"Enough, definitely enough!" Hua Xiaomai nodded repeatedly, delighted to wrap her arms around his neck, "Ah, that takes a load off my mind! My husband ng Yuhuai is handso and extraordinary, sensible, and well-off—having such a good husband, heaven has truly treated well."
"Hmm." ng Yuhuai feigned calmness and responded, seemingly indifferent to her blatant flattery. However, the next mont, he pointed towards the door and chuckled softly, "Now that the important matters are discussed, you, go boil the water."
"Got it!" Hua Xiaomai nodded enthusiastically and instantly turned to run out.
...
By late night, the streets were empty, not a soul stirring, and the narrow room in the back of the Escort Agency had quieted down.
Having floated in and out of sleep, Hua Xiaomai, feeling as limp as water, rested on ng Yuhuai’s arm and muttered sleepily: "I know you have to go protect the Warehouse Guard early tomorrow morning. Don’t just leave without telling ; wake up, and I’ll leave with you."
ng Yuhuai, still catching his breath, looked down at her as she spoke, her eyes barely able to stay open, her entire being nearly drifting to sleep, which made him chuckle. He reached out with his other hand to wipe the fine sweat from her forehead.
The cramped and simplistic room was starkly different from their ho, but having a familiar scent by her side was enough to let her sleep peacefully.
The dawn light gently cast the first bright glow on the window sill.
No sooner had it turned dawn than ng Yuhuai dug Hua Xiaomai out of bed.
Yawning as they boiled water to wash up, they left to buy breakfast and share it, chatting idly about minor things.
"Speaking of which, when can you finally co ho to stay?" Hua Xiaomai stuffed the last piece of sesa cake in her mouth, swallowed a big sip of tea, and frowned, "We’re always living separately, what kind of way is that to live?"
"Guarding the Warehouse Guard isn’t a matter of one or two days. I think Magistrate Tao plans for the long term," ng Yuhuai pondered for a mont, "by the end of May, the boys from Provincial City will be coming back. Only then might I have a break. But I want to advise you, I think our field’s chili is about to bear fruit. If you are free, go check it more often and be a bit more vigilant; don’t ss it up."
Hua Xiaomai nodded, understanding, "I get it." Just when she was about to say "I’ll co see you again in a few days," she heard him add: "About buying the land, I already discussed it with you in detail last night. Have Zheng Yakuai help you with it, you needn’t run about yourself to avoid overworking. Discuss the price as I told you, and if the landlords refuse, don’t get entangled with them; if it really doesn’t work out, co find , and I’ll make ti to co back."
"Okay, I’ll try to handle it first, and if there’s no way, I’ll co to you," Hua Xiaomai smiled slightly.
The two of them tidied up and left the house together. At the front door, they bumped into Zuo Jinxiang, who had gone out early to buy groceries. She had a knowing, sowhat peculiar smile in her eyes.
Hua Xiaomai didn’t bother with her, exchanged greetings, and upon exiting Lianshun Escort Agency’s door, she parted ways with ng Yuhuai and headed towards Fire Knife Village.
Back at the small restaurant, Chun Xi and La i had already opened early. Fish, vegetables, and ats were delivered. Indeed, a brand-new ox cart was parked at the entrance, but the ox had been taken to the backyard, temporarily tied under a tree, waiting for the ox shed to be built in a couple of days.
Seeing Hua Xiaomai return, the two sisters-in-law inevitably teased her once more, and it was only then that Hua Xiaomai revealed her big decision.
She had initially thought that this would not be easy and expected much opposition from them, but to her surprise, both burst into applause simultaneously.
"This is really good news!" Chun Xi said with a beaming smile, "Our Fire Knife Village hasn’t had a decent restaurant for so many years. Girl, since you have the heart to tackle this big undertaking, I will definitely roll up my sleeves and help you all I can. I was worried that if you ventured to Provincial City for this food business, I could never follow, but now I have no such concerns, my heart is at ease!"
La i nodded repeatedly.
Their support naturally made Hua Xiaomai happy. She turned around and saw Zhou Yunyun standing by the kitchen, also smiling. She pointed at her and said, "Don’t just stand there grinning. I’m telling you, a place this big, relying on just one chef will definitely be too much. I need to hire more help, and you need to hurry and finish your apprenticeship. Whichever kitchen you want to manage later, whether the one by the fish pond or by the bamboo forest, I’ll let you choose."
Zhou Yunyun’s eyes widened suddenly, her face flushed with excitent, and she stamred, "Master...Master, rest assured, I will definitely work hard, I’ll only be of help to you, not a disgrace!" She even clenched her fists.
Hua Xiaomai chuckled, responded, and after chatting for a while with the three of them, she went to the kitchen to work.
At noon, ng’s mother ca to the small restaurant for lunch as usual and asked in detail about ng Yuhuai’s situation but didn’t say much else. In the afternoon, as Hua Xiaomai was considering sending Zhou Yunyun to invite Zheng Yakuai, unexpectedly, he arrived first with three or four young n.
"The other day, sister-in-law, you ntioned needing a helper, so I kept an eye out. I think these few are quite suitable. Why don’t you have a look and see which one to keep?"
Turning to look, Hua Xiaomai saw that the few were sixteen or seventeen-year-old youths, appearing honest and sturdy, seemingly capable of handling work. Pleased, she turned back to Zheng Yakuai with a smile, "Big Brother Zheng, your work has always been reliable. What’s there for not to trust? We can talk about this later; at the mont, there’s a more important matter—I intend to buy this small restaurant and the forest behind it, and will inevitably trouble you to help with the arrangents again." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we invite you to vote for it with recomndation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian). Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian to read.)
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