Chapter 113 - 111: I Wouldn’t Mind a Dozen More Masters Like This!

The processed Jerusalem artichokes weighed over 240 pounds in total, just enough to fill a large water vat for pickling. When she went to the trading hall to buy furniture today, she also conveniently bought ten pounds of coarse salt. After boiling and filtering it, she poured it all into the vat and put the lid on. Just like that, a huge vat of pickled Jerusalem artichokes was ready to ferment. They would be ready to eat in just half a month.

After dealing with the Jerusalem artichokes, Sev Steele began to make mashed potato soup. Since Doctor Jenkins was here, she might as well let him stay for a meal. While simmering the broth, she added two chopped roasted Mutated Aphids, two Mutated Ant Eggs, and a pound of Mutated Hazel Mushrooms. Once the broth was ready, she stirred in the mashed potatoes and milk until well combined. Right before taking it off the stove, she added chopped fresh shepherd’s purse leaves.

The aroma of the cooking food wafted out. The scent alone was enough to make both Doctor Jenkins and Rick Kaye, two total foodies, drool. The children, who were busy sun-drying shredded beans in the yard, couldn’t stop sniffing the air. They were dying to drop their chores and run over to crowd around the stove.

Rick Kaye sat at the dining table, taking tiny sips to savor the ultimate delicacy, entirely reluctant to gulp it down. As he ate, he let out a satisfied sigh. "Ah! To be able to enjoy such delicious food before I die, I can rest in peace!"

Rose frowned, her bright eyes glaring at him. "Mr. Quinn, didn’t you promise to be my master? You can’t just talk about dying so casually!

"If you die, you’ll go off to a faraway Heaven, and you’ll never see your little disciple again!"

Looking at the little girl’s puffed-up, angry expression, Rick Kaye’s features softened, his voice taking on a coaxing tone. "I’m sorry, your master was wrong. I’ll never talk about dying so casually again."

Doctor Jenkins stared at his friend, who had always exuded an aura of aloofness and coldness ever since they first met. He seriously suspected the man had been possessed.

Sev wondered, "Weren’t you just supposed to teach her some common sense about Abilities? How did it turn into a master-disciple relationship?"

The major cannon fodder had poached her daughter right under her nose, and she, the mother, was completely in the dark.

Rick Kaye noticed Sev’s shocked expression and finally realized his faux pas. Taking on a disciple was a major event. He had casually sweet-talked a four-year-old girl into becoming his disciple without informing her parents or holding any formal ceremony. It was truly inappropriate.

Doctor Jenkins also couldn’t help but glare at Rick Kaye as if looking at a kidnapper. He was obviously the one who had met Rose first, and he was the first to discover the little girl’s extraordinary Ability talent. He wondered why this guy Rick Kaye was the one who had coaxed her into becoming his disciple.

"No way! Rose can’t be his disciple. Even if she’s taking a master, there has to be a first-come, first-served order, right?" Doctor Jenkins puffed angrily.

Sev actually detected a hint of grievance in his tone.

"Jared Jenkins, I’m a dying man. Do you really have the nerve to fight me for a disciple? At worst, you can be her master after I’m dead."

A flash of slyness crossed Rick Kaye’s eyes. He probably wouldn’t die for a long time, so Jared could just keep waiting.

Seeing that he was shameless enough to use his impending death as a bargaining chip, Doctor Jenkins was not only angry but also felt that something was off. What kind of normal person constantly talked about how they were about to die, and in such a lighthearted and cheerful tone at that?

Hearing him talk about dying again, Rose stomped her feet in anger. "Mr. Quinn, you just promised not to talk about dying casually! Why are you bringing it up again?

"You broke your promise! Shame on you!"

"Alright, alright, your master was wrong. Don’t be mad, little darling, okay?

"It’s all your Mr. Jenkins’ fault for trying to steal my disciple," Rick Kaye hurriedly coaxed her, not forgetting to throw Jared Jenkins under the bus in the process.

Hearing that Mr. Jenkins also wanted her as a disciple, Rose tilted her head and offered generously. "You guys don’t have to fight! I can be Mr. Quinn’s disciple in the morning and Mr. Jenkins’ disciple in the afternoon.

"I promise to wash all your clothes nice and clean, and I’ll even massage your backs and legs."

Both Sev and Doctor Jenkins cast horrified looks at Rick Kaye. They wondered what kind of bizarre ideas this man had instilled in the little girl.

Rick Kaye quickly defended himself. "Listen to my explanation. It’s really not what it looks like..."

Unfortunately, neither of them listened to his excuses. They grabbed Rose and dragged her into another room.

Doctor Jenkins said with a stern face, "Rose, you probably don’t understand what a master means yet.

"A master is someone you can ask whenever you don’t understand something.

"When you run into difficulties, a master should help you unconditionally.

"When you face danger, a master should risk his life to shield you.

"If someone uses the title of a master just to make you toil and serve him, you should completely ignore that kind of master."

He cackled triumphantly in his heart, "Hmph! Rick Kaye, that’s what you get for stealing the disciple I had my eye on. Let’s see how much trouble I can cause for you as a master!"

After hearing his explanation, Rose suddenly felt that being a master was quite miserable, but having a master was a huge win! She felt she wouldn’t mind having a dozen more masters like that!

With this thought, she looked up at Doctor Jenkins with a bright smile. "Mr. Jenkins, even though Mr. Quinn knows a lot and tells me stories about hunting Mutated Beasts, you are also very amazing. Mommy says doctors are the smartest people in the world, with so many books stuffed in their heads that they couldn’t finish reading them in a lifetime.

"In the future, can you take the books out of your head and let Rose read them?"

Doctor Jenkins’s face suddenly flushed red. He never expected to be viewed as such a lofty existence in the eyes of Sev and her family.

"COUGH, COUGH! Well, actually, I’ve just read a little bit more than the average person.

"From now on, I’ll teach you whatever you want to learn, and you don’t have to do anything for me in return," Doctor Jenkins said with a dry cough.

"Really? That’s wonderful! Thank you, Mr. Jenkins! Oh, wait, thank you, Doctor Master!"

Rose was incredibly thrilled. This master was great; he was willing to teach her without making her do any chores. However, to distinguish between the two, she decided to call Doctor Jenkins ’Doctor Master’ so she wouldn’t get them mixed up.

Yep, she was just that clever of a little girl!

When Rose informed Rick Kaye of the outcome, she still wore a smug "Aren’t I smart?" expression on her face.

Rick Kaye was helpless, but he didn’t push the issue. In terms of who came first, he really had poached Jared Jenkins’s disciple. There was no harm in a little genius having a few extra masters. From now on, whenever Jared got his hands on something good, Rick would definitely find a way to make him give it to their disciple.

Thinking about it this way, he also felt like he had struck a bargain.

At the thought of resources, Rick Kaye felt a sudden pang of deep regret. If he had known Lana Florian would backstab him like that, he would have saved all the gifts he had given her for his little disciple. The little girl had no background, and her family was truly too poor. Just thinking about it made his heart ache for her.