Chapter 18: Chapter 18: You Must Wash Your Hands Before Meals

A spread of three massive basins of food like this would be a showstopper even decades from now, let alone during the current food shortages. Even families who had meat wouldn’t dream of cooking three whole basins at once. No wonder the Thorne family was considered so well-off.

Tang Xiao’nan’s mouth was watering uncontrollably. The room was filled with the rich aroma of meat. It was clearly authentic, farm-raised pork—it didn’t need many seasonings for its fragrance to carry for miles.

“High-end ingredients often require only the simplest cooking methods…”

A rich, magnetic voice suddenly echoed in her ears. It was from a show Tang Xiao’nan loved to watch in her past life. She loved the narrator’s broadcast-quality voice and, even more, the variety of delicious foods featured. She had that show to thank for all the extra pounds she carried.

Phoebe Huxley’s cooking skills couldn’t compare to a professional chef’s, of course. But she was generous with the meat, and the rural wood-fired stove added a special flavor that made her dishes incredibly delicious. The fact that every member of the Thorne family was so well-fed was the best proof.

“I’m starving!”

Having just washed his hands, Jim saw the fragrant, thick slices of meat and was about to grab some the moment he sat down, but Tang Xiao’nan smacked his hand away. “Jim, are your hands clean?”

Jim reluctantly put down his chopsticks and held out his hands. “Look! I washed them three times with soap,” he barked. “You little taskmaster!”

’His sister was acting nuts for some reason, suddenly making them wash their hands. This kid had never washed her hands before a meal in her life, but now she was suddenly laying down the law.’

’So annoying.’

But as annoyed as they were, the three brothers still obediently did as they were told, afraid of making Tang Xiao’nan angry.

Tang Xiao’nan inspected their hands carefully. They were a little red from the cold water, but they were indeed spotless. The other two brothers’ hands were the same; they had all taken her order seriously. She nodded in satisfaction, looking like a little adult, which amused Jim so much that he couldn’t resist reaching out to tug her pigtail again.

“Little taskmaster, can we eat now?”

Jim was starving. Usually, when the Thorne family ate, he was the first one to dig in, but today, this little girl had delayed things for so long that his stomach was rumbling loudly.

Felix Thorne and Phoebe Huxley watched the siblings bicker with beaming smiles. They didn’t actually think washing hands before a meal was necessary. Generations of their family had been farmers; they weren’t so particular about things.

’During the busy farming season, they ate right in the fields. Where would they even find a place to wash their hands? But if their precious daughter wanted to make a fuss, they’d let her. This new fixation of hers would only last for a few days at most, anyway.’

“Teacher says there are lots of little bugs under your fingernails, crawling and crawling. If you don’t wash your hands, Jim, the little bugs will crawl into your tummy and grow into a big one like this…”

Tang Xiao’nan spread her hands wide. Her exaggerated expression and vivid description made the three brothers instinctively clutch their stomachs, suddenly feeling like something wasn’t quite right inside.

Felix and Phoebe also felt a bit uneasy. They had lived this way for most of their lives—who ever washed their hands before eating?—and they were still perfectly healthy. But now, after hearing what Tang Xiao’nan said, the confidence they had held for decades began to waver.

’What if we really do have worms growing inside us?’

’Could we even survive?’

The couple grew restless. After a moment’s hesitation, they got up to wash their hands, too. Better safe than sorry.

Tang Xiao’nan smiled smugly. ’I deliberately made my three brothers wash their hands. This tactic is called ’killing the chicken to scare the monkey.’’

’Pfft… no, that’s not it. It’s called ’punishing one as an example to others.’’

Felix Thorne and Phoebe Huxley weren’t slobs, but they certainly weren’t particular about certain hygiene habits, like washing hands before meals or using separate cutting boards for raw and cooked food. They simply had no concept of such things. ’It’s something that will have to be corrected slowly over time,’ Tang Xiao’nan thought.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep