Chapter 752: Status Inferior to Chocolate

Mrs. Green frowned slightly. ‘Her daughter can’t keep acting so stubborn. No matter what, a woman can never win against a man. Besides, Ethan Hawthorne controls the Hawthorne family’s fortune. To put it bluntly, even if he got divorced, he could find pretty young virgins anywhere. It wouldn’t be so easy for my daughter to find another good husband.’

“Don’t be so willful. Have a proper talk with your husband. Why don’t you move back to Tristone? If you’re there to watch him, he won’t go out and…”

Mrs. Green stopped herself. She couldn’t very well say such things in front of Adrian Hawthorne. But Rosalind Green understood. She shook her head and gave a bitter smile. “When he left all those years ago, he told Adrian and me not to look for him or return to Tristone. He said the two of us should just wait for him to come to us.”

At the time, Ethan Hawthorne had claimed it was to protect her and their son. Rosalind Green had been quite touched, but now, she only found it ironic.

‘He didn’t want me to look for him because he was afraid I’d discover his philandering, wasn’t he?’

Mrs. Green was about to try persuading her again when Adrian Hawthorne announced loudly, “They’re checking tickets now.”

Rosalind Green helped Mrs. Green to the ticket gate. Mrs. Green sighed softly, worrying about her daughter’s future. ‘I’ll have a good talk with her after we get to Vessaria,’ she thought.

After nearly four hours on the long-distance bus, Mrs. Green felt carsick. Fortunately, Adrian Hawthorne had brought some cooling balm. She felt a little better after applying it but was still dizzy. She felt much better after getting off the bus, though. Adrian Hawthorne had thought about spending the night in town, but Mrs. Green wanted to get to Millstone Peak as quickly as possible.

“It’s still early. Let’s take a slow walk. I’ll feel better once I get moving.”

“Alright. Kenneth can give you a ride.”

Rosalind Green helped Mrs. Green onto the back of the bicycle. Adrian Hawthorne pushed it, and the three of them walked along slowly.

*********

Tang Xiaonan was herding cattle with Old Master Tate. On a slope up ahead, Amanda Chapman was cutting grass. The Hawthorne household was as bustling as ever. Rosalind Green’s absence didn’t slow down the work for Phoebe Huxley and the others. Phoebe Thorne knew how to tailor, and with Jethro Golding’s granddaughter helping out, they were managing just fine.

“Grandpa Tate, my mom’s making white-cut chicken tonight.”

Tang Xiaonan said with a wide smile. Old Master Tate’s eyes lit up, and his mouth instantly began to water. White-cut chicken was his absolute favorite.

“White-cut chicken is so delicious! Especially with some soy sauce mixed with garlic… oh my…”

Old Master Tate couldn’t go on; his mouth was practically flooding with saliva.

Tang Xiaonan found this hilarious. ‘Old Master Tate is such a foodie, and a picky one at that. He seems just like a young master from a wealthy family who was pampered from birth. I wonder how he managed to survive all these years. It must have been so hard for him.’

“Mr. Hawthorne likes white-cut chicken too.” Tang Xiaonan suddenly thought of Adrian Hawthorne. She remembered that he loved white-cut chicken as well and could eat more than half a bird all by himself. ‘He’s been gone for four days now. I wonder if he’s met his scumbag dad yet.’

“Missing your Mr. Hawthorne?” Old Master Tate teased.

“A little. I’ve run out of chocolate.”

Tang Xiaonan answered honestly. She had only thought of Adrian Hawthorne today when she’d reached into the candy jar for some chocolate and found it empty. ‘If he doesn’t come back soon, my supply line will be cut off!’

“HAHAHAHA…” Old Master Tate roared with laughter and gently pinched Tang Xiaonan’s cheeks. ‘If Kenneth knew he ranked lower than chocolate in this chubby little girl’s heart, I wonder how he would feel.’

By the time Adrian Hawthorne and his family returned to the village, dusk was falling. Mrs. Green’s heart sank with every step. ‘This place is so deep in the mountains… It must be twenty or thirty miles from the city. Getting to town must be a major ordeal. They probably don’t go for weeks at a time, do they?’

Mrs. Green suspected her daughter had only been telling her the good news while hiding the bad, and that her life was actually very difficult. She truly couldn’t imagine anyone living a good life in such a remote valley. Then she saw the Hawthorne family’s simple, earthen-walled house, and her heart went colder than ice. ‘This house is like a barn. Is it even fit for people to live in?’