"Joey, are you really okay leaving Catherine alone at home?"
The bearded man, shirtless, scooped up another spoonful of mud and sand from the river and poured it into the large plate in Joey's hand.
Joey had his sleeves rolled up high as he diligently shook the mud and sand from the disc, occasionally adding some clear river water to wash away the mud mixed in with the mud.
"We can't let her keep eating for free. We spent 50 gold coins to buy her. Not only can we not touch her, but we also treat her like a goddess every day. I've had enough!"
Upon hearing the bearded man mention Catherine, Joey's temper flared up instantly.
When he first arrived at Jinsha River and mingled with the gold prospectors, he felt sorry for her and took care of her in every way. But she only ate and drank and did nothing, and she would give Joey a hard time from time to time, which he couldn't stand.
It has been more than half a month since they arrived. The town mayor did send people to search for them, but there were too many of them, and they did not obey the town's management. They were turned away and never came back.
To be on the safe side, Joey decided to continue pretending for a few more days to gauge the town's reaction before deciding on his next move.
A few days ago, I asked Catherine why she was kidnapped by the mayor. She was completely clueless. All she knew was that the mayor was unreliable and a bad person. She couldn't say anything else. She was such a naive girl, which left Joey speechless.
Grand Secretary Daines is also currently missing, and there are some things we'll probably have to ask him to find out.
"Buddha?"
The bearded man's brain started overheating from the new words Joey was spouting.
"Joey, you misunderstood me. It's not that I don't approve of her doing chores, I just don't think she's the type to do chores. What if she ends up losing our house!"
After saying that, the bearded man scooped up a spoonful of river water and poured it into his mouth. He was extremely thirsty in the hot weather. After taking a big gulp of water, he scooped up another spoonful and poured it over his head. A lot of water dripped down the two twisted whiskers at the corners of his mouth.
"My God, Beard, I suddenly realize that what you said makes so much sense!"
"I was so angry that I left her alone at home. I was so stupid!"
Even the wisest person can make a mistake, and even the most foolish person can have a stroke of genius.
It seems they're talking about Joey and the bearded man.
Joey poured everything out of the plate and ran towards the riverbank, splashing through the water. Seeing Joey's anxious look, the bearded man followed behind with a large ladle.
I walked home for less than a few minutes.
Joey could already see thick smoke rising into the sky ahead.
His heart skipped a beat, and he dropped the iron plate in his hand and ran off.
When he reached the wooden house where he was temporarily staying, thick smoke was still billowing out, but fortunately the house was still standing and had not been burned down.
Catherine stood helplessly by the cabin, her face smeared with smoke. Seeing Joey return, she stood there looking at him pitifully.
"You spendthrift woman!"
Joey angrily scolded Catherine, then grabbed a piece of clothing, covered his mouth and nose, and rushed into the cabin.
Catherine became worried when she saw Joey rush inside. She craned her neck to look into the house, but there was so much smoke that she couldn't see Joey.
"Make way! Make way! Make way!"
A short while later, Joey's voice came from inside the house.
He rushed out of the cabin carrying a large bundle of still-smoking firewood, and Catherine quickly made way for him.
Joey squinted and threw the firewood in his hand forward with force, but his tears just wouldn't stop flowing.
The bearded man who arrived later quickly scooped a large spoonful of water from a water vat outside the house and poured it onto the smoking firewood.
"Sizzle—"
A plume of white steam rose, and the thick smoke abruptly stopped.
He squatted down to examine the firewood, and the more he looked, the more something seemed off. He picked up a piece of firewood and brought it closer to look; the bark on it was still very fresh, clearly just cut from the tree.
"Foolish woman!"
Joey wiped away his tears, strode up to Catherine, and unleashed a torrent of abuse on her.
"Are you going to set the house on fire just because I ask you to cook a meal?"
"Does the stove need so much firewood? And it's all raw wood, how can it even start a fire?"
It turned out that Catherine had been asked by Joey to cook for them today. She wanted to prove herself, so she went to the nearby firewood and chopped some new firewood. However, due to her lack of experience, she threw all the raw firewood into the stove.
However, she was a little unconvinced by what Joey said.
"Isn't it a good thing that no fire was started? Otherwise, the house would have burned down."
She pursed her lips and muttered something under her breath.
"Don't think I can't hear you! You're talking back now, so you're not eating lunch today!"
Joey was known for his exceptional hearing; he heard everything she said clearly.
Joey is no longer indulging her. This city lord's daughter not only caused him to lose money and forced him and Big Beard to develop in a cramped state, but now she is seriously hindering his progress. It's already a great favor that he hasn't kicked her out.
When Catherine heard that there would be no lunch, tears welled up in her eyes again.
After spending these days together, she realized that her identity was no longer of any use; only her tears were still worth something, enough to make Joey change his mind.
"Cry, cry, all you do is cry! I can't stand seeing women cry!"
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