Chapter 753: Brimming with Enthusiasm

"Rosalind, you... you live here?" Mrs. Green’s heart ached. Her daughter, whom she had pampered since birth, had never even washed a bowl in her life. How could she be living in a place like this? ’How has she managed to get by all these years?’

"Mm-hmm, for many years now."

Rosalind Green spoke cheerfully, a lightness in her step. Now, she only felt that this place was her home. That house in Tristone, while full of wonderful memories, was now part of the past.

Mrs. Green sighed softly, her heart aching as she looked at her daughter. She made up her mind. ’I have to convince her to drop this idea of divorce. If she really leaves Ethan Hawthorne, she and my grandson will be stuck in this impoverished mountain valley forever.’

Phoebe Huxley pulled open the door and came out. She had finished her work for the day and was getting ready to go home and make dinner. Seeing Rosalind Green and her son approaching in the distance, she paused for a moment before crying out happily, "You’re finally back! Did you get the stuff?"

Hearing her loud voice, the others came out as well, gathering around enthusiastically. They all froze when they saw Mrs. Green, but they could guess who she was without any need for an introduction.

"You must be Kenneth’s grandmother, right? You look just like Rosalind. No wonder she’s so beautiful!"

"Come on in and sit down! You must be tired from the trip."

Phoebe Huxley and the others ushered Mrs. Green inside, their enthusiasm so overwhelming she could barely keep up. Her icy heart began to thaw. ’This place may be poor,’ she thought, ’but the people are so warm and kind.’

Once inside, Mrs. Green froze. ’Have I walked into a factory workshop?’

"What is all this?" Mrs. Green asked, confused.

Rosalind Green explained with a smile, "Kenneth managed to get some fabric, so we’ve been making clothes to sell. Business is actually quite good."

Mrs. Green was startled. "You can’t do this! You’ll be sent to jail if you’re caught."

"Don’t worry, Mom. The policies have relaxed now, and they’re encouraging private businesses to develop," Rosalind Green said, smiling to reassure her. "Otherwise, Kenneth wouldn’t dare to do this. Please, sit down for a while. I’ll go make dinner."

Mrs. Green was still skeptical, but seeing how calm and composed Rosalind Green was, she began to worry less. ’And so many people are involved,’ she thought. ’It should be fine, right?’

Phoebe Huxley said magnanimously, "Don’t bother cooking! Come eat at my place. I made some white-cut chicken from a big, five or six-pound rooster. That thing was bullying all the other chickens, pecking them bloody, so I decided to just cook it."

Rosalind Green didn’t bother with pleasantries. "Alright then. I didn’t feel like cooking anyway."

She took the items she’d purchased out of her bag, all of them from the shopping list: a mantel clock, watches, and so on.

"Wow, things from Tristone are really top-notch. They look so impressive! Thanks for going to all this trouble, Rosalind!"

"It was no trouble at all, I was happy to do it," Rosalind Green said with a small smile.

Everyone collected their items and headed home happily, inviting Mrs. Green to visit them on their way out. Their unreserved warmth made Mrs. Green’s heart glow. Phoebe Huxley’s generous and straightforward manner was also very comforting. Mrs. Green had assumed Phoebe butchered the chicken specifically for her, as a guest, and felt a little embarrassed by the gesture.

After all, back in Tristone, eating a whole chicken was a major event. It was something you could typically only do for the New Year; you couldn’t even buy one at other times, no matter how much you wanted to.

Tang Xiaonan was playing in the courtyard and ran up happily when she saw Adrian Hawthorne. "Did you get the chocolate?"

Seeing Mrs. Green behind him, Tang Xiaonan blushed shyly. "Hello, Grandma."

A flash of surprise crossed Mrs. Green’s eyes. ’I can’t believe there’s such an adorable little girl even in this mountain village,’ she thought. ’She’s as pretty as a doll—every bit as lovely as the girls back in Tristone. So endearing.’

Moreover, she noticed that the clothes Tang Xiaonan was wearing were made of extremely high-quality fabric that most families couldn’t afford. ’It seems I’ve been the one looking down on people,’ she mused. ’Even a small mountain village has its rich folk.’