CHAPTER 647: EPISODE 343: NO NEED TO WORRY_2

Hua Xiaomai, after all, had a good constitution. She nestled at home and after taking a few days of careful rest, she gradually recovered well. Unable to wait any longer, she took her little walnut back from Old Mrs. Meng to her side.

As May approached, the sun began to bring a scorcher hint, drying the grass in the fields until it was dry and brittle. Everywhere in the fields, farmers swung their sickles, their figures drenched in sweat.

The rainy season was about to begin, and everyone wanted to tidy up their crops before it started to avoid the torrential rains from ruining their food and vegetables, which would wash away all their spring efforts. The Meng Family’s land wasn’t abundant, but they couldn’t afford to be negligent and thoroughly tended the two chili patches near the threshing floor. The small vegetable patch in the front yard of the new house, which was planted with onions and garlic, had an early wooden shed built to shelter it from the rain.

Jing Taihe had eventually leased the blacksmith shop in the village from Hua Xiaomai at market price. It didn’t require much effort to decorate. They took down the large iron furnace, cleaned inside and out a couple of times, replaced the broken windows, rebuilt the walls around it, piled up a kitchen, and furnished it with some household items, making it ready for habitation at any time.

This task didn’t really require hiring craftsmen; she just needed to spend some money to find a few strong village youths to fully handle it. Master Tan knew that this house was specifically for his family, and was both grateful and happy. He hurried to bring his wife and children the next day after the house was refurbished, nearly tearing up in front of Hua Xiaomai.

"Working in the kitchen all day and night, I seldom get a chance to visit the city to see the children. Now it’s good, the whole family living together, as soon as I finish work in the evening, I can see them... I really don’t know what to say, Daoxiang Garden already pays well, and now you’ve gone out of your way to arrange a place for my family to reunite..."

He rubbed his hands together, speaking in a somewhat rambling manner as he shuffled his words, with his wife nodding vigorously beside him.

The children, finding themselves in a new place, were enormously curious. They chased each other around the house, their laughter echoing sporadically.

Hua Xiaomai turned her head to look at the children, sweaty and wild, and smiled tightly, "This is nothing, Master Tan, you need not be so grateful; I just hope you can work at Daoxiang Garden for a long time. The conditions of this house may not be great, probably not as good as your home in the county, but it is spacious enough to live comfortably. Just settle down with peace of mind—when do you plan to move?"

Since Master Tan had known that Hua Xiaomai was going to solve the problem of his family living separately, he had been eagerly looking forward to it, going over it in his mind many times. Hearing her words, he immediately smiled and nodded, "The earlier our family is reunited, the sooner my heart will be at ease, and there’s no need to worry about picking a day, let’s say tomorrow. Although it’s not a formal house moving, it is indeed a joyful occasion. I originally wanted to invite everyone to our house for a celebration, but Daoxiang Garden has been busy, and we might not get a break..."

"Alright, then I’ll give you a day off tomorrow," Hua Xiaomai readily agreed, squinting her eyes and half-jokingly said, "As for inviting us to your house as guests, I’ll remember that. The rainy season will soon begin, and Daoxiang Garden’s business might be somewhat affected, so we’ll take that opportunity to come visit your house. Be warned, we’ll only bring our mouths, eat and leave; even if you find it tiresome, we won’t mind!"

Master Tan chuckled, saying repeatedly "of course," and was about to say something more when he suddenly looked up and blurted out, "Oh, Shopkeeper Pan, what brings you here?"

Hua Xiaomai turned around and indeed saw Pan Ping’an laboriously carrying a large basket, making his way down the small village path.

She had not spoken or greeted him; she merely tilted her head slightly, her lips curving into a faint smile.

Pan Ping’an hurried over to the two of them, exchanged a few words with Master Tan, then turned to Hua Xiaomai with a somewhat sheepish expression, "Xiaomai girl, could we step aside to talk?"

Hua Xiaomai nonchalantly followed him a few steps to the side.

"That..." Pan Ping’an, usually so slick, was visibly uncomfortable today, stumbling over his words. He bowed his head and lifted the tender green leaves in his basket, revealing that it was brimming with cherries, dazzlingly red and dotted with dewdrops, looking fresh, beautiful, and irresistibly charming.

"They just came on the market in town, and they looked quite good, so I bought some." He pushed the large basket towards Hua Xiaomai, "I had been meaning to visit your house earlier, but then... I heard you were sick? I didn’t think it appropriate to bother you, so I postponed till today. Earlier, I went to your house, and Sister Meng told me you had gone to the blacksmith area..."

Is this his way of... apologizing?

Hua Xiaomai pursed her lips and took the basket of cherries, smiling, "This fruit is both sour and sweet, very refreshing, and I really like it. I think about it every year. These past few days I was sick and didn’t manage to buy any, but fortunately, you brought some. Thank you so much, Uncle Ping’an!"

"Why say thanks..." Pan Ping’an grew even more uncomfortable, waving his hands vigorously, "...that silver note, I had Great Saint take it to the city’s bank to inquire, and indeed it couldn’t be cashed. This mistake was my fault, thinking too highly of my few years in business. If it weren’t for your vigilance, our Zhenwei Garden would have faced a great loss! I’ve been feeling so guilty about you, especially after I yelled at you in Sauce Garden a couple of days ago... It was clear you were the boss, and yet I didn’t show you any respect, ending up humiliating myself..."

Is his attitude of admitting fault somewhat acceptable?

Hua Xiaomai smiled, "Alright, Uncle Ping’an, as a younger person, I appreciate that you’re willing to sincerely say these things in front of me. Let’s consider this matter settled, and not bring it up again. I don’t often manage Zhenwei Garden well, so I really need you to take good care of it."

"You can be sure, this won’t happen a second time!" Pan Ping’an assured, pounding on his chest, then leaning in closer, added, "However, are you really going to let the matter go just like that? We can’t let those two swindlers off so easily, can we?"

"Yuhuai said he would handle it." Hua Xiaomai nodded, "With him here, I don’t need to worry about everything myself." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to visit 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.)