Chapter 36
"Who told you to pinch me twice today!" Lilith said mockingly.
Rose, who heard this, finally realized where she had offended her great-niece. "Hey, didn't I just help you differentiate between dream and reality with that?" Rose tried to explain.
Lilith could only snort. "Hmp, who would believe such a strange excuse! Granny saw Aunt bullying your cutest granddaughter!"
Rose wanted to defend herself, but she heard her mother's commanding voice. "That's enough, you two! No more arguing, quickly finish the herbal medicine. It's very good for you both."
"Yes, finish the jamu!" Alex chimed in, agreeing with Lily.
Hearing this, the two girls were naturally frightened. Despite Lilith's earlier laughter, she was quite agitated when there was still a glass of jamu in front of her.
Lilith kept thinking about how to get rid of the jamu. Every second that passed, she felt more and more uneasy. It was as if the jamu was a ticking bomb that would explode at any moment.
"Cough, Grandma, I won't drink this thing. I'm already very full," Lilith quibbled, looking at the glass in disgust. The memory of her little aunt's unpleasant expression was still vivid, and Lilith could recall the bad taste of this drink called jamu.
As Lilith's words came out, an urgent female voice chimed in. "Lilith, you should eat it quickly. Your father made it with great difficulty. Don't let it go to waste," Lily said firmly.
Alex, who heard this, was slightly stunned. He had expected his mother to urge his daughter to drink the jamu. However, Lily, who had never been very supportive of him all these years, surprised him by putting pressure on their daughter. Her words sounded loving as if she was genuinely concerned about Alex's well-being.
Lily's impression of her husband had improved significantly. What normal wife wouldn't be moved by the struggles and sacrifices of her man, even willing to lose a hand to protect his family?
Lilith, on the other hand, was also taken aback by her mother's stance. She never imagined that her usually kind mother would side with others to pressure her. It made Lilith wonder, "Is it true what people say? That stepparents are not good and can influence biological parents to do bad things to their children?"
If someone could hear what was going on in the girl's heart right now, they might think she was being scolded. However, if it were Alex who heard it, he might have nodded and acknowledged that a woman's instincts were indeed strong even though she was young!
Observing Lilith's silence and obvious doubts, Lily felt the need to push her daughter to drink the jamu.
"What's wrong? Drink it quickly, when it gets cold, the bitterness will be even stronger!" said Lily in a firm tone.
Hearing her mother's warning, Lilith once again looked at the glass in her hand with reluctance. She stared at the cloudy yellow liquid, hesitating to drink it.
Growing impatient with her daughter's hesitance, Lilith took the glass from her hand and drank it down herself, despite feeling reluctant.
As expected, the same reaction occurred as when Rose had tasted the jamu before; the bitterness contorted Lilith's face horribly.
Lilith was tormented by the jamu that her father had made with love for her. The taste was unbearable, and she struggled to drink it.
Rose, seeing her nephew's discomfort, sneered and laughed, reveling in her cousin's suffering. "Hahaha, you still want to challenge me? It turns out you also have to endure this awful thing!"
However, before Rose could revel in her victory, their mother's voice cut through. "Rose, finish your jamu now. Don't waste the precious medicinal herbs that your brother made."
Rose gasped in horror and quickly put on a pitiful face, hoping to persuade her mother. Unfortunately, her efforts were in vain. "Drink it quickly and don't complain too much!"
With no other choice, the two girls had to endure drinking the sour and bitter jamu, its taste at an extreme level.
After that, Greenfield's mother and Lily couldn't help but glance at the cup reluctantly. They weren't used to the taste either. But out of respect for Alex, the two women drank it with bitter faces.
With this, the four women finally finished drinking the jamu.
Now there was only one glass left, which belonged to Greenfield's father. He was caught off guard as everyone stared at him. He couldn't help but curse Alex in his heart, wondering how his son could be so unfilial as to make his parents go through this hardship. Moreover, Alex didn't even have a glass for himself, which made him even more annoyed.
Seeing the expressions of the four people who had just drunk the yellow liquid, Father Greenfield couldn't help but be reluctant.
However, seeing everyone's gazes, he could only drink with so much grievance. He couldn't afford to lose face in front of his children and grandchildren, after all.
With this, Father Greenfield took a swig of the jamu, hoping to shake off the discomfort as quickly as possible.
Greenfield's father's idea was good, but the reality was not so kind! The middle-aged man choked while drinking the herbal medicine because the strong sour and bitter taste made his old taste buds suddenly startled when they received such high and sudden stimulation.
"Cough, cough..."
Everyone who saw this was worried.
Alex then spoke to his father in a concerned tone.
"Okay Dad, if you can't drink it, don't force yourself."
"Yes, you don't have to push yourself," Mrs. Greenfield added.
Greenfield's father, who heard this, felt his ego had been hurt. However, after the coughing subsided, he insisted that he was fine and could finish the jamu.
With this, Alex could only watch amusingly as his father forced himself to drink.
After finishing the jamu, Greenfield's father finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After that, everyone dispersed, and they all had the idea of getting away from Alex whenever he brought the kettle in the future.
…
"In the room, Alex was preparing to research again, but he didn't expect to receive a heated stare from his wife.
"What is it? Are you not feeling well?" asked Alex, a little worried.
Lily, who heard this, couldn't help but be moved.
"Sure enough, he still thinks of me…" Lily thought to herself.
"Nothing, it's just that I wanted to apologize to you about earlier," said Lily.
"Oh, no need to apologize. Blame me for hiding things and making all of you worry," said Alex, feeling a little guilty.
"No, I mean I haven't been a sensitive wife, and I could only complain to you. I feel bad about that," explained Lily.
"It's fine, now that everything is clear. You don't have to worry anymore," assured Alex.
"Ummm, yes..."
The unrelated husband and wife stared at each other in silence. Slowly but surely, an inconceivable feeling emerged in their hearts.
For some reason, as they gazed into each other's eyes, their bodies felt warm. The two married individuals, who had been emotionally distant for almost ten years, finally reconnected.
…
"In their shabby but tidy room, Lilith was drinking water and brushing her tongue to get rid of the bitter taste and smell of the herbal medicine in her mouth. At first, she was irritated by the lingering bitter taste. But then, her attention was drawn to a sound coming from her parent's room.
The sound was creaking as if things were rubbing together. Curious, Lilith asked, "What are you doing with Daddy at night?"
Bang!
Startled, Lilith decided to investigate further and moved to her mother's room. There, she saw Alex squatting, holding the broken base of the bed.
"Mom, why is it so noisy? What happened? Why did the mattress break?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
Lily blushed and looked at Alex, "Nothing, the mattress is old and worn out, so it broke."
Satisfied with the explanation, Lilith nodded and reminded her mother to be careful before returning to her room. As Lilith left, Lily couldn't resist getting closer to Alex and pinched his waist hard.
"Ouch! What was that for?" Alex exclaimed."
"The next morning, Alex woke up in good spirits. He had a great time playing his music last night and made sure to use his storage ring to isolate the sound within the room. Despite the thin walls of his house, Alex could freely play without disturbing the neighbors.
As he got up from the bed, he smiled while looking at his sleeping wife. Lily resembled the sleeping beauty from the movies, and ever since they became debt-free, she seemed more relaxed and content. With one million in savings and a fruitful future ahead, Alex was filled with excitement.
Alex headed to the bathroom to freshen up before preparing breakfast for his wife and child. He then went to Mary's mountain farm to continue his plantation work. As usual, he began pulling weeds and irrigating the soil, taking care of the plants with dedication.
Alex couldn't help but notice the unripe fruits hanging on the peach tree. He said with eagerness and anticipation, "Hehehe, I can't wait to sell my first fruit!"
...
thanks to: John_Carlo_Jalasco, and yasir321 for today's power stone.