Transmigrated as the Villain Boss's Precious Darling-Chapter 118: Staying for a Meal

"I’m not staying for the meal. I’ll leave after I’ve said what I came to say."

Of course, Adrian Hawthorne hadn’t come just to drop off river snails. He had something to discuss with Felix Thorne.

Tang Xiaonan didn’t insist. ’The future mogul is incredibly proud. He never eats at other people’s houses, preferring to drink plain water at home to stave off hunger. But those days will surely be over soon.’

’With Adrian Hawthorne’s business acumen, he’ll soon be going into the city to sell movie stills. Even Jacqueline Spann managed to earn fifty thousand yuan from those little things. Adrian is leagues better than her, so he’ll definitely make more than fifty thousand. His life is going to improve quickly.’

’But there’s something else I need to arrange to ensure the absolute safety of Adrian Hawthorne and his mother on Millstone Peak. That will have to be handled slowly. First, I need to deal with the pressing matter at hand.’

Adrian Hawthorne poured the river snails from the basket into a basin. There was half a basinful. After being left in the water for a few days to purge themselves, they would be ready to eat. The snails were a bit thin at this time of year, but they were incredibly flavorful. Steamed with some ginger, garlic, cooking wine, sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce, then tossed with a bit of lard, they were absolutely delicious.

But not many people ate them these days. River snails needed a generous amount of lard to taste good; otherwise, they had a strong, fishy smell. Most families in the village were reluctant to use oil even for stir-frying, so how could they spare any for steamed snails? With just a tiny speck of meat you could pick out with a chopstick, they weren’t filling at all. It just wasn’t worth the effort. The river was full of snails, but few people bothered to gather and eat them. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The Thorne family, however, wasn’t short on oil. Adrian Hawthorne had considered this before deciding to bring the snails. He was also returning their basket. It was the same one the Thorne family had left behind when they brought over pork last time. He felt it would be rude to return an empty basket. Once the weather warmed up, he could go hunting in the mountains.

Felix Thorne was also surprised by Adrian Hawthorne’s arrival. Although he didn’t like the boy, a guest was a guest, and as an elder, he wouldn’t be rude. He even asked Phoebe Huxley to ladle out a bowl of sweet potato rice for him.

"Eat with us."

Adrian Hawthorne was about to refuse when Tang Xiaonan pulled him down to sit, saying to Felix Thorne, "Dad, Mr. Hawthorne caught a lot of river snails! I want to eat them for lunch."

Felix Thorne’s expression softened. He broke off a piece of egg white and popped it into Tang Xiaonan’s mouth. "The snails have to be left to spit out sand for a few days before we can eat them. We can’t have them today. How about I have your mom steam some pork floss for lunch instead?"

"Okay..."

Tang Xiaonan nodded and obediently accepted the food from her father. ’Truth be told, I don’t like hard-boiled eggs at all,’ she thought. ’But in this day and age, being able to eat one every day is an incredible luxury. I can’t disappoint my parents’ kind intentions.’

Phoebe Huxley ladled out a large bowl of sweet potato rice and placed it in front of Adrian Hawthorne. In a gruff voice, she said, "Eat up."

She glanced at Adrian Hawthorne’s face. The swelling was gone, but there was still some bruising at the corner of his mouth—her handiwork. A pang of guilt pricked at Phoebe Huxley’s heart, so...

"Have some of this."

Phoebe Huxley picked up a piece of steamed pork with preserved vegetables and placed it in Adrian Hawthorne’s bowl. ’He’s nothing but skin and bones,’ she thought. ’That vixen Rosalind Green has no idea how to raise a child. All she knows is how to seduce men.’

Adrian Hawthorne hesitated for a moment before lowering his head and starting to eat. It would have been rude to refuse their kindness. Besides, the little chubby girl was staring at him with wide, expectant eyes, as if he would be letting her down if he didn’t eat. ’I might as well eat,’ he decided. ’I’ll just make sure to bring them more game from my hunts in the future.’

"Mr. Hawthorne, my mom’s cooking is delicious, isn’t it?" Tang Xiaonan said cheerfully. Phoebe Huxley’s expression softened even more, and her gaze toward Adrian Hawthorne became a little friendlier.

Because Adrian Hawthorne had nodded. To her, this meant he also recognized her superb cooking skills; he was someone who knew good food when he saw it.

After the hearty breakfast, Adrian Hawthorne felt a pleasant warmth spreading through his body. It had been a long time since he’d had such a substantial meal. It was more rice than sweet potato, and served with meat, no less. Phoebe Huxley’s cooking was genuinely excellent. It was the best meal he had eaten in four years.