Chef Hua

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?"