Chapter 56: Gradual Progress

"Ethan."

Evelyn suddenly called his name, stopping him in his tracks. He turned to her and blinked.

"Yes?"

She glanced at Nora, then turned to him. "You aren’t going to prepare that tonight. You should go rest."

"Mn? Why?" He raised an eyebrow, a little baffled.

Shaking her head, Evelyn took the ingredients from his hand and walked into the kitchen.

"Just go rest. You’ve caught cold already. It’s better if you cover yourself and sleep early."

She came back with Nora’s plate of yam, then placed it before the girl. "Nora will eat this for now. Tomorrow morning, you can try preparing gumbo for her."

Ethan stared at her, a little surprised. He had never seen her act so dominantly. He had an inkling as to why she was doing this, and the realization made him smile.

He turned to Nora and asked, "Are you okay with that?"

The little girl had no choice but to nod. Evelyn’s stare on her wasn’t particularly warm at the moment.

Ethan smiled, then went into the room. He indeed needed some sleep, as he could already feel his body shivering.

After tucking him under the duvet, Evelyn returned to the dining room and found Nora slowly eating the food.

Her expression softened slightly, but she said nothing. It was better if the girl learned her mistake that way.

Once Nora finished eating, they lingered in the living room for a while before Evelyn turned off the TV and they went inside.

Nora slept at the other side of the bed while Evelyn stayed in the middle, eventually moving to hug Ethan and share some body heat with him.

The next morning, Ethan finally felt the full consequences of his actions. He was starting to feel a soreness in his throat.

His nose felt irritated, too, and he sneezed once in a while. It seemed the warm bath and tea did little to help him. Still, he didn’t allow that little sickness to stop him from doing his daily routine.

He exercised until he felt slightly tired, then went to take a warm bath again. Still wearing thick clothes, he went to the kitchen and began the preparation of the gumbo.

When Evelyn woke up, she was stunned speechless seeing him cook.

’You...’

She sighed and walked over to him. Wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his back, she said, "Good morning, honey."

Ethan smiled and answered, "Morning, Evelyn. Did you sleep well?"

She nodded and asked, "What about you? How are you feeling now? Your voice sounds a little off."

"Mn," Ethan cleared his throat. "Sore throat and a bit of catarrh. Nothing serious."

Evelyn frowned and pulled away from him. "I’ll go get some medication for you."

Glancing at her, he shook his head. "That won’t be necessary, though. I’ll be fine."

Evelyn didn’t listen. She bid him farewell and left the house. Ethan sighed in defeat and refocused on cooking.

A while later, she returned with some medication she’d picked up from the pharmacy.

"I told you it wasn’t necessary, but thanks," He said as he took the drugs.

His expression changed slightly, and he quickly drank water to cleanse the lingering taste from his mouth.

"You still hate drugs, don’t you?" Evelyn asked teasingly.

Laughing lightly, he returned to the kitchen and continued cooking. By the time Nora woke up, he had finished cooking.

Evelyn took the girl to the bathroom to take a bath and brush her teeth, then brought her back to the dining room.

Ethan had prepared gumbo for everyone, so they sat around the table and ate their breakfast.

Staring at one of her favourite foods, Nora felt strangely empty. There was no joy, as she knew her father had suffered a little for this.

Remembering his raspy voice as he smiled and greeted her, she sighed and said, "Thank you, Dad."

Ethan nodded and continued eating. She also picked up her cutlery and began eating.

A while later, they were up and ready to head to the shop. Evelyn had already watered the flowers on the balcony, as it had become a new kind of hobby for her.

"Mn." Ethan cleared his throat again, and she turned to him.

"You should stay at home today, Ethan. Nora, you too. I’ll head to the shop alone."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"You’re asking why?" She rolled her eyes. "Can’t you see you’re sick? Just stay at home for a day, will you? You should allow yourself to rest, Ethan."

He studied her expression, and seeing the determination in her eyes, he backed down. "Alright. Just message me if you need anything."

Picking up her bag, Evelyn smiled. "Aye-aye, Daddy."

She turned to Nora and patted her head. "Be a good girl, okay? If Ethan needs your help with something, do it."

She nodded slowly.

Evelyn waved at them once more before stepping out and climbing down the stairs. Ethan watched her go, then turned to his daughter.

He held up the TV’s remote control and waved it at her. "So what do you choose? TV first or math first?"

"Uh..." Speechless, Nora failed to come up with a quick reply.

Ethan dropped into the couch and patted the space beside him. "Since you can’t decide, I’ll do it for you. Come and sit, let’s watch a movie first."

She pursed her lips and sat beside him without much resistance. Ethan smiled and turned on the TV. Sadly, the show wasn’t an action movie like he had expected.

Instead, it was just a cartoon for kids. He remembered watching the cartoon and enjoying it back when he was a kid. Now, however, everything felt a little stupid to him.

He didn’t express his opinion, of course. After all, it seemed like Nora was actually enjoying the cartoon.

’Well, of course she would. She’s still a kid. When she grows up and has her own children, she’ll understand what I’m feeling right now.’

He smiled to himself, then checked the system interface.

[Daughter’s Happiness: 3.09%]

It seemed his actions were finally paying off.