Transmigrated as the Villain Boss's Precious Darling

Chapter 442: Chapter 442: A Suffocating Heartache

Tang Xiaonan held back a laugh and praised him, "You’re amazing, Dad! Jim was knocking for a long time."

The frustration on Felix Thorne’s face vanished, replaced by a wave of pride. ’Of course I’m more capable than my son. That goes without saying.’

Jim Thorne, standing at the door, curled his lip. ’I’d never do something so embarrassing. I opened one with a single tap, easy as pie. But Dad? He just knocked twenty-eight times. I counted.’

Phoebe Huxley brought over a bowl and poured some of the soda out. The dark brown liquid fizzed with tiny bubbles. Everyone stared as if they were watching a magic trick, completely fascinated.

"Isn’t this just herbal medicine? It looks exactly the same," Phoebe Huxley remarked.

Everyone nodded in agreement. It really did look a lot like herbal medicine. Phoebe Thorne laughed. "This soda foreigners make is so weird. It doesn’t even look good. Orange soda is much better."

"Foreigners are all uncivilized. What kind of good food could they possibly make? I heard from Old Sixth that they eat their meat raw, still dripping with blood. They just gnaw on raw cabbage and radishes, too. They don’t know how to cook anything properly. This soda is definitely not going to be any good."

Byron Thorne’s face was full of scorn. He had a bone-deep disdain for foreigners. ’Celestia is still the best, after all.’

"Go on and drink it, Xiaonan." Raina had no interest in the foreign soda and couldn’t understand why her granddaughter liked the stuff.

Tang Xiaonan lifted the bowl and took only a tiny sip. Then, she held it to Phoebe Huxley’s lips, insisting she have a taste. Phoebe Huxley smacked her lips, her eyes brightening. She looked like she wanted more. "This foreign soda is sweet, and it’s got a real kick. It’s surprisingly good."

"Is it really that good?" Raina was skeptical.

Phoebe Huxley nodded vigorously. "It really is! Mom, you should try some."

Raina took a dubious sip. After a moment, she shook her head in disgust. "What’s so good about this? It just burns your throat. I’d rather drink plain boiled water."

The others grew curious about the foreign soda, and each took a sip. Some said it was delicious, others said it was terrible; everyone had their own preference. But one thing was certain: all the children loved it.

"Let the other kids share the rest," Raina said, "but make sure to leave a bit more for Xiaonan." She always doted on her granddaughter.

The adults only took a single sip each, and the rest was given to the children to finish. Tang Xiaonan didn’t have any more either; she had brought the can back specifically for her family to try something new.

"BURP..."

Patrick Thorne let out a fizzy burp and licked his lips. "Can you buy this foreign soda at the co-op? It’s pretty good."

Unable to stay quiet any longer, Jim Thorne called out from the doorway, "You can’t even get this in Vessaria! They probably have it in Tristone, though. You guys have any idea how much one can costs?"

"A few dimes?" Patrick Thorne guessed it would be a few dimes at most. A bottle of orange soda was only one dime.

Jim Thorne scoffed. "A few dimes? Dream on. It’s two-fifty a can, and you need connections just to get your hands on it."

There was a collective gasp.

Everyone’s head snapped in unison toward the empty can on the table. Two-fifty for that little bit of liquid?

’That’s daylight robbery!’

"Only a fool would buy that to drink!" Raina said, her heart aching more with every word. "For two-fifty, I could buy three pounds of brown sugar and make several pots of sweet water, which tastes way better than this stuff." If she had known the can of soda cost two-fifty, she never would have let them drink it. ’It would have been so much better to sell it in town,’ she thought. ’We could have bought brown sugar to make our own sweet drinks—enough for the whole family!’

"You wasteful brat!" Raina fumed, turning on Jim. "Why didn’t you say it was so expensive sooner? What’s the point of drinking this soda? You just piss it out, and it’s gone! We could have bought meat with that two-fifty!"

Raina was so angry she smacked Jim several times. The thought of the wasted money made her so heartsick she could barely breathe.