Grace Winslow asked the two apprentices at the shop to watch the store for a while, while she went back with Irene Lynch to try packaging the sauce.

The small jars could be bought at the general store. The only tricky part was sealing them. At first, Irene Lynch planned to use wooden corks, but they would have to be custom-made. They needed to be soft stoppers for easy removal, and there wasn’t enough time to get them made on such short notice.

In the end, Grace chose to use oil paper. She wrapped it over the mouth of the jar and tied it with a string—simple and convenient.

And the weight wasn’t a full catty; she only used eight taels per jar.

After filling a few jars, Grace handed everything over to Irene Lynch. "Mom, if you can’t handle this all by yourself, get someone to help. Just package them like this for now. I’ll find someone to design a proper bottle later."

"Okay. You’re in a hurry to get back to work, aren’t you? Have you eaten?" Irene Lynch nodded, but she couldn’t help worrying about Grace.

"I’ve already eaten. I came back to discuss this with you right after lunch. I have to go now; my shift is about to start."

Grace rushed back without a moment’s rest.

She had just gotten back when Samuel Ford summoned her to Leon Rhys’s office.

Grace felt a little nervous. She thought Leon Rhys had found out about her selling meat sauce to her colleagues and was about to reprimand her.

After all, she was neglecting her duties. Instead of focusing on her job, she was running a side hustle at the department, selling meat sauce. It really wasn’t appropriate.

But when she went in, Leon Rhys’s first words were, "I hear the meat sauce you brought from home is delicious. Is there any left?"

Grace: "???"

She stood there stunned for a good while before snapping out of it. She smiled and nodded. "Yes, I have about half a jar left from what I brought today. I’ll go get it for you to try."

With that, she turned and left. A moment later, she returned with the half-eaten jar of meat sauce and handed it directly to Leon Rhys.

Leon Rhys couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

He’d been in the system for so many years and had met all sorts of people—sycophants, the timid and overly cautious, you name it. But he had never met anyone like Grace, who was so open and magnanimous. She seemed to be currying favor with her superior, but in a way that wasn’t the least bit off-putting. This was a first for him.

"Alright, you can go back to your work now. Remember, before your internship is over, you need to turn in all the documents Secretary Ford has given you to translate," Leon Rhys said with a gentle wave of his hand.

Grace nodded. After a moment of thought, she asked, "Minister Rhys, those documents contain a lot of highly specialized terminology that I never learned in school. It makes translating them a bit difficult. I was wondering if there are any relevant books I could borrow for reference, so I can study up."

Hearing this, Leon Rhys looked at Samuel Ford, as if to ask why he was deliberately making things difficult for Grace.

’Why give her such difficult documents? If she gets worn out, won’t that kid from my family come looking to settle a score with me?’

’The old man would probably break my legs.’

Samuel Ford rubbed his nose and lowered his head, saying nothing.

"Alright. I’ll have Secretary Ford find you some specialized books on the subject later. You can take them home to look over and study," Leon Rhys said with a chuckle after shooting a subtle glare at Samuel Ford.

Having received a satisfactory answer, Grace happily left the office.

That afternoon, Samuel Ford did indeed bring over several thick reference books and an English dictionary. "Comrade Winslow, if you need anything else, you can come directly to me."

Grace nodded. "Thank you. Secretary Ford, do you like meat sauce too? I’ll bring a jar for you tomorrow, no charge." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Samuel Ford was momentarily flattered, but he quickly became wary.

After all, Grace was a young woman, and he was a young man, only five or six years older than her.

He worried that Grace might get the wrong idea about him. So, with a very serious expression, he reminded her, "Comrade Winslow, I must solemnly remind you that I am a married man. My wife and I have a very good relationship."

Grace stared at him blankly.

She was just grateful that he had found the professional books for her, saving her a lot of trouble. Plus, she could learn from them. She was only planning to give him a jar of meat sauce as a polite thank-you.

’Why does it sound like he’s afraid I’m interested in him and want to wreck his marriage?’

With a look of exasperation, Grace said, "Secretary Ford, I have no interest in you whatsoever. In fact, I’m not interested in relationships at all right now. I’m still a student."

After saying her piece, Grace buried her head in her books and started studying, not sparing Samuel Ford another glance.

Samuel Ford stood in front of Grace for a while longer before leaving in a daze.

It seemed he had truly misunderstood.

Her eyes were only for her books, for those complicated words. She didn’t see him at all.

’How could someone like that be interested in me, let alone try to destroy my family?’

He had really been overthinking things.

When he returned to the office, Samuel Ford recounted the incident to Leon Rhys, earning a massive eye-roll in return.

"Have you ever met my family’s Archer?" Leon Rhys asked Samuel Ford, his face expressionless.

Samuel Ford thought for a moment before asking, "You mean your cousin’s son? Archer Rhys?"

"Between the two of you, who do you think is more outstanding?" Leon Rhys nodded and continued his questioning.

Samuel Ford thought about Archer Rhys’s resume, then his own. He answered with a healthy dose of self-awareness, "Him, of course."

"That nephew of mine pursued Comrade Winslow and was rejected. What makes you think you’re better than him? What makes you think Comrade Winslow would throw herself at you and fall for you?" Leon Rhys raised a hand and clapped Samuel Ford on the shoulder.

Samuel Ford froze, then breathed a sigh of relief.

It was for the best if that wasn’t the case.

Now he could interact with Grace naturally.

The main reason for his misunderstanding was the many rumors at the department, which claimed that Grace’s private life wasn’t very proper and that she was always flirting with her male classmates at school. That’s what had caused him to get the wrong idea.

Only now did Samuel Ford realize that someone was maliciously spreading salacious rumors about Grace within the department.

Logically, there was no competition between Grace and the others. Even if she did officially join the Ministry of Diplomacy in the future, she wouldn’t be like them, just loafing around the office and waiting for retirement.

To spread baseless rumors about someone when there’s no conflict of interest could only mean one thing: a personal grudge.

Realizing this, Samuel Ford quickly reported it to Leon Rhys. "That explains it. The other day, I overheard two female colleagues whispering that they’d heard Comrade Winslow has a bad reputation at school—that she’s promiscuous and often stays out all night. That’s why I misunderstood and thought she was actually interested in me, trying to seduce me."

Leon Rhys’s eyes narrowed. "Investigate this. Find out who is spreading these rumors and undermining the unity of our organization."