Chapter 247
Ethan White's gaze never left Luna Whitaker the entire journey, his mouth running nonstop with praise. "Luna, you're not just lovely—you're also incredibly capable." The fervor in his eyes was so obvious even the stray dogs by the roadside could guess his intentions.
Ryan Wallace stood nearby, his expression growing darker by the minute.
Luna, Ethan, and Iris were busy excitedly calculating their earnings. The four pigs they had raised weighed at least 1,100 pounds combined. At ninety cents per pound, they’d make over a thousand dollars!
"A thousand dollars!" Luna's fingers trembled with excitement.
Adding the income from selling eggs, they could save over two thousand dollars in a year. Even after spending half on food, they’d still have more than a thousand left—a fortune in their village.
Iris watched her sister’s joy but bit back her concerns. The pigs had thrived only because of Luna’s supernatural ability. If anything went wrong, they could lose everything. But today wasn’t the day for such warnings.
That afternoon, Ethan arrived with a truck. Workers swiftly tied up the pigs and weighed them—1,140 pounds in total.
"Boss, these pigs are solid. No tricks here," the veteran inspector reported.
Ethan’s admiration for Luna grew. She was honest—just what you’d expect from a military family.
"Luna, here’s $1,026. Count it," he said, pulling out a thick stack of bills.
Luna smiled and handed the money to Iris. "Little sister, check it for me."
Iris carefully counted. "It’s correct, sis."
Before leaving, Ethan made a point to tell Luna, "I left my number. Call me anytime you need help." His enthusiasm left no doubt about his feelings.
After seeing him off, Luna locked the courtyard gate. With so much cash at home, she wouldn’t have felt safe without her brother around.
Iris sidled up to tease her. "Sis, that Mr. Ethan was looking at you a little too warmly!"
Luna shot her a warning glance. "Businessmen are like that with everyone. Don’t read too much into it." Her heart already belonged to someone else—the thought of Ryan made her lips curl into a secret smile.
Iris’s curiosity flared. Her sister was definitely hiding something! She’d get the truth out of her tonight. This time, she’d make sure Luna didn’t end up with another scoundrel like Paul Jackson.
At dinner, Ethan returned from the village council with news: their sister Iris would be home by the 29th of December. As the family happily planned for the New Year, Luna suddenly gasped. "Oh no! I sold all the pork we were saving for the holidays!"
Iris laughed. "It’s fine, sis. We’ll buy some from the village. But we should clean out the west room—Iris’s family of five will need space."
Luna groaned. "How could I forget? I’ll find a carpenter tomorrow, though I’m not sure if they’ll take jobs this late."
Ethan set down his chopsticks. "I’ll talk to the mayor. With extra pay, we can get it done in a day. I still have my stipend—I’d be happy to help."
The thought of finally celebrating the New Year as a full family warmed his heart. No more lonely holidays—this year, their home would be filled with laughter.