"Mark will drive me there. It's a long, long journey to the army base. Why not save yourself the trouble?" Daisy flatly refused. She picked up the toner on the dresser, and applied a bit to her face. The weather was quite dry in autumn, so though she never cared about skin care, she had to take some measures to keep her face smooth and moist. In fact, she never cared about her appearance before she was with Edward. She would describe him as not only handsome, but also beautiful. His skin was always exquisite and smooth. She wondered whether he was born this way, or he had actually been taking good care of it secretly. Now that she came to think about it, she had never known him to use any special skin products other than toner or moisturizer like her. She felt that if he looked as good as a man possibly could, how could she do any less?
"So is it because you don't want my company?" Edward buttoned his cuff, but he paused on hearing her words. His face darkened. It irritated him every time when she acted this way. Other women would surely be flattered and would even shriek with delight at his offer. But Daisy had never accepted it with any grace when he insisted on giving her a ride, whether it was to pick her up or to drive her to work. He knew that she was only showing her consideration for him, but others might think that she was pushing him away.
"No. I just care about you. You shouldn't spend so much of your time doing this." Daisy denied it hastily. The moment he pulled a long face, she quickly remembered his complaints about her not giving a damn about his feelings and hurting his pride last night. So she rushed to explain that she was worried about him, rather than showing how much she disliked him doing everything for her. After all, they stayed up late last night, and she feared that he might be too tired to drive so far.
Woman, you should know that men are fragile creatures. When you refuse our help, we get hurt. Do that too much, and your relationship may go sour as time passes." He understood that she was truly concerned about his safety, and that was why he did not lose his temper. But it didn't mean that he could bear it if she simply cold-shouldered him whenever he expressed his love and care. He might manage to keep his passion at the beginning, but if she refused him again and again he could get frustrated. And as a result, his love for her might fade away.
"Fine. I'll force you out of bed to escort me to work every morning in the future. Are you happy now? Well well, what a caring husband you are," said Daisy. She giggled, pinching his handsome face gently and naughtily. The skin on his face was like porcelain, but it felt tender and smooth. She just couldn't get enough of it.
"Whenever you reach for me, darling." Edward suddenly took her hand which had been fondling his face, and looked her in the eye. Before she could say a word, he forcibly pulled her closer, twined her waist with his arm and riveted her to his side. They were so close that she could feel his warm breath on her cheek.
"It's getting late, though. I need to fix breakfast. Come down when you're ready." Standing on her tiptoes and bringing her face closer to his, she kissed him on the lips. Although she would be annoyed by his childishness once in a while, she did enjoy this special and unique way of showing his love, but she'd never let him know. It would be her secret.
"No problem. Take your time." He kissed her back before reluctantly letting go of her hand. He liked it so much when she took the initiative, for he knew too well about her reserved manner. That was why her occasional display of passion and affection could easily get him to surrender. It was the thrill of not knowing whether she'd be in the mood that attracted him so much. Too much reservedness on one hand, or wantonness on the other, would bore him.
Daisy then grabbed her briefcase and military cap, and went downstairs with a spring in her step. Usually, Mrs. Wu would not start making breakfast for Edward so early, so she had to get down there quickly to see what she could do.
"Good morning, Mrs. Mu." She heard someone greeting her the moment she got to the kitchen. Then she saw Mrs. Wu smiling kindly at her.
Good morning, Mrs. Wu. I was going to make Edward breakfast today." She got up earlier than usual today so there would be plenty of time for breakfast. She'd planned to go to the hospital later, so getting to the base was not a huge priority. It had been a long time since she last did the cooking herself, and she couldn't wait to cook Edward a simple breakfast now. It was just one of the ways she could show her love for him.
"Is Mr. Mu up yet? Why would he be so early today? Let me cook it for him then. You should eat first and get back to work. Otherwise, you will have to rush again later." Having seen Daisy as busy as a bee every day, Mrs. Wu was a bit worried about her.
It doesn't matter, I'm in no hurry today. Is Mark up yet?" asked Daisy, who opened the fridge to check on what they had. Given her limited time, she decided to make Edward a sandwich. Nice and simple.
"Yes. He's washing the car in the garden. He's such a nice boy, isn't he, Mrs. Mu?" replied Mrs. Wu. She didn't insist on helping her, for she was clever enough to guess that it was probably a way for the couple to deepen their relationship. So she instead stood by, watching with a smile.
"I agree, but he can be a bit impatient and even immature sometimes." Daisy responded. She took out some toast, eggs and ham, plus a piece of cheese. Pouring the oil expertly into the pan, she got down to making the omelets. While the egg was fried in the pan, she started to trim the crust off the toast before putting some slices of ham and cheese on it. And when the omelets were ready, she placed them on the top of other fillings, and under another piece of toast. From her proficiency and the way she dealt with details, one could tell that she made this meal quite often. In just a few minutes, a delicious and convenient breakfast was ready.
"He's still young, so that's exactly how he should be." Mrs. Wu had been watching her the whole time. Nodding, she looked at Daisy with appreciation in her eyes. From her point of view, few women were willing and able to cook nowadays, so she would really like to praise Daisy for being such a good woman. And she now adored her even more. Given her busy daily schedule, it surprised Mrs. Wu that she was so good at cooking. After all, Daisy struck her as someone of a high status, who could always order others to do things for her.
"Okay. I'm done now. But I can't guarantee how good this will taste," Daisy said, smiling shyly at Mrs. Wu. It was true that she often made this dish for Justin back at the army base when she was pressed for time. But after she got back with Edward and moved into the house, she never really got the chance to cook it again. So naturally, she was a bit rusty on it. It seemed that living in comfort made people lazy. It was always like that. You had to keep at something to keep doing it well.
"I bet it's delicious. I heard Mr. Mu coming down. Let's take it out now," said Mrs. Wu softly. She regarded Daisy like her own daughter, and could feel a connection with her. Because although Daisy could be aloof in some cases, she had a good nature, and would always treat the servants as equals.
Okay, Daisy answered. She sniffed at the sandwich while walking towards the door, and smiled contentedly when she found that it smelt good. After making some adjustments to make sure that it was perfectly plated up, she left the kitchen.
Sit down and have a bite, and tell me whether you like it or not. Smiling complacently, she placed the sandwich on the dinning room table and urged Edward to try it.