Joey couldn't stand seeing Catherine cry. Although he didn't want to be a sycophant, he didn't want to be the villain either.

"Go wash your face, don't ruin my mood for cooking!"

He yelled at Catherine again, then slowly walked back into the house.

The bearded man chuckled to himself. As an observer these past few days, he had seen plenty of such a spectacle, and he thoroughly enjoyed it.

Catherine went to wash her face, the bearded man went to gather some firewood, and Joey started the fire in the stove again.

When Joey brought out the last dish, Catherine was already seated at the table.

The bearded man appeared from behind him and skillfully set out the bowls and chopsticks.

Catherine grabbed her bowl and chopsticks and started eating immediately.

Joey sighed helplessly, watching Catherine eat with gusto, while also making plans in his mind.

"It seems we need to send Lady Catherine back as soon as possible. Firstly, to cut our losses, and secondly, to get back all the gold coins she owes us!"

"Big Beard, after you finish eating, go to town and see if those guys are still looking for us!"

"Staying here isn't a solution either. It seems there's not much gold left in the Jinsha River, and it's not meant for us!"

"This land route is too dangerous. We need to get our sailboat back and leave this place by sea!"

Joey stuffed a large piece of beef into his mouth and said to the bearded man while chewing.

"good!"

The bearded man's mouth was stuffed with food, so he couldn't talk to Joey.

"No, I haven't found Daines yet, I'm not leaving!"

Catherine, who was enjoying her meal, suddenly put down her chopsticks and looked at Joey with a very serious expression.

"My dearest Catherine!"

Joey put down his chopsticks and switched back to addressing Catherine with respect.

"Grand Scholar Daines is missing and not easy to find. It was a coincidence that we met you!"

"Although it's unclear why the mayor kidnapped you, he certainly won't let the opportunity to catch you again pass by!"

“This Gold Rush Town is not your Ash Furnace City, and you don’t have Puff with soldiers to protect you now. Ensuring your safety is already extremely difficult!”

Joey's expression was equally serious. He had to explain the pros and cons to Catherine, otherwise the young lady would do something foolish again.

"But Daines..."

"Don't worry, once you're safe, you can use your identity to find Daines. I actually quite like that old man too. If the situation didn't prevent it, I'd like to go see him!"

Joey didn't want to dwell on this topic with Catherine; he was now demanding that she follow his arrangements.

"Joey...I...I'm full, I'm leaving!"

Even while Joey and Catherine were talking, the bearded man didn't stop eating with his chopsticks.

As a bystander, he is quite competent.

Joey glanced at the few dishes left on the table and quickly picked up her chopsticks to cook rice.