrying your child every day? Don’t say I didn’t warn you, if she keeps holding in her anger, the kid that’ll be born will certainly turn out to be troublesome, and you can just wait to be worn out by it!"

"Today I went to pick her up with the intention of having a proper conversation, but as soon as she heard the word ’uncle’, she exploded, and I simply..."

Meng Yuhuai rubbed his temples, "That thing I said a few days ago, I know it hurt her feelings, but it was unintentional, just words spoken in haste. She drove away her uncle and his family to stand up for me, not for her own sake, how could I not know that? But now... I really don’t know what to do."

"What else can you do, you have to coax her!" Meng’s mother glared at him fiercely, "A few words should do the trick, can’t you be a bit more thoughtful? With your clumsy tongue, the more you talk, the worse it gets. If you don’t show some sincerity, how can you expect her to step down gracefully? Go, go, go back to your room and think it over yourself, don’t expect me to solve this for you!"

With that, she pulled Meng Yuhuai out of the chair and pushed him towards the door, and then...

She slammed the door shut.

Meng sat in the courtyard for a while, strong and sturdy, he didn’t feel cold, only full of worry.

He of course knew his wife needed to be coaxed, but the question was, how to coax her?

...

In the twelfth lunar month, as various merchants started to make arrangements for their New Year’s Eve banquet, Daoxiang Garden’s business became increasingly prosperous.

The merchants who came here for year-end feasts, of course, had more than just a lively celebration in mind. Most of them were ready to utilize the opportunity to build relationships, striving to lay a solid foundation for next year’s business. Thus, they were willing to spend generously, not blinking an eye when ordering expensive ingredients, ensuring that the feast looked presentable.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Daoxiang Garden made a tidy profit. While it wasn’t an overwhelming success, it was certainly a reason to celebrate. Although Hua Xiaomai didn’t do much in the kitchen, she still came every day on time, making sure the cooks and waitstaff handled everything perfectly, without the slightest mishap.

With no lack of money at home, Meng’s mother was not as tight-fisted as before. New Year goods were continuously brought into the house, shopping without end, thoroughly enjoying the shopping spree. Sometimes, she would also take Hua Xiaomai with her, not mentioning the dispute with Meng Yuhuai in front of her, just chattering about trivial matters.

That day in the afternoon, she again caught Hua Xiaomai to accompany her strolling in the village. They returned before evening, but as soon as they stepped into the restaurant’s main hall, Hua Xiaomai immediately caught a whiff of the scent of dishes.

It’s just the "flavor" of the dishes, hardly "fragrant," unlike what wafts from a restaurant kitchen. It’s more like an odd, intermittent scent drifting from the garden, carrying with it a strange air.

As soon as Chun Xi and La Mei saw her, they burst out laughing, Zhou Yunyun was more reserved, but she also couldn’t help it, covering her mouth and snickering. Wen Huaren, Qing You, Ji Xiang, and the others turned their faces to look out the window, their shoulders, however, were shaking uncontrollably.

Hua Xiaomai was full of confusion, sizing everyone up, then examining herself, finding nothing amiss, she clicked her tongue.

"Are you all sick? Do I look so funny? Also, where is that cooking smell coming from? Who is messing around in the garden?"

"Right?"

Chun Xi burst into laughter, hurriedly stepped forward, and took hold of her arm, "I also smelled a whiff of food, shall we... go check out the garden together?"

Hua Xiaomai glanced at her face, feeling something was off, seeing her so eager, she became less hurried, settling down into a chair, "That’s originally your job, you go if you want. I’m tired from walking and want to rest for a while."

Chun Xi gestured to Zhou Yunyun, who immediately came over and tugged at Hua Xiaomai, "Master, let’s go have a look together, I’ve been learning to cook for so long and never knew dishes could have such a smell. Aren’t you the least bit curious?"

"Not curious." Hua Xiaomai shook her head without a second thought, "This smell, you can tell the cook has no foundation just by smelling it, going to look would be a waste of time. Since none of you are in a rush, I suppose you know who it is already, and I have no interest in crowding around."

The atmosphere in the hall turned a bit stiff, and after a short while, La Mei suddenly rushed over, grabbed her without a word, and pulled her toward the garden.

"Come on, come on, as the owner, you’re the one who makes decisions about everything in this garden. Even if someone needs to be dismissed, you have to be the one to do it!"

She talked as she dragged Hua Xiaomai through the bamboo grove and stopped at the doorway of the little kitchen.

"You go in, I’ll wait for you out here, okay?" She pushed Hua Xiaomai forward and then stood in the open space, refusing to move.

Hua Xiaomai was no fool and had an inkling of what was going on. She stared at the kitchen door for a while, impatiently glancing at Chun Xi, then stepped through the door.

The kitchen was shrouded in smoke, and nothing was clear. As soon as she stepped in, she was immediately engulfed and stepped back three paces, exclaiming loudly, "What are you doing? Stop messing around, will you?!"

A tall figure gradually emerged from the billowing smoke, donning an apron and holding a spatula, he gave her a crooked smile, "I just wanted to give it a try." (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation ticket, monthly ticket, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)

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