Chapter 710: Good Buddies

"Did he eat something of yours?"

Jim Thorne’s face darkened, and he snapped back at them. He didn’t care if they were old; if anyone crossed him, he was ready for a fight.

Tang Xiaonan wasn’t happy either. ’It’s not like we’re eating someone else’s buns. We bought these, so we can give them to whoever we want. How is it a waste of food for Dollar to eat them? Dollar saved our whole family. He’s earned the right to eat meat every single day.’

The onlookers saw Jim Thorne’s fierce expression. He was big and burly, with the look of a bandit, so they didn’t dare say anything else. Besides, the New Year was just around the corner, and it was better to keep the peace. Better to just let it go.

Dollar devoured eight meat buns in one go, and his spirits returned instantly. His fur was still dull and coarse, though; it would take a few days of nourishment for it to recover.

"Still hungry?" Adrian Hawthorne asked with a smile, in high spirits.

Dollar licked his chops, and Adrian Hawthorne understood at once. The dog was thirsty.

They took Dollar back to the hospital and found a water tap for him. After a good drink, he was completely revitalized. He no longer needed Jim Thorne to carry him and trotted happily ahead. He would run a few steps, then stop and look back to hurry them along. As soon as they caught up, he’d take off again, and so on.

Seeing Dollar so full of life, Tang Xiaonan and the two boys broke into wide smiles. Jim Thorne announced generously, "Let’s go get some meat buns! My treat!"

However, Jim Thorne only bought six meat buns: one for his sister, and five for himself. As for Adrian Hawthorne... he got none.

"You can buy your own. You’ve got so much money; how dare you try to eat mine."

Jim Thorne clutched the newspaper-wrapped package. Inside were five big meat buns. ’That’s barely even a snack for me,’ he thought.

’My mom confiscated more than half of the money I’d worked so hard to earn. I have to budget the little I have left. And this shameless Adrian Hawthorne made a fortune, yet he has the gall to freeload off my buns? The nerve of him.’

Adrian Hawthorne laughed, annoyed. He glanced around and spotted a stall selling fried rice cake skewers not far ahead. He went over and bought ten skewers, along with ten balut (a developing duck embryo, sometimes called a "feathered egg" or "live pearl").

Tang Xiaonan didn’t eat balut; the feathers inside made them impossible for her to stomach. But many people in Vessaria absolutely loved them. Felix Thorne could eat five or six in a single meal, and the entire Thorne family enjoyed them—with the sole exception of Tang Xiaonan.

In truth, Adrian Hawthorne wasn’t a huge fan of them either. He was just doing it to deliberately annoy someone.

"Wow, these fried rice cake skewers are amazing. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and the sweet bean paste is perfect. So good," Adrian Hawthorne said, lavishing praise after taking a bite. Jim Thorne slowed down his chewing, his eyes darting over to the skewers in Adrian’s hand every few seconds.

He hadn’t even had a bite, but just the smell was incredible. Suddenly, the meat bun in his hand didn’t seem so appealing anymore.

Tang Xiaonan saw what Adrian Hawthorne was up to and had to stifle a laugh. She played along, adding her own praise. Jim Thorne’s chewing slowed to a crawl. He wanted some fried rice cake skewers, too. And the balut.

"Hey, let’s trade."

Jim Thorne sidled up to him, putting on a shameless, friendly face. Adrian Hawthorne turned his head away and took a slow, deliberate bite of his skewer. "You eat your own food," he said pointedly. "Mine doesn’t taste good."

"But you just said it was delicious. Come on, let’s share," Jim Thorne said with a wide grin, slinging an arm chummily around Adrian Hawthorne’s shoulders.

Adrian Hawthorne was getting fed up with his pestering and soon broke character. The moment a crack of a smile appeared on his face, Jim Thorne snatched the skewers from his hand and started eating happily. Adrian Hawthorne rolled his eyes in exasperation, but he was smiling.

It was past noon by the time they got home. The whole Thorne family was relieved to see Dollar lively and hopping around again. Raina even made a rare exception and mixed a large bowl of rice and meat for him. Dollar devoured the entire bowl in one go, his energy levels soaring. He was already back to chasing the chickens and geese.