"Is everything all right with you?" asked Jonathan as soon as he saw Edward entering the house. Though his men had already informed him that both Edward and Luke were safe, he still couldn't be sure of it. He might not have noticed it but it was evident that he was unable to take his eyes off his son ever since he came back. This wasn't his usual self. Jonathan too wasn't used to behaving like this.
"Luke has got a few injuries, but we are all right," replied Edward, putting down Justin. He then walked toward his father and sat down. He always wondered how his father managed to look this young even after all these years. It seemed like ages had forgotten to leave any traces on him. If they ever walked on the street side by side, nobody would believe that they were actually father and son.
"That's good. Next time you go abroad, always remember to keep your guard up in order to avoid getting into a dangerous situation like this one." Just like any other parent in the world, Jonathan too was genuinely worried about his son's safety every time he got out of his sight.
"Yes, father. I have learnt my lesson well this time. And I promise it won't happen again." Now that he had the time to reflect on what just happened back in B Country, Edward admitted that, to a large extent, it was because he had underestimated his opponents that he and Luke were ambushed. Though he felt a little embarrassed to still need his father's help at this age, he was thankful that everyone around him was safe at this moment.
Standing just a few steps away, Daisy was furrowing her brows. She heard them talk, and was wondering why Edward didn't tell her what had happened to him while apparently his father knew it all. From their conversation she understood that something very critical had happened when Edward and Luke were in B Country, and that they had asked Jonathan for help. It must be very serious. Luke's injures confirmed her speculation.
"Daisy, sweetheart. Is everything all right? I called you several times but you didn't seem to hear me," Cynthia said, waving her hand in front of Daisy. She was a little worried to see Daisy not saying anything but standing in the center of the living room. She looked completely lost in her thoughts.
"Oh, I'm sorry, mother. I was absentminded. Were you asking me of anything? Do you need any help?" Daisy replied, as she immediately gathered her thoughts and tried to force a smile.
"No. I was just checking on you. You have been standing here still for a while. You look tired. Is everything okay with you?" Cynthia shot a glance at what Daisy was looking at and noticed that Daisy was continually looking in the direction where Edward and his father were having a conversation. Cynthia failed to understand what was bothering Daisy.
"Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." Daisy got red with embarrassment as now she had the attention of everyone in the room.
"All right. Go and have a bowl of the soup I prepared especially for you. It's in the kitchen. Look how thin you have become. And to think that you have to put up with all that work everyday..." Cynthia loved Daisy as her own daughter. Her heart ached every time she saw Daisy's tired face.
"Granny, can I have some too?" Though he didn't know what kind of soup it was, Justin was already excited to try it. In fact, as a food fan, any food would intrigue him just as much.
"No, you can't! It's for women only, sweetheart," rejected Cynthia directly. She had added a few kinds of herbs in the soup which would help women regulate their metabolism and thereby improve their overall health. However, Daisy was horrified when she was asked to have that herbal soup. She hurriedly shot a pitiful look toward Edward and hoped that he would help her talk his mother out of the idea. Herbal soup tasted horrendous. Besides, Daisy thought that she was perfectly healthy, and therefore didn't need anything to make her healthier.
"Don't look at me. Didn't you hear what mother just said? The soup is for women only. I am a man, so leave me out of this," replied Edward, shrugging his shoulder. He understood Daisy's SOS signal, but since it was his mother who demanded, there was nothing he could do about it.
Not only was Edward not helping, but his words intensified Daisy's awkwardness. She wished that she hadn't asked him for any help and wondered if he was deliberately playing a trick on her. Lucky for her, she had a great relationship with her mother-in-law, or these words from Edward might have started a big feud in the family.
"Come on, it's only herbal soup. It won't do you any harm, okay?" Cynthia complained with a frown. She loved the smell of her herbal soup, so she was a little confused why other people didn't like it.
"Granny, have you ever had this soup before?" asked Justin curiously, raising his cute little face to look at Cynthia. He marvelled at how young his grandmother looked. It seemed to him that his grandmother and mother looked more like sisters and not like a duo of daughter- and mother-in-law.
No, I haven't. But it smells amazing!" Cynthia said without hesitation. She was telling the truth. She indeed liked the smell of the soup.
"Really? You haven't had this soup before? Granny, I know mommy doesn't like the smell of herbal soup. You can tell from her face. She looks so miserable. Would you please not ask her to drink that soup?" As a son, Justin felt it was his responsibility to get his mother out of situations like this.
"Mother, please don't listen to him. I would love to have a bowl of the herbal soup you have prepared for me," saying this, Daisy quickly walked to the kitchen. 'It's just herbal soup. Not a big deal! Just hold your breath and drink it up quickly. You can do it! After all, you don't want to break Cynthia's heart. She is only trying to take care of you,' thought Daisy. She gave herself a little pep talk before grabbing the bowl.
"Justin, did you just tell me that your mommy doesn't like herbal soup so that you can taste some of it?" asked Cynthia, cupping Justin's chubby face with her hands while pretending to be angry.
No, that's not what I meant. Just forget what I said," replied Justin, looking defeated. He didn't expect his mother to give in so easily. He tried to help her, but she gave up too fast. He only prayed that the soup didn't taste too bad so that his mother could drink it and get done with it as soon as possible.
Daisy was standing alone in the kitchen. Even before she could drink the soup, the smell of it was already making her sick. She was now cursing Mary because if she hadn't been in trouble the other night, Daisy wouldn't have got herself hurt in an attempt to save her. And if that hadn't happened, she wouldn't have got this enormous attention from Cynthia. She hoped that Mary had learnt her lessons and would stop messing up with her in the future.
"Do have some of the soup, Mrs. Mu. Your mother-in-law has spent the whole afternoon preparing it," Mrs. Wu said while looking at Daisy with tenderness in her eyes. She knew that Cynthia never really cooked, but for the soup, she had put in a lot of effort.
"Do I have to finish all of this?" asked Daisy nervously. There was a whole pot of it on the counter, and the thought of having to finish it all made her want to run away from here.
Of course not. A small bowl of it will be enough. This is the first time she has cooked this kind of soup. She accidentally added too much water to it. Though it smells weird, it's not as horrible as you think it would be. Don't worry, just drink it up," said Mrs. Wu with a reassuring smile. Despite being a little amused, Mrs. Wu was also touched by Cynthia's gesture of preparing this soup for Daisy. Cynthia didn't have any daughter of her own, but she always took care of Daisy as her own daughter.
Thank God!" murmured Daisy to herself. It was quite a relief to know that she only had to drink a tiny bit of the soup. 'One large gulp will do,' she thought.
"Don't be such a coward and drink the soup already, will you?" Edward said teasingly, as he leaned against the door frame.
"Mr. Mu," Mrs. Wu greeted Edward with a smile and then stepped out of the kitchen to leave the two lovebirds alone.
Nodding his head as a reply, Edward waited until Mrs. Wu went out of the kitchen. He then walked up to Daisy. Edward was seemingly worried about her so he excused himself from the living room and came here.