Chapter 32

Margaret Nursing Home.

When Roger arrived here, struggling with a KFC Family Bucket, there were only 30 seconds left before the deadline.

"Phew, good."

Since he registered his vehicle as a bicycle, the platform assigned him only small-order meals.

But the distance wasn't close at all—he pedaled with all his strength for twenty minutes to get here.

He parked the bicycle and carried the KFC bucket to the front gate of the nursing home.

Looking around, the entire building had been converted from an early 20th-century brick-and-stone warehouse, retaining its original industrial arched windows and thick walls, hidden behind towering Douglas firs and red cedars.

Its exterior walls were covered in hardy ivy, yet at the entrance, carefully cultivated clumps of Margaret daisies—pale yellow and pure white—were planted, named after the facility.

Roger hurried to the iron gate and pressed the doorbell.

Soon, a brown-skinned man wearing glasses and a green surgical gown stepped out.

"Are you Mr. Blake?"

"That's right." Blake nodded; he spoke with a thick Southern accent, slow and drawn-out.

"Are you from Dekesasi?" Roger asked instinctively.

Blake looked surprised: "Yes, how did you know?"

"Of course—I'm also a Texan." Roger mimicked his tone.

He'd only meant to joke, but Blake actually believed him.

"What a strange coincidence—are you from Laredo?" Blake continued.

Roger didn't answer directly, but quoted a classic saying: "Don't assume…"

"That the moon is cheese because it looks round!" Blake quickly finished.

"Haha."

Blake smiled, then pulled out a twenty-dollar bill from his wallet and handed it to him.

"You've improved my awful mood—this is a tip."

"Thank you, I hope you have a happy day."

Roger hadn't expected this unexpected bonus.

When he walked out of Margaret Nursing Home, he realized his Camouflage skill could be used to make money.

For the rest of the afternoon, he delivered five food orders.

Three of the customers mistook his flawless accent imitation for their own hometown dialect and tipped him.

The other two didn't even give Roger a chance to speak.

Even so, he earned forty-five dollars in tips that afternoon.

"Not bad—getting closer to my car-buying plan."

Roger whistled a tune as he rode his bicycle back to Xin Yidunweier Shequ.

On the way, he stopped at a Chinese grocery in Chinatown and bought instant noodles, spaghetti, vegetables, and chicken.

Oh, and Lao Gan Ma.

This product was considered a mid-tier seasoning in Meilijian, costing four dollars a jar at Chinese stores.

Roger bought it mainly to avoid chocolate-jam sandwiches for breakfast.

Back in the garage, Roger organized his purchases, then carried the bag of groceries to Fiona's door and knocked.

"Roger, you're back!" Natasha bounced over to open the door.

The girl had changed into another outfit today: a light gray tank top revealed a faintly curving silhouette, and her legs in black tights beneath hot pants looked cozy.

"Where did you go today?" Natasha seemed to care about every move Roger made.

Roger placed the food and meat on the table as he replied: "I delivered food."

"Delivered food?"

"Yes—my new job."

"Can you make money?" Natasha asked.

"Of course." Roger pointed to the cooking ingredients: "These cost me half my pay today."

"So much?" Natasha was surprised.

Roger shrugged: "Mainly from tips."

"So you bought these to cook?" Natasha flipped through the bag, pulled out Lao Gan Ma, and examined it: "What's this?"

"It's a spicy sauce from the East. Can you handle spice?"

"Of course I can!" Natasha patted her chest: "I love Hot Rooster sauce."

"Hot Rooster?" Roger smiled. That sweet, mild chili sauce was popular in Meilijian—nearly every household had bought a jar.

"What, you don't believe me? I'll taste it right now!" Natasha challenged.

"No rush—wait till I finish cooking." Roger asked Natasha where the kitchen utensils were, then skillfully heated a pot of water and started boiling the pasta.

Meanwhile, he blended the chicken into paste in a mixer, then stir-fried it with vegetables and seasonings.

"Smells good." Natasha sniffed, watching Roger's movements: "I didn't know you could cook."

"Do I look like someone who survives on cheap fast food every day?"

"Not at all." Natasha shook her head, then propped her chin on her hands, staring at his actions.

Soon, Roger prepared two plates of spicy chicken sauce stir-fried spaghetti.

"Try it—if it's not spicy enough, add more sauce."

"Okay, I'll try!" Natasha grabbed her plate eagerly and rushed back to the table, twirling a huge forkful into her mouth.

"Mmm… Huh? Ha!"

The girl's face first showed confusion, then suddenly flushed red; she quickly swallowed saliva and rushed to the fridge to pull out milk and gulp it down.

"Gulps."

After feeling her throat cool slightly, she wiped milk from her lips and screamed at Roger, who remained expressionless: "Good heavens, don't you find it spicy?"

"Spicy? Not really—I think it smells delicious." Roger ate his stir-fried noodles with satisfaction.

Only moments like these made him feel the beauty of life.

"I feel like my throat is smoking," Natasha rolled her eyes.

Roger pointed at the pot: "Then eat the version without spicy sauce."

"Thank goodness, you actually made two different versions."

Natasha hurriedly swapped her stir-fried noodles for the plain tomato and chicken stir-fry.

After eating, Roger put the leftover noodles in the fridge and told Natasha to remind her mother when she got home.

Then the two played flight chess for another two hours.

Their bet was flicking each other's foreheads, but Natasha's luck was terrible—she lost and went frantic.

To avoid being flicked, she even considered undressing to cheat.

Seeing this, Roger immediately declared the game over and returned to the garage.

"Time to train today too!"

Thanks to the System Panel's clarity, Roger never grew tired of fitness—he stuck to muscle training every single day.

One hour later.

【Physical Function: 8.15 (Status +10%)】

Watching the numbers inch upward, Roger lay contentedly on the mat, ready to sleep.

But just then, a system alert suddenly appeared.

【Fiona's approval achieved, Anchor Point +1】

【Anchor Point effect: Physical Function +0.5, SAN Value shangxian +1】

"Huh?" Roger froze—he hadn't expected Fiona's Anchor Point to complete at this moment.

"Strange, I didn't do anything special, did I?"

Was it because he took care of Natasha that Fiona's approval was granted?

But he'd cared for her before—no Anchor Point reaction then.

After thinking hard for a long while, he still couldn't figure out the exact reason, so he just pulled the blanket over his head and slept.

At dawn, Fiona herself came to knock on the door and solved his confusion.

"Roger, I never expected your cooking to be this good. The pasta you made yesterday was delicious—what spicy sauce did you use?"

Seeing Fiona's eyes gleaming with excitement, Roger said nothing and pulled out Lao Gan Ma.

"Is this it? Wow, amazing—I've never tasted anything so intense. I'm in love with it! Can you sell me some?"

Roger hadn't expected Fiona to react so enthusiastically; he blurted out: "I'll give it to you—I bought two bottles."

"Really? Wonderful! I plan to use it for every meal! Today I'll make sandwiches with it."

Fiona clutched the bottle like a treasure and left the garage.

Roger stood there dazed, then, when he came to his senses, couldn't help laughing.

He never imagined Fiona would suddenly develop a taste for spicy food—too bad Natasha's mouth was going to suffer.

I hope she still has enough milk.

As he stared blankly at the morning sunlight, new information suddenly appeared.

【Information: The woman who made a pact with an ancient entity】