She took off her coat instinctively, yet still felt the seat beneath her growing damp with sweat, the stickiness clinging uncomfortably to her skin.Just then, she suddenly felt an unbearable itch in her private area.But the spot was far too intimate for her to scratch, so she could only squirm back and forth restlessly in her chair.Little did she know that the more she wriggled, the itchier and more uncomfortable it became!At first, she thought it was just a reaction to the hot pot, but a sudden jolt of panic shot through her as a memory surfaced unbidden.That damned overseer at the black coal mine—when he’d forced her to sleep with him every night, he’d never once taken a shower, nor had he ever used any kind of protection...That stretch of time hadn’t been overly long, but it hadn’t been short either. Living in such squalid, unsanitary conditions, there was bound to be some kind of hidden danger...The thought sent a chill down her spine, and a dreadful suspicion crept into he

As soon as Gustav saw Alan, he said respectfully: Master Alan, I’ve brought over the finest fruit and vegetable plants we could find in the entire city of Plus!Every single variety and every plant here is handpicked from countless greenhouses—the very best of the best! I guarantee that this vegetable garden we’re making for you will be one of a kind, not just in Plus, but in the whole country!Alan nodded in satisfaction and smiled: You’ve worked hard. I’ll keep this in mind.Gustav was overjoyed at his words and replied: It’s my great honor to serve you, Master Alan!Then Gustav hurried to add: Master Alan, I’ve got over two hundred plants of all different types here. Transplanting and planting them all properly will take quite a while. Should we get the workers started right away? I reckon it’ll take until five or six o’clock tomorrow morning at the earliest.Alan nodded and said: Very well, tell the workers to get busy immediately.Gustav quickly waved at one of his men beside him

Covering her face, she mumbled awkwardly, To be honest with you, doctor, it’s mainly because my husband is such a slob...The doctor scolded her, If he doesn’t care about cleanliness, you should insist he pays more attention to personal hygiene! Look at how badly this has affected you—this is a really serious issue, I tell you!Filled with panic, Nora asked, Doctor, what on earth is wrong with me?The doctor frowned and said, From the routine examination, there are erythema, infections and erosion on your body. I suspect the problem isn’t just limited to one area.As she spoke, the doctor added, Here, I’ll write you a laboratory test report. Go get your blood and secretions tested, and we’ll see what the results say.Terrified, Nora quickly asked nervously, Doctor, could I have AIDS or something like that?The doctor replied, AIDS can’t be diagnosed just by looking. It can only be confirmed through a blood test.Then she urged, Hurry up and get the tests done. The sooner we have the r

She’s very pleased, Alan said. I’m calling to ask you to do one more thing for me.Gustav replied hastily, Whatever you need, Master Alan—just say the word.Alan said, I want you to find me dozens of the finest potted daffodils. They have to be unbloomed ones, with lush, vibrant green leaves.Gustav paused for a moment, then said, Master Alan, daffodils are poisonous. A small number would be easy enough to get, but I’m worried about the safety of getting this many.Alan smiled faintly. I know they’re poisonous. Don’t worry about that—just get them ready for me. I need them delivered by this afternoon.Upon hearing this, Gustav immediately agreed, Right away, Master Alan. I’ll take care of it at once.......Old Mrs. Mill returned home with a basket full of stolen vegetables, just as Nora walked in the door.She turned to Nora and asked, Did you buy the meat I told you to get?Nora nodded. I bought not just meat, but quite a few vegetables too.Nora was feeling extremely guilty right n

By dusk, the meat filling was ready, the eggs were scrambled, and a big pile of daffodils was washed spotlessly clean and laid out on the chopping board.The old lady came out in person to mix the fillings. First, she combined eggs and the chives with seasonings to make a chive-and-egg filling. Then she mixed minced meat with the chives to prepare a pork-and-chive filling.Everyone else in the Mill family was already salivating. After all, the family had been through so much turmoil lately, and it had been ages since they’d had such hearty, home-style dumplings brimming with the warmth of daily life.The old lady took charge and led everyone in wrapping the dumplings. To be honest, the finished dumplings were a motley bunch—lopsided and misshapen in all sorts of ways—but they somehow brought a festive, Chinese New Year-like vibe to the scene.The usually ill-tempered Old Mrs. Mill felt a surge of warmth from this family activity at that moment. For once, she showed her kind and gentle