Phoebe Huxley's expression immediately darkened. 'I knew this little charmer wasn't the quiet type,' she thought. 'She's probably already slept with a man.'
"Thanks for making the trip, Ellie. Here, eat up. Try some of these loaches—my Patrick caught them himself. Patrick is such a hard worker. As soon as he gets out of school, he's out catching loaches and eels. We have more than we can eat, so we dry the rest. You can take some home with you later."
Phoebe Huxley used serving chopsticks to put some food on Ellie Ashton's plate. Of course, this wasn't Phoebe's own idea—Tang Xiaonan had taught her. This small gesture gave Ellie a very good impression of the Thorne family. They washed their hands before meals, used serving chopsticks, and kept their home spotlessly clean. It was a far cry from some other rural households, which were a mess and had few manners.
