Not admiration, but rejection? Lana had refused to become the daughter of the Atmaja family. She had even rejected the luxurious furniture that was clearly an upgrade from what she previously had.

 Why?

 Was the little girl ashamed?

 Or had she not truly forgiven him?

 Was her resentment so deep that she even hated accepting gifts from him?

 “Can you connect me to Lana?”

 Julian wanted to ask her directly and be certain. First, he would apologize for not considering her feelings. He had many responsibilities to return to, so he didn’t want any lingering guilt interfering with his work.

 “Yes, Sir.”

 The call went through shortly after. In the background, he could hear Audy calling Lana before she finally picked up the phone.

 “Hello, Uncle. Is something wrong?”

 “Lana… I wanted to say sorry for changing your furniture without asking. I acted without thinking carefully about your situation.”

 Lana didn’t reply right away. Julian continued his explanation.

 “I thought I was helping by replacing the worn-out items with something better. But again, I apologize—especially for doing it without your permission.”

 “Alright, Uncle. Thank you for considering my feelings. The things in my house were old, yes, but they were still useful and could have lasted a long time. That’s why I was so sad to see them gone.

 “And a TV isn’t really necessary. The fewer expenses in the future, the better. How about taking back the items you brought in?”

 “There’s no need. You can sell them if you want.”

 “Uncle!”

 “Oh—sorry. I’ll have someone come and remove everything.”

 After ending the call, Julian realized something. Despite her young age, the girl had a mature understanding that one shouldn’t easily accept things from others. Outwardly calm, she had likely been deeply hurt. He might have unintentionally offended her pride.

 He felt disappointed, impressed, and also sympathetic. Fortunately, Audy and Herman were now by her side to assist her in any way she needed.

***

 Another day passed. It was now the fourth day since Lana’s mother had died. At 4 a.m., Lana washed her face and quietly got ready to go to the morning market on foot, without waking Herman. The air was still cold, so she zipped her jacket all the way up to her neck.

 She bought a lot—vegetables, fish, and other ingredients—so that both of her hands carried heavy, full bags on the walk home. The streets weren’t busy yet, but early risers were already beginning their daily struggles. Some people were out for a morning walk, enjoying the fresh air.

 Audy and Herman greeted her in the yard, stunned by how much she had brought back.

 “Miss, why did you buy so much?” Audy asked, both worried and surprised.

 She took one of the bags from Lana’s hands, and Herman took the other.

 “I’m going to cook all of this today. Some of it will be for the food stall.”

 “What about school, Miss?” Audy asked gently.

 “I still plan to return to school, but not yet. I need time. I need to gather my strength.”

 Audy and Herman looked gloomy for a moment, but Lana paid them no mind. She had lost both parents and had no one to rely on now. However, her parents had left her with a little savings and a small food stall. She couldn’t just let what they left go to waste.

 If she had accepted Julian’s offer to adopt her, she wouldn’t have to worry about money at all. But maybe she was foolish—for turning down that opportunity just to protect her pride and hold onto her anger.

 “What are you doing, Miss?” Audy asked again once they were in the kitchen.

 Lana began unloading all the ingredients she’d bought—two whole chickens, mackerel, pindang fish, and two kilograms of eggs. The fish needed to be cleaned first.

 “Since I plan to reopen the food stall today, I’ll cook everything now.”

 “All of it?” Audy repeated, clearly in disbelief.

 “Have you ever done all this before?”

 “Don’t worry.” Lana smiled. In her past life, she had cooking experience. Even without that, she had learned a lot by watching her mother in this world.

 She started by cleaning the chickens, discarding the unwanted parts and cutting them into pieces. After rinsing, she placed the pieces into a pot with bay leaves, lemongrass, some coriander leaves, and kaffir lime leaves. She added salt and a pinch of seasoning to eliminate any unpleasant odor before cooking them with richer spices later.

 As she worked on the chicken, Audy looked uneasy. But seeing how confident Lana was in the kitchen, she started helping by chopping vegetables—long beans, bitter melon, tofu, tomatoes, onions, cabbage, and mustard greens.

 After putting the pot on the stove, Lana cleaned the fish and marinated them with salt and seasoning before frying them. While the fish cooked, she started preparing the rice.

 Herman, unfamiliar with cooking such large portions, stepped back at first. But he began paying close attention and eventually took over the fish-frying task. He asked Lana when to flip the fish, and whether they were done.

 Once the fish were cooked, he wrapped them in newspaper to soak up excess oil and placed them in plastic bags. The boiled chicken was drained and stored in a container. The vegetables, once washed, were stored in separate bags too.

 “Are you going to take all of this to the stall now?” Herman asked.

 “Yes. But I’ll take a shower first. If you two want to come, you should get ready too. While waiting, I’ll boil the eggs. We’ll take turns watching the pot.”

 “Yes, Miss.”

 Afterward, Lana, Audy, and Herman took turns showering. Lana prepared a plate of rice and fried mackerel for each of them to eat for breakfast. She also packed some rice and fish to give to her closest neighbors.

 The neighbors were surprised at first, but they soon thanked her warmly. They asked if she was going back to school soon. Lana simply replied that she was starting work at the stall—continuing her mother’s legacy.