CHAPTER 637: 338_2

Hua Xiaomai always felt like an inexperienced little girl in front of him, easily startled and lacking the dignity and class, which invariably left her feeling somewhat begrudging. She sighed and recounted yesterday’s observations to him.

"I didn’t know who those two were, so I didn’t dare to blurt it out, to avoid startling the snake in the grass. I was hoping you would come home early to discuss it and think of a strategy. But you, you didn’t show up all night! I was so worried!"

Meng Yuhuai did not seem surprised at all; he just pondered for a moment and soothingly patted her on the head: "I indeed had something important last night, you worked hard."

Is that it?

Big brother, I know you’re usually calm, but seeing that the Escort Agency might face calamity, shouldn’t you lose your composure a bit?

"Hey, can you show some reaction, please? This matter is closely related to your Escort Agency! Don’t think that two little mice can’t stir up a storm, it’s you who told me that the Escort Agency always values its reputation greatly. What if..."

Hua Xiaomai furrowed her brow tightly, muttering to herself. She accidentally glanced up at Meng Yuhuai, and saw not only was he unfazed, but his smile had even broadened, making her suddenly realize: "You... you knew all along, didn’t you?"

"What do you think?"

Meng Yuhuai finally managed to "snatch" the little walnut away, freeing a hand to lead her sitting down in the yard: "When we are not escorting, the people in the Escort Agency are all in one place from morning to night, especially the newcomers, who are particularly noticeable. You just visited once and noticed something wrong. Those two have been in the Escort Agency for several days now. Do you think I am so heartless that I wouldn’t know anything about this?"

Hua Xiaomai breathed a huge sigh of relief.

He was someone reliable; since he had everything under control, she didn’t need to worry too much anymore.

"So, sending those two to accompany Han Hu on the escort to Lizhou was also intentional?" She pursed her lips, her heart settling down, but she soon felt slightly upset, "You are too secretive, even keeping me in the dark which made me worry for nothing, I couldn’t sleep well all night—I don’t care, now you must tell me, what exactly did you plan?"

Meng Yuhuai lowered his eyelids as if examining the walnut, yet his brows slightly raised: "From beginning to end, the escort to Lizhou has never existed."

He said it lightly, as if discussing "what to eat tonight", but the implications were immense.

Hua Xiaomai was somewhat incredulous and stood silent for a while before murmuring: "Wow, Escort Master Meng, for the sake of those two, you’ve really pulled out all the stops, creating such an uproar... Does that mean the others in the Escort Agency also know about these two men’s peculiarity?"

"Only Han Hu knows, I haven’t told many others." Meng Yuhuai shook his head, "You overheard those two talking yesterday and still chose not to disclose anything in front of Han Hu, just to avoid alerting them prematurely. How could I recklessly make everyone aware? Han Hu had to lead them on a long journey, I couldn’t keep it from him, but the others still know nothing. After all, this is just taking advantage of their plot against me, letting them fall on their own schemes. It’s fair, isn’t it?"

Hua Xiaomai silently nodded, hugged her knees, and pondered for a while before softly saying: "Who exactly have you offended..."

Lianshun Escort Agency was the only one in Fuzhe County so competition wasn’t a problem, and both Ke Zhenwu and Meng Yuhuai always treated people with sincerity, maintaining good relations with the local merchants. Moreover, the Escort Agency had Magistrate Tao as a supporter, so trouble would not come easily.

However, while that might be the case in Fuzhe County, the situation in the entire Tong’an Prefecture was quite different.

Although Meng Yuhuai was young, he handled things very steadily. Since taking over Lianshun Escort Agency, he had expanded the business significantly, capturing several contracts from the Provincial City. Consequently, it was inevitable that envy arose.

It was clear from their conversation; those two aimed to tarnish the reputation of Lianshun Escort Agency. If their plans succeeded, who would be the happiest? Common merchants wouldn’t cause trouble without reason, so...could it be a rivalry with other businesses?

In the whole of Tong’an Prefecture, there were only two or three escort agencies, and besides Lianshun Escort Agency, the other two were in the Provincial City...

Provincial City?

As the idea suddenly struck her, Hua Xiaomai grabbed Meng Yuhuai’s sleeve and spoke urgently: "Could it be..."

It was only then that Meng Yuhuai’s face showed a hint of somberness.

"I hope not." His forehead vein bulged, his smile vanishing as he gritted his teeth, "I’ve never feared fair competition, but if they resort to sneaky tactics, they can’t blame me. Though I value our past brotherhood, I’m not planning on constantly yielding. If he wants to break ties, I’m ready to oblige."

Hua Xiaomai rarely saw him so agitated, knowing they had reached the same conclusion, she sighed internally and quietly slipped her hand into his.

"Your brothers are still at the Lianshun Escort Agency. Why bother with those who have left? Last year, I was worried that our dealings with Ruijin Silk Store might be sabotaged by them, but instead, it turns out they were thinking further ahead than me! You always handle things more solidly than I do, there’s no need for me to say much, just be careful."

Meng Yuhuai frowned, turned his head, and gave her a smile, stood up and handed the walnut over.

"Han Hu will be leading the team the day after tomorrow, I need to go back to the Escort Agency and talk some more with him, make sure everything is set. For the next few days, try not to come to the Escort Agency, I might not be able to attend to you."

Having said that, he bent down and kissed the walnut on the cheek, hugged Hua Xiaomai at the waist, and strode out. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)