Chapter 247: Simon Wells's Gaze Never Left Rose Jackson the Entire Journey

Simon Wells's gaze never left Rose Jackson the entire journey, his mouth running nonstop with praise. "Rose, you're not just lovely—you're also incredibly capable." The fervor in his eyes was so obvious even the stray dogs by the roadside could guess his intentions.

Nolan Brooks stood nearby, his expression growing darker by the minute.

Rose, Daniel, and Elena were busy excitedly calculating their earnings. The four pigs they had raised weighed at least 1,100 pounds combined. At ninety cents per pound, they’d make over a thousand dollars!

"A thousand dollars!" Rose's fingers trembled with excitement.

Adding the income from selling eggs, they could save over two thousand dollars in a year. Even after spending half on food, they’d still have more than a thousand left—a fortune in their village.

Elena watched her sister’s joy but bit back her concerns. The pigs had thrived only because of Elena’s healing force. If anything went wrong, they could lose everything. But today wasn’t the day for such warnings.

That afternoon, Simon arrived with a truck. Workers swiftly tied up the pigs and weighed them—1,140 pounds in total.

"Boss, these pigs are solid. No tricks here," the veteran inspector reported.

Simon’s admiration for Rose grew. She was honest—just what you’d expect from a military family.

"Rose, here’s $1,026. Count it," he said, pulling out a thick stack of bills.

Rose smiled and handed the money to Elena. "Little sister, check it for me."

Elena carefully counted. "It’s correct, sis."

Before leaving, Simon made a point to tell Rose, "I left my number. Call me anytime you need help." His enthusiasm left no doubt about his feelings.

After seeing him off, Rose locked the courtyard gate. With so much cash at home, she wouldn’t have felt safe without her brother around.

Elena sidled up to tease her. "Sis, that Mr. Wells was looking at you a little too warmly!"

Rose shot her a warning glance. "Businessmen are like that with everyone. Don’t read too much into it." Her heart already belonged to someone else—the thought of Nolan made her lips curl into a secret smile.

Elena’s curiosity flared. Her sister was definitely hiding something! She’d get the truth out of her tonight. This time, she’d make sure Rose didn’t end up with another scoundrel like Darren Lewis.

At dinner, Daniel returned from the village council with news: their sister Grace would be home by the 29th of December. As the family happily planned for the New Year, Rose suddenly gasped. "Oh no! I sold all the pork we were saving for the holidays!"

Elena laughed. "It’s fine, sis. We’ll buy some from the village. But we should clean out the west room—Grace’s family of five will need space."

Rose groaned. "How could I forget? I’ll find a carpenter tomorrow, though I’m not sure if they’ll take jobs this late."

Daniel set down his chopsticks. "I’ll talk to the mayor. With extra pay, we can get it done in a day. I still have my stipend—I’d be happy to help."

The thought of finally celebrating the New Year as a full family warmed his heart. No more lonely holidays—this year, their home would be filled with laughter.