CHAPTER 615: 327TH EPISODE: BANQUET AT CHUNFENG RESTAURANT_2

"Tch!" Hua Xiaomai really wanted to kick him as she rolled her eyes vigorously, "Can we change the subject?"

Meng Yuhuai readily complied and immediately changed the topic, "What are you planning to do today?"

"What else can I do? I’ll first head over to Daoxiang Garden to have a look, and if there’s nothing going on, I’ll just go home and play with Little Walnut!"

Hua Xiaomai raised her chin defiantly.

"Hmm," Meng Yuhuai nodded, "I actually have something to discuss with you that we didn’t get to last night—I was thinking, yesterday the brothers from the Escort Agency helped us move and put in a lot of effort. Although we prepared a feast to thank them, there were too many people and we couldn’t take care of everyone properly. Moving to a new home is a private affair of mine, yet they labored for it, and I feel somewhat uneasy. Moreover, recently, I’ve been considering adding a few more hands to the Escort Agency, and the inexperienced newcomers will inevitably need guidance from Han Hu and the others. So I thought, why not specifically invite them to dine. Besides, didn’t Uncle Ke fail to come in person yesterday? I’m thinking of inviting him as well."

"That’s great," Hua Xiaomai gathered her clothes to wear, "Treating them to a meal is only proper, so just set the date, and when the time comes I’ll have Master Wang and Master Tan prepare everything wholeheartedly..."

However, Meng Yuhuai shook his head.

"There’s no need to delay, let’s set it for the next few days. But this time, I haven’t planned to do it at Daoxiang Garden."

"Why?" Hua Xiaomai suddenly looked up, pouting, "Aren’t you looking after our own business?"

Meng Yuhuai was amused by her and scraped a finger along her cheek, "If we could do it at Daoxiang Garden, naturally there would be nothing better. The food is guaranteed to be good, and it’s convenient for us as well. But that day, during the Lianshun Escort Agency’s Spring Wine Banquet... Yes, the day that Little Walnut was born, didn’t Uncle Ke come over? I noticed that after he walked around outside, he didn’t look well. Now, for him, Fire Knife Village is probably too far."

"Ah?"

Hua Xiaomai was about to get out of bed, but when she heard this, she paused involuntarily.

This year, at the Lianshun Escort Agency’s Spring Wine Banquet, because she was close to giving birth, she hadn’t been involved with the arrangements at the shop and thus hadn’t seen Ke Zhenwu. Wasn’t the old gentleman always recuperating at home? Hearing Meng Yuhuai say this, it seemed as if his health was actually getting worse?

"Is it... that serious?" she furrowed her brows with unease, "The worst is, we don’t know any good doctors. The old immortal from Baosheng Medical Hall is only skilled at treating women’s ailments, otherwise..."

"Actually, it’s not as serious as you think, just not as strong as before, unable to travel long distances."

Meng Yuhuai comforted her by stroking her head, "So I was thinking, since we’re going to invite him, it would be best to choose a restaurant in Fuzhe County. I’ve already considered it carefully, and Chunfeng Restaurant would be the most suitable. For one thing, Uncle Ke is familiar with Master Zhao, and for another, although the Escort Agency may not need to rely on Master Zhao in the future, taking care of his business would never be wrong."

Since he was always steady and didn’t require any worrying on her part, Hua Xiaomai nodded and replied, "You handle things much more reliably than I do, and your considerations are thorough. This is very good, let’s do it this way."

"So, will you go then?" Meng Yuhuai hooked a smile with his lips.

"Are you asking me and your wife to help you entertain the guests?" Hua Xiaomai winked at him, "You value me so much, how could I refuse? Actually, I haven’t seen Uncle Ke for a long time, and since we haven’t had a full-month celebration for the baby, he hasn’t seen little Walnut either. This would be a good opportunity to show the baby to him and get some blessings from the elder!"

Meng Yuhuai loved it when she was this straightforward. His eyes immediately softened, and after hugging her and whispering a few unrelated words with warmth, they went to the front yard to have a meal, then he went off to the Escort Agency with Old Black without further ado.

Chunfeng Restaurant was the most famous restaurant in Fuzhe County, adept at arranging banquet events. For an intimate gathering like this within the Escort Agency, there wasn’t any need to be too particular, so there was no need to book too far in advance. Once Meng Yuhuai mentioned it, Zhao Laoye readily agreed with enthusiasm and reserved the largest private room upstairs for him.

This was the first time Hua Xiaomai led little Walnut into the county. The child was small and couldn’t be exposed to wind, so Mister Meng specifically hired a carriage in the city to take them straight to Chunfeng Restaurant. He also sent two people to safely bring Uncle Ke to the restaurant.

Since Hua Xiaomai was well-acquainted with the people from Lianshun Escort Agency due to frequent visits, there was no need for formalities when they met. They immediately started chatting and laughing, cracking jokes, and the atmosphere at the banquet was very lively.

This was Ke Zhenwu’s first time seeing little Walnut. He glanced at the child’s tender little face, and immediately couldn’t stop smiling, holding onto the baby and not letting go, repeatedly praising how well the child was raised. Without further ado, he stuffed a pair of small silver bracelets into the baby’s hands.

"Over the years, I’ve always considered Yuhuai as my own child. Now that he has a baby, how could I, as an elder, not give a token of goodwill?"

He brushed aside Hua Xiaomai’s hand that was trying to refuse, and sternly said with a tiger-like face, "Don’t push it. It’s not for you, so what does it have to do with you? A gift from an elder must be accepted. Don’t you understand such basic principles?"

Hua Xiaomai had no choice but to accept the silver bracelets, holding little Walnut’s hand and giving Ke Zhenwu a respectful bow.

The old gentleman seemed to be in good spirits today, and she could only hope that he would become healthier and healthier.

Once the banquet began, the clinking of wine glasses never stopped. Meng Yuhuai was dragged by Han Hu and others, downing several cups in succession. Knowing that this bit of alcohol was nothing for him, Hua Xiaomai didn’t interfere, simply sitting beside him and smiling.

As they continued to drink and revel, Zhao Laoye cheerfully pushed open the door, holding a letter in his hand.

Last year, when Daoxiang Garden had just opened, he had made a couple of sour comments in front of Hua Xiaomai, but frankly, there was no real animosity between them. After the incident involving Wang Tonghe, he quickly let go of any slight unhappiness, now smiling wide enough that his teeth showed but his eyes did not, appearing to be in a very good mood.

Upon entering, he exchanged a few words of greeting with Ke Zhenwu, Meng Yuhuai, and the people from the Escort Agency. Then he walked towards Hua Xiaomai with a genial face, inevitably praising little Walnut, before handing over the letter he was holding.

"Here, this is for you. Since you are here today, I don’t need to have Yuhuai bring it back to you. I will give it to you personally." (To be continued. If you like this work, please go to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile phone users, please read at m.qidian.com.)