CHAPTER 635: 337

Han Hu was startled and didn’t bother with taking turns with Hua Xiaomai anymore; he hastily pocketed the money and turned back with an apologetic smile, "Coming, coming, Sister-in-law Zuo, don’t scold!"

Hua Xiaomai waved at Zuo Jinxiang from a distance, then turned back and curved her lips, "Is it this late already, and you all haven’t eaten yet? How much longer are you planning to delay?"

"Everyone else has eaten, it’s just me and those few newcomers who haven’t had the chance yet."

Probably because he was hungry, Han Hu seemed somewhat distracted and said with a laugh, "Meng Yuhuai brother left early in the morning and before he left, he instructed me to properly train these newcomers. How dare I skimp on that? Sister-in-law, you don’t know, but newcomers are always the hardest to serve. They’re about to follow me out, yet they still don’t understand anything clearly. If I don’t explain things well and they cause trouble on the road, I’ll be left cleaning up the mess! Well... Sister-in-law, please have a seat, I’ll go first..."

"Go ahead and eat, I’ll talk to Sister-in-law Zuo." Hua Xiaomai also gave him a smile and then went forward to link arms with Zuo Jinxiang, heading with her to the back yard.

...

Usually, everyone at the Escort Agency would gather around a table to eat, but today, since it was late and many had finished eating, no specific table was set up. The men didn’t mind; they just grabbed large bowls and lumped their food together, squatting down wherever to slurp noisily, savoring the food without needing Zuo Jinxiang to lift a finger. After eating, they washed their own bowls and one by one, took them to the kitchen.

Hua Xiaomai didn’t really have much to say to Zuo Jinxiang, just exchanging a few pleasantries, listening to her chatter about her children, which made her think more of the little ones back home. She was about to bid farewell and leave when she heard Zuo Jinxiang mention that the lilacs in the southwest corner were in full bloom; she detoured to take a look. Just as she was about to leave, she turned her head and happened to see two figures squatting by a secluded well, washing their large bowls while talking.

It was odd. There was already a well near the kitchen that people usually used for washing. Why had these two gone out of their way to come here?

She glanced at their faces and thought they looked unfamiliar, realizing they were probably new, and just as she thought to approach them, a piece of their conversation suddenly caught her ear.

"...Huh, making us escort to Lizhou, and the cargo isn’t even valuable. Not a bit of extra earnings to be made, yet we still have to go through such hardship!"

Such talk...

Hua Xiaomai unconsciously furrowed her brows.

Odd, the Escort Masters in the agency were supposed to just get their monthly wage. Were these two hoping to profit from the trip? What kind of logic was that?!

Feeling something was off, she stayed put, but cautiously hid herself in a bush to conceal her figure, straining her ears.

The two hadn’t noticed her presence and continued muttering quietly.

"That’s all nonsense!" the other man responded disdainfully, splashing water to carelessly rinse his bowl, "Even if this trip was carrying silver worth thousands and millions, we wouldn’t get any part of it either. Did we come to this agency just to scrounge for benefits? No matter whether it’s cheap cargo or valuable goods, our only job is to make sure the mission is completed. Why care so much about other matters?"

Hua Xiaomai’s frown deepened as she muttered to herself.

This statement was indeed true, but why did it sound somewhat odd?

Sure enough, as soon as the two men spoke again, she immediately sensed something was amiss.

"Ahem, I just thought that this batch of goods was too cheap this time, nothing more."

"Who cares if it’s expensive or cheap? In any case, it’ll be Meng Yuhuai who compensates. What does it have to do with us? People entrust their goods to the Escort Agency seeking peace of mind. If mishaps keep happening, the reputation of the Escort Agency would really stink!"

Hua Xiaomai felt a chill down her spine, breaking into a cold sweat.

Compensate? Compensate for what? Could it be that these two... were harboring ill intentions?

Lately, Meng Yuhuai had returned home looking as usual, showing no signs of encountering any tricky situation. Could he have offended someone without realizing it?

The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. She couldn’t stay crouched behind that tree any longer. Enduring patiently, she finally saw the two men leave and immediately rushed into the front courtyard to find Han Hu once again.

Since the matter hadn’t been clarified yet, she naturally couldn’t blurt it out, after all, driving these two away was easy, but from their conversation, it was clear that these two were instructed by someone. Most importantly, they needed to uncover the person behind this. She also felt it inappropriate to explain in detail to Han Hu. After thinking it over, she tried to ask casually, "Has the Escort Agency taken on a lot of business recently?"

"Yes!" Han Hu, unsuspecting, became cheerful, "Brother Yuhuai said that now he’s in charge of the Escort Agency, taking on more transactions means the brothers have money to earn. On the other hand, it also lets Uncle Ke rest assured. The merchants in Fuzhe County have always looked after us. Any escort matter, they invariably entrust to us. Didn’t the Ruijin Silk Store in the Provincial City start cooperating with us recently? It’s probably for this reason that we’ve been gradually seeing more merchants from the Provincial City lately. Otherwise, why would Brother Yuhuai be so busy that his feet don’t touch the ground? Heh, with more business for the Escort Agency, we earn more, and even if we’re busy, it makes us happy — but sister-in-law, why do you ask this?"

"It’s nothing, just asking casually." Hua Xiaomai shook her head, biting her lip.

With children at home, she couldn’t stay in the city for long, but Meng Yuhuai didn’t know when he’d be able to return...

"I need to head back to the village now. When Brother Yuhuai returns from the County Government, tell him he must come home today no matter what. I have something very important to discuss with him, alright?"

"Okay..." Han Hu scratched his head, glanced at her face, and said perplexedly, "Weren’t you just fine earlier? Sister-in-law, why are you suddenly in such a rush?"

"Just tell him to make sure he comes back. I’ll wait for him no matter how late." Hua Xiaomai couldn’t explain too much to him, repeated her reminder a few times, glanced into the courtyard to see that the figures of those two men had disappeared, and then stepped out of the Escort Agency’s main gate.

With this matter weighing on her mind, after returning home, Hua Xiaomai inevitably became somewhat distracted. Unable to discuss it with Elder Mrs. Meng and risk alarming her, she could only keep it to herself, hoping earnestly that Meng Yuhuai would return home sooner.

However, after having dinner and putting Little Walnut to sleep, as the curfew time passed, Meng Yuhuai was still nowhere to be seen. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote with your recommendation ticket and monthly ticket at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)