Chapter 274


    The smell was so pungent it was unbearable, the sight was even more nauseating. Bran had to


    cover his nose and keep a distance.


    Seeing his repulsed expression, Julia felt like dying. Worse, she couldn''t even struggle as Ste had


    her pinned down.


    Wearing a filtered mask, Bran cautiously approached. He had just gotten a new pair of slippers and


    didn''t want to dirty them. As the president of the Homeowners Association, it was his duty to


    mediate the conflicts between the homeowners. "Are we going to settle this privately, or should I call


    the police?"


    Once the police were involved, things would get out of hand. Tracy didn''t want that. "Bran, there''s


    been a misunderstanding."


    Bran turned to Ste, "And you?"


    Ste was confident that the Riley family didn''t want to involve the police. She coldly replied, "We


    can settle this privately, but she has to clean my front door. With her tongue."


    "Come on, it''s wrong for her to vandalize your door, but look at how badly you''ve beaten her. Show


    some mercy."


    "If I spare her, who will spare me in the future?"


    Bran confidently reassured her, "I will. I''m the president of the Homeowners Association now. If


    anyone dares to bully you,e to me."


    Ste refused, "I don''t trust you."


    "Ste," Bran sighed, e on."


    Bran''s sincerity almost made Ste burst intoughter. It was rare to see the spoiled brat acting


    humble. Well, you live and you learn.


    Since Bran had given her the chance, Ste decided to let it go. "Fine, I''ll let it go this time. But if


    anyone dares to mess with me again, they won''t get off as easily."


    So, the security dispersed the crowd and Bran had Tracy arrange for someone to clean the front


    door of building 50. After that, Bran fled the scene, afraid of being contaminated by Julia’s filth.


    Julia watched him leave, crying her heart out. At that moment, she knew that she and Bran would


    never be together. It was all Ste''s fault. Julia would get her revenge.


    Tracy looked at Ste with aplex expression, then quickly led her daughter home.


    On the way, Julia was crying and vomiting. "Mom, what do we do now? I don''t even want to live


    anymore."


    Tracy remained silent, lost in her own thoughts.


    "Mom, are you listening to me? Do you despise me too?"


    "Julia, stay in the house for a while. Don''t go anywhere. People have short memories. In a few


    months, everything will be forgotten."


    When Bran got home, he couldn''t hide his joy. "Dad, do you know what happened?"


    Shane shot his useless son a sidelong nce. "Did you mess with those people in building 50


    again?"


    "It was the Riley family. Juliamanded her people to vandalize building 50, but they got caught.


    She was beaten and forced to clean up the mess with her tongue."


    Bran was beyond pleased. "Dad, do you want a daughter-inw who eats shit? Don''t try to match


    me with Julia anymore. Just the thought of her makes me want to puke."


    Shane stared at him, speechless.


    ...


    Ste, Jasper, Rosie, and Cooper sat in the car, watching the Riley''s servants repeatedly clean the


    front door.


    Ste was picky, making them clean the door with detergent, dish soap, and air freshener, over and


    over again. Only when she was sure there was no foul smell did she let them go.


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    When they got home, they all took a thorough bath.


    When Jasper came out of the bathroom, he found Ste drinking in their room. There were two


    empty beer bottles on the table, and she was drinking vodka straight from the bottle.


    He quickly took the bottle away from her.


    Ste''s face was flushed, and her eyes were blurry. She stared at Jasper andughed. Jasper


    pulled her into a hug. "Ste, if you''re feeling down, you can talk to me."


    Talk? Ste didn''t know what to say or where to start. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around


    Jasper''s neck, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him passionately, starting to unbuckle his belt.


    "Wait, let me lock the door first."


    They pulled the curtains and slept until the next day. When Ste woke up, she was calm again.


    Rosie had brought the chickens, ducks, geese, and rabbits back home and was taking good care of


    them. "Dn, thank you for helping me take care of them. When they grow up andy eggs, I''ll


    invite you to eat."


    "Rosie, I''ve learned how to do somersaults these days. Come to my houseter, and I''ll show you."


    "Okay."


    "Dad gave me some snacks. I saved some for you."


    "Thank you, Dn." Rosie took out some dried sweet potatoes from her pocket. "These are sweet


    potatoes I grew. I made them into dried sweet potatoes. I want you to try them."


    Jasper made breakfast in the kitchen and then went upstairs to wake Ste. "Are you tired? Do you


    want to sleep a bit more?"


    She was tired, her body felt like it was falling apart, but she felt incredibly rxed. She sat up and


    leaned against his shoulder. "Thank you."


    Jasper ruffled her hair. "Don''t mention it. Don''t forget what you saidst night."


    "What did I sayst night?"


    "You have a family." Jasper reminded her, smiling. "You have a husband."


    Ste blushed, "We don''t have a certificate. It doesn''t count."


    "We''re already living together. How does that not count?"


    Ste found that Jasper was not only bing more shameless but also more eloquent.


    After getting up and having breakfast, Ste started to work. She sorted the medicinal nts she


    had collected, prepared nutrient solutions and growth promoters, and soaked the nts that had


    been damaged by the weather. Those in better condition were directly nted in The Garden and


    would be transnted once they had grown stronger.


    For the next few days, Ste didn''t leave the house. She took care of the nts in Arcadia and


    tutored Jasper and Rosie in the basics of medicine.


    Collin spent most of his time doing research in Swan Hill, but he woulde to Griffith every week


    to give free lectures to qualified students and provide medical consultations for survivors.


    He didn''t want the tradition of herbal medicine to be lost, so teaching the students was free. The


    only requirement was that they had to be qualified.


    He was too busy and could only selectively teach. As for those with poorer foundations, they were


    taught by the students. So far, Ste was the only student Collin had taken under his wing.


    As for his clinic, he did charge a fee. It wasn''t expensive, just a couple of cans of beans per patient.


    After all, he was only diagnosing and prescribing, not providing medication. Acupuncture, however,


    required a bit more - half a pound of dried goods.


    Not only was he treating patients, but other doctors from the research institute were also involved.


    The collected food was used to maintain the operation of the greenhouse.


    Collin had looked into Ste''s background. To have self-taught herbal medicine to such an extent in


    a post-apocalyptic world was genuinelymendable.


    Her foundational knowledge was already solid. What shecked most was experience. So, Collin


    took Ste on house calls, giving her a few simple cases to handle.


    And she did well, not only with prescriptions but also with massages and acupuncture, showing


    impressive proficiency. If they encountered moreplicated cases, Collin would call Ste over


    and exin the treatment process to her.


    Learning from a top expert who was willing to guide was indeed a great opportunity. Ste was all


    over the ce, learning all day.


    In the end, to thank Collin for his selflessness, she drove him and his team back to their Swan Hill


    research institute.