Chapter 14

Rowan could only go home and tell Janice about it. Hearing this made Janice feel worse, especially after knowing it was Josh's idea. It made her head spin with frustration. Josh had never been this reckless before. Had Oliver and Ava gone mad to actually believe Josh's crazy talk? Now that the wheat was milled into flour, the grain supply department wouldn't take it, and every family in the village had their own flour. Who would buy it? How would they afford to plant in autumn if they couldn't sell it? When Josh came back that evening, Janice called out to him from her doorway. Josh was confused when he saw her look so angry. "What are you trying to do? Have you lost your mind when you told Mr. Tate to mill all his wheat? My father even went to beg Mr. Kain to let you guys off this time!" Janice stomped her foot in frustration. She knew she couldn't help the Tates much now or in the future. That was why this mattered so much to her. Josh finally understood. He smiled and said, "So that's what you're talking about. Didn't my dad tell you I'm going to make bread?" "Bread?" Janice had heard of it in school. It was supposed to taste better than buns, but they were only sold in cities. "Yeah, someone taught me how. I'll bring you some to try." As Josh spoke, he naturally stepped closer to her. He wanted to tell her about all the money he had made for the past few days. But Rowan was standing in the doorway. Seeing Josh approach, he quickly pulled Janice behind him and snapped, "Josh, I know you're holding onto some kind of grudge, but let me be clear. There's nothing between you two anymore. "She's going to be Caesar's wife, understand? Go cause all the trouble you want, but don't go too far. Your parents already had a hard time raising you!" Hearing Janice being called Caesar's wife made Josh's blood boil. But Rowan was still his future father-in-law, so he couldn't be as rude as he had been with Marcus. He reached for his wallet instead, as he wanted to show Rowan how much he had earned. Before he could speak, Oliver ran out from their yard and dragged him away. "Dad, what are you doing? I still have things to tell Janice!" Josh protested. Oliver stayed quiet until he pulled Josh into their yard and shut the gate. "What's there to say? Why do you keep pushing when they're giving you the cold shoulder?" "Dad, forget about my feelings for Janice. Shouldn't I take responsibility for her after what happened?" "Responsibility? Are they asking you to be responsible? If they wanted that, they wouldn't be marrying her into the Kain family," Oliver said. Deep down, Oliver understood that Josh should take responsibility too. If Rowan had been willing to accept Josh, Oliver would have been happy to have Janice as a daughter-in-law. But Rowan didn't want that. They were about to have a wedding very soon. Josh stirring things up now would just make them the village laughingstock. He was holding onto the hope that once his son made it big, the Holts would see what they had missed out on. Nothing mattered more than one's reputation in this society, after all. Josh understood this perfectly. Instead of arguing with Oliver, he just insisted, "I will marry Janice no matter what. She can only marry me!" Watching his son's determination, Oliver felt helpless as he didn't know how to talk sense into him. Finally, Ava came to the rescue. He told Josh to check the iron trays and boxes they had ordered from the blacksmith. While Josh was inspecting the trays, Ava came over and spoke softly, "Stop interfering. Our son's not a child anymore. He knows what he's doing." "But their family…" "You're too honest. That's why people always take advantage of you. If you ask me, Josh has got more spine than you. It's his business if he wants to marry her. It'll be up to his ability whether he can pull it off. Why are you so worried? "When Josh shows up with 800 dollars for Rowan, will that be embarrassing? The Holts will be overjoyed!" Oliver's eyes lit up. Of course, Rowan looked down on them just because they were poor. Who would dare look down on them anymore when Josh showed up with 800 dollars? Just imagining the villagers' shocked faces got Oliver excited. He quickly said, "You're right, you're right! I was overthinking it. I won't stop him anymore." Meanwhile, Rowan watched the Tates' yard with contempt. He said, "Look at Josh bragging again. I've never even heard of bread, yet he says he can make it. What nonsense! A few trips to town, and look how he's learned to talk big!" Janice's face fell. Though she knew what bread was, she didn't believe Josh could make it either. Just like her, he had only gone as far as the high school in town and had never been to the city. How could he possibly know how to make bread? Sighing deeply, she turned back inside with a worn-out look. She had done what she could. The rest was out of her hands. On the other hand, Josh was the calmest of them all. Even though Oliver had stopped him from telling Janice about his recent success, he wasn't worried. He had said he would need 20 days or 15 to make 800 dollars at first. But the sandwich business had done even better than expected. He had already made 600 dollars in just six days. Two more days should do it. So he checked the trays patiently before moving on to inspect the iron box. The iron box was actually a basic oven. With charcoal burning below, he could bake things with heat above. This was similar to how roasted potatoes were made at the street stalls but with better ventilation. The village blacksmith had done decent work. It might not look fancy, but it would serve its purpose. The next day, Josh's cart was loaded even heavier. The large oven alone took up half the space. The rest was crammed with bags of flour, his sandwich pot, and other equipment. It was too heavy for one person to push, so Oliver had to help get it to town. The Walker brothers were surprised and curious when they saw all his gear. "Josh, what's all this about now?" "It's an oven for making bread. You should try some later." Josh smiled and said, "Trust me, it's better than buns." "Bread? I actually had some in the city last year. It's delicious. Do you really know how to make it?" Zack asked, amazed. "I know a little." Josh kept it brief. He bought 40 pounds of meat from them and put it in the pot with his seasonings to stew. After telling Oliver to watch the fire, he ran into town to buy eggs, sugar, milk, and yeast. Back at his stand, he started preparing the dough. Oliver couldn't help with either the sandwiches or bread, so he could only handle basic tasks. Watching his son work up a sweat, he felt proud but also discouraged. He felt he was too stupid to help with anything.