Stuart didn't say anything in the end. He quietly finished his meal. Perhaps it was because Annette seemed different today. After dinner, he casually mentioned, "There's a big market in the neighboring town tomorrow. A shuttle bus will stop at the residential compound entrance at ten in the morning."
As soon as he said that, he remembered how Annette used to scoff at the countryside and couldn't possibly be interested in a local market. Without waiting for her reply, he silently gathered the dishes and went to wash them.
Annette sat beside the stove, feeling a bit idle. The sky outside had already darkened, and the scolding of children by neighbors echoed clearly from next door.
It was cold outside at night, so everyone basically stayed home.
But besides a dim light bulb, there was no TV, tape recorder, or even a radio in the house. How was she supposed to pass such long evenings?
Annette looked at Stuart's back as he bent over the counter to wash dishes. Since the stove was on, it was warm inside, so he was only wearing a white shirt tucked into his pants. His broad shoulders and narrow waist stood out even more.
Especially when he moved slightly while scrubbing dishes, the strength of his waist muscles was evident.
It was actually... quite a sight.
Annette found herself getting a little distracted, her thoughts slowly drifting into inappropriate territory. She quickly smacked her forehead. She couldn't even feed herself yet, and she was fantasizing?
Just then, there were footsteps outside, followed by a man calling out, "Is the Captain home?"
Stuart dried his hands and went to open the door. Annette, curious, stood up as well. Someone actually came to visit?
It was William Wang, the husband of Jean Zhang next door, carrying a child, with Jean beside him—and following them was Charlotte Shaw, the female doctor.
William stepped in, immediately thanking Stuart, "Captain, thank you so much for saving Shanzi. I really don't know how to repay you. This crazy woman at home couldn't even watch the kid properly and let him choke!"
Jean chimed in as well, "Captain, thank you so much."
Stuart frowned slightly. He didn't like this at all. After all, the one who saved the child was Annette. No matter what people thought of her, she was the one who acted today.
Before he could speak, Charlotte added, "Yes, it was so dangerous today. If Stuart hadn't been home, that child might not have made it."
Then she turned to Jean with a gentle smile, "I think Shanzi should recognize Stuart as his godfather. He's clearly his guardian angel."
Annette stood by, watching the group come in as if she were invisible. Especially Charlotte—she had dressed thinly in the cold earlier for vanity, and now she was wearing a bright pink sweater with her braid draped over her shoulder, looking all gentle and composed.
But her words were laced with fake sweetness.
Stuart's frown deepened. He stepped back and looked at Annette, "It was Annette who saved the child. If you want to thank someone, thank her."
William clearly hadn't known the truth. He was surprised. How could Annette be the one to save someone?
Everyone in the compound had heard her yelling and arguing daily.
Still, since Stuart said so, William quickly changed his tone and smiled, "Thank you, sister-in-law! I was shocked when I heard what happened."
Annette glanced at Jean and Charlotte with a faint smirk, "No need to thank me. But your wife really is something—giving a whole dried date to such a small child. It's no wonder he choked."
Jean's face changed instantly, and William looked awkward too. He had come sincerely to thank her, but hadn't expected Annette to be so blunt.
What could he do? Yell at his wife in front of everyone?
Charlotte frowned slightly, "Sister-in-law, you shouldn't say that. You've never raised children. It's easy to make small mistakes when caring for them."
Annette smiled, "Has Dr. Shaw raised children?"
Charlotte flushed with embarrassment, "Don't be ridiculous!"
In this era, you didn't joke like that with an unmarried woman.
Stuart gave Annette a long look. He'd thought she seemed like a different person earlier, but now he was certain—she had changed.
She used to be irrational and unreasonable. Now she was sharp-tongued and didn't let things slide. Her words cut like knives.
But strangely enough, he couldn't say she was wrong.
Frowning, he looked at William, "It's alright. The child's fine now. It's getting late, you should all head home."
Jean didn't dare say a word with her husband there. She quickly set down the bag of walnuts and red dates they had brought as a gift.
Charlotte held out a lunchbox and stepped toward Stuart with a smile, "Stuart, I made dumplings tonight. I packed some fresh out of the pot just for you."
Annette finally saw it clearly—this Charlotte was clearly interested in Stuart. She knew the couple wasn't getting along and was trying to swoop in.
Wasn't this supposed to be an era of conservative morals?
This Charlotte was bold. Shameless, even.
Annette stared at the lunchbox for a few seconds, then looked at Stuart meaningfully. She let out a cold laugh and turned to leave, slamming the door behind her.
That one look from Annette made Stuart feel inexplicably guilty. He firmly rejected Charlotte, "No need. We already had dinner. It's late—you all should go."
Even with her thick skin, Charlotte was too embarrassed to insist. Face flushed, she followed William and Jean out.
Stuart closed the door and looked again at the firmly shut bedroom door. A headache throbbed between his eyebrows. He turned back to finish the dishes.