CHAPTER 620: EPISODE 330 IS REALLY COMING

Hua Xiaomai and Han Hu sat and chatted idly for a bit. Soon, Old Liu returned from Lady Feng’s field, announcing he’d found the root of the chili plant’s problem. By removing the dead leaves and buying medicine to mix with water to spray over the field, and with careful tending, the plants should recover within ten to fifteen days.

This resolved one issue, allowing Hua Xiaomai to breathe a sigh of relief. She smiled and thanked him, wanting to invite him to stay for a meal, but the old man was anxious to leave. She could only see him and Han Hu off, turning then to head directly to the backyard.

Wen Huaren sat under the big tree in the courtyard, endlessly pulling at the weeds that sprouted from the dirt. Zhou Yunyun stood by him, her face bearing a timid expression, whispering something inaudible from the distance.

"You go and get busy."

After a while, Scholar Wen, with a sullen look, lifted his head but did not look at Zhou Yunyun, and said flatly, "The lunch markets are nearly upon us. There will undoubtedly be chaos in the kitchen, and you still need to tend to the stall in front of the shop. Make sure everything is well prepared, so it might be a bit easier then, right?"

His character was of a lukewarm nature. If someone else had said it, there might not have been anything to it, but coming from him, it seemed somewhat harsh.

Zhou Yunyun pouted as if she was about to cry but ultimately held it back, took a deep breath, reluctantly retreated to the door, and upon seeing Hua Xiaomai, she softly called out, "Master."

"Come on in," Hua Xiaomai smiled at her and went straight to sit beside Wen Huaren on a cleaner patch of ground.

Scholar Wen finally deigned to give her some face, lifting his head and forcing a smile.

Hua Xiaomai scowled fiercely, glaring at him, and said crossly, "Look at you, Scholar Wen, all high and mighty now, are we? What was that attitude just now? Yunyun is a girl with a naturally thin skin, and you still put on a cold face for her to see—she was about to cry, didn’t you notice?"

"I didn’t..." Wen Huaren quickly glanced at her, but didn’t finish his sentence, instead, he plucked another handful of weeds and rubbed them into fragments in his hands.

Hua Xiaomai, not wanting to quibble over details, sternly asked, "What has Han Hu done to upset you, deserving to be treated as if he were the plague, that you turn and walk away the moment you see him? If he came to eat today, he would be a guest of Daoxiang Garden, isn’t this how you treat guests?"

The smile on Scholar Wen’s face soured, "I don’t know him at all, why would I without cause..."

"Stop pulling wool over my eyes!"

Before he could finish, Hua Xiaomai interrupted him, "Do you think I’m blind? Out with the truth!"

"I..." Scholar Wen furrowed his brows deeply and, left with no choice, dropped his head and muttered, "On the day you were raising the beam for the new house, didn’t the guys from the Escort Agency come early to help? Han was among them. I saw him chatting up Yunyun with a big smile. As a man, I know what that look in his eyes meant all too well."

"Ah, clever, aren’t you!" Hua Xiaomai rolled her eyes, "So? Earlier, Yunyun came to you clearly with concern, and look at you, all frosty as if she owes you two taels of silver she’s yet to return. What’s this, taking out your anger on her? Couldn’t you have just talked it out straightforwardly instead of giving her grim faces to deal with?"

"I’m not taking out my anger on her," Wen Huaren dryly shook his head, "It’s just... forget it, no point in explaining, think what you will."

Hua Xiaomai was almost exasperated.

Speaking of matchmaking deities who usually had a good sense of judgement, not to mention far-fetched tales, even the match between her and Meng Yuhuai was sensible. So why did this old man tie Zhou Yunyun and Wen Huaren together?

One was timid and dared not speak up when wronged. The other, a sour scholar, was indecisive, truly exasperating!

"Let’s speak plainly!"

Impatient with circling around with Scholar Wen, she bluntly blurted out, "Even a fool can see what’s between you and Yunyun. As her master, I’m even clearer about it. This has been going on for days, and since there’s mutual affection, you, being a man, should clarify things. Why wait for her to speak up? You refuse to say what needs to be said; another man shows interest, and you just hide away, sour and jealous—how honorable of you!"

"How am I to clarify?" Scholar Wen sighed deeply, "Without any successful exams or wealth, penniless— I know Yunyun doesn’t care about that, but how can I let her suffer with me? I won’t lie; those words have been choking me for a long time, but no matter what, I just can’t bring myself to say them."