CHAPTER 604: EPISODE 322 WHAT’S YOUR STORY?

Zhou Yunyun’s troubles had been resolved, and everyone at Daoxiang Garden breathed a huge sigh of relief.

In the main hall of the tavern, Chun Xi held the girl’s wrist and scolded her mercilessly, berating her for only keeping her troubles to herself and not revealing a thing to anyone around her.

"Isn’t there anyone you trust in Daoxiang Garden?" she pointed angrily at Zhou Yunyun’s forehead and said fiercely, "I don’t mean to look down on you, but with your limited abilities, if your father decided to sell you, you wouldn’t even be able to utter the word ’no’! Among all of us, is it only your teacher who can solve problems for you? Are we all just freeloading? What would you have done if she hadn’t brought little Walnut to Daoxiang Garden for a visit that day?"

Once she started scolding, she seemed to go on endlessly.

Zhou Yunyun hung her head, obediently allowing Chun Xi to lecture her as much as she wanted, the area under her eyes turning red, not daring to speak a word. It wasn’t until Chun Xi finally ran out of breath and turned away to drink some tea that Zhou Yunyun timidly raised her head and said with a quivering lip, "Thank you, everyone. Without your help, I definitely would have been sold by my father. I don’t know what to say, that is..."

She approached each person one by one, thanked them with a bow, and finally turned to Wen Huaren.

"Brother Wen, my father is, to speak bluntly, nothing but a vagabond. You openly confronted him yesterday, and if he seeks revenge on you in the future..."

Wen Huaren has always had the temperament of a standard scholar, kindhearted but somewhat soft in handling situations. Yesterday at the threshing ground, however, was a rare display of his firmness.

Perhaps feeling the need to maintain a certain demeanor in front of the young lady, he looked quite composed at that moment, and with a slight smile he said, "It’s nothing to worry about, I’m not afraid of him. In any case, your father should think twice before bothering you again. As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters."

Zhou Yunyun blushed slightly and nodded softly, then turned to look at Hua Xiaomai, who was sitting at the side of the table.

Having been cooped up at home for a solid two or three months, Hua Xiaomai became restless as soon as her confinement was over. She had come today especially with Old Lady Meng and little Walnut to check in. Now, seeing Zhou Yunyun staring straight at her, she lifted the corner of her mouth and smiled, "Why are you looking at me like that? Want to thank me again? I’ve said before, yesterday’s affair was a joint effort by everyone, I just did some talking, you don’t need to keep it on your mind. Do your work well and stop causing trouble for me, that would be thanks enough. However, you should find a time to properly thank Great Saint, he truly put in a lot of effort for you."

After Zhou Yunyun repeatedly assured her she would, Hua Xiaomai turned to Qing You and spoke seriously, "That Zhou Qing, though we don’t need to fear him, we mustn’t neglect the necessary precautions. Qing You, you’re a man and you’re usually reliable, so I need you to pay extra attention these days, lead everyone to inspect inside and outside the storehouse more often, to prevent any mishaps."

"Sure thing, boss, just leave it to me." Qing You agreed with a nod.

Hua Xiaomai gave him a smile and then said to Scholar Wen, "There’s another important matter. Now that the weather is warming up, I’ve noticed more people coming and going in the village these past days, many of them directed at our Daoxiang Garden. Thus, we must ensure adequate preparation of all food materials for the store. Everything else is easy to handle, but the various dried seafood items are difficult to procure here. I suggest you assign a couple of people, preferably to go to the Provincial City. The dried goods stores there have a full range of ingredients. Acquire a good quantity to bring back; we’ll need them for the store."

Scholar Wen replied thoughtfully, "The clerks are not very knowledgeable about kitchen affairs, and going to Provincial City might be a bit baffling for them. Wouldn’t it be better if you made a list for me, so they can shop according to it, and perhaps even save some money?"

True to form, Hua Xiaomai went to the counter and talked to him in hushed tones, scribbling down a whole sheet of various dried seafood items, urging him not to delay and to arrange for the trip to Provincial City immediately.

Thus, the following ten days or so at Daoxiang Garden were like a bountiful harvest; each day brought fresh vegetables and fruits.

Fresh spring bamboo shoots, toon, pea shoots, common herbs like Polygonatum and Solomon’s Seal, mushrooms, as well as a variety of wild game from the market were carried in basket after basket to the store, filling the backyard to the brim. One could barely step foot in there.