Chapter 14

Logan's face tightened as his amused smile faded.

After a moment, he withdrew his slightly somber gaze and continued kneading the dough. "I hope so. I don't want to get tangled up in your romantic mess."

Summer quickly denied it, "Henry and I are just childhood friends, like siblings."

Logan scoffed again, "If Henry isn't just pretending, then he's either blind or a real idiot." He looked at Summer, "Do I look like an idiot to you?"

Summer wanted to deny it again, but she opened her mouth without saying anything.

It wasn't that she wanted to deny her feelings for Henry, which she had harbored for over ten years. It was just that, up until now, it had always been her secret. No one else knew, and she had never told anyone. So, she figured she might as well pretend it never happened.

Yet, Logan had seen through what neither Henry, Charlie, nor Gabe had noticed?

Logan watched her fail to find words and continued, "If you didn't like Henry and were just following him around for over ten years because of some sibling bond, sticking with him even here to the countryside, then you've got bigger issues."

Summer was speechless.

Typical Logan, always so harsh. She should have let Henry beat him up earlier.

Before Summer could think of a retort, they heard a voice calling from the yard, "Logan!"

The voice was loud enough that Logan naturally heard it too. He quickly stopped what he was doing and went to the window to look out.

He could make out the figures of Aunt Jenny and Aunt Anna from the village. Logan put on a friendly face and called out, "Aunt Jenny, Aunt Anna, I'm in the kitchen."

Aunt Jenny and Aunt Anna walked into the kitchen.

Logan greeted them with a smile, "Aunt Jenny, Aunt Anna, I'm kneading dough, my hands are sticky. What's up?"

Aunt Jenny held a small jar of pickled radishes, and Aunt Anna had a jar of soybeans.

Aunt Jenny smiled, "Thank you for helping us at the mill earlier. We figured you might not have much to eat yet, so we brought you some pickled radishes and soybeans."

She turned to greet Summer, "Hello, Summer."

Summer smiled and greeted them briefly, staying out of their conversation but thinking to herself that Logan must have been helping at the mill earlier, explaining why he was back so late.

Logan responded, "Aunt Jenny, Aunt Anna, that was nothing. I just helped out a bit because I happened to be there. No need to thank me."

Aunt Jenny placed the jars on the table, "You've helped us more than just today. You've done a lot, so this is just a small token of our gratitude."

To avoid further politeness, Aunt Anna changed the subject, "Are you making bread? Can you handle it? If not, I can take it home and bring it back when it's done."

Logan smiled, "Don't worry, Aunt Anna. I'm quite good at this."

Aunt Anna laughed, "Really? Oh, a young man like you, educated, knowledgeable, tall, handsome, and good at household chores. You're a rare find! Any girl who marries you will be very lucky!"

Aunt Jenny chimed in, eyes shining, "Logan, you don't have a girlfriend, do you?"

Logan laughed, "Not at the moment. I think I'm still young, so I'm not thinking about it right now. Maybe in a few years."

Aunt Anna added, "When you're ready, let us know. We'll introduce you to the best girls around here!"

Logan nodded, "Sure, Aunt Anna. I'll let you know."

It was getting late, so after a bit more chatting, Aunt Jenny and Aunt Anna left, urging Logan to get back to making his bread and saying goodbye to Summer.

Summer stood up and saw them out.

When they left, Logan's expression changed back as he turned around. Summer sat back down to finish her meal, thinking that with Logan's quick changes in demeanor and acting skills, he could become a famous actor, perhaps playing villains like the antagonist in "Romeo and Juliet."

Logan wasn't trying to find a wife in the countryside. Someone as emotionally detached as him wouldn't let something like that hold him back.

Despite shouting the loudest about "settling down in the countryside forever" when he first arrived, Logan had always had a plan. If there was any chance to get a job and return to the city, he would be the first to seize it.

Of course, such opportunities were rare. Most people wouldn't burden themselves with the faint hope of returning to the city, preferring to rebel against the idea of earning points for good behavior.

Summer stared at Logan a bit too long.

Logan looked back at her, "What are you staring at? Jealous of my pickled veggies?"

Summer snapped back to reality, hurriedly drank the rest of her water, and then quickly cleaned up. She packed the leftover bread and canned food, washed the dishes, and took her filled thermos, heading back to her dorm.