Episode 1: The Female Chef's Time Travel_2

Hua Xiaomai still grabbed a handful of mushrooms from her basket and tucked them into her shirt, asking, "Did Grandpa ask for me?"

Pan Grandpa's face showed a moment of confusion, and after a moment, he suddenly slapped his forehead and laughed, "I'm getting old, and my memory is as clean as my own great yellow dog! Did your second sister make sugar cake and bring me some the day before yesterday? I still have that dish at my house, wait here, I'll go get it for you."

Having said this, he turned and went inside the house, soon coming back out with a rough porcelain dish, handing it over to Hua Xiaomai.

"We still have some glutinous rice flour at home; my second sister said that in a few days, she will make more sugar cake. I'll bring some over to you and Grandma then," Hua Xiaomai said with a smile as she casually tossed the dish into her basket.

To their astonishment, upon hearing this, Pan Grandpa's face suddenly showed an expression of extreme fear, retreating a full step backward while vigorously shaking his head, "No more, no more, it was hard for your family to process that glutinous rice flour, keep it and eat it slowly yourselves, don't send it over to us old folks anymore, absolutely not!"

A laugh almost escaped Hua Xiaomai's throat; she clamped her mouth shut, holding it back for quite a while before seriously saying, "Pan Grandpa, please don't be so polite. My second sister and brother-in-law often say when they first moved next to you, it was all thanks to you and Grandma for looking after them. Now that their lives have slightly improved, it's only right to give back to the elderly."

"Just remember what I said, whatever your second sister makes, don't bring it over to us anymore!" Pan Grandpa stepped back again, eyes wide, his tone firm and beyond any doubt.

"But..." Hua Xiaomai was about to respond when suddenly, a series of rapid and sharp hoofbeats came from behind. She quickly turned around, only to see a tall, shiny black horse, with just a tuft of white hair on its forehead, charging toward her at great speed, already closing in, apparently unable to stop.

Hua Xiaomai was no less startled and instinctively dodged to the side. In her panic, as she looked up, she saw Pan Grandpa still standing there, so she quickly stretched out her arm and pulled him over.

As people age, their reactions slow and their agility diminishes; the sudden scene frightened Pan Grandpa so much that his legs weakened, and he stumbled next to Hua Xiaomai, eventually sitting down hard on the ground.

The man on horseback shouted low, pulling hard on the reins. The big black horse lifted its front hooves into the air, issuing a long neigh, stopping just a short distance beside Hua Xiaomai and Pan Grandpa. The rider swiftly dismounted and rushed over in large strides.

After a quick check to make sure Pan Grandpa's hands and feet were uninjured, Hua Xiaomai breathed a sigh of relief and tried helping him up by his arm. However, being small and not very strong, she nearly stumbled when tugged. Suddenly hearing footsteps approaching, a blazing anger surged to the top of her head, and she turned and shouted, "Have you gone mad or what, are your eyes bewitched? If you can't ride, don't pretend to be ostentatious, who has money to waste like this?"

Before she finished speaking, her gaze had already fallen on him, and she immediately froze.

There stood a young man in his early twenties, broad-shouldered and tall, wearing a single-layered cyan crab-shell robe in the dead of winter, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Whether the robe was too small or for some other reason, it clung tightly to his arms and back, revealing every muscle with stark clarity.

The man had a face as if carved by a knife, with distinct chiselled features and a high nose bridge. However, his slender eyebrows and eyes somehow softened his entire face considerably. As he strutted over, Hua Xiaomai immediately felt a chill breeze sweep by her side, causing her to shiver involuntarily.

Hearing Hua Xiaomai's rebuke, the man turned his head to glance at her but said nothing, and squatted down in front of Grandpa Pan, his voice deep, "Grandpa, I am truly sorry. Did I injure you anywhere?"

At that moment, Grandpa Pan was clutching his knees and wailing about the pain. Suddenly hearing the man's voice, he lifted his head, "Who are you, the cause of my thousand cuts? If you've harmed this old man in any way, can you afford the consequences?"

The corner of the man's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, yet his tone remained even, "Grandpa, it's me, Meng Yuhuai."

"Ah, Yuhuai...," Grandpa Pan peered through his blurry old eyes, scrutinizing him for a long while, his expression easing, "When did you return? Why such a hurry? You scared me so much, my heart almost burst out of my chest!"

"I just returned today, heard something happened at home," Meng Yuhuai frowned as he spoke.

"Oh, is it your mother again..." Grandpa Pan showed an understanding look, "Then you must hurry home to check on it. I'm not injured, just got a bit of a scare, let Xiaomai help me up." He then pointed to the side.

Realizing that the man knew Grandpa Pan, Hua Xiaomai stood aside, feeling slightly awkward. Hearing her name suddenly, she quickly nodded, "It's good that Grandpa isn't injured, I'll escort him back."

Meng Yuhuai gave her another look, hastily nodded, apologized to Grandpa Pan, then mounted his horse. This time, however, he did not dare to gallop but trotted towards the southern end of the village.

Grandpa Pan caught his breath on the ground for a while, then steadying his spirit, leaned on Hua Xiaomai's hand to stand up.

"Grandpa, who was that man?" Hua Xiaomai helped to dust him off and asked idly.

"You mean Yuhuai?" Grandpa Pan glanced in the direction Meng Yuhuai had left, still somewhat shaken, "He's the top young man from Fire Knife Village! Don't be fooled by his young age, he is already the youngest and most promising Leader in the Lianshun Escort Agency of Fuzhe County! What's rare is that he's also kind-hearted. Normally, he's very composed, but his mother makes a fuss every now and then, disrupting his peace. You've arrived at Fire Knife Village not long ago, and since he's often out on escorts, you probably don't recognize him..."

Hua Xiaomai uttered an "oh," wanting to speak further, when suddenly a chill ran up her spine. From behind her, a voice thundered out.

"Hua Xiaomai, it's getting late and you're still not back home? I'll break your dog legs!"