"Are you talking about that? My brother transferred his personal investment to your name. Didn’t he tell you?" Elliana Lyle was taken aback. Norman Bennett really hadn’t mentioned this to her. Looks like she’ll be getting a big sum at the end of the year! After hanging up the phone, she got out of bed and pulled open the curtains, only to find that it was already a bit dark outside. Strange, there was just sunlight streaming through the gaps, but now the weather looks like it’s about to rain. As she was lost in thought, the rain had already started pouring down, as if someone was furiously pouring water from a basin. Looks like a heavy rainstorm. No idea how long it will last; she was thinking of going out today. Looks like she won’t be able to go out; she hates going out in the rain. Walking towards the door, she called out twice, but it seemed she was the only one home. She walked to the living room and tentatively called out, but it confirmed she was the only one in the house. Maybe she went out to buy something. After all, it’s almost eleven, time to buy groceries for lunch. Speaking of lunch, she was actually getting a bit hungry now. After rummaging in the refrigerator for a while, she found... live crabs? They seemed still alive, kept by Lana in the middle compartment of the fridge. Each one looked quite large, feeling almost as big as her face. That might be a bit of an exaggeration. Looks like there’ll be crabs to eat today. She sent a message to Lana and quickly received a reply. Lana: "Ma’am, you’re awake. I’ll be back right away." PurrPurr: "Where did you go? Grocery shopping?" Lana: "Yes, ma’am, I ran into my aunt, so I chatted for a bit. I’m heading back now." She didn’t know her, but Lana never took time off and always stayed at the Bennett Family house; she thought it was a bit pitiful. PurrPurr: "No need, catch up with your aunt. You don’t have to worry about me today; I’m giving you the day off." After all, Lana rarely gets to see her family; giving her a day off is understandable. The typing indicator showed for a while; presumably, Lana was torn but felt she should come back to take care of her. PurrPurr: "Relax, why hesitate? I’m not a baby, have a good time with your aunt, come back tomorrow." Lana: "Thank you, ma’am, I’ll be back by 4 PM." Since giving Lana the day off, she had to deal with lunch herself. There was still some sliced ham in the fridge, but she didn’t like it much; she preferred the smoked bacon made by Aunt South. Besides ham, there were persimmons; they looked like crispy ones you could buy at the market, called chocolate persimmons. She quite liked them, a good dessert after the meal. There was also an unopened pack of lamb slices in the freezer; making soup with tomatoes with it would be nice; Lana had done it before. Except... there weren’t any tomatoes in the fridge. Never mind, she decided to take it out first. Besides that, she specifically used tongs to take out two crabs and tossed them into the washbasin. These things apparently needed scrubbing with a brush. Though she got pinched twice in the process, she finally managed to clean them, ready to steam them in the pot, which was simple enough. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝓷𝓮𝓽 Didn’t steam properly last time, it must’ve been a timing issue; this time, 30 minutes on medium heat should be fine. With the crabs in the pot, she started making lamb soup. Without tomatoes, ketchup should do the trick. Once the water boiled, she put in all the meat slices, just about to add ketchup when she noticed a lot of froth in the pot. It looked like it had been poisoned. She then recalled that the meat needed to be blanched, which was something Lana taught her last time when making lamb soup. She scooped out the cooked meat pieces with a strainer and rinsed them under the tap. Then came the task of washing the pot, by which time the kitchen counter was covered, and the floor was wet. Nonetheless, for the sake of food, Elliana didn’t care about any of it. After a series of busyness, she finally got the meat cooking. She squeezed in the ketchup bit by bit, stirring until even, but the soup color was clearly different from Lana’s. Lana’s soup was golden. Hers was a little pinkish. Guess the ketchup wasn’t enough. Adding some, then stirring, repeating this process, half a bottle of ketchup went in, barely mimicking some of it. Isn’t it a bit too red? Never mind, as long as it’s edible. Next, it was seasoning. Looking at the colorful array of spice jars, adding a bit of each should do the trick. Apparently, this wasn’t too different from a witch brewing a poison. After covering the lid, she hurried to slice the chocolate persimmons into small squares, using a fork to make a plate of after-meal fruits. After doing all of this, the kitchen was a mess again, with her lamb soup overflowing and spilling everywhere! She quickly turned off the flame and began mopping with a dish towel. Half an hour later, she barely managed to start her meal. Though the process wasn’t very ideal, the result was quite satisfying. Especially the crabs, they smelled so good her mouth watered, tearing off the shell revealed a wealth of golden crab roe and red crab paste. Her lamb soup tasted nice too, spicy, sour, sweet, and salty. The taste was rich and layered. Well... can’t keep up the act. She had to finish her soup, even if with tears. She ended up eating everything, completed her meal mission of the day smoothly. Felt quite full, just didn’t feel like cleaning the kitchen. But couldn’t stand leaving it alone, and wouldn’t wait for Lana to come back and clean. Treat it as some post-meal exercise. After some tidying up, her stomach suddenly felt weird. It wasn’t exactly painful, just a strange sensation, with a bit of nausea. North City Central Hospital. "It’s nothing serious, food poisoning. Just rest for a couple of days at home." Elliana had just finished a gastric lavage, and it was only after Lana returned that she took her out. She swore never to cook carelessly again, why did she get poisoned just from eating? That afternoon, she almost lived in the bathroom, now she was exhausted, without any energy or vigor. Like a dried-up mustard green under the sun, the kind you never finish eating in a hot pot. On their way back, Lana advised her earnestly: "Ma’am, please don’t eat persimmons and crabs together next time, it’s poisonous." She replied weakly, and then said, "Lana, don’t tell Norman Bennett later." If Norman found out, she’d get a scolding all over again. To Lana, this was a dream come true; but Lana wasn’t irresponsible, she had already informed Norman Bennett just now. She suggested punishing herself with a month’s salary, but the boss didn’t blame her much, just told her to be more cautious in the future without deducting her pay. "Ma’am, I just told the boss." Just as their car pulled up to Vicars Hotel, Norman Bennett’s car arrived too. Getting out, they immediately encountered each other, his face didn’t look good, could even be described as gloomy. "Hehe... hubby~" She grinned, then slightly bowed her head, stretching out her hands softly said: "Hug."