“Good girl.” He raised his head and kissed the corner of my mouth. “That was in the past. As long as we’re together, nothing else matters.”
He didn’t want me to continue talking for fear that the pain would eat both of us up.
I fell asleep that night listening to his heartbeat.
It was rare for Anthony to do anything romantic. When I came to the next day, there was a large bouquet of balloon flowers on the bedside table. The faint fragrance that wafted from it lifted my spirits.
There was a handwritten card placed carefully among the flowers: Eat your meals. Wait for me to come home tonight.
When the heart has a home, the person will always return no matter how far they stray.
I giggled, setting the card down and crawling out of bed to wash up. Downstairs, Flora seemed to be in a good mood.
Breakfast was already prepared and set out on the table. I didn’t want to eat it, but Anthony was probably going to call Flora to check if I had eaten or not.
So, I ate a little bit of the food.
Noticing that I was heading out, Flora scurried after me. “Are you going out, Mrs. Featherstone?”
I nodded.
Slightly apprehensive, she said, “May I ask where you’re going? Mr. Featherstone said to inform him when and where you are at all times.”
“I’m going to pay a visit to Aunt Sally, so she won’t worry too much about me,” I chuckled.
I couldn’t determine if I liked or hated Sally. But she was still Anthony’s aunt, and one of his few living relatives.
He had already lost his parents. I didn’t want him to grow distant from Sally because of me, in case he would grow to regret that decision.
Sally lived in the suburban house that Anthony had once bought. She had left the White Corporation to start her own business.
As a woman raised in the Featherstone family, she was used to the first-class life and had an odd temperament. However, that didn’t take away from the fact that her aesthetic in art appreciation and sense of romance were more in-tune than the average woman. At the same time, she had a uniquely stubborn tenacity.
Managing the flower shop alone wasn’t particularly tiring, but there were bound to be times where things got overwhelming for her.
Sally’s yard was full of various types of flowers and plants, with some vegetables and fruit trees planted in the back yard as well.
It was the peak of autumn, and many of the flowers in the garden had taken the brunt of several snowstorms.
Sally had tied an apron around her waist and was busy tending to the damaged plants when I arrived.
Glancing around, I took off my coat and picked up a sickle to help her.
She looked surprised to see me, a faint expression of disdain on her face. “What are you doing here?”
I kept my head lowered as I pulled some weeds, feeling sorry for the flattened chrysanthemum flowers. These chrysanthemums only bloomed after the beginning of winter. They would definitely be able to bloom for much longer if this were J City.
But, unfortunately for these flowers, the snow had arrived early in K City this year.
“Anthony said that you were feeling a bit under the weather recently, so I came to pay you a visit.” Both of us knew that we weren’t particularly pleased to see each other, and I didn’t bother to sugarcoat the truth.
She huffed and went back to fixing up her garden.
After all, she was old and had been living a comfortable life, so it was only natural that she suffered backaches after being out in the yard for too long.
She was clutching her waist while sitting limply on the bamboo chair in the yard, frowning in pain.
After clearing away the few weeds left in the yard, I washed my hands and handed her the pain- relieving medicine.
She frowned, unwilling to accept it.
I pursed my lips. “These are painkillers. They are not harmful.”
Having said that, I put the medicine in her hands. Then, I went inside and fetched a cup of warm water for her.
She seemed stunned. Perhaps unable to bear the pain, she accepted the cup of water and took the medicine.
As I kept the rest of the medicine aside, I said, “This medicine has few side effects. If the pain is intolerable, you can take one or two tablets to relieve the pain.”
She glanced at me with her lips pursed and turned her eyes upon the yard, saying, “Your voice sounds so nasal. If you have a cold, please don’t pass it to me.”
I couldn’t help letting out a laugh. She was obviously concerned about me, but she just had to put up a mean front.
Forget it.
She is, after all, an arrogant lady of a privileged upbringing.
Being childless and way past half her life, perhaps she was thinking of spending her twilight years alone in peace.
“Yeah, I’ll go back and take some medicine.” It was commonplace to get the flu during the winter months.
She then got up and went into the house. When she came out, she held a bag of Isatis tinctoria root in her hand. “Make drinks with this using hot water, twice a day. You’ll get better in a couple of days. It’s not bitter.”
Nodding, I took it and smiled, saying, “Thank you, Aunt Sally.”
She grunted in reply without saying anything.
It had stopped snowing in K City. The sun was out, and most of the snow had melted. With the sun high in the sky, it was not very cold.
Besides, Sally had started a fire in the yard, which warmed up the place.
At noon, she looked at me and asked, “Would you like to stay for lunch? It’s been snowing for a few days, so I only have some dry rations.”
I nodded. “Anything would do!”
A person’s life could be refined or simple. Although it was only dry rations, it wasn’t going to stop us from enjoying ourselves.
There was already a fire in the yard, so she brought out some potatoes and sweet potatoes for me to peel. Then we cut up some meat and washed some vegetables.
In no time, we were having a barbeque in the yard.
I always felt that a barbeque for two was too quiet. However, when she brought out some red wine from the cellar, the atmosphere of the meal was elevated.
Silence was the best way of interaction for some people. Although there was not much conversation between Sally and me, some things need not be said as long as we understood each other.
Lately, I had not taken any proper meals, so my tummy felt bloated as I had eaten a lot of snacks today.
When Anthony arrived, fresh charcoal had been put into the fire. Seeing the cutlery, his handsome face displayed a smile as he held my hand, asking, “Did you enjoy the food?”
I let out a faint smile. Truth be told, I did not really like it, but I ate some nonetheless since I was in a good mood.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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