Henry arrived at the mouth of the cave with the two. The foreman gave him a deep look before bidding farewell.
Dunzel turned to Henry and nodded his head. He also left and glanced at Henry.
'They are suspicious about us. We will stay here for a week and then leave. There's nothing for us in this place.'
Henry could sense the growing suspicion from the two. Once he gave them a few more reasons, he and Felicia would be kicked out. There was also the possibility of getting imprisoned or damage to their reputation.
The latter wasn't a problem for Henry, but it would make doing things harder. He needed a good reputation to come into contact with information regarding the deep past. Preferably, he liked to keep things easier for him.
Henry grabbed a cart and pushed it along.
Mana was versatile. He infused a bit into his muscles to increase his strength and make it easier for him to push the cart. He also quickened his pace.
The day shuffled. Leaves fell, mana stones gathered and washed, and everyone got tired.
Lunch break came, and Felicia walked to the job site. She smiled joyously and walked up to Henry. She was about to bow when Henry stopped her, and he shook his head.
He was eating when she arrived. The other miners were curious why she was gone for long. The foreman didn't say anything, so they knew it was valid.
Henry leaned forward and leaned to whisper. He told her she should pretend she vomited from the food last night.
Felicia blinked at him and nodded her head. She looked over at the big pot filled with food and a cautious expression formed on her face. She slowly went over, smelled it, and gagged.
The cook was eating among the miners when he noticed her actions.
He moved back in shock. He blinked his eyes and wiped them. He leaned forward and stared at her with incredulity.
"Did she just..?" the cook asked the miner beside him.
"..."
The miner looked away. He didn't dare to show that he agreed with Felicia.
He looked at the others, and they all turned their heads. Anyone he looked at would turn their head away.
The foreman and Dunzel were among them. They would have found someone else to cook if someone knew how to in this job site. All they could do was swallow the bland food for fear that they would starve.
Henry was the only one who dared to stare the cook in his eyes. The two stared at each other. Henry blinked his eyes innocently and feigned ignorance.
"Is my food that disgusting?" the cook asked with a darkened face.
He was furious. He didn't expect that they would all find his food disgusting!
Henry nodded his head and kept blinking his eyes, still feigning ignorance.
The foreman, Dunzel, and the other miners facepalmed. They admired the braveness of this young man, but he endangered their sustenance.
A couple of them opened their mouths to say something.
The cook raised his hand to stop them. They all sealed their mouths shut in embarrassment.
"I… quit!"
The cook wasn't an idiot. When everyone was acting like this, he already knew that they all found his food disgusting and were only eating it because they had no choice.
He was too angry to care about their well-being. He stared at the awkwardly smiling foreman before storming away.
"Starve to death!"
The faces of the miners fell. They opened their mouths to say something.
"I can cook," Felicia said just as they were about to speak to the leaving cook.
Faint gasps could be heard as those silently watching the drama unfold couldn't believe their ears. The cook's face turned red, and he left faster. He already knew he lost.
Everyone knew that a mother cooks delicious food. The eyes of all the miners lit up. The foreman and Dunzel took a deep breath.
The whole job site became silent. Gulps could be faintly heard as they remembered their mothers' cooking. It was easy to imagine that Felicia's cooking would be delicious.
"Please cook for us!" the foreman shouted and lowered his head.
He didn't dare to say that too late as their cook just left.
"Sure!" Felicia smiled.
The miners around shouted joyously. Some still had doubts, but they were in the minority. They all took another look at her, and respect formed on their faces.
She was clean now, and she looked beautiful. She was like a queen at the center of attention.
Henry smiled as he watched all of this happen. He never planned for any of this, but it all went well for the two of them.
"I will cook tonight's dinner then."
Felicia's words caused an uproar as they became more excited.
"Swallow your food and get back to work!" the foreman shouted.
"No!" a miner shouted, and he threw his food to the ground from his plate.
The others quickly followed, and the food splattered on the ground everywhere.
"YEAH!!!" the foreman followed suit.
"Hahahaha." Henry laughed and did the same.
Felicia looked over at him and smiled. He nodded his head and motioned for her to go on and cook. He was fine with this.
They only needed to contribute a bit more before they could leave. That way, they could say they did as the job request asked.
The miners returned to what they were doing prior. They didn't eat a lot, but their bodies brimmed with energy. They were all excited to eat for dinner.
The foreman went over and spoke to Felicia.
Henry walked to the cave and pushed his cart. Some of the miners pushed their carts near him and asked what his mother's food tasted like. Henry answered truthfully. He told them that her food tasted heavenly.
The joy on their faces could not be exaggerated more as they felt relief and happiness at the same time.
"Thank, Fate!"