Chef Hua-Chapter 573 - 306: Disappearance_2

With that, she squatted down unceremoniously and, burying her head, began to sob again.

"The twelfth month is upon us, and New Year’s is just around the corner. Doesn’t everyone yearn for a reunion with the family? But why now, of all times... If anything were to happen, how could we, a family of widows and orphans, carry on?"

Wen Huaren, a diligent scholar, had never seen such a scene and felt truly uneasy.

Knowing he couldn’t control the situation, he hummed and hawed in pretense while cautiously retreating into the main hall. He signaled with his eyes to Chun Xi, La Mei, Qing You, and a few others to block Mrs. Ding and her daughter from entering easily. He then turned and hurried toward the backyard.

Mrs. Ding, squatting on the ground and surrounded by a tight circle of people, hadn’t noticed his departure. But Zhou Yunyun, who had sharp eyes, hastily followed him and shouted anxiously, "Big Brother Wen, don’t go and call my master; she and madam dislike this family and don’t want to get involved with them. Be careful not to upset her further!"

Wen Huaren couldn’t linger to explain, he simply replied with a quick "I understand" as he circled to the back door, dashed through another gate into the village, and headed straight for the construction site of the new house. There, he finally learned the full story from the foreman who was leading the team of craftsmen.

It turned out that the team of craftsmen had rules for their work: they would gather together to start the day’s work and wouldn’t go home at night, opting to sleep in the work shed instead. This saved time the next day in getting the crew together.

Ever since Tang Maolin had blended in among the workers, he had always given the impression of being quiet and diligent. He spoke little, worked hard, and seemed to have no interest in socializing. The other workers knew hardly anything about him.

Ever since the Meng Family began building their new house, Tang Maolin had not caused any trouble. However, one morning, about four or five days prior, just as the group was about to leave, he suddenly said he needed to use the privy and told everyone else to go on ahead, promising to follow shortly.

That was the last they saw of him.

No one knew where he had gone. Initially, the foreman didn’t take it seriously, guessing that Tang was just slacking off somewhere. But after several days passed without any sign of him, the foreman started to panic. Today, he had reported the situation to Cheng Yong. ƒreewebɳovel.com

What happened next needs no further details.

Wen Huaren listened until his head ached, thanked the man hurriedly, and rushed to find Zheng Yakuai. Then, without any delay, he made a beeline for Fuzhe County.

In truth, Daoxiang Garden had plenty of staff, and he could have easily delegated these matters to Qing You or Ji Xiang. But in his haste and confusion, he couldn’t think straight and just ran blindly around. A scholar naturally lacked physical strength, and by the time he had brought Meng Yuhuai back from Lianshun Escort Agency, he was so exhausted he could barely catch his breath, drenched as if he had been fished out of a pond, and he collapsed on the ground, unable to move.

...

The Daoxiang Garden was in an uproar, yet on the other end, Hua Xiaomai and Old Lady Meng were completely oblivious, leisurely strolling the village for over an hour, buying many treats and trinkets not usually seen on ordinary days.

Old Lady Meng was impatient by nature and wanted to return home immediately to organize her purchases. Hua Xiaomai then went alone to the shop. Passing by the construction site of the new house, she found it eerily quiet and felt puzzled. When she arrived at the restaurant’s doorway, she saw Chun Xi and La Mei sitting on the stone steps, whispering to each other, and approached them with a cheerful greeting.

As soon as she appeared, Chun Xi and La Mei immediately fell silent and forced a smile, "Oh, you’re back. Why did it take so long? What good things did you buy?"

"The village was visited by lots of vendors from other places, selling all kinds of things. It was really lively! You sisters should take the time to go and look around when you’re free." Hua Xiaomai responded cheerfully, and walked straight into the main hall, sat down by a table, poured herself a cup of hot water, and casually asked, "It’s been a short while since I was away; I hope nothing went wrong at the shop?"

Zhou Yunyun stood by the counter, wringing her hands, looking frightened and unable to lie. Hearing the question, she was startled, and her face instinctively flushed.

Yet, Hua Xiaomai hadn’t noticed her nervousness and simply instructed, "I forgot to remind you, the Qiao’s Paper Shop’s annual banquet will follow the same procedure as in previous years, held in their own courtyard. We just need to prepare the dishes and have them delivered. There’s no need to set up a banquet in our garden. Apart from Lianshun Escort Agency, most other merchants are likely to use this annual banquet as an opportunity to network and build relationships. There will be many esteemed guests whom they have specifically invited, so we must do an impeccable job, not to tarnish their reputation, and also..."

She suddenly stopped speaking, as she finally noticed that Zhou Yunyun appeared odd.

"What’s wrong with you?" She frowned, "Why is your face so red? Did... Scholar Wen bully you? Ho, he’s only been at the shop for a couple of days and he’s already getting bolder. Watch me sort him out for you—Where is he, by the way?"

"He... he didn’t bully me," Zhou Yunyun hastily shook her head, "Big Brother Wen went out to handle some business. I reckon he’ll be back soon. Master, you..."

The more hesitant and timid Zhou Yunyun became, the more curious Hua Xiaomai grew. She stood up from her chair briskly, approached her, and raised an eyebrow: "What business does Scholar Wen have to handle? Tell me, what happened while I was away from the shop?"

Zhou Yunyun was on the verge of tears, her fingers wringing the countertop’s edge, hesitating for quite a while before finally opening her mouth: "It’s really nothing, just that..."

"You don’t need to worry about that." Before she could finish, Meng Yuhuai’s voice came from behind them. Hua Xiaomai turned around to see him standing at the entrance to the main hall, with Wen Huaren, panting heavily, behind him. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote with a monthly ticket or recommendation ticket at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

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