Chapter 146: The Strange Girl

The man lifted his head. Saryon was exceptionally handsome, his semi-long hair tousled from work, with bits of straw clinging to it. His muscular frame, visible even beneath his simple shirt, made him look anything but ill. Irene raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is my brother sick?" Saryon didn’t react to her words at all. Mag forced a smile, one that barely concealed her sadness and discomfort. "Oh, your brother’s illness... it’s not something you can see on the outside. We only found out because, well, when he was about to get married, they wanted to try... and that’s when they discovered it." Klan slapped Saryon on the back in anger, shouting, "This idiot! How could he not tell us? Doesn’t he know if he’s sick or not?" Irene’s expression became complex. She glanced at Saryon again, noticing his impassive face. He simply looked at Mag and Klan before saying, "Hello, sister." Irene returned the greeting with a brief hug. His body was warm, and during their brief embrace, Irene could feel the heat radiating from him and the scorching breath on her head. But judging by his expression, he definitely wasn’t running a fever. Irene subtly smiled behind the others’ backs. This situation was becoming interesting. A farm-raised fighting expert? Or a fighting expert who couldn’t function as a man? Mag quickly changed the topic, smiling as she said, "You know, your brother is the best cook in the family. He’s been busy all day since he heard you were coming back!" Irene and Emma were seated inside the house. The table was laden with food, which indeed looked quite good. Irene took a bite and was surprised at how delicious it was. Mag and Klan also sat down, pulling out a bottle of wine to drink as they ate. Taking advantage of the couple’s brief absence, Emma whispered, “Sister Irene, Mag is really good at pretending.” Irene quickly covered her mouth. Saryon was still sitting at the table, after all. Silly child. Luckily, Saryon hadn’t lifted his head once; he continued eating silently. Irene understood what Emma meant. With Saryon’s culinary skills, he must have cooked often at home. Yet Mag had acted as if she was eating the best food in the world at that awful restaurant, which was incredibly hypocritical. But that was to be expected. After all, Mag and Klan had been all smiles with Irene and Madame Kashi before. Even someone as worldly as Madame Kashi hadn’t seen through their true nature. Irene gracefully chewed her food. So what was this brother really like? A good person? A bad one? Or someone who, upon discovering his parents' crimes, was struggling with a guilty conscience? Wait, this flavor—where had she tasted it before? Irene cut a piece of pineapple from the dish with her knife and fork and put it in her mouth. The subtle scent of spices and the slightly tart flavor perfectly highlighted the sweetness of the pineapple—a flawless combination. But in Q Country, this dish was unheard of. Just then, Mag and Klan returned, bringing with them a young girl. She was blushing, wearing an apron stained from farm work, with curly hair and a shy expression—especially when she looked at Saryon. "Who is this?" Irene asked. Mag guided the girl to a chair and smiled as she said, "This is Margo. We don’t really know who she is—she just showed up on our farm one day." "When we asked her name, she couldn’t say it, just kept smiling at us. Poor thing," Mag said, wiping her eyes before smiling brightly again. "We’ve decided to take her in until she remembers where her family is." Irene slowly smiled. "You’re truly kind." Mag shook her head. "Oh, we’re not saints. The girl isn’t just here for free—she works hard!" Klan added, "Yep, she’s strong as an ox!" Margo accepted the milk and soup Mag handed her, her eyes blank and her demeanor timid. When Mag reached out to her, she even shrank back a little. Mag was about to speak but noticed Irene was distracted with her phone, seemingly oblivious to the conversation. Mag sighed with relief. Irene continued tapping on her phone, more interested in it than in the couple’s words. Mag noticed and said, "What’s so interesting on that phone of yours?" Irene smiled and said, "Oh, nothing, just chatting." Klan asked with a stern face, "Chatting with a boyfriend?" He didn’t look pleased. Immediately, the atmosphere at the table grew awkward. Mag quickly intervened, "Don’t mind him, dear. He’s just excited to have you back home. When he heard there might be a boy in your life, he got a bit jealous." Klan chuckled, scratching his head. "Yes, don’t be upset, daughter. I just want to connect with you more, and hearing about some boy got me a bit riled up." Irene chuckled lightly. "I know you care about me, Dad." Irene’s gaze drifted past the smiling Mag and Klan to Saryon. Saryon was still eating, seemingly unaffected by the entire conversation. Mag warmly poured Irene some milk and asked, "When did you and your boyfriend meet? Does he have any free time? Why don’t you invite him over sometime?" Emma glanced at Mag. Mag grinned, "Right, Emma?" Irene smiled. "No need, I haven’t spoken to him yet. We had an argument yesterday, and I’m not in the mood to talk to him right now." Mag looked concerned and frowned. "Oh dear, what happened? There’s no need to fight!" Irene shook her head. "It’s nothing serious, Mom." After finishing his meal, Saryon stood up, and Margo immediately followed, clutching the hem of her skirt and looking up at him with wide eyes. Saryon ignored her, put on his cowboy hat, and left. Margo followed him, not even bothering to finish her meal. Irene asked curiously, "Where are they going?" Mag smiled. "Your brother still has half the farm to weed, and Margo’s going to help him." Irene put down her knife and fork. "Let’s go take a look, too." Seeing that everyone had finished eating, Mag began clearing the dishes. "You go ahead and watch. It’s hard work, so let your brother handle it." She had a few things she wanted to discuss with Klan alone. As soon as Irene and Emma left, Klan said, "Our son is really lucky. That little girl is quite pretty—she’ll definitely give us beautiful grandkids in the future." Mag frowned. "But there have been too many strangers in the village lately. They don’t look easy to deal with. If he marries that girl, there’ll be too many problems in the future."