Chapter 434: He Must Love Me So Much

Chapter 434: Chapter 434: He Must Love Me So Much

That was what he thought, but out of respect for his elders, Hector Donovan certainly couldn’t just say it out loud.

"...Go on."

"Tonight, could we borrow your kitchen for a bit?"

Hector Donovan: ???

"Huh?" Hector thought he must have misheard. "Borrow our kitchen?"

Milton Lambert and the others exchanged a look, then said awkwardly, "Yes. To be honest, the places we’re staying are pretty basic, so it’s not very convenient for cooking. Especially those two—they just have one stove and a few bowls. They can probably only make noodles."

Milton Lambert pointed to Serena Taylor and Faye Collins, who immediately put on the simple smile of wage slaves crushed by reality.

Hector Donovan: "..."

"I could cook at my place, but it’s an old-fashioned earthen stove that I’m not used to, and I’m short on cookware. I heard you have a gas stove and a fully equipped kitchen, so we were wondering if we could come over and make dinner here. Don’t worry, we won’t be borrowing it for free. If you don’t mind, how about we cook dinner for everyone tonight?"

Hector Donovan’s eyes lit up. He and his sister had been wondering where to get dinner. They couldn’t go to Miss Young’s place again.

Her son and daughter-in-law were coming home for dinner tonight. Even if the family didn’t mind, he and his sister didn’t have the nerve to intrude on their family time.

Arabella Donovan had lived in the mountains long enough to know how to cook, but besides some oil, salt, and seasonings, there was nothing in this kitchen.

Even the most skilled housewife can’t cook without rice. No matter how good her skills were, she couldn’t conjure food out of thin air. ℴℴ𝘮

Milton Lambert’s offer was a godsend. Hector fought to keep the corners of his mouth from turning up, feigning reluctance as he said, "Oh, how could we? But just so we’re clear, you’ll have to find your own ingredients. I really don’t have any food here."

"Of course."

As Milton Lambert spoke, he pulled a piece of meat from the bag he had brought.

Hector Donovan: ??? ’Damn, where’d he get such a huge piece of meat? Bro, you didn’t go and rob the production team’s emergency rations, did you?’

The shock on Hector’s face was too obvious. Milton Lambert spoke, a bit embarrassed but also proud, "My next-door neighbor gave it to me."

It turned out that despite her young age, Lambert’s daughter was a true social butterfly. In the short time he had been cooking lunch, she had already befriended the neighbor’s child.

On top of that, she had a round face that the older generation would call plump and prosperous—a sign of good fortune. Her voice was soft and sweet, and with just a few words, she had won the hearts of the entire neighboring family.

Then, during their chat, they accidentally discovered that the neighbor’s favorite TV drama was one written by her father. Overjoyed, the man gave his daughter all the meat he had in the house.

When Milton Lambert finished cooking, he turned around and was stunned to see his daughter lugging back such a huge piece of meat.

When he later learned the truth, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

In the end, he accepted the meat. Of course, he had no intention of freeloading. For people in this small village, such a large piece of meat was a rare treat.

He decided to take it for now, planning to buy some food and drinks to personally deliver as a return gift before they left.

"I used some of it for lunch, but there’s still plenty left. It’s enough for us to make a few extra dishes tonight."

"Me too." Seeing Milton Lambert take out his contribution, Faye Collins quickly held up the small bag she had brought.

When she opened it, it was filled with bundles of various, dazzlingly fresh green vegetables. Hector vaguely spotted a large daikon radish as well.

"And this is..."

Faye Collins waved her hand magnanimously. "Picked ’em from my yard."

Hector Donovan: ???

As it happened, the old house Faye Collins was staying in belonged to an elderly man who lived alone. His children all worked elsewhere, and with nothing much to do, he loved to grow his own vegetables. The empty land around the house was covered in rows of lush, green vegetables.

The moment Faye moved in, she wasn’t craving anything else but those vegetables. They were truly natural, pollution-free, organic greens.

So, when Milton Lambert suggested borrowing the Donovans’ kitchen, Faye immediately set her sights on them.

Of course, she had gotten the owner’s permission before picking so many.

Perhaps because he hadn’t seen his own children in a long time, the old man was particularly fond of Faye’s daughter. When he heard they wanted to eat the vegetables, he even went out to help them pick them himself.

The production staff tried to intervene, but Faye anticipated their move and blocked them at every turn, shutting them down with a single sentence: "The old man himself hasn’t said a thing, so why do you outsiders have so many opinions?"

Serena Taylor also brought rice from her house. With meat, vegetables, and rice now assembled, and with the oil, salt, and seasonings already in the Donovans’ house, making a sumptuous dinner was no problem at all.

But with everyone else bringing something, Dylan Dawson, who had shown up empty-handed with only his son in tow, stood out rather awkwardly.

Meeting everyone’s curious gazes, Dylan Dawson’s face flushed, a rare sight. "...Uh, I don’t have anything at my place. How about I help out by tending the fire?"

"This house doesn’t have an earthen stove, so there’s no fire to tend." Leo glanced at his useless father. At his young age, he had already mastered the art of scolding someone with just a look. ’Why are you so useless no matter where we go?’

After the disdain, a sense of weariness and resignation far beyond his years appeared on his face.

"There’s a broody hen in our house. Go back and get a couple of eggs."

Dylan Dawson’s eyes lit up, partly because the two eggs would solve his immediate predicament, but even more so because his son had finally taken the initiative to speak to him.

’He’s helping me out! He must really love me!’

It had to be said, Mr. Dawson really did have a one-track mind when it came to his son.

Arabella Donovan silently held Chloe Coleman, watching from the side. She raised an eyebrow at the scene, looking thoughtful.

’Blood is thicker than water. It looks like this Mr. Dawson hasn’t completely given up on his idiotic father just yet. But if a certain someone keeps acting this foolish, it’s only a matter of time before father and son turn against each other.’

Hearing his sister’s commentary, Hector’s back went ramrod straight, and he was dying of anxiety and curiosity.

As it turned out, there was no distance that couldn’t be bridged by a shared meal.

Milton Lambert took the opportunity to show off his cooking skills. As the moon rose high in the sky, a table full of dishes was set before them. The aroma was so fragrant that the guests, big and small, who had been running around all day, nearly drooled on the spot.

"Lambert, your cooking is incredible!" Once the food was on the table, it was naturally time for the obligatory round of compliments.

Thankfully, Milton Lambert’s skills were the real deal, so no one felt they were being insincere with their praise.

After half a bowl of rice and food had eased their hunger, everyone was in the mood for some idle chatter.

Faye Collins and the others couldn’t help but praise the delicious food again, then they lamented the miserable task they had to complete that morning. Finally, the conversation naturally shifted to Arabella Donovan and her group.