Their relationship began with an accident.
He never intended to be unfaithful, but he felt responsible towards Whitaker Rosalie.
Initially, Walter Janson was reluctant; he loved Whitaker Scarlett. But after being with Whitaker Rosalie, his heart gradually warmed. Whitaker Scarlett was spoiled and they often quarreled, requiring Walter Janson to constantly appease her. Whitaker Rosalie, however, was gentle and considerate, managing his life meticulously and caring for his family.
“Give me the meat, you’re not eating it anyway.”
Walter Janson pushed the red-braised meat towards Whitaker Rosalie, but she refused, dodging and laughing, “I prefer vegetables.”
Few people genuinely liked vegetarian food in the 1980s; everyone craved meat.
Whitaker Rosalie’s sincerity was evident.
Walter Janson was touched, “If you don’t eat it, neither will I.”
They remained at an impasse until Whitaker Rosalie finally took two pieces of red-braised meat.
This was the everyday love story of two university students. Whitaker Rosalie never mentioned the telegram. She would leave Larkspur Village’s affairs in Larkspur Village. This was Washington; she had finally escaped the poverty of the countryside, and she wouldn’t return.
She wouldn’t mention Whitaker Scarlett to Walter Janson either.
Foolish women cling to things, making men forget them. Now that she was constantly by Walter Janson’s side, she would naturally capture his heart over time.
Whitaker Scarlett?
She was no longer a threat.
After finishing their meal, Walter Janson seemed to remember something, “We received the money you sent to the farm. Rosalie, you’ve been incredibly kind to our family.”
Whitaker Rosalie blushed slightly, “It’s not much, but it can improve their living conditions.”
Whitaker Rosalie had brought 500 Dollars from her family to Washington, yet she lived frugally, sending all her money to Walter Janson’s family. Walter Janson had left Larkspur Village, but his parents remained on a harsher farm. While Walter Janson had been admitted to Washington Normal College, the rest of his family remained in the countryside.
But the Jason family would eventually return to the city.
Whitaker Rosalie firmly believed this. Her current sacrifices would surely be rewarded!
Rosalie, the Whitaker family’s golden phoenix, poured her heart and soul into Walter Janson within the ivory tower.
Meanwhile, the Whitaker family’s “worn-out shoe” zipped through the streets and alleys of the commercial city on her bicycle. A slight detour on her way into town allowed her to first deliver the eels ordered by Hughes Lawrence to the Municipal Committee Guest House, then sell the rest at the agricultural trade market.
This was her second time selling goods to the Municipal Committee Guest House, so Whitaker Scarlett expertly navigated to the back door.
“Comrade, I’m looking for Comrade Hughes Lawrence.”
Within five minutes, Hughes Lawrence rushed out, appearing flustered.
“You’re early today. I was worried you wouldn’t make it.”
He glanced into the bicycle basket. Whitaker Scarlett’s eels were still unsold, wriggling energetically in their intertwined mass beneath the bamboo lid. Hughes Lawrence was delighted. “Whitaker family girl, you’re lucky to be here so early. Don’t unload them yet. Come with me to the Yellow River Restaurant. They have a banquet tonight with dozens of tables, and your eels will be sold out in one go.”
“Oh? Thank you so much, Hughes Lawrence!”
Hughes Lawrence was introducing her to his contacts.
Whitaker Scarlett hadn’t expected it to be so quick. She thought it would take several interactions before he’d agree.
In her past life, Whitaker Scarlett didn’t enter society until over a decade after graduating university, by which time social norms had shifted. For a procurement officer like Hughes Lawrence, accustomed to the “sugar-coated bullets” of corruption, a single cigarette was nothing. But in 1983, few people were as generous as Whitaker Scarlett. Two packs of cigarettes and a bottle of liquor were enough to secure someone a job.
Her generous gift of a pack of cigarettes impressed Hughes Lawrence. After returning home, he pondered it. Having accepted the gift, he felt obligated to help. Whitaker Scarlett wasn’t asking for anything major; she just wanted a stable buyer for her eels. The Municipal Committee Guest House had set meal standards. Unlike the long-established Municipal Committee Guest House, the Yellow River Restaurant, opened in 1975, was an international hotel.
It specialized in native cuisine, requiring a considerable amount of eels.
Let’s put it this way: those who came to the Municipal Committee Guest House were powerful; those who went to the Yellow River Restaurant were wealthy.
A single eel stew could sell for 10 Dollars, and even a simple stir-fried eel dish cost 6 Dollars—significantly more profitable than the Municipal Committee Guest House.
Hughes Lawrence simply introduced the Yellow River Restaurant, located on old city Road, not far from the Municipal Committee Guest House. Perhaps he’d contacted them beforehand because the procurement officer bought all of Whitaker Scarlett’s eels without a word.
