“Do you want to try some?” Arissa picked up a piece of fish with her fork and held it up to Benjamin's mouth.
As Benjamin looked at the fiery red chili peppers, he could already feel a burning sensation in his stomach.
Seeing his unwilling expression, Arissa chuckled, twirled her fork around, and popped the food into her own mouth.
“It's better if you don't eat it anyway. Your stomach was upset just a few days ago.” She looked at Benjamin with her clear, round eyes. She was just teasing him, not daring to make him actually eat it.
Shaun chuckled, teasing Benjamin, “Benjamin, look how much your wife cherishes you. She can't even bear to give you a hard time.”
With a lazy glance from Benjamin, Shaun no longer dared to tease him.
“If you can't handle spicy food, then don't eat it. Don't upset your stomach!” Darius cautioned Benjamin, knowing his digestive system was weak.
“Don't eat too much of this. It could cause canker sores!” Benjamin looked deeply into Darius' eyes in a serious manner.
The old man grunted. “Just a few bites is fine. I won't get canker sores that easily!”
It was unclear whether Darius did get canker sores or not after that, but Arissa certainly did that afternoon. When she woke up from her nap, there was a painful bump on the tip of her tongue.
A soft hiss escaped Arissa's lips.
She gasped for air. A sharp pain surged as the tip of her tongue touched her teeth.
“What's wrong?” Benjamin entered the room and immediately noticed her pained expression, quickly moving toward her.
Arissa gave a bitter smile. Her words were slightly slurred when she uttered, “Ugh... Pain...”
“Hmm?” Benjamin reached out to gently touch her forehead.
Arissa pulled down his hand, opened her mouth, pointed to her tongue, and said, “It hurts here!”
Benjamin pinched her cheek, took a look, and noticed a distinct red spot on her tongue. He immediately understood what was going on.
“You got a canker sore?” He looked at her, his sharp eyes filled with amusement.
Arissa took another breath, somewhat reluctant to admit it. “Yes!”
“I told you not to eat so many chili peppers, but you didn't listen. Are you enjoying the pain now?” Benjamin deliberately teased her.
Arissa gave him an annoyed glance. “I'm in so much pain, and you're still making fun of me!”
With a light chuckle, Benjamin headed toward the door, saying, “Wait a moment, I'll go get you some honey!”
Arissa sighed. Eating spicy food felt great, but canker sores were terrible.
Benjamin quickly came up, not only with honey but also with a cup of lemon juice. “Drink this first, then I'll help you apply the honey.”
Arissa took the lemon juice; its sour and sweet taste perked her up considerably.
“The honey would only be eaten by me!”
She used to do this for the kids often, but when it came to herself, it didn't seem quite right.
“Open wide!” Benjamin held a cotton swab dipped in honey to her face, signaling her to stick out her tongue.
Arissa did as instructed, and Benjamin carefully applied the honey to her inflamed area. “Bear with it a little. If you eat it, I'll just apply it a few more times!”
Arissa agreed, but by the time he finished applying it and she closed her mouth, she felt that the honey on her tongue had almost completely dispersed because of the saliva she had secreted.
She watched the man as he put the lid back on the honey jar, and with a smile, she said, “I ate it!”
Benjamin glanced back at her, then reopened the jar and applied a bit more for her.
“I...”
“Stop talking!” Benjamin pinched her face. “It'll only disperse faster if you speak.”
Arissa chuckled a few times. Leaning against the head of the bed, she did not dare to move her tongue too much.
“This is just a temporary fix, not a permanent solution. You should really drink more honey lemon tea to cool down your system!”
Benjamin placed the honey on the bedside table, called Edwin, and instructed him to bring some honey lemon tea to Arissa every now and then.
Arissa chuckled to herself, realizing that her troubles had also inadvertently caused him to worry.
“All right, you can go do your work now. Oh, could you bring me my novel? I'd like to read it!”
Benjamin glanced at her. “Are you going to keep reading it?”
One moment, she would be crying; the next, she would be laughing. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was neurotic.
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