His Beloved Ex-Wife (Gwendolyn Reeves ) Online Novel
Chapter 648

Chapter 648 His Determination

The taste of that dish was fairly normal, leaning toward the salty side.

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He chewed for a while, swallowing slowly, finally managing to dilute the peculiar taste that had filled his

mouth.

Lysander asked, “Are you okay?”

Josiah waved his hand dismissively. “I’m fine.”

“Why must you do this? You’re surely not used to the food here. You don’t have to force yourself. You should hurry back to the city.”

“I’m used to the food.”

Lysander was puzzled.

“Give me a bit more time to adjust. I’ll get used to the food here.”

Lysander tilted her head slightly to look at him. “Are you really planning to stay here?”

“You’ve been here for half a month, no? I can also do it.”

“I’m not like you. I come from an ordinary family. As a child, we struggled, and I’ve experienced my fair share of hardships due to our poor conditions. This level of hardship doesn’t faze me, but it’s almost worlds apart from the life you’re used to living…”

“It’s okay,” Josiah said. “I’ve told you I want to experience your life. I can handle it.”

Lysander let out a soft sigh.

Josiah served her some food. “You should also eat.”

Once they finished savoring some of the food, the rest of the dishes, which had been kept warm by the stove, were quickly served, filling the entire table.

However, the dishes all consisted of wild vegetables.

There was a curly dock salad, boiled dandelion, and sauteed wild asparagus.

Blaine took Lysander’s words to heart, even going so far as to make special arrangements. Pointing at the steaming ravioli that had just been served, he said, “These are filled with chickweed. They were blanched in lard and water before being wrapped. I’m not sure if you’ll be accustomed to the

The village was already short on resources. In the morning, everyone generously offered their agricultural products to Lysander and the nurses as a token of their appreciation. By the time they were preparing for the welcome feast in the afternoon, there wasn’t much left to offer. They had to make do with what they had, turning wild vegetables into a creative feast.

Josiah noticed the villagers‘ tension and, as a gesture of respect, made a point of generously complimenting them before they began to eat.

“I’ve never seen such a variety of wild vegetables in the city. If it weren’t for your introduction, I wouldn’t

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Chapter 648 His Determination

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As he spoke, he followed the local customs and lifted the clay mug to sip the slightly astringent hot water.

Upon seeing that the big shot from the city didn’t express any dissatisfaction with the dishes served, the villagers finally relaxed. They returned to their respective seats and started to enjoy their meals.

During the meal, Anita was eager to impress their guests. She kept serving dishes to Lysander and Josiah, filling their bowls with a variety of wild vegetables in no time.

In the countryside, the concept of serving spoons didn’t exist. Anita simply used her own cutlery to serve the couple food.

Josiah subtly glanced at Lysander and saw how unperturbed she was. At that moment, she was eating several bites from her bowl without any sign of her usual mysophobia issues. However, he found himself struggling with the food in his own bowl.

The taste of the dandelion was simply too bitter for him. Just the smell alone was enough to make him want to give up.

Blaine noticed Josiah’s awkwardness and quickly intervened when Anita was about to serve Josiah more food. “Didn’t I tell you before? The city folks, especially the big shots, are very particular about etiquette. Don’t use your own cutlery to serve others!” Blaine said.

The words spoken were somewhat harsh.

As one of the involved parties, Josiah wanted to clarify that the issue wasn’t about the cutlery. However, stating outright that he couldn’t stomach the dandelions seemed to contradict his previous statement, leaving him in a difficult position.

Anita, who was already of grandmotherly age, realized that she had made a mistake at such an important banquet. She was overwhelmed with guilt and at a loss.

Upon noticing the situation, Lysander quickly glanced at Josiah’s bowl. Identifying the problem, she directly took his bowl and poured all the wild vegetables into her own, saying, “It’s all right. I’m not picky, and I absolutely love wild vegetables. If he doesn’t want to eat them, he can give them all to me.”

With a delightful smile, she ate all the dandelions that Josiah couldn’t finish. She seemed to accept the natural bitterness of the wild vegetables quite well, showing no signs of reluctance at all.

Upon seeing that the food she had served was not wasted, Anita finally breathed a sigh of relief. She rose to her feet and headed toward the kitchen, saying, “I’m going to fetch a new set of cutlery.”

Josiah no longer had to endure the bitterness of dandelions, yet he felt somewhat uneasy. He didn’t go there to cause trouble for everyone.

“It’s okay, Mrs. Alvarez,” Josiah said. “I was just wondering what kind of dish this is. It’s quite bitter.”

Upon hearing these words, Anita felt much relieved. “Dandelions, also known as cankerwort. It’s actually a kind of medicinal herb. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Dr. Thorne.”

Lysander immediately took over the conversation, saying, “Yes. Dandelions are great for their cooling and detoxifying effects. I quite like them.”

No sooner had the words left her lips than she saw all the dandelions from her bowl being transferred back by Josiah. He then took a big bite.

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Chapter 648 His Determination

Lysander was truly sweating bullets.

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Josiah still found it a bit bitter, but he managed to swallow it without changing his expression. “It’s just what I need. I’ve been feeling a bit feverish lately,” he said.

When Blaine saw that Josiah genuinely didn’t mind, his heart, which had been hanging due to Anita’s failure to use serving spoons, finally settled back in his chest. He then turned his attention to recommending other dishes.

“These acorns were picked from the tree in the spring, then preserved in a cellar with salt. When stir–fried with mixed vegetables from the garden, it’s especially fragrant. Dr. Thorne, Mr. Guerra, please have a taste.”

After taking a bite, Josiah found that the taste was indeed not as bitter as the dandelions, making his expression much more pleasant. He then ate with great composure.

Lysander watched him from the side, noticing that he was eating with much more enthusiasm than before. She couldn’t help but wonder about the true nature of his lifestyle, which she thought she had a good understanding of. She found it hard to believe he could genuinely enjoy eating the local dishes.

Yet, Josiah seemed to be quite the man of his word. His fork hardly paused after that, making his meal appear rather appetizing.

Seeing this scene, the women who had gone to help with the cooking were especially delighted. They felt that their hard work had been acknowledged by the big shot from the city.

Once everyone had consumed about a third of the food on the table, Lysander glanced up at the moon hanging high in the sky. She found an excuse and said, “Mr. Alvarez, I’m full. I need to go back to the health center for my shift.”

Blaine, concerned about not being a good enough host, urged, “Please, stay a little longer.”

Lysander responded softly and gently, “Really, there’s no need. The new mother and her baby are still in the health center, and Dr. Vazquez isn’t around tonight. If the nurses are the only ones on duty, I truly won’t feel at ease.”

This was something everyone knew.

Blaine, without giving it further thought, stood up alongside Anita and Alan to see Lysander out of the courtyard.

Upon receiving Lysander’s subtle eye signal, Josiah also rose to his feet to take his leave. “I think I’ll head back as well. I think the refrigerator wasn’t properly sorted out this afternoon.”

Everyone else had assumed they were a married couple. So, when they saw him offering to take Lysander home, they naturally thought it was to be expected. They didn’t give it much thought beyond that.

Blaine accompanied them all the way to the road. As they were parting, he said, “Mr. Guerra, we’ve prepared a clean room for you. After you’ve seen Dr. Thorne off, remember to come back and stay for the night. It’s the one on the right as you enter the courtyard.”

Josiah had always suffered from gastritis, and his hasty consumption of wild vegetables earlier had exacerbated the situation. At that moment, he could feel the food he had eaten churning in his stomach. Despite the discomfort, he struggled to maintain an unchanged expression, saying, “I-”