Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Unreasonable Demands

Melody Summers was unaware of Robert Lancaster’s scheming. Today, she had invited Crystal Lynch over for a meal.

Her uncle and mother had gone to the supermarket, and her aunt was at the factory, so only Melody Summers, her grandmother, and Miss Lowell were home.

The temperature had soared over the past few days. The sky was cloudless, and the sun hung directly overhead. The solar panels Melody Summers had installed were working wonders, steadily powering all the appliances in the house.

"Wow, your house is so cool! Even the yard feels cool," Crystal Lynch said, looking around curiously after she came in.

"You actually turned your yard into a vegetable garden? I thought places in this kind of villa neighborhood were all for flowers and landscaping," Crystal Lynch said. "No wonder you brought so many vegetables to sell at the supermarket before."

"The elders in the family planted them when we first moved in. They’ve just started to ripen recently," Melody Summers replied with a smile.

Just then, her grandmother came downstairs and said, "Crystal, you’re here. I’ll go get you two some fruit."

Albus also jumped onto the sofa and lay down quietly.

A few moments later, her grandmother brought over a large platter of fresh strawberries, their sweet fragrance filling the living room. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

These were from the strawberry seedlings her grandmother had planted in the yard last month. Watered by the Arcadian Stream, this batch of strawberries had started to ripen one after another.

Crystal Lynch’s eyes lit up when she saw the strawberries. "You can still eat strawberries at your house? This is amazing! You have no idea, there’s practically no fruit on the market anymore."

The fresh produce section at Crystal Mart had been converted into a frozen treats section. The residents who had previously complained about the high price of vegetables and refused to buy them were now filled with regret. No one had eaten fresh fruits or vegetables in a long time.

Crystal Lynch popped a strawberry into her mouth. Sweet and tart juice filled her senses, the lovely aroma of the fruit lingering in her nose and mouth. She continued speaking while stuffing more strawberries into her mouth:

"This year is so freaky. It’s supposed to be April, but this heat is just not normal. An old lady living next to me couldn’t bear to turn on her AC and ended up with heatstroke. She had to be taken to the hospital. Everyone’s saying it’s because the strong winds a few days ago blew all the clouds away, so there’s nothing to block the sun."

"The freezers at the supermarket have been completely emptied by the neighborhood residents. The ice cream factories can’t keep up with deliveries because there are too many orders. My brother has been driving out to pick up stock himself every day. Today, two big supermarkets actually got into a fight over a shipment of ice cream bars!"

Shawn Lynch hadn’t been making any long-haul deliveries lately. The weather was too hot, so he was just helping out at the supermarket.

Melody Summers listened, thinking, ’Factories can still operate and produce things for now. But in a few days, when industrial power rationing starts, they’ll all shut down. Then you won’t be able to buy anything even if you want to.’

By noon, her grandmother and Miss Lowell had lunch ready: braised fish, sweet and sour pork ribs, winter melon with braised pork, tomato beef brisket, and two stir-fried seasonal vegetable dishes. Six dishes for four people.

Crystal Lynch exclaimed how blessed she felt. Her grandmother and Miss Lowell were very fond of Crystal, constantly putting more food on her plate. Crystal ate three large bowls of rice until her stomach was round and full.

After the meal, the two rested for a while before heading to Crystal Mart. Before she left, the grandmother packed a large box full of vegetables and strawberries for Crystal, who didn’t refuse and happily thanked her.

The weather was so hot that both Melody Summers and Crystal Lynch held up parasols, but they could still feel sweat trickling down their backs.

The two chatted as they walked. Crystal Lynch said, "Those little restaurants next to our supermarket have all been closed since the tornado because you basically can’t buy vegetables anymore. There’s just one noodle soup place barely staying open. I ate there once—it was just noodles and a little bit of meat, no side vegetables."

Melody Summers nodded as she listened. ’Soon enough, the prices of rice, flour, and meat will skyrocket too.’

When they arrived at the supermarket, Melody Summers only saw Winnie Summers. Colin Summers wasn’t there.

Melody Summers asked, "Mom, where’s Uncle?"

There was a long line of people waiting to buy things in the supermarket. After Winnie Summers finished ringing up the previous customer, Crystal Lynch walked up to the register to take over.

Winnie Summers sat down to rest on the side and replied, "Your uncle went to install an air conditioner for someone. It’s been so hot these past few days, and a lot of new residents in the neighborhood need air conditioners and refrigerators installed. An employee from the property management office came to buy something just now and said it’s really hard to find an installer because so many people need ACs. Your uncle was happy to hear that—it’s his old trade, after all. I can manage the supermarket by myself, so he negotiated a price with property management and went straight to work."

With Winnie Summers and the three members of the Lynch family in the store, there were four people to look after the shop, which was more than enough.

The supermarket’s sales had been very good recently. The weather was so hot that many people didn’t want to go out, so they flocked to the supermarket to stock up on supplies and hide at home.

*

「The Hale Residence.」

Ever since Joanne White’s parents moved in, there hadn’t been a moment when Mrs. Hale wasn’t furious.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Joanne White was cunning and manipulative, and her parents were even more so.

Moreover, there were some things that Joanne White, as a member of the younger generation, couldn’t say or do. Her parents, however, had no such qualms.

Today, after dinner, Mrs. Hale had merely asked Joanne White to wash a bowl, and Mr. and Mrs. White immediately threw a fit.

"Mrs. Hale, Joanne is pregnant with your Hale family’s grandchild! How could you make her wash dishes?" Mrs. White said with a frown.

"That’s right, Mrs. Hale. How can you be so unconcerned about Joanne? This is your family’s flesh and blood," Mr. White chimed in.

Mrs. Hale felt a headache coming on. When she was pregnant with Austin Hale, she had worked until two weeks before her due date. She didn’t see any problem with asking Joanne White to wash a single bowl.

This family was living in her house, eating her food, all for free, yet they acted as if it were their god-given right.

Mrs. Hale had been tempted to throw them all out several times, but her own son had repeatedly and seriously warned her not to get into any conflicts with Mr. and Mrs. White.

Austin Hale was afraid that it would upset Joanne White, which would be bad for the baby.

Mrs. Hale couldn’t win against her own son, so she could only struggle to suppress her urge to explode, and started washing the dishes with a grim expression.

Mr. and Mrs. White showed no intention of helping. Mrs. White sat on the sofa playing on her phone and said to Mrs. Hale with a chuckle, "Oh, Mrs. Hale, our Joanne likes to eat chicken stewed with celtuce and blanched choy sum. Since she’s pregnant, you should try to cater to her tastes."

Mrs. Hale’s veins throbbed in her forehead. Where was she supposed to find celtuce and choy sum? Vegetables were incredibly expensive on the market now; only high-end supermarkets still sold them.

She had once gritted her teeth and bought a "special offer" fruit and vegetable mystery box from a high-end supermarket to help her son recover his strength. The 3,000-yuan box contained only two heads of cabbage, three or four small potatoes, two onions, two carrots, and two oranges. The quality was clearly the dregs that others had picked over and rejected. All that for 3,000 yuan—Mrs. Hale’s heart bled at the memory.

Mrs. Hale wanted to kick this whole group out, but her son was such a fool! He was completely wrapped around Joanne White’s and the baby’s little fingers.

"I can’t buy those vegetables. If you’re so capable, you can buy them and cook for your own daughter," Mrs. Hale said to Mr. and Mrs. White, having tried and failed to hold back her anger.

"You freeload in my house and you still have the gall to be picky? How does that make any sense? If you think the food and lodging here aren’t good enough, then get out of my house."