Old Madam Liu was sent directly to Liu"s Ancestral Mansion as soon as she was discharged from the hospital.
She needed more rest, so the doctor had advised her for a week of bed rest.
Thea saw this as an opportunity to get close to the old madam, so she filed a week"s leave to personally take care of her grandmother-in-law.
"Grandma, I made you some soup," Thea cheerfully announced as she entered Old Madam Liu"s room.
"You don"t need to bother. I already instructed my a.s.sistant to get me a private nurse, and she will arrive later today," Old Madam Liu blandly commented.
Thea sighed, but she still kept her smile on her face when she put down the soup and grabbed a chair.
Old Madam Liu"s eyebrows arched as she quickly said, "Just leave it there. I"m not a disabled person, I can eat on my own."
Thea tried her best to keep her smiling face and said, "Alright, grandma…. I"ll leave it here. Please eat it while it"s still warm. And in case you need anything else, please don"t hesitate to call me…"
That instant, something came up to Old Madam Liu"s mind. She stared at Thea and said, "I only need one thing, and it"s my grandson Zach. I will consider accepting you into the family if you can help me bring my grandson home. Don"t you have a history together and at one point were close with each other…?"
Thea bit her lip and murmured, "But Zach is a grown-up man. No one can actually push him into something unless it"s what he also wants…"
Old Madam Liu gave Thea a bitter smile and lamented, "As expected… What was I thinking to expect anything from you, anyway? Okay, you may leave now, and thank you for the soup. Next time, don"t bother yourself…"
Thea let out an awkward smile as she mused, "Wow, such an arrogant lady. How can she win her grandson over with that att.i.tude?"
Then she shrugged her shoulders and left the room. But she should at least try. After all the horrible things she had witnessed her entire life, sharp words really didn"t mean anything to her anymore. Thea smiled and whistled back into her room.
But she suddenly paused and quickly ran back to Old Madam Liu"s room. The latter, who was in the middle of heartily eating the soup Thea had prepared, was so startled.
"Can"t you at least knock!?" Old Madam Liu hissed. But Thea was unfazed. Instead, she was smiling widely as she noticed that the soup in the bowl was almost finished. "Oh, you like it! I will get you more, grandma if you want more…" Thea said energetically.
Old Madam Liu gave her a worn-out look as she murmured, "No… I don"t want anymore. I"m just hungry, so…"
Thea tried her best to hide her excitement and not to chuckle because of the conflicted look on Old Madam Liu"s face. The old madam looked as though she was caught in the act of doing something unpleasant as she tried to keep her uptight demeanor.
"What is it?" Old Madam Liu asked with an arched brow.
"I have a plan on getting Zach to stay here in the family… I think it will be effective… Zach has great sympathy when it comes to sick people, and not to mention, you are his real grandmother…" said Thea with a serious look on her face.
Old Madam Liu"s forehead creased as she listened to Thea"s suggestion…
"Alright, let"s do that…. If it succeeded, I would reward you generously," murmured Old Madam Liu after hearing Thea"s explanation. She would try everything to bring her grandson back to live with her under the same roof…
Thea"s lips twitched as she countered, "But I don"t need any rewards… You said you would consider accepting me into this family, and that"s the only thing that I want… For you to accept me as Jeru"s wife."
Old Madam Liu let out a loud scornful laughter as she sneered, "You really… I did not expect you to be this sly… Of course, to be accepted as a part of our family is the best reward among all. Anyway, we will try your plan, if Thom failed in persuading Zach to live here and to change his surname. He"s not a Lim. He"s a Liu! Until then, let"s put your plan as an alternative."
Thea"s face twisted as she turned around to leave when Old Madam Liu gestured for her to go with her hand.
She wondered if Keira would also stay with them once Zach agreed to become a Liu. Oh, how she hoped Keira would live with them at Liu"s Mansion too, so she would have an ally in bringing out the good in their cunning grandmother-in-law.
She believed her grandmother-in-law, who was infamous for being a terror to others, still had a kind and soft side in her heart. Especially after she had personally witnessed how tender the old madam was when she was hugging her grandson Zach.
"She just needs some tuning-up…" she murmured as she walked back into the kitchen to prepare more soup for her grandmother-in-law. But instead of bringing it to the old madam herself, she instructed one of their helpers to do it instead. She knew that a woman with that big of an ego such as Old Madam Liu would definitely just shoo her away.