CHAPTER 658: EPISODE 349: A BIG DISPLAY OF FORCE

Meng Lao Niang didn’t disappoint Hua Xiaomai, enduring patiently through the rainy season. As soon as the skies cleared, she was immediately eager to step out and spread the news throughout Fire Knife Village that Meng Yuhuai was taking her to Provincial City.

Of course, when she relayed it, the story acquired a different flavor.

"I didn’t want to go!" Meng Lao Niang acted as if she was highly reluctant, sitting carelessly under a tree and complaining to all the aunties and great-aunts, "In July, the sun beams down hottest, and I hear that Tong’an City is even a few degrees warmer than our Fire Knife Village. To leave the house at such a time, isn’t that asking for suffering? Ah, but what can I do? My Xiaomai isn’t skilled in much else, but her cooking is quite passable. Didn’t she catch the eye of that what’s-it-called Eight Treasures Conference? Begging and crying, they insisted on her showing off her skills! Little Walnut is still not weaned. He can’t be half a step away from her. It looks like I, as his grandmother, must take on the toil and accompany them on this journey!"

As she spoke, the underlying meaning was clear to everyone. They all concurred with her words, clicking their tongues in admiration without forgetting to specifically praise Meng Yuhuai and Hua Xiaomai.

Although Fire Knife Village was just a small hamlet, not particularly rich, it also wasn’t a place so poor that people lacked clothes to wear. Many villagers’ children worked outside, and the notion of "going to Provincial City" wasn’t extraordinarily novel. But going with your son and his wife was something different.

"I’ve always said, your Yuhuai is the most filial. He may not speak sweet words, but his heart is clear! Look around now, how many of the young people in the village are willing to take their old mothers out for a trip? Everyone else finds it too troublesome!"

"Isn’t it? Your Xiaomai also is sensible and capable. With such a daughter-in-law, all you need to do is eat well and live comfortably. Why should you worry about anything else? Even if you go to Provincial City this time to help look after Little Walnut, he is your own grandson. No matter how tired you get, won’t you still be delighted in your heart?"

Meng Lao Niang received a basket full of envious praises and returned home content. Everyone she saw was pleasing to the eye, and even the trivial matters like packing and asking someone to look after the house were done with great enthusiasm. Out of joy, she whisked Hua Xiaomai off to the city again, and they made two sets of clothes for the household, claiming it’s necessary to dress decently to avoid being sneered at like country bumpkins by the city folk.

Amidst the bustle, two months passed in a blink, and Dog Days approached with the sun becoming increasingly fierce.

The Eight Treasures Conference, following its annual tradition, was still set to be held on the seventh day of the seventh month. On the morning of the fifth, after everything was packed, Hua Xiaomai and her entourage prepared to set off for Tong’an City.

As usual, the organizers were expected to provide stoves and various types of equipment, but since one’s own belongings are more convenient, most eateries chose to bring their regularly used items. Naturally, Hua Xiaomai was no exception. Disliking the look of an ox cart, she specifically hired three horse-drawn carriages; one to carry the variety of items and Wang Zhanrui’s prized tea leaves, guarded by him and Qing You, while the rest of the group distributed themselves among the other two carriages and set out from the village at a leisurely pace.

Meng Lao Niang had long awaited this day and, needless to say, was overjoyed. Surprisingly, even Little Walnut, who was only five months old, seemed quite excited.

Babies grow fast, seemingly changing every day. Probably because the household was comfortable and he received attentive care, the little fellow was thriving. Not only was he endearing in appearance, but his arms and legs were also remarkably strong. When held, he would kick and wave non-stop, and as the carriage started moving, he laughed out loud, his two large, black, agate-like eyes squinting into slits.

Hua Xiaomai, worried he might catch a draft or overheat during the ride, used a thin blanket to loosely shield him and, looking down at his round, chubby face, she sighed softly.

Taking such a young child traveling was indeed unsettling. Thankfully, Tong’an City was only a day’s journey from Fire Knife Village, not too far, or she would have been reluctant to take Little Walnut on such an excursion.

In contrast, Meng Yuhuai was calm throughout the journey. Seeing her holding Little Walnut silently, he knew she was probably fretting over the child. So in a low voice, he comforted her, "It’s hard to travel, but at such a young age, with so many adults to look after him, nothing should go wrong. You might think this way: other children in the village at his age never had the chance to see the world. Just this alone should make you happy."