58: Alice's Situation

"Returning this afternoon?"

Ron raised an eyebrow. Though a bit surprised, he still nodded.

"Alright, Mr. Litton."

Seeing Ron agree, Litton hurried out, found the hotel staff, and asked them to prepare a carriage.

Ron was left alone in the room, standing thoughtfully.

"Did they really argue? That shouldn't be the case, should it?"

Ron mused inwardly, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Before this, Litton had mentioned his friendship with Gavin to him multiple times.

Every time he came to Kula City, he would stay for three or four days.

Buying medicine and equipment only took less than half a day; the rest of the time was spent drinking and chatting with Gavin, and discussing medicine.

Yet this time, after only a morning of private conversation, he was rushing back.

And Litton's expression looked not only angry and upset, but also seemed to carry a hint of anxious disappointment, as if he was frustrated with Gavin's lack of progress?

Ron narrowed his eyes, thought for a moment, but didn't ask further.

He simply waited for Litton to hire a new carriage, then left with his luggage.

Meanwhile, elsewhere...

At the Saar Family's compound, within the embroidery workshop.

Inside several red-brick houses, young female figures sat on chairs, busily working with needles and thread.

"It's mealtime. Stop working now; you'll resume in an hour."

At this moment, a cold-faced female manager, around thirty years old, came to announce.

Upon hearing this, the young women quickly put down their needles and thread, and rubbed their aching eyes.

Then they lined up and went to the small building outside the food serving area.

Among this group, a tall but ugly young woman with a large birthmark on her face was also present.

She was Ron's older sister—Alice.

At this time, Alice came to the food serving window and handed over her bowl.

Immediately, the plump cook inside the house scooped a large spoonful of a mushy substance from a pot and poured it into the bowl.

Alice bowed slightly in thanks.

She then took her bowl to a quiet corner and slowly began to eat.

Although this bowl of mushy food didn't look appealing...

It was made from the nobles' leftovers, mixed with corn flour.

If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't eat such swill.

But for these female worker slaves who had to work diligently every day, it was the best food imaginable.

At the very least, it contained vegetables, rice, and salt.

If one tasted carefully, they could even find some minced meat.

While everyone was quietly eating, the aforementioned female manager, accompanied by a man dressed in noble attire, came to inspect.

"How is the health of these offerings recently? Are any of them sick?"

The middle-aged noble man scanned the room through the window, then spoke indifferently.

The female manager quickly bowed her head and said respectfully,

"My Lord, ever since we examined them half a month ago and determined their bone ages..."

"We haven't made them continue overly strenuous work. They only need to sit in the house and embroider every day."

"As for food, it hasn't been withheld; they receive one meal each for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Everyone is in good condition, and there have been no problems."

The middle-aged noble man nodded with satisfaction upon hearing this.

"That's good. Continue to maintain this. Just two and a half more months."

"You don't need to treat them too well, but don't starve them either. Maintain the balance and don't let any accidents happen..."

The middle-aged noble man instructed, and the female manager quickly nodded and bowed, promising to obey.

Just as the middle-aged noble man finished his inspection and was about to leave...

The corner of his eye caught sight of a figure in the corner.

"That girl..."

The middle-aged man frowned and said with some displeasure,

"How can she be so ugly? Can she also be an offering?"

The female manager followed the middle-aged noble man's gaze and saw Alice's side profile, revealing her black-spotted face as she ate.

"Uh, My Lord, because the required number of offerings has increased this year..."

"So, inferior goods with such facial defects could only be included."

The female manager quickly bowed and explained with some trepidation.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged noble man's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed.

"Sigh, I understand. This is unavoidable."

"Two years ago, such an ugly girl wouldn't even qualify as an offering; she would only be fit to work for my Saar Family until she died."

The female manager also offered a fawning smile and cautiously added,

"You're right... However, although this girl is ugly, her figure is quite good."

"And she is intelligent; she learns the embroidery patterns I teach her in one go. She's a good prospect for a textile worker..."

The middle-aged noble man raised his eyebrows upon hearing this.

He had only seen Alice's side profile just now and hadn't paid much attention to her figure.

Upon closer inspection now, he was surprised to find that...

Compared to other thin and short commoner girls, Alice, even sitting, was considerably taller than average, estimated to be close to 1.8 meters.

Although she was wearing coarse linen clothes, sleeves, and long pants, a graceful curve could still be discerned.

"In terms of figure alone, she is indeed good, but..."

The middle-aged noble man shook his head. What good was a good figure?

Just that repulsive face alone, even with the lights off, the mere thought of it wouldn't stir any appetite.

"Moreover, even if she were pretty, I couldn't act rashly."

"After all, the sacrifice is imminent; the task must be completed first, otherwise..."

The middle-aged noble man's eyes flickered. He didn't know what he was thinking, but he suddenly shivered, showing a hint of fear.

Immediately after, once he regained his composure, he gave a few more instructions before heading to another area to continue his inspection.

Meanwhile, after quietly finishing the food in her bowl, Alice washed and returned it.

On her way back to the embroidery workshop, Alice's eyes were filled with a sense of melancholy.

"A month has passed. Ron, how are you now? Sister misses you so much..."

Time flew by, arriving at dusk.

A moving carriage slowly pulled up in front of Litton's clinic.

When Ron put away his things and went to the neighboring Tamara Family to pick up Lisa...

Lisa asked with some surprise,

"Brother Ron, you and Dad came back so quickly?"

"Yes."

Ron stroked Lisa's head but didn't explain much.

Then, after thanking Mrs. Tamara, Ron took Lisa home.

After dinner, Litton seemed preoccupied and went directly into his bedroom.

After playing with Lisa for a while, Ron also returned to his storeroom.

"Hoo..."

After a long breath, Ron finally sat down to organize his gains from the past two days.