Chapter 4 Cast a Glance

Dorothy was still wondering why Logan was so enthusiastic about serving her food, well, such a huge 'surprise' was waiting for her all along.

She pushed the bowl away, an expression of disgust on her face.

Logan feigned surprise, "Oh dear, how could there be a cockroach in this bowl of soup? No worries, I'll pick it out for you, the soup is still edible."

"Wasting food is bad, after all."

Dorothy gave him a side-eye, "You know it's bad to waste food? This cockroach is clearly put in here by you."

Logan was a little guilty, yet still braved up and said, "I didn't put it in, don't accuse me wrongly. It is a pity that I cooked the soup for you with good intention."

Dorothy stared at Logan, suddenly showing a bright smile, giving Logan chills.

"Cockroaches, also known as roaches. A species with astonishing reproductive ability and carries countless bacteria. They like warm and moist places. Once a cockroach appears in a place, it won't take ten days for it to multiply into ten, even a hundred."

"They are omnivores, including bread, rice, cakes, meat, fruits, and even beverages, all can be their food. In search of food, they set off from their nests, then crawl through various corners of your house. Floors, ceilings, dining tables, and even your bed, maybe crawling over your face while you sleep..."

As sickening as the scene was to her, Dorothy, seeing Logan's pale face, forced herself to continue speaking.

"I'm also kindly advising you. Some species of this insect are toxic, like the one in this bowl. If it's not you who caught it, then it's fine. But if it is you who caught it, you need to be careful the next few days. At first, you will feel itchiness, then redness will begin, and after a few days, your skin will start to decay."

Logan gulped, "You're just trying to scare me, others have caught cockroaches in the yard before."

Dorothy just shrugged, "Then if you think I'm lying, it's a lie. As I said, these insects have different species."

"I'm not eating the soup. If you want to eat, then keep it."

Gritting his teeth, Logan rushed into the bathroom to madly wash his hands. He wasn't sure if it was his misconception, but his fingers that had touched the cockroach seemed really uncomfortable!

Dorothy yawned leisurely, somewhat triumphant: it's not difficult to discipline you, little brat.

Suddenly, the sound of keys colliding echoed from the door. She turned her head towards the door, seeing the mother of Nicholas, Elizabeth, her so-called "mother-in-law," returning.

This mother-in-law worked in a bank and held a high position. In the 70s, there were only a few official banks. Being a woman who could rise to the top management proved her capability.

Under the warm yellow light, Elizabeth was wearing a white pointed-collar shirt, a gray knit sweater on her outerwear, and her short hair was curled to give the lamb's wool effect.

In this era, it was already extremely intellectual and trendy attire. Even from Dorothy's future perspective, she didn't look old-fashioned. Due to the simple and pleasing style and color of her clothes, and Elizabeth's appearance; though older, she still had charm. With her thin and charming eyebrows, her generous facial features, she had the allure of a sophisticated Boston woman.

"Granny!" Logan rushed out of the bathroom, embracing Elizabeth.

For some unknown reason, Dorothy, this wicked woman, had not taken any action against him today, but he felt even more terrified! Even more scared!

"Ah, has our little Logan been good at home today?" Elizabeth removed her leather shoes and bent down to pat his head.

"I've been very good!" Logan ignored the fleeting guilt and put on an increasingly well-behaved expression.

Dorothy watched these interactions between the grandmother and grandson, not knowing whether to continue going upstairs or stay downstairs.

"Dorothy, you're back? When did you come?" Elizabeth's tone was somewhat cold.

Seeing her look in her direction, Dorothy had no choice but to clear her throat awkwardly and call out "Mom".

"I just came back not long ago."

"Oh." On hearing this, Elizabeth simply nodded her head lightly, not asking where Dorothy had been.

After cycling back home for half a day, the first thing she did when she entered the house was to pour herself some water. Then she noticed the untouched bowl of soup and a military lunch box on the table.

The lunch box seemed familiar. Upon uncovering it, she recognized the leftovers inside, and knew that Dorothy must have gone to find Nicholas in the military camp that day. Looking at Dorothy's bandaged leg, she suspected something else had happened that she didn't know about.

At first, she thought Dorothy was decent and respectful. However, after the marriage, she began to behave like a madwoman. Had she known this earlier, she would have stopped this marriage at all costs.

"Haven't you had dinner yet?" Although Elizabeth was a veteran, she pretended not to notice the two cockroaches in the soup. "Let me heat up this meal for you."

"No need, thank you, mom." Dorothy replied.

Elizabeth frowned.

She had never seen anyone so delicate.

Although the Parker's family was well-off now, they had also had their share of hardship in the past. Rejecting leftover food or soup with bugs in them was unheard of. During their difficult times, bugs would have been eaten when hunger struck!

Regardless, Elizabeth couldn't bear to see Dorothy go to bed hungry – as troublesome and unsatisfactory as her daughter-in-law was. Since Dorothy had married into the Parker family, it was simply not acceptable for her to remain hungry.

"Go take a bath, I'm going to make a new bowl of soup for you." Elizabeth firmly insisted, and Dorothy could not refuse.

Elizabeth gestured for Dorothy to head upstairs, tied her apron, and began to cook, albeit with a slightly impatient expression.

"Grandma, I haven't had dinner yet!" Logan complained.

"Alright, alright, grandma will make some for you." Elizabeth spoils her grandson. Like the matter with the cockroach today, even if she knows that Logan is wrong, she often let it go on the assumption that he is still young and didn't correct his mistakes. This has probably contributed to Logan's increasingly unruly behavior.

Dorothy cast them a glance and then limped upstairs to take a bath.

The Parker residence was a two-story building, with a four-bedroom and one-sitting-room layout, and two bathrooms on each floor.

The second floor had two bedrooms and a study room, while the lower floor had one small bedroom.

Elizabeth thought to give the newlyweds some privacy. Making the excuse that her old age made climbing stairs difficult, she moved to the lower floor.

After all, her son's father,Ryan, had a long-term military service and was rarely at home. She didn't mind living downstairs by herself.

Nicholas also rarely came home.

Dorothy usually lived on the second floor with Logan. However, because the bathroom on the second floor was inside the master bedroom, and Logan didn't want to interact with her any more than necessary, he used the bathroom downstairs. Therefore, she could claim exclusive rights to the upstairs bathroom.

This arrangement was perfectly acceptable to Dorothy, who was particularly concerned about cleanliness.

And when she pushed the door inside, the toilet and bathtub presented her with a pleasant surprise.

After feeling the bathtub with her hand, she found it to be incredibly clean. She removed her clothes, filled the tub with water, and prepared a hot bath to soothe her body and mind.

Downstairs.

Elizabeth had just dumped a handful of potatoes into the boiling water on the stove.

Bang bang bang!

A frantic series of knocks sounded on the door.

"One moment!" She replied, undoing her apron as she walked to the door, wondering who could it be at such a late hour?

As soon as she opened the door, standing outside the yard's iron gate was Mrs. Lewis from the military district. Mrs. Lewis angrily brandished an I.O.U at her, "Mrs Parker, could you talk your daughter-in-law? Last month, she borrowed fifty dollars from my son and still hasn't returned it..."