Chapter 667: Chapter 667: Plowing

"Dr. Ford, I’m going to do my rounds. Do you want to come along?"

Evelyn Ford nodded. "Sure."

The number of pregnant women had been on the rise lately, and the hospital’s beds were all full. The base hospital charged for its services, with strict fee standards for everything, from medication to surgery.

While doing her rounds, Evelyn Ford saw Iris Miller. She was cleaning the hospital with her baby strapped to her back. Although it looked tiring, the job came with a decent subsidy. Iris had landed the position largely thanks to Evelyn. She was surprised and happy to see her, but since she was holding a dirty rag, she didn’t approach, simply waving from a distance.

"Dr. Ford, do you know that cleaning lady?"

"She’s only in her early twenties."

The female doctor scratched her head. "I had no idea she’s younger than me. The janitor upstairs is in her fifties, so I just assumed they were the same age. Dr. Ford, is she a friend of yours?"

Evelyn Ford smiled. "Back when we were in the medical tents, she used to be my assistant."

"Then why is she cleaning instead of working as a nursing assistant?"

"Her baby is only two or three months old. She wouldn’t be able to bring the baby to work as a nursing assistant."

The female doctor nodded. "Oh, I see."

...

In the afternoon, Evelyn Ford went and taught a class. At three o’clock, she rode her bicycle for half an hour from the classroom building back to the small courtyard.

In another month, her work at the school would be finished, and Evelyn would no longer have to rush between two different jobs every day.

When Evelyn Ford returned to the small courtyard, the workers building the restroom had already laid the foundation. Piles of sand and cement were still stacked in the yard, and Liam Sterling was supervising. Wendy didn’t get off work until six in the evening, and the others were all in the space tilling the land. Evelyn said hello to him, then went back to her bedroom and slipped directly into the space.

As soon as she entered the space, Evelyn Ford heard the roar of machinery coming from the direction of the medicinal herb fields. Ronan Kendrick, Ethan Dawson, and Miles Vaughn were tilling the earth, while the others followed behind with bamboo baskets, picking up any herbs the plows had missed.

In the space’s central plaza, the laborers were drying the rest of the medicinal herbs. After being hypnotized by Ronan Kendrick, they had lost all their memories. Now, the only thing left in their minds was the command to obey. They had stopped harvesting Cannibal Flowers for the time being. Once the laborers finished drying the remaining herbs, they would be sent to the mining area to process ore.

Evelyn Ford rolled up her pant legs before stepping into the herb field. The others were so busy with their work that they didn’t even notice her arrive.

"Is the tilling going smoothly?"

Quincy jumped, startled by Evelyn Ford appearing suddenly behind him. "You’re back early today! You don’t make a sound when you walk. You scared me to death."

"I do make noise when I walk. It’s just that the tillers are too loud. There wasn’t much going on at the hospital today. I’m basically just a consultant, so I don’t have to work a regular shift. Since there were no surgeries, I came back."

Evelyn Ford put down the things she was carrying and called everyone over for a water break.

"How many acres did you till today?"

"The black soil is so soft and loose that tilling is a breeze. With three machines, we’ve probably gotten through over a hundred acres."

Evelyn Ford nodded. "You can start making the field ridges and let the water in."

Before dinner, Evelyn Ford came out of the space. The construction workers had already left the courtyard. Liam Sterling was in the yard, head bowed as he scribbled and sketched—most likely the plans for the restroom. Just then, there was a noise at the gate, and Wendy walked in, pushing her bicycle.

Wendy found the tricycle too slow and had recently started riding a bicycle to and from work. As soon as she got back to the courtyard, she poured a glass of water and downed it in one gulp. You could tell she was exhausted.

"I’m exhausted! The temperature has been rising, so more people are getting heatstroke. We barely get a moment’s rest, not even for lunch. And the guys with heatstroke are all so cranky, one more irritable than the next. They even complain that I’m too young and unprofessional. It makes me want to punch someone! I have tomorrow off. Joy Ford, when’s your day off?"

"I have weekends off."

Wendy’s eyes lit up. "Tomorrow is the weekend! Let’s go for a picnic."

"Sure! Should we go to the lake or out on the prairie?"

"The prairie! My coworker said there are lots of wild berries and even wild rabbits out there."

"Alright then, we’ll all go for a picnic tomorrow."

"Evelyn, I have to stay and supervise the workers tomorrow. Just remember to bring back some leftovers for me." Liam Sterling closed his notebook, picked up the glass of iced tea on the table, and drained it.

"What’s there to supervise? They’re not going to cut corners. Just come with us. It’s already late spring. If we don’t have a picnic now, the sweltering summer will be here before we know it."

Wendy nodded frantically beside them. "Yeah, yeah! Uncle Liam, come with us!"

Liam Sterling grinned. "Alright then. I want some spicy roasted rabbit."

"You can have whatever you want. Abalone, lobster—we’ve got it all."

—

After returning to the cabin, Evelyn Ford announced their plan to go on a picnic the next day.

Quincy stroked his chin. "It’s been very windy lately. I’m afraid we won’t be able to cook outdoors. If we set the prairie on fire, we’d probably have to make a run for it."

"It’s fine. We’ll just find a spot that’s sheltered from the wind. Lots of people have been going out for picnics lately."

"I want lamb."

"I want venison."

"I want some tilapia."

Evelyn Ford motioned for everyone to be quiet. "Alright, no problem. Whatever you want to eat, go get the ingredients yourself. I think there are only some frozen ribs left in the kitchen."

"Auntie, I want lobster!"

Evelyn Ford ruffled Zoe’s hair. "You can. But you have to go catch them yourself. You reap what you sow, understand?"

Zoe nodded. "I know."

"Annie, what do you want to eat?"

Annie smiled shyly. "Aunt Ford, I’m okay with anything."

"Nope, everyone has to pick one dish. You can have whatever you want. We have more than enough, so don’t be shy."

"I want to eat roasted sausages."

"I want some too. Save one for me then."

Annie nodded emphatically. "You can have them all, Aunt Ford."

"You’ve discovered my secret—I’m a bottomless pit!"

"I’m a bottomless pit, too!" Zoe protested, standing up and puffing out her little belly.

Evelyn Ford gave her a thumbs-up. "You win. Your belly is definitely bigger."

Zoe was thrilled. "I won! I’m the bottomless pit!"

"Let’s have dinner first. We can talk about the picnic after we eat," Taylor Vance said, passing out chopsticks to everyone.

"Evelyn, are we sending those laborers to work in the mining area tomorrow?"

"Yes. The herbs have been processed, so let’s have them go to the mining area to dig for ore. We’ll take their tents over, and they’ll work at the mining site from now on."

Hearing this, Taylor Vance nodded. "That’s for the best. Even though they’ve lost their memories, the fact that they were extremists doesn’t change. They should be doing this kind of work to atone for their sins."

After dinner, everyone gathered in the living room to continue discussing the details of the next day’s picnic.

"Liam, go see Rhys Chase tomorrow and ask him if he wants to go on the picnic with me."

Evelyn Ford had a favor to ask of Rhys Chase, but she didn’t want to make a detour to the office building, so she had to have Liam Sterling get him for her.

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