Chef Hua-Chapter 576: Episode 308 Annoyed

What’s the meaning of this remark?

Hua Xiaomai felt a chill in her heart and immediately found the taste a bit off.

He hadn’t said it explicitly, but wasn’t it clear between the lines that he was blaming her for driving away Tang Maolin’s family, causing them to be without a stable home and leading to their current plight?

Everyone has two hands, and Tang Maolin is a man after all. Others can support their wives and children with their abilities, so why must he resort to high-interest loans?

Moreover, why did she ruthlessly drive away this uncle’s family from the start? Didn’t Meng Yuhuai have any idea why? Oh, your mother suffered grievances, yet I see you didn’t care much, instead, you blame your own wife for strangers!

She had initially wanted to argue more with Meng Yuhuai, but upon hearing this statement, her heart suddenly cooled, and she no longer had the energy, slipped off her jacket, and dove under the covers, pulling them over her head with a whoosh.

What Meng Yuhuai had said was unintended. As soon as he spoke, he realized something was amiss, and in his haste could not make amends, so he just bent down a bit closer, reached into the quilt, grabbed Hua Xiaomai’s shoulder, and shook it twice.

"Xiaomai, I didn’t mean anything else, I certainly know it’s not your fault, it was my lack of consideration at the beginning..."

"I’m going to sleep now." Hua Xiaomai didn’t turn around, her voice muffled under the quilt, "You’re the head of the household, make your own decisions. Just ensure my uncles don’t cause trouble in front of Daoxiang Garden and mother, and I won’t intervene anymore."

With that, she pushed his hand away, wrapped herself tightly in the quilt, closed her eyes, and no matter how he called, she didn’t respond.

...

That night, the couple were both quite unhappy, and the next morning, Meng Yuhuai had gone to the Escort Agency. When Meng’s mother saw Hua Xiaomai emerging sluggishly from the room, she immediately grabbed her.

"Can’t you two be a bit more sensible?" she scolded, frowning and looking furious, "Yuhuai came home so late last night, and instead of urging him to sleep, you kept nagging endlessly. Wasn’t it enough to talk during the day?"

"Couples always have their private matters, mom, can you not pry into everything, please?" Hua Xiaomai glanced at her half-seriously, "If you’re really worried, why don’t you move your bed to our doorway tonight and get your fill of listening, how about that?"

Meng’s mother, stumped by her retort, bristled and scoffed, patting her chest: "You just wait and see, it’s just another note in my book. Your good days are numbered. Once the child in your belly is born, make no mistake, I’ll flatten you!" frёeweɓηovel_coɱ

Hua Xiaomai, actually quite unhappy about last night’s events, yet didn’t want Meng’s mother to worry either, so she simply put on a carefree smile, took her mother-in-law’s arm, and softly said, "Mom, isn’t my apology enough? It’s almost New Year, and the shop is very busy. Let’s not keep score now. Let’s go back to Daoxiang Garden, sort out the pressing matters, and then you can scold me slowly, okay?"

After speaking, she pulled her towards the door.

Meng’s mother found herself powerless against her spirited nature and, although she wasn’t truly angry with her, muttered a few words and symbolically scolded her, then followed her out.

...

During this period, Li Yun crab meat continued to be delivered basketful by basketful to Daoxiang Garden. The ten women peeling crabs from morning till night without pause stored up several dozen jars of bright red crab roe. Though used to hard labor and not known for having delicate skin, the prolonged work inevitably took its toll, leaving all their fingers chafed and raw. The villagers were not particular about tending to such minor wounds or dressing them properly, and the next day, when they resumed work, just touching the hard crab shells caused such searing pain that their fingers bled profusely.

This incident, once mentioned by Meng’s mother upon returning, enlightened Hua Xiaomai who then promptly and self-reproachfully went to Jing Taihe that very night, asking him to help make several sets of crab-peeling tools.

The so-called tools were simple, merely a tiny hammer no bigger than half a palm used to loosen the shells, and a slender iron pick the length of a finger used to pry open the shell, making it easy to smoothly extract the roe. The process was a bit complicated, and it might slow the workers down, but with ample Li Yun crab meat already secured, Hua Xiaomai was not in a rush. She instructed the women to take their time and, most importantly, avoid injury.

The harvested crab roe couldn’t be stored for long, so Wang Zhanrui decided to make it into a sauce right away. The cold weather prevented it from spoiling easily, ensuring it would last until just before the New Year. As for the male crabs, some were chopped into small pieces to make Li Yun Cake, while others were simply stir-fried then ground into a powder which, when added to dishes, offered a flavor that surpassed even that of mushroom powder.

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