Zoey chose not to tell Evelyn or Vi about her n. The next day, as they set off for their routine visit to Arcane Sanctum, Zoey disguised herself as a peasant woman and quietly followed them.


    She trailed them the entire way. From the moment they left to when they returned, no one came close to their donkey cart, and it didn''t even make a single stop along the way.


    After returning to Skye Embroidery, Vi immediately began preparing medicine. At the workshop, no one had servants. Everyone took turns cooking. When Vi first arrived, she was utterly inexperienced. It took three days of practice for her to even be able to start a fire, and the first meal she cooked was barely edible.


    The people at Skye Embroidery were cooperative but also fond of teasing. They joked and said Vi carried herself like ady of high status but didn''t have the luck to actually live that life.


    At first, Vi was furious and felt unjustly treated, as though the others were deliberately targeting her. She couldn''t understand why she had to endure this. But one day, when Jessica came to visit Skye Embroidery, she personally cooked a meal. Though it wasn''t perfect in taste or appearance, it was well- seasoned and bnced.


    Seeing that, Vi fell silent. She knew exactly what kind of person Jessica had been a once-arrogant duchess, so proud and untouchable. After being divorced and taken back into the family, she somehow managed to swallow her pride and even cooked meals for this group of abandoned women.


    The surprising part? Jessica actually knew how to cook.


    But that wasn''t what truly shocked Vi. Even Leona, a guest staying at the workshop, could step into the kitchen and whip up an incredible meal. Vi was dumbfounded.


    From then on, even if she wasn''t the one cooking, she would always help in the kitchen. She picked up the tasks and learned as she went. Now, her skills had surpassed Jessica''s.


    Cam entered the kitchen just in time to see Vi lost in thought, staring at a boiling pot,pletely unaware of the bubbling liquid.


    "Vi, the medicine''s about to boil over. Didn''t you notice? Pull the coals back and let it simmer," Cam cautioned.


    Vi hurriedly lifted the lid of the pot, but the scalding steam rose up, burning her hand. She quickly dropped the lid, which crashed to the ground, splitting into two pieces.


    Cam quickly fetched a bowl of cold water from the water pot and brought it over. "Put your hand in here to soak, or it''ll blister."


    Vi dipped both hands into the water, the coolness helping to ease the sting. "Thank you, Ms. Moore." "Are you alright?" Cam asked.


    "I''m fine. Nothing to worry about," Vi said, shaking her head. However, her eyes still seemed unfocused.


    Cam moved to the stove, pulling out the firewood and leaving just a few pieces of coal burning. "How is your mom? Better?"


    "Much better." Vi nced at the medicine pot, frustrated. "How much medicine is left? We need to simmer it on low heat for another hour... I don''t think there''s enough of it left now."


    Cam looked at the uncovered pot. "There''s enough, but you can''t simmer it without a lid. All the medicinal vapors will escape. You''ll need to quickly buy a new one."


    Vi hesitated, her gaze turning pleading. "Ms. Moore, could you go buy one for me? I don''t know where to get it."


    "I could, but why don''t you go


    yourself?" Cam gave her a pointed look. "It''s just down the street at the general store. Didn''t you go there yesterday to buy a stew pot? How could you have forgotten already?"


    Vi scratched her head awkwardly under Cam''s curious gaze. "Oh, right... I forgot for a moment. I''ll go buy it now."


    Cam moved to the stove to make barley porridge. The weather had warmed up, and everyone had lost their appetite. She decided to make some barley porridge, which helped cook the body and settle the


    Ov


    stomach. It was a soothing meal that everyone could enjoy,


    She had soaked the barley beforehand. After working for a while, na entered with the new medicine pot. It needed to soak in water first, so she ced it straight into the water basin.


    "Ms. na, why are you the one buying it? Wasn''t Vi supposed to go?" Cam asked as she looked up from the stove.


    "She said she burned her hand and asked me to help her," na replied casually. "It''s nothing. It''s not that far."


    "I see." Cam didn''t think much of it and added, "The new pot can''t be used yet. It''ll need to soak overnight. Today''s medicine is probably useless anyway."


    "Without the lid, the pot ispletely useless," na said with a tinge of sympathy.


    "It''s fine. We can use it for salt storage," Cam replied.


    The two of them worked together


    for a while. na then took the


    medicine out and delivered it to Evelyn. When she entered the room, she was taken aback. Both mom and daughter had grim expressions.


    Surprised by na''s entrance, Vi immediately eximed, "You didn''t knock? How rude!" "The door was open," na replied, ncing around. "What? Afraid I''d overhear your private conversation? Don''t worry. Even if I knew where you hid your secret money, I wouldn''t take it." With that, na set down the medicine and left.