That's not what I meant. Let's head to the dining room." Leena smiled resignedly. What was done was done. Stressing herself out wouldn't change a thing.
Then she and Kevin sauntered into the dining room. Everybody else was seated, apparently waiting for them. Heads turned to them as they entered.
"Hi Leena. Have a seat. We've been waiting." Shannon waved to her and pointed to the chair right beside her.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Leena said with an apologetic smile. The soup had taken a long time to make, so she felt that everyone might be impatient. You could almost hear their stomachs growling.
"It's okay. Now that you're here --" Shannon picked up her spoon and dipped it in the soup. Shannon spooned up some soup, put it to her mouth and blew on it to cool it off. She couldn't wait to taste it.
"How is it? Is it good?" Leena asked nervously. Salmon head soup with asparagus was her favorite. She had that dish a lot when she was living in S City. Seeds of Chinese prickly ash and hot peppers were two spices of the dish. Leena thought those things were delicious, and the soup kept her warm on cold days like this. It should do the same for her family as well. But it took awhile to bring out the flavor of the fish. That was why she had stayed so long in the kitchen.
"Yeah, this is amazing. Hot and spicy, just the way I like it. You're a great cook -- did you have any formal schooling?" Shannon asked, quite pleased to find another thing she liked about her daughter-in-law. Leena proved that she was polite and modest, and now she showed that she was able to take care of Kevin and the family. Shannon was more convinced than ever that Leena was the right woman for Kevin.
"A little. I took some cooking classes in Paris. I was tired of Western food and really missed Chinese food, so I had to learn to cook it myself. Western food has a lot of things I'm not fond of, like butter, cream, cheese, and milk. It makes you feel heavy after eating it," Leena answered politely. Cooking lessons had been just a whim at first, but she really took to them, and found she liked them a lot. She went to every class. While she wasn't a master chef, she still did really well at the everyday dishes that people usually ate.
"Hah! Like I believe that," Claire sneered. No one was paying her any heed, because Leena had become the center of attention. She hated it.
"Good for you. Young people should take time to learn new things," Shannon interjected, ignoring what Claire said, like she hadn't even heard it at all.
"Leena, have some of this. You should eat more," Kevin said to Leena. He had listened to the conversation quietly for a while. He heard Claire too, loud and clear, but he chose to ignore her sarcastic words as well. 'Maybe she'll get bored and stop it if no one says anything to her,' Kevin thought.
"Okay, Kevin, that's enough," Leena said. "This is way too much to eat." Leena's bowl was nearly full and Kevin was still putting more food in it, almost as if he were afraid she'd waste away before his eyes. She looked at Kevin, feeling awkward. There was no way she could eat all that.
"No rush, then. Eat it slowly." Kevin smiled gently. He just wanted her to eat more and be fit. She was skinny.
"Kevin, why don't you dish up some food for Louisa too?" Claire said acidly. "She's our guest. Where are your manners?" Watching the cute back and forth between Kevin and Leena, Claire was filled with disgust and anger and couldn't help opening her mouth again. No matter what Leena did, it was never good enough.
"She's your guest, not mine. Do it yourself," Kevin replied indifferently. He had never liked Louisa. After what had happened yesterday, he hated her even more.
"But she's the commander's daughter. She's your guest too," Claire protested, feeling anxious. If Kevin kept freezing Louisa out, her and Louisa's scheme would fail before it even got off the ground.
"Leave me out of this. She's here as your friend, not as the daughter of the commander. She's your guest. You take care of her," Kevin said ruthlessly, taking a firm stance. At this point, he didn't care if he hurt Louisa's feelings or not.
"Claire, Louisa is your guest, and your responsibility, just as Leena is Kevin's." Shannon rolled her eyes at Claire. Her mother knew exactly what Claire was up to. But she would not allow Claire to break Kevin and Leena up as long as she was still alive!
Leena isn't a guest. Why does she need to be taken care of? You're just making excuses." Ever since Leena showed up, Claire felt less and less important. They ignored her more often, and she was not happy about it.
"Whoever comes to our house for the first time is our guest. So naturally, Leena is your brother's guest and Louisa yours. What's so hard about that?" Shannon stared at Louisa calmly, thinking that she should be able to sense Shannon's annoyance and back off. But she was headstrong -- would it work?
Wisely, Leena said nothing, and kept eating quietly. She knew Claire was practically blowing steam out of her ears, so she stayed out of it. She didn't want to be the target of Claire's ire any more than she already was.
Louisa sat there silently, not knowing what to do. She understood Shannon's words all too well, but desire overwhelmed her. She pretended to not be involved, and just sat there with her head lowered, eating. The food tasted like wax, but she didn't dare to meet Shannon's gaze -- those sharp eyes could humble her in an instant.
The mood was awkward and depressing, now. Everyone was thinking about something, but didn't want to broach the subject. Louisa asked to be excused first, because she decided discretion was the better part of valor and couldn't take Shannon's glowering anymore. She felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles, and needed some air.
"You did it deliberately, didn't you?" Louisa had been seeking an opportunity to confront Leena again. Now that she saw Leena alone in the yard, she practically ran to her to do that.
"Miss Ye, what are you talking about? What did I do deliberately?" Leena asked. She was stuffed, so she went outside to take a walk and digest her food. But surprise! Louisa was right there and in her face.
"Don't play dumb! You ran off yesterday to get Auntie upset. You're just an attention whore!" Louisa had always been pushy. It was who she was.
"No, Miss Ye, that wasn't why I ran off. Not everyone has a hidden agenda like you do. Just because you're evil doesn't mean everyone else is," Leena retorted coldly with her chin up. She wasn't a bully, but she wasn't going to let Louisa push her around either.
"Ha, I'm evil? Then you're Satan himself! I've heard that you and Kevin got married in a hurry. Let me guess: you slept with him and there is a baby on the way?" One point for Louisa. She touched a nerve there. She intended to keep digging. Leena was beside herself with embarrassment.
"So what? At least he is willing to sleep with me." As much as she was humiliated, Leena didn't lose her nerve to counterattack. She knew what she had just said would hit Louisa hard. She would be jealous and irritated.
"Oh my God! I'm right, aren't I? You really seduced him and forced him to marry you?" Louisa stared at Leena, wide-eyed in astonishment. She really said it, and was so deadpan!