The days leading up to now had been manageable: the small restaurant was still doing some business, the Sauce Garden was in the process of being fixed up, and Hua Xiaomai was running around all day, barely able to meet with Old Lady Meng. However, on the twenty-second of the twelfth lunar month, after eating the reunion meal with Chun Xi, La Mei, and Zhou Yunyun, the small restaurant temporarily closed. It wouldn't reopen until the fifth day of the first lunar month. The craftsmen of the Sauce Garden had also gone home for the New Year, leaving her with nothing to do but stay at home every day, staring at Old Lady Meng.
Fortunately, that cantankerous mother-in-law didn't give her much trouble. At most, she simply ignored her. Hua Xiaomai breathed a sigh of relief, meticulously took care of her own affairs every day, and hoped not to give her any grounds for complaint, lest they end up arguing again and provide the neighbors with some entertainment.
