“You can see everything! Just pick the fruits and vegetables you like, and remember to pay!” Victoria said, pointing toward the vegetable garden and the orchard.
Victoria then called out to her friend.
Soon, a fair-skinned, gentle-looking man stepped out of the house. He smiled when he saw Victoria.
“Well, well, the sun must be rising in the west!”
“So you can actually tell your east from your west!” she shot back calmly.
Evelyn watched them with amusement. They were clearly teasing each other.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to this beauty?” Caleb asked.
“My sister, Evelyn,” Victoria said simply.
“So this is the legendary sister Evelyn! Hello, I’m Caleb Brooks, your sister’s elementary school classmate!” Caleb introduced himself.
“Hello, Caleb,” Evelyn said with a smile.
I’ve never heard my sister mention having a classmate like this!
“Don’t listen to his nonsense. We were only in the same school for one semester.”
“Because I transferred to your sister’s school in the second semester of sixth grade!” Caleb added.
“One day in the same class still makes you a classmate,” Evelyn said to Caleb.
“Exactly! Sister Evelyn is much more reasonable. Would you like to rest first, or should I show you around?” Caleb asked, seeking their opinion.
“Evelyn, are you tired?” Victoria turned to her sister.
“Not really. Let’s go look around first,” Evelyn replied.
“Let’s go explore first,” Victoria said, turning to Caleb. “My sister is pregnant. Later, walk slowly and explain things more carefully. If there’s any food suitable for pregnant women, feel free to recommend it.”
Evelyn felt embarrassed and quickly tugged at her sister’s sleeve, signaling her to stop.
Victoria turned to look at Evelyn and shrugged.
“You call him Caleb. You need to be polite. Actually, he’s two years younger than me, and I’ve never heard him call me ‘big sister’!”
Evelyn felt even more awkward. Caleb, however, seemed used to Victoria’s teasing. He didn’t mind. Instead, he politely said to Evelyn, “The path was just built. It’s easy to walk. It’s good for pregnant women to take a stroll here.”
“Thank you for the trouble, Caleb.” Evelyn nodded.
“You’re welcome!” Caleb said with a smile. “It’s an honor to have you visit. Please feel free to give any feedback!”
Then he turned and said something to Victoria.
“Forget it!”
Victoria rolled her eyes and ignored him.
The path wasn’t paved with cement, but it was very flat. Just as Caleb had said, it was easy to walk.
There were so many fruits and vegetables in season. Evelyn felt like she couldn’t see enough.
Before, when she and Alexander went to Misty Isle, she had already seen many vegetables in the gardens there. But here, there were clearly more varieties. And with dedicated caretakers, they grew even better.
“The vegetables and fruits here are cultivated naturally and organically, without chemical fertilizers or pesticides,” Caleb explained.
“Really? You don’t spray pesticides at night and then tell us during the day that it’s all natural and pollution-free?” Victoria retorted instinctively.
“If you’re interested, you can come stay here for a few days. Then you’ll know,” Caleb said with a smile.
“I don’t want to come here to feed the mice and mosquitoes!” Victoria rolled her eyes.
Evelyn watched them with a smile. She suddenly felt they were a good match!
Caleb had a good temper and patience. Although he could be a little cheeky sometimes, it seemed like he was deliberately arguing with her sister. And in front of Caleb, her sister seemed careless and sharp-tongued, but in reality, she was the most relaxed and carefree. She only acted this way in front of the people she trusted most. All the way, Caleb introduced the various fruits and vegetables in the fields and orchards in detail and with humor. He even shared some beauty recipes.
“Caleb, how do you know so much?” Evelyn exclaimed.
“Don’t be fooled by him. He just uses these tricks to pick up girls!” Victoria replied directly.
Evelyn wanted to laugh and say, Then why hasn’t he picked you up? But she was afraid of her sister’s glare, so she just found it funny and kept quiet.
“This is my side business. My main profession is a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner,” Caleb explained.
“A TCM practitioner?” Evelyn was very surprised.
Maybe it was because of the TCM doctor she had met from the Starlight Holdings group that time. She had always respected traditional Chinese medicine since then.
“Doesn’t look like it?” Caleb said with a smile.
“No, no, it’s just unexpected. Since you’re so knowledgeable about TCM, can you just look at a patient and know what’s wrong with them?” Evelyn asked curiously.
“It’s not that magical. But it is a diagnostic method in TCM. ‘Looking’ means observing a patient’s reactions and symptoms to judge potential problems in their body. For example, people with poor liver function usually have a sallow complexion.”
“Caleb, you don’t need to teach my sister all this. Her family has a private doctor. Don’t worry about her!” Victoria patted Caleb on the shoulder and said.
“Understanding some basic knowledge is good for daily health maintenance. It has benefits and no drawbacks,” Caleb replied with a smile.
“Yes, I think it’s very good too!” Evelyn agreed with a smile.
Victoria was clearly not interested in this topic and walked ahead.
“Is your sister in a bad mood?” Caleb asked Evelyn in a low voice.
“Yes, my sister just went through a breakup,” Evelyn replied quietly.
“Oh,” Caleb answered softly.
“Caleb, do you like my sister?” Evelyn asked with a smile.
“How could that be? She’s like a shrew!” Caleb retorted almost reflexively. His expression seemed startled by Evelyn’s question.
Evelyn looked at Caleb’s overly shocked expression and wanted to laugh.
Sometimes, denying something too quickly was a sign of guilt.
But it was better not to meddle with her sister’s affairs.
Caleb took them around and then returned to his living quarters. It was a small brick-and-tile apartment.
It had one bedroom, one living room, and a matching bathroom and kitchen.
Caleb washed some fruit he had picked from the orchard, put it in a basket, and placed it on the coffee table. He told them to help themselves and then went to cook the fish.
“Can I help you?” Victoria asked.
Even though she said that, she didn’t make any move to get up and help.
“No, I cook very fast!” Caleb replied. Then he turned to entertain Evelyn. “Evelyn, eat more fruit. It’s good for both you and the baby!”
“Okay, thank you, Caleb!” Evelyn said with a smile.
Caleb went to the kitchen to cook the fish. Victoria got up and looked around Caleb’s living room. Then she walked toward the cabinet.
She saw a photo album and turned her head to yell toward the kitchen.
“Caleb, can I look at this photo album?”