CHAPTER 617: EPISODE 328: FAITH_2

""Yellowing?" Hua Xiaomai was momentarily stunned, "It’s been fine, how could it have turned yellow?"

In March, the two plots of land near the threshing ground were sown with chili as usual. She had been checking on them from time to time, and Qing You and Ji Xiang among others had also been helping to look after them. They had not noticed any problems and the plants were growing strong. Why then was only Feng Damei’s family experiencing an issue?

"Don’t take it to heart, Damei didn’t come here to demand an explanation from you."

Feng Damei glanced at her face and smiled, patting her hand: "I’ve been to your fields and have also looked at other families who planted chili, all of which are growing well. This proves that your chili seeds are not the problem. I just wanted to come and ask you for advice on how to remedy this situation."

Hua Xiaomai was not very proficient in farming matters and could not figure out the reason at the moment. She pondered for a moment with furrowed brows and said, "Could it be because the fertilizer was not sufficient? Although chili plants are not extremely delicate, they do have some requirements for fertilization, such as a mix of wood ash, manure, and bean dregs. Missing any of these could be a problem..."

"You’re speaking like an amateur,"

Feng Damei said with a smile and a shake of her head: "Indeed, it’s the first time my family has planted chili, but even if we didn’t understand, wouldn’t we copy what others do? We properly fertilized the ground before sowing the seeds, and we haven’t neglected it since—hoping to earn some money in the summer, so how could we be careless in taking care of it?"

"Could it... perhaps be diseased?"

Hua Xiaomai speculated and became a bit anxious herself: "This is no small matter, we cannot afford delays. You should first ask those experienced farmers in the village, and if there is still no clue, I will let Yuhuai inquire in the city tomorrow. I know a senior colleague whose gardener is very good at growing chili and should know how to deal with it."

Feng Damei was very happy that she was willing to help and repeatedly thanked her. She then chatted with Mother Meng in the front courtyard for a while. Hua Xiaomai went to the back courtyard with little Walnut, played with him for a while, watching him pucker his little mouth and blow bubbles, her laughter even causing her to stumble, all the while waiting for Meng Yuhuai to come home.

Who would have expected that Meng, truly lacking a sense of propriety, was drinking with his buddies at the Escort Agency until it was nearly dark before returning home. His gait was steady, but he reeked of alcohol, the smell wafting to one’s face from a distance.

Hua Xiaomai really felt like giving him a knock on the head, and clung to little Walnut, refusing to let him touch the child, persistently pushing him to wash his face and change his clothes, standing beside him fuming and scolding.

"There I was, waiting for you, and you come back in this state. Meng, Leader of the Escorts, can’t you be a bit more moderate? If it was business entertainment, that would be fine, but clearly you were just having fun with your brothers. Why did you have to drink so much? You always used to say that an Escort Master needs to stay alert, to avoid alcohol whenever possible. What now? Do you still want to hold little Walnut? He’s so tiny, aren’t you afraid of making him pass out from your stench!"

From the beginning to the end, Meng Yuhuai wore a smile on his face. He wiped his face with a cloth and said nonchalantly, "Wife, you nag too much."

Upon hearing this, Hua Xiaomai became even more incensed, and boldly punched him once: "Are you starting to dislike me now?"

"Why would I dislike you? Everyone was happy, so I just drank a few more glasses. That’s all." Meng Yuhuai pretended to smear his sweaty cloth on her face, laughing and saying, "Why are you in such a hurry for me? Earlier at Chunfeng Restaurant, I saw Mr. Zhao gave you a letter. Is it about that?"

"Of course, I have something to find you for!" Hua Xiaomai dragged him towards the backyard, pouting as she spoke, "That Feng Dam’s chili has run into some trouble, but we can talk about that later. The letter was brought by Song Jingxi, and I was anxiously waiting for you to take a look at it for me—why are you never around when I need you?"

Saying this, she pulled him into the room and handed him the letter.

Meng Yuhuai took out the letter and read it aloud to her once more, then frowned, "What’s the meaning behind her sending this letter? Your relationship with her is nothing special. To go to all this trouble to write a letter and then not mention a single important thing, is she that idle?"

"You’re the one who’s idle." Hua Xiaomai gave him a look and deliberately leaned closer to the letter, "I also find it strange. Is there really nothing else she said in the letter?"

"Nothing." Mr. Meng shook his head, setting the letter aside, and whether it was because he had drunk a little too much and felt a headache coming on, he rubbed his forehead and said, "She mentioned Wang Tonghe in her letter, do you think, maybe she’s also trying to test you? Or perhaps, she plans to meet Wang Tonghe through you?"

Hua Xiaomai immediately shook her head without pondering, "That can’t be. Old Master Wang has been gone for so long now, he should have returned to Lingquan Prefecture by now. When he arrived here, the whole Tong’an Prefecture’s food industry knew about him, so how could there be no word in the Provincial City now that he’s left? She surely knows Old Master Wang has already left; to find me would be in vain. Besides, even if she’s convinced that I am Old Master Wang’s disciple, with our kind of relationship, does she really expect that I could help her gain any benefit?"

"...Makes sense."

Meng Yuhuai nodded, casually poured himself a cup of tea to drink, and while Hua Xiaomai wasn’t paying attention, he tried to pick up Little Walnut again but she slapped his hand away.

"Don’t touch him! He played quite a bit this afternoon; he must be tired now. Can’t you just let him rest? I’m discussing serious matters with you, Leader Meng, can’t you be a bit more serious?"

Meng Yuhuai couldn’t help but suppress his laughter, and, reaching out to embrace her, he rested his head childishly on her shoulder.

"I do have an idea, but I’ll only tell you if you agree to one condition... tonight..."

"Oh, come on!"

Hua Xiaomai didn’t know whether to cry or laugh, and she hit him hard, "Why are you always... Aren’t you afraid that Mother will laugh at you? Tell me, haven’t you drunk too much?"

"Not wanting to disturb Mother, and for convenience, worst comes to worst, we’ll just find a reliable carpenter to make a little wooden bed for Little Walnut, and put it in our room. When the time comes, we’ll just move him aside," Meng said, still hopeful, with a smile.

"I’m really getting angry!" Hua Xiaomai straightened her expression, "What’s this idea you have? Are you going to tell me?"

Meng Yuhuai was not the least bit intimidated, caressing her face with his palm, he smiled and said, "I was thinking, Song Jingxi sending this letter, do you think, could it be related to the Eight Treasures Conference?" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian to cast your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)