Robin chuckled before changing the topic. “How are you doing over there? Since you have to do everything on your own, does living alone tire you out?”
After some hesitation, Sophia told Robin that John had come after her. There was a long pause on Robin’s end. It wasn’t until Sophia called out to her that she snapped back to reality. However, her cheerful tone sounded forced when she replied, “Really? John is such a reliable man to have come after you despite the distance. Seeing how nicely he has been treating you, you shouldn’t miss out on a great man like him.”
While knowing that John was being real nice to her, Sophia figured that she shouldn’t forget whatever that came before just because of a change in his attitude. Truth be told, she wasn’t an open-minded person. She was, in fact, extremely petty, as she would still get riled up whenever she recalled how John treated her back then. Licking her lips, Sophia replied, “We’ll see. I don’t feel like focusing on that right now.”
After a few seconds, Robin told her, “Sophia, I will marry him in a heartbeat if I were you. It’s a one-in-a-thousandth chance that you’re able to find a rich and handsome man who loves you dearly! If you think carefully, John has great assets even when compared to loads of other people, so don’t get too stubborn.”
Upon hearing what Robin said, Sophia let out a chuckle. “Alright, I get what you mean. I will think about it.”
After hanging up the call, Sophia went on to check her messages. Robin had sent her a photo which seemed to be taken without the man noticing her. The man in the photo was checking his phone with his head hung low. From what Sophia could see, he seemed like a young man who seemed to be pretty good-looking. However, he looked quite plain, and his good looks didn’t stand out in any particular way.
While Sophia was staring at the photo intently, John returned, but she didn’t see him at all, as she was so focused on looking at the photo. She was contemplating on how to respond to Robin, as an exaggerated compliment would sound pretentious, while a lack of compliment would be a little too harsh.
Without warning, John approached her to take a peek at the photo when she was still hesitating on how to respond to Robin. He wore a frown while asking, “Who is this guy?”
Sophia was frightened by his unannounced presence. “Since when did you come in? Why did I not hear a sound?”
Snorting, John replied, “You were so engrossed in it that you didn’t notice I had been standing beside you for some time. What’s so attractive about this guy that warrants your undivided attention on him?”
Sophia tucked her phone away while saying, “He’s nobody important. You wouldn’t know him even if I told you.”
While staring at Sophia, John said, “I will know him if you would just introduce him to me.”
However, Sophia ignored him. Instead, she went to wash some veggies in preparation for some cooking, only to have John walk up to her. “You don’t need to cook. An elderly man dropped by just now to invite us for a meal in his house.”
Sophia was visibly startled. “Which elderly man?”
John didn’t know who the man actually was as well, so after some thought, he said, “You’ll know who he is when he comes.”
Therefore, Sophia turned to go to the yard. Soon enough, somebody came over after a while to invite John and her over for a meal. In fact, the meal wasn’t on the old man alone, but the whole village chipped in to prepare them a meal as a token of appreciation for John’s promise to help them pave their roads.
The roads had been a physical hindrance to the village’s development for generations. If they were paved, not only would the kids be able to go to school without a problem, but it would also make it more convenient for the adults who wanted to leave the village to sell their stuff.
In fact, the only meal that the villagers could afford to serve was some dishes with chicken and stir-fried pork, which was incomparable to the lavish meals that John was used to having. However, John didn’t look down on them. Instead, he smiled as soon as he saw the meal they served. “Did you raise the chicken and grow the veggies yourselves? It’s great that they’re 100 percent natural and pollution-free.”
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