Chapter 324: Chapter 324: Self-heating Hot Pot
’She seemed cold, almost unfeeling!’
’But she saved my life once.’
’Back then, Stella Sterling and I barely knew each other. We were just acquaintances through Gordon Ford.’
’But when she saw me, she still chose to help.’
’And that time on the ship from Meridia Base... When that emergency happened, she saved that little kid.’
’So, is Stella Sterling really cold?’
’If she were truly that kind of person, she would have had no reason to step in and help.’
’Perhaps she just looks cold. Or maybe she’s only ruthless toward those who deserve it, but for ordinary people, her heart is still full of kindness.’
He also remembered that back when disasters struck frequently,
it was Stella Sterling’s Caeluna Base that initiated the first rescue missions. Their response time was even faster than Meridia Base’s.
At this thought, he cast a meaningful glance at Stella Sterling.
Gordon Ford, however, had a faint smile playing at the corners of his eyes, completely unsurprised that Stella Sterling would say such a thing.
Just as Basil Xavier was about to say something more, Gordon Ford cut him off. "Alright, in that case, we’ll take them. We won’t stand on ceremony."
Basil Xavier glanced at Gordon Ford. Since Gordon had already said as much, he held his tongue.
Besides, he had no intention of refusing.
And so, the matter was settled.
The resentment Basil Xavier had felt earlier vanished completely. He no longer had a single complaint; in fact, the way he looked at Stella Sterling now was completely different.
’On this trip to Caeluna Base, not only did I get to eat fruit and meat dishes I could rarely find, but now I’m also leaving with a batch of vegetable seeds,’ he thought. ’What a massive haul!’
Previously, he’d felt a sense of exasperation watching Gordon Ford go to great lengths to find those useless trinkets.
Gordon always seemed so desperate, like a salesman afraid he couldn’t offload his wares. Seeing him so eager to push something so worthless was just pathetic.
That was why his words earlier, while mostly a joke, had also been a genuine attempt to take a couple of jabs at him.
But now, that dissatisfaction had completely vanished.
’Well done, Gordon, you did great.’
’In fact, now he thought the trinkets Gordon had given her before were far too little.’
’Compared to what Stella Sterling was giving them, Gordon’s gifts were practically worthless.’
’After all, Stella is giving them life-saving supplies that are incredibly hard to get. Gordon’s gifts, on the other hand...’
’Before, those things were indeed valuable. One of them could even be considered priceless—the kind of thing money couldn’t buy, a treasured heirloom of a wealthy family, not easily parted with.’
’But now? They’re useless. Nobody needs them, and nobody’s collecting them. You could say they’re not worth a single cent.’
’If he had to choose between a bit of food and several boxes of emeralds like those, he would choose the food every single time.’
At this thought, Basil Xavier’s gaze toward Gordon Ford suddenly filled with utter contempt.
’No wonder this guy hasn’t been able to win Stella Sterling over after all this time,’ he thought. ’His brain just doesn’t work right.’
’Can’t he give her something other than junk?’
Gordon Ford saw the look in Basil Xavier’s eyes change in an instant and was utterly baffled.
He found the man’s behavior truly odd, leaving him completely in the dark.
’Have I been too nice to him lately?’ he wondered.
’Maybe he’s asking for a beating. Itching for trouble? Is that why he’s being so strange?’
’If that’s the case, he wouldn’t mind obliging him. He’d just have to beat some sense into him later.’
’Don’t want his brain to actually short-circuit from needing a good punch so badly.’
When he saw Gordon Ford’s expression also turn strange, Basil Xavier couldn’t decipher the meaning in his eyes.
But after so many years of dealing with Gordon Ford, he knew him well. That look gave him a bad feeling.
So, he averted his gaze, resolving to have a private chat with his brother later. He had to teach him to be more generous when giving gifts to a woman, and not be so damn cheap.
The two of them stayed at Caeluna Base for a day, and Stella Sterling arranged a private room for them.
The next day, she hosted them once again.
She didn’t have the base kitchen prepare food, nor did she cook herself. And she certainly didn’t make Gordon Ford cook again.
Instead, she took some self-heating hot pots out of her personal space.
They were simple and convenient!
More importantly, in these apocalyptic times, they were nearly impossible to get.
When she saw them, Stella Sterling felt that even the usually composed Gordon Ford’s eyes lit up for a moment.
She smiled. "This is my private stash. Not just anyone gets to eat these. You two are in for a treat today."
Basil Xavier’s eyes lit up.
’Self-heating hot pot,’ he thought. ’I used to consider this stuff junk food.’
’But now, it was a gourmet meal.’
’Most importantly, I haven’t eaten anything like this in over three years.’
’On a normal day, it didn’t matter. I don’t dare let myself think about the delicacies of the past. Just having a full belly is good enough.’
’But with this stuff right in front of my eyes, I feel so pathetic,’ Basil Xavier thought.
’To lose my composure over a bite of food...’
In just that short moment, he had already gulped several times.
If not for the last shred of his sanity, he would have snatched it right out of Stella Sterling’s hands to eat.
Stella Sterling took out six packs in total, giving one each to Gordon Ford and Basil Xavier.
She kept the remaining ones for herself.
Basil Xavier blinked. "Are there no more?"
He said this while staring at the packs Stella Sterling was holding. ’Six packs... shouldn’t that be two for each of us? How come we only got one?!’
Stella Sterling blinked right back at him, hugging the four remaining packs of self-heating hot pot to her chest without letting go. "Nope. I have a big appetite, so these are all mine."
Basil Xavier was surprised but said nothing. It was her stuff, after all. The fact that she was willing to share at all was already more than enough.
So he just said enviously, "You’re really living it up."
’If it were me,’ he thought, ’I’d save these and ration them, only taking one out when the craving became unbearable.’
But here was Stella Sterling, about to polish off four packs in one go.
"Just eat yours,"
Gordon Ford shot him a look and started preparing his own.
Meanwhile, Stella Sterling had already gotten all four of her packs ready and was just waiting to dig in.
