Chapter 162: A Loving Husband

"You could always stop complaining and get back to work," Maya replied, giving him a playful nudge.

"Yes, ma’am."

Ethan smiled and turned towards the shops. "All right, everyone. Let’s get started. We’ve already lost enough time."

They didn’t need to be told twice.

The Fruit Juice shop was the first to become busy. There were already customers waiting inside, some of whom had placed their orders before the delivery arrived. Gilbert and Maya quickly returned to their stations, preparing the requested mixtures and serving the customers one after another.

Gilbert handled most of the blending while Maya took care of the orders and payments. They had worked together long enough to understand each other’s rhythm, so there was little need for them to exchange instructions. Whenever one of them needed something, the other usually knew before they even asked.

The main fruit shop was just as busy.

Evelyn and Cassandra attended to the customers, weighing fruits, answering questions, and packing orders. The queue that had formed earlier was still quite long, and they had to work quickly to prevent it from getting any longer.

Ethan, on the other hand, focused on the bulk shop.

Several customers had come to purchase fruits in large quantities, and he didn’t want them waiting too long. He moved between the storage area and the front of the shop, bringing out crates and loading them into the customers’ vehicles.

His increased Stamina made the work surprisingly easy.

Carrying ten crates at once was no longer a challenge. He could lift them, move them around, and arrange them without feeling the strain an ordinary person would experience. Even when the customers requested more than he expected, he didn’t have to slow down.

Of course, he wasn’t foolish enough to show off.

He simply worked at a pace that would have been difficult for most people to maintain. Whenever someone looked at him in surprise, he acted as though nothing unusual had happened.

"Are you sure you don’t need help with those?" One of the customers asked when Ethan returned with another stack of crates.

Ethan placed them neatly beside the man’s vehicle. "I’m fine. Just tell me where you want these."

The customer looked at the crates, then at Ethan, before pointing towards the back of his van. "Over there, please."

"No problem."

It was a busy morning, but the work gradually became easier as the initial rush passed. The customers who had been waiting were attended to, the juice shop cleared most of its pending orders, and the bulk buyers began leaving after loading their purchases.

By the time things settled down, the shops had returned to their usual rhythm.

Ethan checked the time on his phone.

He still had enough time before Nora’s school would close, but he wanted to finish up before leaving. There were a few bulk customers still making purchases, and he attended to them while keeping an eye on the time.

Eventually, the last customer finished loading his goods and drove away.

Ethan stood at the entrance of the bulk shop for a moment, looking over the now mostly empty space. There were still a few crates left, but they weren’t enough to warrant another delivery vehicle.

He walked inside, picked up the sales record, and began counting the earnings.

It didn’t take long.

After checking the figures and confirming that everything added up, he gathered the money and headed towards the main shop.

Evelyn had just finished attending to a customer when he approached her. She glanced at the money in his hand, then at him.

"You’re done already?"

"Yes. The bulk shop is practically empty."

Ethan handed her the money. Before she could say anything, he leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"All for you. Aren’t I a loving husband? Hm?"

Evelyn paused, looking at the money in her hands. A small smile appeared on her face as she shook her head.

"Yes, you are. Thank you."

"That’s it?" He sighed, feigning disappointment.

She raised her eyes to him. "What else do you want?"

"A little more appreciation wouldn’t hurt."

Evelyn’s smile widened slightly. "Thank you, my loving husband."

"Much better."

He gave her a satisfied nod, then stepped back. Cassandra, who was sorting through a few orders nearby, glanced at them with an amused expression but wisely decided not to interrupt.

Evelyn tucked the money away before looking at Ethan again. "Are you leaving?"

"Yes. I need to pick Nora up."

"Alright. Drive safely."

"I will."

He gave her another brief smile before turning towards the entrance. After exchanging a few words with Gilbert and Maya, he headed to his car.

However, the moment he settled into the driver’s seat, his expression changed slightly.

He took out his phone and opened the conversation with the fruit supplier.

The delivery truck’s accident had been bothering him since the morning. It was possible that it had been an ordinary road accident, but the timing was rather convenient. The delay had disrupted the shop’s operations, and it wasn’t the first unusual thing that had happened since the businessman began showing interest in Evelyn’s business.

Ethan stared at the conversation for a few seconds before typing a message.

He asked the supplier to provide more details about the accident, including where it had happened and what exactly had occurred.

After sending it, he put his phone away.

There was no point sitting around waiting for a response. He could look into the matter properly once he had more information.

For now, he had a daughter to pick up. Ethan started the engine and drove away.

..........

Richard was already waiting outside the school when Ethan arrived.

He was standing a short distance from the gate, dressed in his usual rather shabby clothes. His attention was fixed on the entrance, and he occasionally glanced at his phone.

Ethan parked nearby and stepped out of the car.

"Good afternoon, Richard."

Richard turned at the sound of his voice. His face brightened when he recognized Ethan, and he immediately walked over.

"Ah, Ethan! Good afternoon."

"You’re here early today."

"Yes. I didn’t want a repeat of what happened last time." Richard scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat embarrassed. "I still haven’t properly thanked you for bringing Alexa home the other day. I really appreciate it."

Ethan waved his hand dismissively. "It’s nothing. The children are friends. I couldn’t just leave her waiting."

"Still, you went out of your way to help me. Thank you."

Richard sounded sincere, and Ethan simply nodded.

The man seemed to hesitate for a moment before asking, "By the way, why didn’t Nora come to school yesterday? I hope it’s nothing serious."

"No. We just had to solve something yesterday. It’s done now."

Richard nodded, accepting the explanation without asking for further details.

"That’s good, then. I hope she’s doing well."