Ernie Lee's Plan

Mrs. Tang instantly felt her scalp tingle. She really had enjoyed good days for too long and had forgotten she was now a servant in Lily Su’s household. She hurriedly waved her hands, "No, no, I won’t gossip anymore!"

Lily Su snorted coldly, "Mrs. Tang, let me tell you, Cynthia Wu is my good friend. If I catch you talking behind her back again, I’ll send you to the coal mines, and you’ll be digging coal for the rest of your life—forget about ever coming home!"

"I won’t, I won’t! Please don’t send me to the coal mines, that’s a place for the dead—I’ll never go, not even if you beat me to death!" Mrs. Tang’s legs went weak with fear, and she quickly admitted her mistake to Lily Su.

"Hmph, watch your mouth!" Lily Su flicked her sleeves and walked away. With people like Mrs. Tang, if you don’t deal with her harshly, she’ll never learn her lesson!

Mrs. Tang now truly understood the power of having her indenture contract in Lily Su’s hands. Even if she wanted to badmouth Cynthia Wu, she dared not say a word.

While Cynthia Wu was unconscious these past few days, Lily Su made sure a female member of her household delivered meals to the Wu family every day. Doctor Wu and Mark Hunter, two grown men, were lucky to have Lily Su’s household sending food—otherwise, they wouldn’t have the energy to cook. Most meals would’ve just been cold buns and water, barely enough to get by.

Lily Su was busy with work in the fields, but she still made time to check on Cynthia Wu. Every day she was so busy her feet barely touched the ground, and she hated May Parker to her bones, planning to get revenge once Cynthia recovered.

Today it was Bai Lu’s turn to deliver food. As she packed the meal box, she chatted with Granny Yin about Cynthia Wu’s situation.

Bai Lu sighed, "Granny Yin, you haven’t seen Mark Hunter. He’s so worried about his wife. These days, he’s been caring for her and hasn’t even closed his eyes once."

Granny Yin replied, "Isn’t that the truth? Mark Hunter really loves his wife. Bai Lu, you’re about the right age now, isn’t it time to find a husband? Look at Er Gou Li, he’s always coming to see you and cares so much about you. You shouldn’t turn your nose up at him. For us servants, there’s not much to choose from anyway."

At the mention of Ernie Lee, Belle frowned, "Mrs. Silver, don’t bring him up. I can’t stand the sight of him."

Mrs. Silver shook her head, "You young girls just have standards that are too high. Wait till you’re an old maid—then you’ll know you missed out!"

Belle felt she couldn’t talk to Mrs. Silver about Ernie Lee without getting annoyed, so she grabbed the meal box and left the kitchen. She’d barely walked a few steps when Eugene Warren popped out from the side, grinning, "Belle, heading out to deliver food? What a coincidence—my lady asked me to bring some tonic to Cynthia Wu too. Let’s go together."

Belle snorted and gave Eugene Warren a sideways glance, "Fine, let’s go."

Eugene Warren grinned and snatched the meal box from Belle’s hands, "I’ve been working out lately, and this box is heavy—perfect for training my grip. Don’t fight me for it, Belle!"

With that, Eugene Warren took the box and strode off ahead.

Belle’s cheeks flushed, and she huffed, "Who wants to fight you for it!" Then she followed after him.

The two walked one after the other toward the village. As they passed a patch of wild grass, Ernie Lee, who was hiding there, perked up at the sound of footsteps.

Ernie Lee had already asked Mrs. Silver about Belle’s delivery plans, so he’d been lying in wait in the grass since early on. He figured he’d been attentive enough lately—now it was time to be bold and forceful, and Belle would surely give in.

But before Ernie Lee could jump out, he heard Eugene Warren’s voice: "I heard Guyu say your hometown is in Jiangnan. What a coincidence—mine is, too! We’re practically neighbors."

Belle replied, "Jiangnan is huge. How do you know we’re neighbors?"

Eugene Warren grinned, "We must be neighbors..."

The two chatted as they walked past, leaving Ernie Lee fuming in the grass, his nostrils flaring with anger. "Great, where did this pretty boy come from to mess up my plans! Belle, you got lucky today, but just you wait—if I don’t win you over, my name’s not Lee!"