Chapter 369: Chapter 369: Jealous Husband
"I really love seeing you angry. When you are, you look like a kitten with its fur on end—so fierce, but completely harmless."
Ronan...
Ronan expressionlessly grabbed a nearby mirror and walked into the bathroom. Evelyn called out to him a few times, but he didn’t answer. At that very moment, Mr. Kendrick was in front of the mirror, baring his teeth and grimacing.
’So stupid. It’s an eyesore. I can’t bear to look at it again.’
However, when he came out and saw Ian Yates looking for Evelyn, his face instantly contorted, and he snatched the nearest object and hurled it.
Ian Yates was so scared his legs went weak, and he scurried back to the kitchen as fast as he could.
"Murder! Ronan Kendrick is trying to kill me! I just went to ask Evelyn if she wanted to eat in the cafeteria tonight, and he tried to kill me! He’s so vicious."
Hearing Ian Yates’s shouts, everyone came out to see the commotion. As they looked at Ronan Kendrick, two words were practically written in their eyes.
Jealous husband.
A vicious one, at that.
When Wendy came looking for Evelyn, she snuck several glances at Ronan Kendrick. "Miss Ford, what’s wrong with Mr. Ronan? He seems really unhappy."
Evelyn chuckled. "He’s fine. I know how to cheer him up in a little while. Your dad probably told you that I’m rearranging the sleeping quarters. You’re living with Claire Moss and Penelope Parker right now. How are you getting along with them?"
"They’re both very nice, but Penelope Parker is very guarded around me. She’s overly polite and even a little afraid of me. Miss Ford, I think I should just live by myself. I feel like she’s really uncomfortable living with me."
Evelyn had noticed this as well.
Claire Moss and Wendy were already somewhat familiar with each other, so there wasn’t as much distance between them. But Penelope Parker was someone Evelyn had moved in with them later, and she had been assaulted by Henry Hansen and Holden Turner. She was sensitive and timid. Furthermore, with Officer Graham being the farm’s butler, Wendy’s status was fundamentally different from the others, creating an even wider social gap.
"Alright, I’ll arrange a new room for you. And here, these are for you." Evelyn handed her a black plastic bag. Inside were several packs of sanitary pads from Tarr City, along with some underwear.
Wendy blushed. "Can I wear this?"
"Try it on when you get back. If the size isn’t right, ask Wyatt Vaughn to help you alter it." Wyatt Vaughn was currently focused on her child, so all her work had been taken over by Quincy.
Wendy threw herself into Evelyn’s arms. "Miss Ford, you’re the best! I love you so much!"
Coming out of the bedroom, Ronan saw this, and his fists clenched again.
After Wendy left, Evelyn held out her arms to Ronan. "Want a hug?"
"What for?" ’Was he such a shallow man that a single hug could appease him?’
As it turned out, he was.
Nestled in Evelyn’s arms, Ronan was still pouting. "From now on, you can only hug me. Otherwise, I’ll get really angry."
Evelyn nodded and quickly stroked his hair. "Okay. I’ll only hug you."
"Then I’ll never get angry again."
Evelyn smiled. "It’s okay to be angry. Everyone has that right. Besides, I really do love how you look when you’re angry."
Ronan’s expression was complicated. "Your tastes are so perverse."
"Do you even know what ’perverse’ means?" Evelyn pinched his waist hard.
"I do. All abnormal elements are perverse."
Evelyn smiled. "Wrong. I’ve decided to personally demonstrate for you what ’perverse’ truly means."
「The next day.」
The sun was shining brightly in a clear sky. Evelyn had rearranged the sleeping quarters, and everyone was busy moving. Yunnis Denton and Aunt Crane were assigned a room together, Penelope Parker and Claire Moss another, and Wendy got a room all to herself.
Officer Graham took care of assigning rooms for the rest. Gazing at the sun, which had returned to normal, Evelyn took off her hat and scarf and stretched lazily in front of her cabin.
Once the rooms were sorted, the others came out with bundles of clothes to do laundry. Evelyn let out her two wolfdogs, and once free, they began to tear happily across the farm.
In the livestock area, the pigpen had been cleaned out. They set aside five chickens, five ducks, and six Snow Rabbits. Wendy and Claire Moss remained in charge of raising the rabbits.
When the refugees from Fairgate came to trade for supplies, they couldn’t believe the extent of the farm’s losses.
"We’re out of grain ourselves. All we have left is wheat bran flour. Do you want any?"
The refugees, who had hoped to trade for coarse flour, hesitated. "Are there any sweet potatoes or cassava left?"
Officer Graham shook his head. "All gone. See the fences out there? Wild boars tore them down. They not only ruined our crops but also killed our chickens and ducks."
"I’ll take the wheat bran flour. I’ve got about three hundred pounds of wood. How much can I get for it?"
The other refugees didn’t dare to be picky anymore, afraid they might not even get the bran flour. They quickly put down their firewood, and in the end, each person traded for three pounds of wheat bran flour.
"I wonder what it’s like out there now. Those refugees that Tarr City kicked out... they’re probably all dead."
"We were lucky the beast tide was only wild boars. If it had been wolves and tigers, the consequences would’ve been unimaginable."
"Tarr City is full of high-rises. They probably didn’t suffer much damage."
"I think the crows were scarier than the boars. Luke Lynch was devoured by them in less than half a minute. I’ve been having frequent nightmares, and all I can hear are his screams."
"Me too. I dreamt a flock of crows swooped down to attack me."
It seemed everyone was suffering from psychological trauma and lingering fear.
But no matter how difficult it was, those who were still alive had to keep fighting to stay that way.
Evelyn quieted the crowd and began assigning the next tasks. "We start planting tomorrow. The weather is good now, so we need to hurry up and replant the sweet potato and cassava vines. If the extreme cold makes a sudden comeback, planting will be much more difficult."
"The sun’s so nice now, it probably won’t get cold again, right? It took long enough for things to warm up."
"No one can guarantee the temperature won’t drop again," Evelyn said, looking at the crowd, "but we have to plant while the weather is good and prepare early."
"Anyone who wants to leave can say so now. You’ve all seen the farm’s condition. There’s a lot of work to do, and the food has gotten much worse. We’ll still have a meat dish every two days, but our staple has changed from cornbread and steamed buns to black-flour buns and wheat bran flour. Once the new crops are harvested, the meals will improve. The food may not be good, but I can guarantee none of you will go hungry."
Many people lowered their heads, silent. In this day and age, very few people could eat their fill.
"I’m staying!" Ian Yates was the first to raise his hand. "We still get eggs for breakfast, which is amazing. If you leave, you’ll be eating tree bark." He then gave Evelyn a cheeky wink, but Ronan caught him, and he scrambled to hide behind Officer Graham in fright.
"I’m staying at the farm, too."
"Me too."
"Me too."
Evelyn nodded. "Since you all want to stay, my promise remains the same: as long as you follow the rules on the farm, I will ensure your safety and keep you fed. In a moment, everyone can go to Butler Graham to collect this quarter’s living supplies."
These supplies included towels, soap, toothpaste, and toothbrushes.
