Evelyn Ford went to the kitchen to help with the cooking, while Ronan Kendrick and Officer Graham went to process the butchered argali. Although the weather was cold, everyone's spirits were high.
By 5:30 p.m., all the food was ready. Following custom, they first fed the livestock and then set off firecrackers before finally sitting down to eat.
The dinner was quite sumptuous. Evelyn Ford asked Taylor Vance to sit at the head of the table, but he declined.
"Evelyn, I'm just a member of the farm now, not the leader here." He had aged quickly in recent years. His hair was almost completely white, and his body had grown terribly thin. His padded cotton clothes looked especially empty on his frame. He had suffered greatly during the time he was held captive by the savages, and both his mind and body bore deep scars.
Taylor Vance raised his glass and toasted Evelyn. "Now that you're leading the entire farm, it's enough for us to be your support."
