Chapter 62: Changes on the Farm
A month had passed since Adele and Jasmine arrived at Spark Farm. Under Adele’s leadership, the farm workers, who had been thin and gaunt, had put on some weight. Initially, they had been apprehensive, fearing that Adele was feeding them more and better just to sell them at a higher price.
After all, that was how Oakham had treated the pigs, cows, and sheep on the farm. He exploited the workers to raise the livestock, not for their well-being, but to slaughter them when the time was right and exchange them for money. They assumed… Adele was the same, but even more terrifying. She had shifted her target from livestock to them.
They trembled, not daring to eat too much. However, some couldn’t resist the temptation. One worker stood up and declared, “We’re going to die anyway, whether we eat or not. Might as well die with a full stomach!” Hearing this, the others thought: He’s right. What difference does it make? Their fate was sealed anyway. Instead of living in fear and hunger, they might as well indulge and die with a full stomach.
With this thought in mind, they soon started eating until they were full.
During this time, not only had their food improved, but their living conditions had also been upgraded. The new master had hired a construction team to build new houses for them. As the houses were gradually completed, people moved in. After a month, all the houses were finished, the construction team had left, and everyone had a new place to live. The weather was getting colder, and the new houses were warm and draft-free. They were also two-person rooms, a significant improvement compared to their previous living conditions.
With enough food, enough rest, warm houses, and new clothes, the farm workers’ spirits were lifted. They started to have their own hopes and dreams. Now that they were living a better life, they no longer wished for death but wanted to live longer.
But winter was approaching. Would the new master really let them live? This was an unanswered question in everyone’s hearts. The previous master, to prepare for winter, would select some healthy humans and sell them to the blood bank. To Oakham, healthy humans represented more food. During winter, food was scarce, so if he let them continue eating, he would have to starve even more of his “livestock.” And healthy humans were easier to sell.
As for whether there would be enough workers in the spring… Oakham wasn’t worried. He could always buy more humans.
The workers were afraid that the new master would be like Oakham. They were anxious, fearing that they would be chosen to be sold. By Oakham’s standards, every one of them was now eligible to be sold. While they were living in fear, Jasmine had already changed into warm clothes. Sitting in front of the fireplace, she couldn’t help but complain, “Why is it so cold here?”
Jasmine added more firewood to the stove, “Miss, it’s normal for it to be cold. This is a remote area in the north. It’s naturally colder than the south.” And they had arrived in November. After a month, it was now December, the heart of winter.
Jasmine assumed Adele knew this. After all, she had admired the camellias just a while ago. And camellias bloomed in November.
But seeing how miserable Adele looked from the cold, Jasmine stopped teasing her and told her to stay inside. She brewed black tea for Adele, adding artificial blood sugar cubes. Adele took the cup, sipped the tea, and finally felt some warmth returning to her body. Vampires weren’t suited for cold climates. They might even hibernate when it was too cold. Many vampires chose to sleep through the winter, waking up only when spring arrived.
But as a student, how could Adele sleep now? She had to study and complete her assignments. So, she could only suffer, huddled by the fireplace, sipping hot tea.
As she was lamenting the cold weather, the door opened, and the little girl entered, bringing a gust of cold air with her. Adele couldn’t help but shiver. Seeing the little girl enter, Jasmine discreetly took a step back. She was genuinely uncomfortable around children.
She hadn’t liked them in her previous life, and she still didn’t like them after the Blake family had their second daughter. She didn’t even like the noble second miss, whom she saw almost every day, let alone this random child. This was the little girl Oakham had tried to offer to Adele. Adele, of course, hadn’t eaten her and had instead kept her, asking Bella to take good care of her.
There were no cruel vampires in the manor now, and the humans were patient and tolerant towards the child. In just a month, the little girl had transformed from her previous numb state to a cheerful and lively child.
It was good, as long as she didn’t cling to Jasmine.
The little girl wanted to rush to Adele, but Bella stopped her and made her curtsy properly. The little girl pouted but still lowered her head and curtsied respectfully to Adele. Only then did she cheerfully approach Adele, holding out her hand to show her a camellia flower she had picked.
There was still a bit of snow on the camellia, seemingly freshly picked. Seeing the plucked flower, Adele’s expression stiffened.
She loved flowers, especially white camellias, which looked so delicate and fragile, reminding her of Jasmine.
But she only liked flowers when they were blooming on the branches. Seeing a flower plucked made her feel a pang of sadness. Therefore, seeing the camellia, Adele wasn’t happy but rather displeased. However, Jasmine’s constant reminders to “not be too harsh towards the weak” prevented her from getting angry at the delicate little girl. She could only suppress her anger and ask, “Why did you pick it?”
The little girl was stunned, seemingly realizing that Adele was unhappy. Children were actually very sensitive to adults’ emotional changes, but many people didn’t realize this, assuming they were truly innocent and naive.
Hearing Adele’s question, the little girl replied timidly, “Miss Blake, don’t you like flowers? I… I often see you looking at them in the garden, so I thought you liked them. I thought it’s so cold now that you rarely go outside, so I wanted to pick it for you so you could see it in your room.”
Her intentions were good, but seeing the delicate flower plucked from its stem made Adele feel sad. She shook her head, “But you picked it, so it’s dead now. It’s truly beautiful when it’s blooming on the branch.”
Adele wasn’t sure if the little girl understood, but her tone was so serious that the girl could only nod and say she understood. From then on, she didn’t pick any more flowers for Adele. But Jasmine knew that this was just the little girl trying to please Adele.
In reality, if Adele had liked her gesture, she might have destroyed the entire garden. And although the little girl behaved well in front of Adele, once she was out of Adele’s sight, she became unruly. In Jasmine’s eyes, she was well on her way to becoming a spoiled brat. Jasmine didn’t want to deal with brats, but at this point, she had to remind Bella.
After her “laziness manifesto,” the manor servants were increasingly behaving as Jasmine had hoped, working at a leisurely pace. They had even developed their own hobbies. The sheep on the farm were indeed well-cared for. The high-quality wool was sold, but the lower-quality wool was kept. The servants bought some from the farm, brought it back to the manor, and spun it into yarn balls. During their free time, they knitted sweaters for themselves.
This was how it should be. With so many servants in a manor, how could they all be constantly busy? Finding opportunities to slack off and pursue their own interests during their free time was, in Jasmine’s opinion, the ideal state. Bella had also realized that Jasmine was right. She relaxed, no longer acting like Adele’s overzealous fan, and adopted a more balanced approach.
With their moods improved, they became even more tolerant towards the little girl. She was the only child in the entire manor and farm, so everyone naturally doted on her. But it was precisely because of this doting that she was becoming so unruly.
Honestly, Jasmine felt that Adele was also a bit too kind to the little girl. At the Blake castle, even with the second miss, if she did something Adele disliked, Adele would reprimand her directly. Although the second miss was a child, in Adele’s eyes, she was undeniably strong, definitely stronger than Jasmine. This was why Adele wasn’t as affectionate towards her younger sister.
But this little girl was different. She was human and weak. Adele couldn’t be harsh towards her.
With the master setting such an example, the servants were even more indulgent.
Seeing Jasmine looking for her, Bella put down her work and led her to a secluded corner.
“Is there something you need?”
Jasmine nodded. She thought about the little girl and said directly, “It’s about the little girl in the manor.” The little girl’s situation was a bit awkward. Oakham hadn’t given her a name, intending to let Adele name her after he presented her to her. But now that she was with Adele, Adele didn’t want to give her a name.
Jasmine didn’t understand the reason. Adele, however, felt that her reason was perfectly valid: she only named Jasmine. She didn’t want to name anyone else.
But she couldn’t tell Jasmine this. She would only say, “I don’t want to name her, and that’s that.” So, the little girl still didn’t have a name, which was quite awkward.
Hearing Jasmine bring up the little girl, Bella was even more confused, “What about her?”
Jasmine didn’t beat around the bush. She stated her thoughts directly, “Aren’t you all spoiling her too much? As far as I know, she hasn’t done any work since you started taking care of her. And everyone, both in the manor and on the farm, is doting on her. It’s a bit excessive, and it’s not good for her.”
Bella still looked confused, clearly not understanding why it wasn’t a good thing.
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