Chef Hua-Chapter 673 - 356th Episode: Leader_2

"I didn’t think too much about it, just tried my best," Hua Xiaomai turned around and smiled at her, "Okay, can you stop showing me that bitter melon face? Your brother Yuhuai knows several famous doctors in Fuzhe County who specialize in treating sprains and fractures. When we get home, I’ll have him take me to see them."

After saying this, she walked briskly to the cupboard, lifted the felt curtain, and cheerfully crawled inside.

Meng Yuhuai had not gone to Chixing Pavilion, but he had received the news early. At this moment, seeing Hua Xiaomai come in, he immediately stepped forward to meet her, lowered his eyes to look at her for a while, and then chuckled with a smirk.

...

Leaving Huayin Pond proved to be a bit of an effort for everyone.

The new champion of the Eight Treasures Conference was hot off the press, and many well-informed locals had come to join the excitement, crowding around the entrance and standing on their tiptoes to peek inside.

"I heard it’s a woman!"

"I heard it’s a young woman; too bad she’s already married."

"I heard her husband is quite handsome; if that’s true, she’s not at a loss!"

Meng Yuhuai almost wished he could use all the skills he had when escorting valuables to protect his wife, weaving in and out of the crowd to break free from the encirclement, choosing the more secluded alleys to squeeze through until they finally returned to Dong’an Inn, both of them drenched in sweat.

Luckily he frequented Tong’an City and was fairly familiar with the layout; otherwise, they would have been truly trapped today!

The Shopkeeper had already set up a table with food and drinks in the inn’s main hall and happily rushed forward, repeating the flattery from the day before, and dragging the group to the table with much persuasion.

"I truly didn’t expect that this year’s champion of the Eight Treasures Conference would emerge from our Dong’an Inn; it even adds prestige to our place!" he said jovially. "You few are not locals, probably without anyone to arrange a celebration, but this celebratory wine needs to be drunk regardless! Leader Meng, Lady Meng, the food and drinks are ready, please sit down for a while, if only to give me face, could you?"

Hua Xiaomai had been busy all morning and was feeling quite tired; her arm was also throbbing with pain, so she really wanted to go upstairs to rest. However, the Shopkeeper was so eagerly insistent that she couldn’t refuse and took a seat with Meng Yuhuai. She then waved her hand, calling Zhou Yunyun and the others over as well.

Meng’s mother, however, had been sitting steadily at the table for a while, holding little Walnut in her lap. She was completely indifferent to Daoxiang Garden winning the champion of the Eight Treasures Conference, glancing at Hua Xiaomai with an annoyed murmur.

"And here I thought you two were truly filial, taking me on a trip to the Provincial City for leisure. Now I understand that you tricked me into coming to watch the child! The sun is vicious, and I dare not take little Walnut out for a stroll. For two days straight, from morning to night, I’ve been stuck in this inn staring at each other, nearly to death! Do you two have any conscience?" she complained while attempting to shove little Walnut into Hua Xiaomai’s arms.

"Mother!"

Meng Yuhuai, concerned about Hua Xiaomai’s injured arm, quickly and discreetly took the lead in taking his son from her.

Hua Xiaomai, however, mustered her spirits and flashed Meng’s mother a conciliatory smile, "Isn’t that right? These last few days have been really hard on you, Mom. Since we’ve come all this way to the Provincial City, it would be such a pity not to visit around! How about this? Let’s extend our stay by a couple of days. You and I can hit the streets tomorrow, buy whatever you fancy, and try all the famous restaurants here. That way, you won’t always have to complain about getting bored of my cooking. What do you think?"

"Buy whatever I fancy? Would we still be able to make a living if I did that?!"

Meng’s mother glared at her, yet her proposal clearly pleased her. There was a hint of anticipation in the corners of her eyes and brows. Muttering to herself, she appeared to be looking forward to winding down, but then her gaze suddenly swept over the table and she exclaimed, "Eh, why is someone missing? Where’s Master Wang?"

Everyone, not minding the host or the helpers, was squeezed together having a good time, eating and drinking. When they heard this question, they were all startled and involuntarily turned to look at Hua Xiaomai.

"Why are you all looking at me?" laughed Hua Xiaomai. "He’ll be back when it’s time to come back. He’s a grown man, able to make his own decisions. You don’t need to worry about him, do you?"

After speaking, she picked at her food and even took a rare sip of wine after being coaxed by Xiu Miao.

After a busy morning, once the meal was over, everyone went back to their own rooms to rest. Hua Xiaomai and Meng Yuhuai also took little Walnut from Meng’s mother to their room.

The little guy had recently started to make strange noises from his mouth, resembling singing from time to time. In the heat of the midday, he was not sleepy at all and kept muttering, his large glistening eyes wide open, which amused Hua Xiaomai so much that she no longer felt like sleeping. She lay on the bed and played with him, both of them in high spirits.

Meng Yuhuai comfortably leaned against the bedding, smiling as he watched the two of them frolic. After a while, he said, "Are we really going to stay a couple more days in the Provincial City? Although I’ve examined your arm and it should be fine, we still need to see a doctor for peace of mind. If there’s anything wrong, we can treat it as soon as possible..."

"Didn’t you see Mom’s face when she heard we could stay a couple more days?" Hua Xiaomai turned her head back. "Since we’ve come all this way, we should accompany her around, shouldn’t we?"

She rolled over onto him, acting spoiled, "Besides, Leader Meng, your wife has just earned a top prize. Don’t you want to buy something valuable in the Provincial City to reward me? You know my arm is just a bit overworked. Why are you making such a fuss?"

"Looking for a spanking?" Meng Yuhuai wrapped her in his arms, looking at her with a mocking smile, "Since that’s the case, it’s fine to stay for a few more days, only..."

He frowned slightly, "But what exactly is going on with Master Wang?"

"Didn’t I tell you? He was stopped by Old Master Xue just as we were leaving. He..."

Hua Xiaomai pursed her lips, and just when she had spoken halfway, a knocking sound came from the door.

"Brother Yuhuai, Boss, are you still resting?"

It was the voice of Wang Zhanrui.

Speaking of the devil and he appears. Hua Xiaomai quickly rolled over, straightened her clothes and hair, and tidied herself up, while Meng Yuhuai went to open the door, saying with a smile, "With a baby here, how could we rest? Please, come in and have a seat, Master Wang." (To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to come 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.)