A Second Chance to Save My Daughter

Chapter 007

But this was no ordinary Noodle Soup. Frank had deliberately made it with water from the Healing Spring provided by the system.

"I didn't have time to make soup today," Frank said. "Just have some Noodle Soup instead."

Hearing that, Sophie picked up her bowl.

For some reason, the dumplings tasted especially delicious today, and she suddenly found herself wanting to try the soup as well. Besides, the water used to boil the dumplings still contained plenty of flavor and nutrients. It would be a waste to throw it away.

Sophie took a sip, and her eyes widened immediately.

An incredibly fresh taste spread through her mouth. It tasted nothing like ordinary Noodle Soup. In fact, it was somehow even more delicious than the dumplings.

Frank had made the dumplings small enough for Lily to eat one at a time. She happily stuffed one after another into her mouth, occasionally taking a few sips of soup in between.

"Daddy's dumplings are so good!"

Hearing Lily's excited praise, Sophie smiled, and the way she looked at Frank softened slightly.

The hope and warmth she'd once felt when they were newlyweds hadn't returned, but at least the cold despair in her eyes was beginning to fade.

Frank noticed the subtle change immediately, and something stirred in his heart.

Then he sighed inwardly.

Sophie had always been softhearted, and she loved Lily more than anything. If he hadn't been such a fool in his previous life, things between them never would have ended so badly.

At that thought, Frank silently made up his mind.

In this life, he would treat her well no matter what.

By the time Lily finally stopped eating, she was already hiccupping from how full she was.

Sophie quickly picked her up and patted her back.

"You got up too early this morning. Go get some rest. I'll clean up here."

With that, she handed Lily to Frank and began clearing the dishes.

Frank stared at her in surprise.

Had Sophie just shown concern for him?

Before he could think about it too much, Lily was already rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"Daddy, Mommy says you can't go to sleep right after eating."

She pouted and continued, "Rub Lily's tummy first, then put Lily to sleep."

Frank didn't know whether to laugh or cry. His precious daughter had already arranged everything for him.

He could only carry Lily back to the bedroom.

Lily played for a while with the little doll Sophie had sewn together from scraps of fabric. Eventually, she leaned against Frank's chest.

"Daddy, Lily wants a real doll."

She looked up at him expectantly.

"John has a little monster toy, and Faye has a doll, but Lily doesn't have anything."

"They don't want to play with Lily."

Frank's heart was already completely wrapped around his daughter. How could he possibly refuse her?

"Go to sleep like a good girl. Daddy will buy you one when he comes home tomorrow."

He pulled Lily into his arms and gently patted her back.

Her tiny hands clutched tightly at the hem of his shirt, and the sight made his chest ache.

He had given far too little to Lily while she was growing up.

Even when she wanted something, she asked so carefully, almost as if she were afraid of making him angry. She didn't act anything like other children her age.

A two- or three-year-old child should have been playful, demanding, and carefree, but Lily had learned far too early how to behave.

She knew the family had no money.

She knew there were times when they barely had enough to eat.

So she had learned not to ask for anything.

Even her wish for a doll had only slipped out because she was half asleep.

A few minutes later, Lily was sound asleep.

Frank had originally planned to plant the seeds he had bought inside the Pocket Dimension that afternoon. Looking down at Lily's peaceful sleeping face, however, he couldn't bring himself to leave her alone.

Since Sophie had already gone out and no one else was around, Frank simply carried Lily into the Pocket Dimension with him.

He held his daughter securely with one arm while scattering seeds across the Herb Garden with the other.

It took nearly two hours before he had planted every available patch of land.

After watering the soil with water from the Healing Spring, Frank carried Lily back out of the Pocket Dimension.

As soon as they returned, Lily slowly opened her sleepy eyes.

Sophie still wasn't home, so Frank took Lily into the yard and began cleaning up the little garden that had been neglected for a long time.

Sophie usually planted peppers and a few other vegetables there, but now that winter had arrived, the small garden was completely barren.

Holding Lily in his arms, Frank asked, "How about Daddy plants some big red flowers for Lily here when the weather gets warmer?"

Lily nodded enthusiastically.

...

By the time the sky began to darken, Sophie finally returned home looking exhausted.

"Do your eyes hurt from knitting all afternoon?"

Frank's heart tightened when he saw how tired she looked. He quickly poured her a glass of water from the Healing Spring and handed it over.

Only after Sophie drank every last drop did he relax.

The Healing Spring was a treasure provided by the system, and its water was extremely beneficial to the human body, but its effects weren't instantaneous.

Frank's leg was a perfect example. Even after an entire day, the spring water could only ease some of the pain.

But with continued use, his body would gradually recover.

Sophie and Lily were both far too weak. If Frank had his way, he would have had the mother and daughter bathing in the Healing Spring every single day.

When he saw Sophie rubbing her lower back, guilt surged through him again.

He quickly brought out the dumplings he had pan-fried earlier.

"Lily and I already ate some," Frank said. "They're still warm. You eat first. I need to head out for a bit."

"The market should be closing soon. I want to pick up a few things before everyone packs up."

Sophie nodded.

Frank hurried out, but when he reached the doorway, he turned back to look at her one more time.

Sophie's sore back wasn't caused by work alone. Much of it came from problems left behind by her pregnancy and childbirth years ago.

Something like that couldn't be cured overnight. Her body would need to be slowly nursed back to health.

Frank had studied Herb Medicine in college, so he could already tell where most of Sophie's physical problems came from.

He carefully recalled several medicinal herbs and formulas he knew, deciding that he would go to the market tomorrow and buy everything he needed.

Combined with better nutrition, Sophie's health should gradually improve.

Frank made his way to the small open area in the middle of the village, where most of the remaining shoppers were elderly men and women.

Calling it a plaza was generous. It was really nothing more than an open patch of ground normally used for drying grain.

The village itself was small, but several nearby communities were connected by the same road, so a small market had naturally formed here.

Frank walked slowly between the stalls, carefully examining what remained.

Aside from some farm produce, there were only basic household tools and supplies.

The village market could get fairly busy during the day, but Frank had never planned to sell his vegetables here.

For one thing, the price he intended to charge would be far too high.

More importantly, most people around here lived modestly. Their priority was filling their stomachs, not paying extra for better-tasting produce.

Besides, almost every family had at least a small patch of land of their own. Why would they spend much money buying vegetables?

Frank bought several fully grown hens that were already laying eggs, along with a few geese. He also picked up some dates and millet for making porridge.

As he moved from stall to stall, many of the villagers glanced at him and curled their lips in disdain.

Frank's terrible reputation was well known around here. Most people couldn't even be bothered to speak to him.

After buying everything he needed, Frank slowly started walking home with his purchases.

Just then, he heard several people talking nearby.

"What's this stuff?"

"Bamboo, isn't it?"

"That's something you usually see farther south. No idea how some of it started growing on the hill behind the village."

"If anyone needs firewood, just take it."

"Who'd want that? It's still damp. It'll smoke like crazy if you try to burn it."

Frank immediately walked over when he heard them.

Bamboo itself wasn't something he could eat, but bamboo shoots certainly were.

He crouched down and examined the pieces that had been cut. Most of the bamboo had already turned yellow, but it hadn't completely dried out or split apart.

Frank's eyes lit up.

As long as some of the roots were still alive, that was enough.

If he transplanted them beside the Healing Spring inside the Pocket Dimension, they might grow into healthy bamboo overnight.

Frank immediately stepped forward.

"I'll take the bamboo!"