ng Yuhuai had just returned from the Escort Agency, drenched in sweat from his journey, and was hastening to fetch water to wash his face. He hadn’t paid much attention to what Hua Xiaomai was saying. He was about to respond with a customary "hmm" when he suddenly realized what she was talking about, lifted his eyelids slightly, and saw his little wife eagerly smiling at him with a hooked lip corner.
"It makes sense to invite them for a al, I was pondering it on my way back too. But... coming from your mouth, how co it sounds like you have an ulterior motive?"
He glanced at her with a half-smile, "Under the guise of thanking everyone for their righteous help, isn’t it just that your hands are itching to cook? Am I right in guessing so?"
"Don’t accuse an innocent person!" Hua Xiaomai raised her head indignantly, "I’m thinking what you’re thinking, always considering things for you in advance. It’s fine if you don’t thank , but to treat my good intentions as a donkey’s liver and lungs! Just tell , out of all the cooks in Fuzhe County, besides , who else can you use, who else do you approve of? Tsk, if that’s how you see it, then I simply won’t cook the al. Go find soone better!" She pretended to be angered and walked away.
Mother ng was cooking in the kitchen at the ti, and ng pondered that she wouldn’t step out anyti soon, so he pulled Hua Xiaomai back toward him with ease and said in a low chuckle, "I didn’t say you shouldn’t cook. Just think about it, will Mother agree? When she nags you later, won’t it just cause more trouble?"
"That’s for to worry about." Hua Xiaomai rolled her eyes secretly, thinking to herself whether he was the real son because who else would sche against their own mother. She then said with a smile, "You shouldn’t think of Mother as unreasonable. Before you ca back, I had already discussed it with her, and she agreed to help when the ti cos. As for preparing vegetables and deboning, I’ll have Yun’er handle those tasks. We don’t need to entertain guests at ho; isn’t the bamboo grove by the small eatery already prepared? We should enjoy it first, then invite everyone there. It’s quiet and cool in the grove, definitely better than our own courtyard."
"Alright." ng Yuhuai was just teasing her, but seeing that she had already made plans and got Mother’s approval, he thought briefly and felt that the bamboo grove indeed was a good place. He thus agreed without further words and went to the water vat to scoop so water.
However, Hua Xiaomai had no intention of letting him off that easily. She quickly followed him, scooped up a water ladle for him, and bit her lip, "By the way, did you visit Magistrate Tao today? Has his anger subsided? And about Uncle Ke, yesterday he looked so worried and furious, he surely didn’t give you an easy ti today, did he?"
There was sothing she really didn’t want to say.
In the past few months, since Ke Zhenwu had left most of the affairs of the Escort Agency to ng Yuhuai, appearing only infrequently, she had barely seen him. However, catching sight of him unexpectedly at the Escort Agency yesterday, she felt that he seed to have aged a lot and lost a considerable amount of weight.
She didn’t understand dicine and didn’t know the specifics of Ke Zhenwu’s illness, but it was an undeniable fact that he looked much more worn down than when they had first t.
Considering the old man’s many acts of care and attention toward them both, now to see him in such a state after just half a year would naturally make anyone feel distressed, wouldn’t it?
ng Yuhuai, unaware of her thoughts, just kept on scooping water, dunked his head into the basin, scrubbed his face hastily, and then lifted his head, splashing water in all directions.
"Don’t even ntion it, today I really lost face at the Escort Agency." He took the cloth to dry his face and said with a wry smile, "Uncle Ke grabbed a Flower Disc Stick and chased all over the yard, intending to hit . It’s been tense in the Escort Agency lately, everyone on edge. Just as the matter with the abducted Warehouse Guard was settled, and people started to relax, they all stood in the courtyard watching the spectacle — the old man truly didn’t leave any dignity."
"Why didn’t you just stand there and let him hit you a couple of tis? He wouldn’t really hurt you severely, anyhow!" Hua Xiaomai frowned slightly, with a tinge of reproach in her tone, "You’re young and strong; even when his health was good, he couldn’t catch up with you, let alone now when he’s like this... Can’t you just indulge him a bit instead of dodging!"
ng Yuhuai knew what she ant, and with a wet hand, he sared her face playfully, speaking softly, "Don’t worry, I was thinking that if Uncle Ke doesn’t co to the Escort Agency, he’s always resting at ho. A little exercise might be good for him – how could I not know how to be gentle with him?"
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