At this moment, Jiang Hai had no idea that on the other side of the world, Ai Xiaoxi was worried.
Even if he did know, he probably wouldn't say anything about it. After all, Ai Xiaoxi and he weren't in a committed relationship yet, and things between them were still somewhat tangled. Right now, the most important thing for him was to quickly harvest the grapes in the manor.
Following their experience from yesterday, Jiang Hai and his team picked up the pace today, and the results were still impressive.
The process had been explained yesterday, so Jiang Hai and his team just needed to follow the same steps today.
By the morning, they had harvested almost an eighth of the grapes. At this rate, it looked like they might finish the entire harvest before five days. After lunch, it was time for Darlene and her team to start stepping on the grapes.
However, compared to the excitement of yesterday, they were much calmer today. Stepping on grapes wasn't particularly fun—besides the slippery nature of the fruit, the seeds were also uncomfortable.
The grapes had to be stepped on barefoot, which made sense. After all, who would step on grapes wearing shoes? Yesterday was all about fun; today was work. There was a big difference, but fortunately, the four girls didn't complain much. Even Bernice, who Jiang Hai thought was most likely to protest, completed her task.
Once the grapes had been stomped, Dulles-Gerald and O'Connor-Murphy carried them away, sprinkled them with baking powder, and covered them up to ferment. They were experts in this area.
As the day wore on, the afternoon got busier. Thankfully, everyone had learned from yesterday, and now everyone knew the routine for harvesting grapes. By evening, Robbins-Garcia and Edward-Anderson had finished early with their crew and called the women working in the town to help pick grapes. Of course, only the four women were still handling the stepping part.
Gerald-Dulles had specified that only girls who had never worked before were allowed to do the stepping—this was meant to ensure their purity.
So, those other women were not permitted to participate, and Dina and the others had a bit of an awkward position. They used to work in the service industry, and while everyone in the manor knew this, the fact that their bodies had been "repaired" by Jiang Hai was something no one could know. As a result, they were only allowed to pick grapes.
Once everything was completed, it wasn't as late as the night before, but it was still past ten o'clock when they wrapped up the day. However, it was only just after eight in the evening. Winthrop, being in the easternmost part of the U.S., had a schedule somewhat like China's three northeastern provinces. It got light very early in the morning and dark late in the evening. Even though the U.S. has time zones, the Eastern Time Zone was centered on Washington, so it was already pretty dark by eight.
Fortunately, with the experience of the previous day, today felt much easier. Jiang Hai had prepared materials for everyone to enjoy a good meal before heading home. They had worked hard all day, so they naturally sweated a lot. Everyone ran to the hot spring to bathe, making it a regular part of their routine.
Lying in the hot spring, Jiang Hai didn't have any particular needs today. Although he would often rely on his left and right hands every morning and night before going to bed, having just spent time with Aphra last night, his thoughts weren't overwhelmingly strong. He just lay there casually, watching TV.
But then, a soft sound of footsteps reached his ears. He recognized the steps instantly—it was a woman's. Given what happened with Aphra yesterday, Jiang Hai couldn't help but smile. It seemed she was more eager than he had thought. She had finished her bath and was already back...
Before Jiang Hai could speak, a towel with a faint body fragrance covered his face.
"Shh." The voice told him to be silent, and Jiang Hai cooperated by staying quiet. Then, he heard the sound of water splashing, signaling that another person had entered the hot spring. At first, there had been only upright figures in the water, but now, one stood taller. Jiang Hai knew the person had taken the initiative to lie down next to him.
However, when they began to engage, Jiang Hai froze because the feeling was different.
He quickly removed the towel from his face, only to find himself startled by the situation before him.
The movements and appearance matched what he had imagined, but the person wasn't Aphra—it was Dinah Taylor.
"Why... why are you here?" Jiang Hai immediately shouted, but realizing how loud he was, he lowered his voice and looked at Dinah Taylor in confusion.
"Why not me?" Dinah Taylor raised her head, narrowing her eyes slightly as she spoke casually, then continued, "Don't worry, everything I have is yours. Don't feel burdened."
Jiang Hai, slightly taken aback, chuckled nervously. "I didn't expect this to develop with you..."
"But we do want to develop this relationship with you," Dinah responded, her eyes serious.
Jiang Hai paused, thinking carefully, then replied, "But this is unfair to you. I never thought of it like this when I saved you." He pushed gently against Dinah's head, asking her to temporarily leave him alone, before he spoke seriously. "You have to understand... I never intended for things to go this way."
"I understand," Dinah said with a hint of stubbornness in her voice, "but now is not the time to think about those things. I know about you and Aphra. If Aphra can do it, then I can too."
"But you should consider this carefully," Jiang Hai warned. "If we go down this road, you'll have no way out. I can't offer you any identity. You might end up living alone here in the manor."
Dinah smiled, unbothered. "We have no way out anyway. Since the day we entered your manor, we've belonged to you—our hearts, our bodies, and even our souls. We have no other choice. If we can stay by your side for the rest of our lives, that's enough for us."
Looking at Dinah's serious expression, Jiang Hai didn't know how to respond.
"Don't hesitate. Be a man!" Dinah pressed her body against his side, her face close to his, her lips brushing his ear as she whispered. After speaking, she even playfully tugged at his earlobe.
Jiang Hai shivered at the sensation, and his eyes darkened. His dragon nature stirred—once the arrow was on the string, there was no turning back.
He used both hands to lift Dinah out of the hot spring, and although his mind was still clear, he knew it wasn't fair to continue in the pool. He carried her to the locker room.
Looking at Dinah, now flushed with pink from the warmth, Jiang Hai pounced on her.
Dinah, who had gritted her teeth in anticipation of the pain, found it wasn't as bad as she expected. The beginning was tough, but as Jiang Hai's actions escalated, the intensity of their connection made her addicted. She realized that if she had known this feeling earlier, she might have approached Jiang Hai much sooner. Perhaps in the future, she would be more proactive in maintaining this special bond.
Meanwhile, across the world, in a special ward at Samsung Seoul Hospital in South Korea, a middle-aged man with a grim expression entered the room. He saw a young man lying on the bed, holding a nurse's hand while they talked.
The nurse, smiling foolishly, had been guiding his hand, brushing against her exposed thighs or her plump upper body. Upon hearing the door open, both of them froze, embarrassment and fear flashing across their faces. The nurse quickly pulled away from the young man and stood to the side, while the young man propped himself up and smiled at the visitor.
"Dad," he greeted.
"It seems you're fine," the middle-aged man said coldly.
"How can I be fine, Dad? I was beaten up! You have to avenge me!" The young man's loud, miserable shout echoed through the room as he stared at his father, clearly upset by the indifference in his father's demeanor.