How could she not get it? This clumsy, bossy "lie" was just so she'd eat the good stuff without feeling guilty.
She lowered her head, silently picked up a piece of rib, and took small bites. Warm tears welled up before she could stop them, slipping down quietly and dripping into the rice in her bowl.
After a while.
Ethan had already finished eating and ladled himself a bowl of the chicken soup, sipping it slowly.
The house was very quiet, with only the faint clinking of bowls and chopsticks.
Nora had paused, just a small portion of food left in her bowl.
She lowered her head, her voice as thin as a mosquito's hum, thick with a stuffy nose, like she was talking to herself, or like a question she'd been holding back for so long finally slipping out: "Why are you so good to me?"
"Hmm?" Ethan was setting down his bowl when he caught the faint sound of her voice. He looked up and asked, "Nora? Did you say something?"
"No... no..." Nora buried her head even deeper, almost burying it in the bowl. She shook her head frantically, her voice muffled, not daring to ask again.
She just bit into the food in her bowl harder, small but firm bites, like she was trying to swallow down all those surging emotions along with it.
Ethan saw her expression and didn't push it.
He gently set down his bowl and chopsticks and stood up. "I'm done eating. For the rest of the soup, drink as much as you want. Don't force yourself, if you can't finish it, just leave it."
He knew if he stayed at the table, Nora would just feel uncomfortable and rush through her food, breaking her slow, careful pace.
With that, he got up and went to the living room.
Even though Ethan was on his phone in the living room, his eyes kept drifting back to the small, thin figure in the dining room, quietly eating with her head down.
Gradually, Ethan noticed something he hadn't expected.
Nora ate slowly, chewing carefully and steadily.
But her "capacity" was something else. She didn't seem to be forcing herself at all, she just steadily worked through the ribs, the fish, and the big bowl of soup and rice, finishing every bit of it.
Watching her, Ethan realized this slim girl actually had a huge appetite... no, it was more than that, it was kind of stunning.
Ethan considered himself to have a pretty big appetite, and she could out-eat him... and the thing is, she's a girl. Girls usually don't eat as much as guys.
He'd figured he'd left so much soup for Nora that even if she didn't want to waste it, there'd still be plenty left over. But Ethan hadn't expected that in the end, every dish and every drop of soup would be gone... It wasn't that she forced herself to finish it. She could genuinely eat that much...
Ethan looked at the empty plates and the soup pot, then at Nora's still-flat stomach. It wasn't surprise he felt, but something deeper, like a needle pricking gently at his chest.
This was no accident, no simple "big appetite."
It was more like a body that had gone without feeling full for so long, it had learned to cherish every bite and developed a huge capacity to hold it all.
Like dry, cracked earth finally getting rain, soaking up every last drop.
It wasn't that she didn't want to eat good food, or that she wanted to eat more than this.
But those few-dollar vegetarian dishes from the dining hall were the only thing she could afford, day after day.
Ribs, fish, black-bone chicken soup, those were distant luxuries for her.
It wasn't that she had no appetite. She just never had a choice.
....
Nora finished the last sip of soup, so full and satisfied that she let out a soft burp without realizing it.
The second it happened, she realized how bad that looked!
She blushed deep red, quickly covering her mouth and sneaking a glance at Ethan. Seeing he wasn't looking at her, she finally let out a breath of relief. If he'd seen that, it would've been way too embarrassing!
She quickly got up and started clearing the dishes.
She washed the pots and dishes quickly and smoothly, clearly something she was used to doing at home.
She finished tidying up fast, even wiping the table spotless.
...
Then she went to clean up the bathroom and other rooms.
She picked up the brush and mop Ethan had just bought and asked, "Ethan, it's okay to use these, right?"
"Of course, go ahead." Ethan put down his phone and walked over, casually opening another shopping bag. "Put these toiletries in the bathroom. I bought you a set, so from now on, come shower here."
He said it calmly, like it was nothing. "You don't have to pay for water here, so you can save the cost of showering in the dorm."
He pointed to the third bag. "These are new sheets and a duvet cover. The washing machine's clean, wash these and hang them out to dry. That little room over there's set up for you."
Then he pointed at a room on the first floor. "Think of it as a staff room, since you're cooking and cleaning for me. I've got stuff to do, so I'm heading out. If you leave, remember to lock up."
Before Nora could even process this string of arrangements, Ethan had already grabbed his car keys and disappeared out the door.
Nora stood frozen, staring at the empty doorway for a long while.
In the end, she quietly gathered up the soft new bedding and put it in the washing machine.
After setting it running, she took a deep breath, picked up her cleaning tools, and started carefully cleaning the whole courtyard and the two-story house.
She wiped down every corner, every crack, spotless, like she was trying to repay Ethan's overwhelming kindness, which she had no idea how to handle.
This was the only thing she could do, and she was determined to do it well.
By the time she finished, she was covered in a thin layer of sweat.
Standing at the bright, clean shower, looking at the brand-new bottles of shampoo and body wash with their faint floral scent, she hesitated for a long time.
In the end, she just rinsed off with hot water, not daring to touch those bottles that felt too "luxurious" for her.
By the time she was done washing up, night had fallen.
Nora carefully checked the doors and windows, turning off all the lights and the AC.
The courtyard fell into silent darkness at once, with only the oak leaves rustling in the night wind.
She was used to being alone, but she still instinctively feared total darkness.
After locking the gate, she practically fled from Oak Ridge, a place that made her feel both warm and a little uneasy.
...
Meanwhile,
Ethan drove Alex's Audi to the brightly lit Redwood Building.
At nine in the evening, the entire building was still as bright as day, with the sound of keyboard typing and quiet discussions filling the air.
Alex's team was deep in the final sprint before launch.
There are 130 advance chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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