Dinner at Acker's home was far simpler than expected.
There was meat porridge made primarily with cured pork and polished rice, pickled radish skins and cucumbers, fried fish, and coarse bread mixed with wheat bran.
And this was already several steps above Acker's usual fare.
Ordinarily, when Acker and his daughter Alma were home, their meals were mostly porridge with brown rice, radish skins, and black bread.
Acker had originally wanted to prepare more food, and better food, but Arthur had stopped him.
"This is already enough!
What I want is your gratitude, your sincere gratitude, not for you to strain beyond your means.
So this is enough."
Arthur's words puzzled Alvin and Alma, who were helping nearby.
They noticed that their father briefly froze when Arthur said this.
But a moment later, he was back to normal.
Their father still looked as honest and simple as ever, with that same earnest expression.
Nothing had changed.
I must have imagined it!
With that thought, Alvin brought out the bread he had brought back from the bakery-
"My master let me bake this using the shop's oven and ingredients, then bring it home. Lord Credos, Miss Caesar, if you don't mind, please try some."
There was a hint of shyness and anxiety on Alvin's face.
At that moment, Alvin was just like a novice webnovel author asking someone to read his work.
He wanted them to read it, yet worried about receiving bad reviews.
Arthur and Malinda naturally understood how Alvin felt.
They each picked up a piece of bread, tasted it, and offered fair assessments.
"Not bad. It's almost the same as what we usually get.
Just pay a little more attention to the dough's fermentation, and it'll be even better."
That was Arthur's assessment. As neighbors on Kirk Street,