Matthew was at a loss for words. No wonder their voices were so alike, and even their builds were practically the same too. But she seemed to know quite a bit.
Maybe she had spoken to Helen before. But what was he supposed to do now?
For a moment, his thoughts were all over the place, like a tangled mess. He simply had no idea what to say.
Helen reached for Matthew's hand and held it. "Let's go. It's not often you're free. It's been a while since you and she last chatted. She misses you."
Matthew didn't dare to join her. "M-mom just called. A person came to our house for treatment. I have to head back home."
With that, he pulled his hand away and took off as if he were fleeing.
Helen felt a pang of regret as her opportunity slipped through her fingers. It took her a long time to set things up today, and it was already over just like that. There was no way she'd be getting any sleep that night.
After rushing back home, Matthew saw his family watching TV together. It was a drama about everyday family stuff. Even though it was nothing exciting, it hit close to home.
So, he grabbed a seat and watched the show with them.
Stanley glanced at Matthew occasionally. Seeing Matthew so focused on the TV, he wanted to ask something but held back in the end.
...
The next day, the sun started to rise. The morning sunlight was gentle, and the breeze on the mountain was cool.
An SUV rolled into the village, slowing down when it passed by Matthew's house. Then, it continued toward the fields.
Inside the SUV, Linus Hatcher had changed his outfit. He wore white sneakers, gray pants, and a white shirt, with his hair perfectly in place.
Sitting next to him was Cassia Ritchie, his secretary. She handed him a cup of coffee. "I have stirred the drink for a while. Now is the perfect time to enjoy it."
Linus raised the cup and drank it all in one go. He complained, "I told you all not to come with me, but you just wouldn't listen."
Thinking Linus was just here for a taste of simple life, Cassia responded with a grin, "I'm here to snap some photos of Mr. Hatcher. It's not every day you get your hand dirty like this, so it's pretty meaningful."
Linus asked his chauffeur, "What are you doing here then?"
In the driver's seat, the chauffeur smiled and replied, "I'm here to share the experience with you."
As the car drove out of the village, the road started to narrow, so it had to slow down for quite a bit.
Cassia glanced at her watch. "It's only 8:00 a.m. Usually, you'd still be sleeping at this hour, Mr. Hatcher. Getting up early for farm work must be tough."
Smiling, Linus remarked, "Doing farm work means enduring hardship. If I can't even handle this, how can I expect to succeed in business? I want to be the first one working in the fields today. I want to strive to be the best in this village."
Eventually, the car pulled up beside a field. Cassia spoke as she got out of the car. "I'm sure you're the earliest one here, Mr. Hatcher-"
Her words came to an abrupt stop, and her delicate face was filled with surprise. "How is someone already here?"
Upon hearing Cassia's exclamation, Linus looked out the car window and saw someone working in the fields. He blurted out in shock right away, "It's Matthew!"
Cassia stuck her head into the car and asked Linus, "Is he the one you were talking about earlier, Mr. Hatcher?"
Linus hurriedly grabbed the farming tools from the trunk and rushed toward the field.
Matthew loaded the last basket of tomatoes into the van when he spotted Linus' arrival. He shook his head a little. "What time is it? Why are you so late?"
With no market in Sheperd Town today, Matthew actually harvested the tomatoes later than usual. He just needed to be ready to sell it at 8:30 a.m.
Linus curiously asked, "What time did you get here?"
Matthew thought for a moment before replying, "I came around 6:00 a.m. In summer, the sun comes up early. Around 10:00 a.m, it gets too hot, and that's when I head back home."
6:00 a.m.? Linus was taken aback. It was still dawn, but Matthew had already started working in the fields.