"Dubai?" Hearing Jiang Hai's words, Bernice blinked in surprise. To be honest, she had never been there.
She had only heard of it but never visited. After all, she was too young back then.
As she grew older and went to school, she graduated from college and established a research institute to study Xiaoya's condition.
Xiaoya couldn't travel, so neither could she. Thus, Dubai remained a place she had only heard of, not seen. After all, it was in the Middle East and a desert—Xiaoya wouldn't survive in such an environment.
But now, Xiaoya's health had greatly improved. If they were to go there for a vacation, all it would take was some sunscreen. The idea wasn't bad! A glimmer of curiosity appeared in Bernice's eyes as she thought about it.
"When are we going?" Bernice, always eager when something caught her interest, quickly asked Jiang Hai. But Jiang Hai only smiled in response.
"Let's wait until winter. It's too hot to go now, and there's still work to be done here." He chuckled and spoke slowly. Indeed, it was still summer. Going to the Middle East now would be unwise.
Besides, Jiang Hai wasn't heading there for fun—he wasn't planning to show Du Famen the ranch, after all.
Aphra, sitting across from Jiang Hai, observed him chatting and laughing with Bernice. A thought from last night resurfaced in her mind. She glanced at Dinah Taylor, who looked somewhat tired after returning from her morning tasks. She didn't need to ask what Dinah had been up to while Jiang Hai had been away.
Although Aphra felt a bit resentful toward Dinah, as the eldest sister, she needed to think about the others.
She looked over at Hilda Leonard, the third-oldest of the group.
Hilda was about the same age as Dinah—twenty years old—but she was three months younger. She was shy compared to Aphra and Dinah, often staying quiet and retreating to a corner unless someone spoke to her. She was incredibly timid and would turn red with embarrassment if the conversation made her uncomfortable.
According to Jiang Hai, Hilda's decision to escape the orphanage wasn't just because of the lack of food but also because of the abusive volunteer. The girl who had been protecting Hilda when she left had become her lifeline. After escaping, Hilda had experienced hell, but fortunately, she was rescued by Jiang Hai before she lost hope entirely.
Usually, Aphra and Hilda shared a close relationship, with Aphra being the eldest among the girls. But apart from her, Hilda was particularly close to her roommate, Becky Hall.
"Hilda, I'm going to the bathroom. Come with me!" Aphra put down the grapes she had been picking and called out to Hilda. Hilda paused for a moment but nodded, quickly finishing her task and wiping her hands on her apron. The two left the hall and headed for the women's restroom nearby.
Just as Hilda was about to step into one of the stalls, Aphra pulled her into a different one. Hilda's face flushed red, confused by the sudden action, and she looked at Aphra in bewilderment.
"Shh, don't tell anyone about this," Aphra whispered, her finger pressed to her lips. Hilda blinked, her blue eyes wide with curiosity.
"Okay," Hilda nodded hesitantly, trusting Aphra.
"Let me ask you first—do you like Jiang Hai?" Aphra asked after a brief pause, her eyes studying Hilda's reaction.
Hilda hesitated. Her face reddened, and she stammered, unable to respond clearly. Aphra, seeing that Hilda couldn't find the words, sighed, somewhat frustrated.
"If you like him, just admit it. If not, say so. Do you want to compete for him?" Aphra asked bluntly. Hilda was taken aback by the directness of the question. After a long pause, she nodded slightly.
"Good. Listen, with our backgrounds, it's unlikely we can become Jiang Hai's wife. I think you know that, but none of us want to leave him. We need him to protect us, and though he might do that in the future, we can't just expect it. I thought Jiang Hai would be more proactive, but now I realize we have to be the ones to take the initiative. Dinah and I have already... If you're willing, tonight is your turn." Aphra whispered in Hilda's ear.
Hilda's mind reeled, and she nearly fainted. She hadn't realized that Aphra and Dinah had already crossed that line.
At the thought that tonight might be her turn, Hilda felt herself stiffen. Her face burned bright red, and she couldn't bear to look up at Aphra anymore.
"Don't be so shy. Jiang Hai is a quiet person. If you don't make the first move, he won't. I'm just telling you now. Let's take a shower later, and then..." Aphra trailed off, noticing that Hilda was too embarrassed to even react.
More than ten minutes later, they returned to the vineyard to continue picking grapes. Aphra seemed unfazed, but Hilda kept her head down the rest of the day.
Fortunately, Hilda preferred to hide in the corner, so she wasn't noticed by the others. By evening, the work had nearly finished. After three days of labor, about two-thirds of the grapes had been harvested—these being the mature ones. The remaining grapes were still ripening.
Some of those unripe grapes were intentionally left to mature later, specifically for O'Connor Murphy's ice wine production. Ice wine, produced in the northeastern United States and Canada, is world-renowned.
The grapes destined for ice wine would be harvested after the first snow in late October. If the team continued working at this pace, only one more full day of work would be required, and all the grapes would be harvested.
Once the harvest was complete, the grapes would be crushed and fermented. Jiang Hai and his team still had some hard work ahead, though the actual winemaking would be handled by Dulles Gerard and O'Connor Murphy, as Jiang Hai wasn't well-versed in winemaking.
After dinner and some packing, Jiang Hai and his team headed to the hot spring again.
At the hot spring entrance, they split up. Jiang Hai went to the men's restroom but had no intention of taking a shower. The hot spring itself was addictive, especially for him. He had noticed a decline in his self-control since obtaining the Dragon Ball—he had once been able to resist temptation, but now it felt more difficult.
He no longer had the initiative to provoke anyone, but if someone else provoked him... well, he was more than receptive.
The past few days, he had been bothered by Xiao You and Xiao Zuo, but recently, Aphra and Dinah had been distracting him even more.
As he lay in the hot spring, his thoughts wandered to the women's restroom.
Meanwhile, in the women's restroom, Dinah Taylor had noticed the others beginning to rest and was about to leave when Aphra grabbed her arm. Dinah looked at her in confusion, but Aphra simply gestured toward Hilda, who was standing nearby.
Dinah immediately understood. It seemed like tonight would not be her turn after all.
Hilda, who had been blushing from the hot spring, turned even redder as Aphra urged her on. Hilda hesitated but eventually wrapped a towel around herself and left the restroom. Her steps were slow and unsure, as she turned her head back repeatedly.
After a brief struggle, Hilda entered the men's restroom. There, Jiang Hai sat in the distance, and Hilda's heart skipped a beat when she saw him. His tattoo, visible when he transformed into a dragon, was exposed at the moment. The sight made Hilda even more embarrassed.
She walked forward slowly, her heartbeat thundering in her ears, trying to remain composed.
"Huh?" Even though Hilda's footsteps were light, Jiang Hai's keen senses picked up on her approach.
Turning around, he spotted her standing there. Hilda, startled, quickly crouched down like a frightened kitten, her eyes shut tightly as she lowered her head, feeling her embarrassment deepen.