Chapter 39 The Ten-Treasure Nourishing Soup
Clara Bennett was in severe abdominal pain and had taken a day off from work.
But even at home, she couldn't rest peacefully. From the moment she woke up, she could smell a strange medicinal scent coming from the kitchen.
Clara forced herself out of bed and walked to the kitchen door. Inside, Mason Reed was bustling around.
On the table was the breakfast he had prepared for her: burnt eggs, charred toast, and a bowl of oatmeal that was almost devoid of oats.
It was quite a feat for a man who had never been in the kitchen before.
Clara gave a wry smile and leaned against the kitchen doorframe, softly saying to him, "You don't know how to cook. Let me do it."
Mason was startled and turned to look at her. "You're awake? Aren't you feeling unwell? Eat breakfast and go back to bed. I'll take care of this."
"What are you busy with?"
"Oh... I'm making you some soup." Mason fumbled around. "Go rest. I'll bring the soup to you when it's ready!"
Clara bit her lip, feeling a warmth in her heart, but then a thought suddenly popped into her mind: Was he this attentive to his "first love" too?
A sixteen-year-old boy, full of youthful vigor, must have been passionate...
As she thought about it, the smile on her lips froze, and the knot in her heart tightened again. Plus, standing for too long made her lower abdomen ache even more, adding to her frustration.
Just then, Mason turned to look at her.
Clara glared at him, turned around, and went back to her room, closing the door behind her.
Mason was puzzled. Were women during their periods all masters of changing moods? One second she was smiling at him, and the next, she was glaring and huffing. They were truly hard to please!
Jasper White sent a message asking him to meet at the Imperial Hotel to discuss business. He turned off the stove and was about to tell Clara when there was a knock at the door.
Outside stood Sunny Lin, who had heard that Clara was unwell and had come to check on her during a break from her business rounds.
"Are you... Mason Reed?" she asked, taken aback when the door opened.
This was her first time meeting Mason, and he was completely different from what she had imagined. She thought a man who had been in fights and jail would have a bit of a rough edge, maybe even look a bit down-and-out.
But Mason was tall and handsome, with a chiseled, stern face and deep, unreadable eyes. His powerful presence made Sunny take a step back.
"Yes, that's me," Mason said softly. "You must be Sunny Lin?"
"Nice to meet you." Sunny smiled lightly.
Mason stepped aside to let her in.
As soon as Sunny entered, she smelled the pungent medicinal scent and couldn't help but frown.
"Is she very sick?" Sunny asked him. "Why does she need medicine?"
"She's been having stomach pains. I looked up a recipe that said these ingredients in a soup would help relieve it."
"Oh." Sunny nodded thoughtfully.
Her mother was a traditional Chinese medicine doctor who specialized in gynecology, so she had grown up surrounded by herbs.
The moment she smelled the scent, she felt something was off.
She planned to check the pot later to see what was in it.
After all, it was something Clara would be consuming, and she needed to make sure it was safe.
"Sunny, you're here?" Clara came out of her room. "I'm sorry, it's just period pain, but it seems like a big deal, making you come all the way to see me..."
"It's not a small matter for a woman," Sunny said with a smile. "You look pale. Is it really bad?"
"Yeah." Clara frowned. "Sunny, could you do me a favor and get some painkillers from your mom? They worked wonders for me last time!"
"Do you still need painkillers?" Sunny pointed to the kitchen and burst into laughter. "Your husband made you a Ten-Treasure Nourishing Soup. It's much better than those painkillers!"
Clara looked at her, then at Mason, who was smiling at her.
He said goodbye and left, as usual, without saying who he was meeting or when he'd be back, only mentioning that she shouldn't wait up for him if it got too late.
Clara watched his retreating figure and sighed softly.
"That sigh doesn't sound right," Sunny said with a smile. "Our little Clara seems to have something on her mind?"
Clara bit her lip and told her about the "first love" issue.
Sunny listened from beginning to end and couldn't help but laugh heartily.
"Is that all? Clara, you're torturing yourself over an imaginary rival? That's hilarious!"
"I know I'm being paranoid without any real evidence. It's ridiculous to think this way." Clara sat on the couch, hugging her knees, her hands propping up her chin, her big eyes full of confusion. "But I can't help it."
"You're silly!" Sunny advised her. "You're just overthinking things! You can't misunderstand him based on a half-finished sentence. Maybe there's nothing to it at all!"
"Even if he did have a first love, it's ancient history now. He's married to you, so what are you afraid of?"
"Besides," Sunny pouted, "a man like him, with no background, no job, and a bit of a past, who would want to compete with you for him? Only you see him as a treasure!"
"What are you talking about!" Clara playfully glared at her and smiled softly.
Talking to Sunny made her feel much better, and even her stomach pain seemed to lessen. Just then, the clay pot on the stove started to make a bubbling sound, and the soup almost overflowed.
Sunny rushed over and lifted the lid.
After seeing the ingredients in the soup, her expression suddenly changed.