Chapter 92 Kissed for a Long Time
Levi's wife often made hot cocoa with fresh cream and local snacks for Levi to bring to Matilda.
Levi looked a bit surprised. "You really like her hot cocoa with fresh cream?"
"If I like it, I like it. Why would I fake that?" Matilda couldn't help but laugh.
Levi laughed too. "Our local hot cocoa with fresh cream is different from what they sell in the county—it's not sweet enough and kind of salty. The young teacher who came here before didn't like it, and neither do the tourists who visit. I thought you were just being polite and lying to us."
Matilda quickly shook her head. "No, no, I really do like it. I want to learn how to make it for my husband."
Levi's wife's hot cocoa with fresh cream included some salt. First-time drinkers found it unpalatable, but once you had it once, you couldn't forget that taste—it was addictive. Matilda felt certain Wentworth would love it.
So when the clinic closed, she drove Levi home to learn how to make hot cocoa with fresh cream.
Levi's wife, Ava MacAllister, was a simple local ranch woman—hardworking and warm. When she heard Matilda wanted to learn how to make hot cocoa with fresh cream, she immediately smiled and agreed to teach her.
Ava brought out fresh goat's milk, took some locally dried tea leaves from their ranch, and also prepared a large bowl of butter popcorn—a common snack on town tables.
Her method was incredibly complex: first slowly heating the goat's milk on the stove, adding tea leaves and simmering over low heat to bring out the aroma, then pouring in cocoa powder and sugar while stirring until smooth, finally topping with a thick layer of fresh cream and serving with a bowl of hot buttered popcorn on the side.
Matilda paid close attention—she wasn't afraid of complex procedures. After all, her place was full of small appliances Zoey had bought. If she ever felt too lazy to make popcorn in a pot, she could just toss corn kernels in the air fryer, and it would taste about the same.
While Ava taught Matilda to make hot cocoa with fresh cream, she also asked about the dangerous incident.
Ava said, "You're a young woman out here alone—you really need to be careful about safety. I don't know what the health department was thinking. They used to always send men, but this time they sent a girl."
Matilda asked, "Don't men encounter danger?"
"They do, but it's like once in decades."
Matilda laughed. "Then I'm lucky—I've encountered all the once-in-decades events."
Levi chuckled nearby.
While the hot cocoa with fresh cream was brewing, Ava suddenly clutched her abdomen, looking like she was in unbearable pain.
Seeing this, Levi hurried over to ask, "Hurting again?"
"Yes, same old problem."
Matilda saw Ava sweating from the pain.
She went over to support Ava. "What's wrong?"
Levi sighed. "She gets stomach pain frequently. It's been going on for a long time."
Levi's house was a simple red brick building, but they used the most energy-efficient lights inside. From a distance you couldn't see clearly, but now up close, Matilda noticed Ava's complexion had a waxy tinge.
She began examining Ava.
After the examination and checking Ava's eyes, she said, "Dr. MacAllister, Mrs. MacAllister might have liver problems."
Levi said, "I think so too. She's been taking liver medication recently."
"Have you had lab work done?"
"Our clinic doesn't have that capability."
"What about going to the county seat?"
"They might not be able to detect anything either," Levi said.
Matilda said seriously, "Dr. MacAllister, you've treated so many people in Stoneford Town. Whenever needed, you'd climb mountains and cross rivers to treat them. How can you not take your wife's condition seriously? I think you should take Mrs. MacAllister to the county for proper testing. With her pain this severe, I'm afraid..."
She didn't dare voice her suspicions, only saying, "I'm afraid a minor illness could develop into something major."
Seeing Matilda so serious, Levi had to agree, saying he'd go the day after tomorrow.
...
Matilda carried a thermos of hot cocoa with fresh cream and drove to the base.
Wentworth had gotten her a military dependent ID, so she could come and go freely now.
However, her movement was restricted to the military family housing area.
"Mrs. Gonzaga, here to see Major Gonzaga?" The guard at the gate was familiar with her now—just needed simple registration.
"Is he in?"
"Out on patrol. Don't know when he'll be back."
Matilda went to wait in his quarters.
Wentworth had a single room—not large, but kept spotlessly clean.
His bedding was folded with military precision, and everything on his desk was arranged in perfect order—so严肃 it was intimidating.
She didn't even dare lie on his bed, afraid of messing up the bedding and getting him in trouble.
She waited there for half an hour before Wentworth returned.
He strode in quickly, and seeing her, immediately went to embrace her.
She didn't refuse and hugged him back.
After holding each other for a while, he sought her lips, but she dodged away. "Wentworth, I brought you hot cocoa with fresh cream."
"Where'd the hot cocoa come from?" Wentworth asked.
"I made it myself, of course."
"Really?" His eyes held laughter—clearly he didn't believe her.
Matilda handed him his thermos. "Try a sip first and see how it tastes."
Wentworth carefully took a sip, since it was very hot.
"It's local-style hot cocoa with fresh cream," he said.
"Mrs. MacAllister taught me to make it. Although she did most of the work, I've learned how, so next time you can have some I made entirely myself."
Wentworth was obviously pleased. He put his arm around her waist. "My wife is so domestic. To have a wife like this, I must have saved the entire universe in my past life."
"Sweet talker, aren't you?"
"You haven't tasted it yet—how would you know?" Wentworth asked.
Then he brought his lips close to hers, indicating she should kiss him.
Matilda felt shy and dodged away. "Stop it."
"Then let me taste yours," he said, and proceeded to kiss her.
She didn't dodge—there was no point anyway—so she let him kiss her.
After kissing for a while, Wentworth couldn't control himself.
He held her and moved toward the bed, his hands slipping under her clothes.
But Matilda was unusually clearheaded at this moment.
This was a military base, this was a military base—she couldn't do such things here.
Especially when she opened her eyes and could see the slogans on the wall.
"Wentworth, Wentworth..." She broke free from him, saying shyly, "Don't, not here."
Wentworth asked quietly, "Why not?"
"You'll get disciplined."
Wentworth couldn't help but laugh.
Just then, training sounds came from outside, with Rick shouting at the top of his lungs, "One, two, one! One, two, three, four... Halt!"
They still had training before rest time.
Matilda felt even more strongly that they couldn't fool around here. She lowered her head shyly, tucked back her bangs, then whispered, "Next time."
Wentworth could only go along with her wishes.
However, he kissed her for a long time before stopping.
...
The next day, Matilda went on another medical call.
This time Wentworth came to escort her.
Today it was a little girl who had swallowed something. Over the phone, Matilda had already taught the girl's family the Heimlich maneuver to force out the foreign object.
By the time they arrived, the little girl was fine.
So Matilda could head back.
In spring, the grassland below the mountains was lush with wildflowers and cattle and sheep grazing.
Matilda realized that despite being here so long, she'd never properly enjoyed spring, so she stopped the car and walked onto the grassland.
Seeing this, Wentworth also got out of the vehicle and followed her.