Chef Hua

Hua Xiaomai looked at Sun Great Saint gratefully and then turned back to Pan Ping’an, forcing herself to shake her head as she said, "Uncle Ping’an, haven’t you noticed anything wrong yet? They just left like that, and didn’t even take back the silver note they gave you yesterday..."

Pan Ping’an suddenly froze. When he spoke again, his arrogance had diminished by half, "Maybe... maybe they were too angry and forgot about it. It won’t take long, they will naturally..."

"There’s nothing I can do if that’s what you want to think," Hua Xiaomai’s patience was completely worn out, and she said loudly, "You have the silver note, you can go to the bank right now and ask. If you can cash it in, I’ll immediately take out seven hundred taels for everyone to share, how about that? If there isn’t enough, I’ll sell my house if I have to, but I won’t let you suffer any loss, alright?"

With that, she turned and walked towards the door.

Pan Ping’an watched her disappear without a trace, turned around, and saw everyone in the yard staring at him. He waved his hand embarrassedly and said, "Get back to work, don’t... don’t just stand there," and he dashed into the storeroom in a puff of smoke.

The short walk home was incredibly difficult for Hua Xiaomai. She couldn’t muster any strength in her legs, feeling as if she were walking on cotton. The bright sun overhead was blinding, and she floated back to the east side of the village. As soon as she entered the yard, she bumped into Meng Laoniang, who was about to take little Walnut out to sunbathe.

"How is it, were those two swindlers? You..." Meng Laoniang grabbed her and started asking. She suddenly swallowed back her words in the middle of the sentence and started exclaiming in shock.

"What’s wrong with you, your face is as white as a ghost?" As she spoke, she touched Hua Xiaomai’s forehead, "Good heavens, it’s hotter than fire! I told you you were asking for trouble, and you talked back at me. Now what? Hurry up, go and lie down in bed. I reckon we will need to call for a doctor. Tsk, I tell you..."

While complaining, she forcibly pushed her toward the backyard.

Since coming to Fire Knife Village, Hua Xiaomai had hardly fallen ill and knew her condition was serious this time. She didn’t dare to neglect it and obediently moved towards the backyard, not forgetting to keep a distance from little Walnut, "Mother, don’t let him come too close to me, at least don’t let him into my room today. If he gets hungry... Daoxiang Garden delivers fresh cow and sheep’s milk every day..."