Chapter 1370

"Aren't I welcome here?" Lily asked, striding into the room.

"Why, of course, you are! Why wouldn't you be?" the older man replied with a smile. "However..."

Seeing him protectively guarding his food, Lily sighed. "The doctor told me I shouldn't eat spicy food during my pregnancy."

"Then you can't have this. I put a lot of peppers in it. Oh my, what a pity!" he quickly added, before joyfully resuming his meal.

She shook her head, speechless. Who would have thought the world-famous miracle doctor's favorite pastime was eating? Moreover, he was incredibly protective of his food, always fearing someone might steal it. Even after Lily's disclaimers, he remained vigilant.

Dominic casually asked, between bites, "By the way, I heard your experiment was a success. Not bad! You're my apprentice, indeed!" A proud look adorned his face. Although outsiders were unaware Lily was his secret apprentice, each of her accomplishments brought a radiant smile to his lips.

"How do you know?" Lily asked, immediately recalling the source. "Your rotten grandson told you?"

"Bah! What do you mean, 'my rotten grandson'? He's not my grandson!" he spat, as if the association with Austin were a curse.

Dominic shook his head and shoved another piece of pork into his mouth. "Although that kid is quite talented..." He trailed off, swallowing his words.

Lily didn't dwell on it; Dominic had always been eccentric. He'd insisted on taking her as his apprentice, citing her talent and extensive knowledge of medicinal herbs. However, her focus had been solely on conventional scents at the time, and she'd refused. This, conversely, only strengthened his resolve. Only after considerable time did she finally agree. If people knew the miracle doctor they desperately sought was busy persuading Lily to become his apprentice, they'd be furious.

"Since you love food so much, do you know of herbs that can stimulate one's appetite?" Lily suddenly asked.

"You don't know that? I thought someone with your understanding would know as much about herbs as I do," Dominic droned, burying his head in his rice bowl. Then, remembering something, he stopped and covered his food with his hands. "Why? Are you trying to stimulate your appetite so you can have a few bites? No, no. The doctor said you couldn't have any spicy food. Listen to your doctor!"

Dominic seemed to have forgotten he was a doctor—a miracle doctor, no less. He was simply terrified Lily might steal his food.

"I'm not going to take your food!" she rolled her eyes helplessly. "I know the medicinal properties of herbs, but could combining poisonous and non-poisonous herbs with food be harmful?"

Relieved to hear she had no intention of eating his food, Dominic thought for a moment. "It's possible. If foods can neutralize each other, medicinal herbs can too. But...did you say combining them?"

"Would that effect occur simply by combining them? If so, the herbs are incredibly potent! According to your logic, wouldn't we have died long ago, given how many herbs we plant together?" He rubbed his neck, expressing skepticism. "After all, our herbs are all in the greenhouse; all sorts of herbs are there. If they're that potent, couldn't we combine a few to create new products? Huh?"

Dominic raised his eyes, sensing a hidden meaning. He finally put down his utensils, pondering for a moment before saying, "That's not impossible. What's wrong? Did you encounter a new problem during your research?"