Ge Yafan felt like a lightbulb. The two lovebirds were in their little world. She shook her head with an amused smile and quietly left the room to give them some s.p.a.ce. Who knows, maybe they"ll confirm a little bun would be coming some time soon...If not, it could give them a good chance to start "baking" again.
She went downstairs to monitor how breakfast was going so far. Luckily, it was a Sunday and there was still time for brunch. She might"ve retreated to the peaceful countryside to live her days in peace, but that didn"t mean she didn"t enjoy a good socialite-style breakfast.
Grabbing a cast-iron pan, she decided to begin cooking some garlic truffle b.u.t.ter mushrooms. She saw her grandson had cooked all sorts of Asian cuisine breakfast filled with nutrition. He meticulously planned every dish, so that this would be a well-balanced meal.
Ge Yafan wondered where her grandson could have learned to woo women like this. The saying, "The best way to a man"s heart is through his stomach," can also be applied to women. And so far, he was succeeding.
"Cuddle me." Yang Feng demanded when she was finally able to place him to bed. She had tucked him into the bed and everything, but now he was asking for her to be his teddy bear.
Zhao Lifei thought he was joking until she turned around and was met with his intense, burning stare. He was as serious as a person could get. "I thought you didn"t like that because it bothered your tent."
"Never." He grunted, reaching an arm out of the bed and using it as a leverage to haul her to him. He was never going to tell her this, but he only had good nights of sleep when she was around. There was something about her that put him at ease and comfort. All of his worries and stress flew away when she was securely beside him, with her head resting upon his chest.
"Are you sure?" She worriedly asked, sitting down on the bed.
"I already had a cold shower this morning. I will be fine." He lied to her, knowing d.a.m.n well that he was going to endure another one after he woke up from his nap.
Zhao Lifei really couldn"t resist teasing him. He looked so tortured by everything she did, she wondered how far she could push him to his limits. She bent down and in a sultry voice, whispered. "If you behave and get a decent power-nap, maybe you won"t have a cold shower in the afternoon."
His eyes rapidly closed.
She blinked. Biting on her bottom lip, she had to use all of her willpower to not laugh at his automatic reaction. Maybe she had truly teased him too much in the past.
Zhao Lifei planned to keep him in the house for as long as possible. He needed his sleep, or else his immune system would become weak and in the worst-case scenario, he would catch a cold. She didn"t want him to overexert his body, especially if he wanted a soccer team of children… Idiot. That was too much for her to healthily handle. She decided to give him no more than three.
She waited by his bedside for a while until his breathing finally stabilized. Even so, she continued to gently run her fingers through his hair for a little longer, until he was truly asleep. Then she bent down and kissed him on the forehead, as he always did to her. "Sleep well, Fengfeng." Pressing her lips one last time on his cheek, she raised from the bed and began to get ready for the day.
"I a.s.sume I am guaranteed a great-grandchild within nine months?" Ge Yafan said the minute Zhao Lifei came downstairs, fully showered and dressed. She was wearing a white top with a diagonal chiffon layer and loose, black slacks.
Zhao Lifei suppressed the heat growing on her face, "No comment." She said, her eyes wandering over the dishes on the table. She was practically salivating. "Did you cook all of this? It looks divine."
"Well, I only cooked toast and mushrooms. Your husband did all of the remaining work." Ge Yafan had a way of speaking that didn"t make her sound too old-fas.h.i.+oned. She lived deep in the countryside for a while, all by herself and without the help of a servant. It was a wonder how she was able to behave as she did in her youth. Elegance was not a front for her, it ran in her blood.
Zhao Lifei"s heart melted at his actions. "Did he eat breakfast yet?" She wondered out loud, beginning to eye-pick out his favorite dishes. He didn"t like a lot of food and she was having a hard time deciding.
"Yes, he did, but he eats too little, like most youngsters these days." Ge Yafan seemed to have the same ideas as Zhao Lifei. They could always have the servants cook up something once he wakes up, but he was very picky about everything he ate. Generally, he would cook for himself.
"He cooked all of my favorite dishes." Zhao Lifei finally said after the two stood there for a minute, deciding on what to place in the fridge. "I"ll make him his favorite dishes once we"re done eating." She wasn"t sure what he liked to eat, but the last time she cooked for him, he seemed to thoroughly enjoy the food...he even ate her pathetic and sad little desserts. She shuddered at the memory and decided pancakes were off the list. No one wants to eat hockey pucks [1] for brunch.
"Where are you heading to after this meal?" Ge Yafan approached the table and Zhao Lifei came forward, pulled the chair out and helped Ge Yafan sit down.
"I was thinking of visiting the gynecologist." Zhao Lifei respectfully said, pus.h.i.+ng the chair in for Ge Yafan.
Silently, Ge Yafan could tell why Zhao Moyao spoke so highly of his trophy granddaughter. Aside from her messy-bed appearance, she was very good at being mindful of her manners. She supposed all those years of teaching didn"t go to waste.
Everything about how Zhao Lifei behaved, felt...genuine. Unlike the many spoiled princesses she had encountered, Zhao Lifei"s behavior was refres.h.i.+ng. She did show signs of being doted upon, but Ge Yafan only had her grandson to blame for.
Ge Yafan didn"t forget Zhao Lifei"s kind gestures towards her when she was selling vegetables at the stand. It was nice playing the act of a typical village-grandmother, but at times, she was lonely in her little village.
No one knew her previous background there and she kept it fully concealed. She always knew people were watching over her. In the beginning, when she escaped all by herself, Zhao Moyao came to her aid. He offered her a place to live her days in peaceful silence, far away from the noisy city life.
She wondered why he was so generous to her because after all, the fox didn"t do favors out of the kindness of his heart. She finally got her response when he came knocking on her door a couple of days ago.
Ge Yafan fumed inside of her head. He was indeed very sly and cunning, so much so, that he had already predicted the dethroning of Yang Mujian would"ve occurred sooner or later.
She realized the only reason he helped her was that, legally, she still had shares in Yang Enterprise and they were stored with her attorney. Yang Mujian was too weak-hearted to give her shares to anyone else, thus, allowed her to keep it, without knowing whether she was alive or not.
Ge Yafan guessed a part of him was desperately holding on to a sliver of hope that she was not dead…
Ge Yafan still had the scarf that Zhao Lifei gave her a while ago. It was well taken care of and stored somewhere safe. Ever since her first encounter with Zhao Lifei, Ge Yafan knew exactly who this woman was. It was hard to miss Zhao Lifei"s resemblance to Zhao Moyao. The only difference was that one of them knew how to be naturally kind, whereas the latter only knew artificial kindness.
"Matriarch Ge…?" Zhao Lifei called out when she realized the grandmother was s.p.a.cing out. Neither of them had touched their utensils yet.
Ge Yafan blinked before picking up her chopsticks. She took a bite of the food and said, "Pardon me. I was just daydreaming." She watched Zhao Lifei finally pick up her chopsticks now that the eldest at the table had gotten the first bite.
A well-bred child...indeed. Zhao Moyao raised her right. Speaking of him, she couldn"t help but sigh inside her head. He had a lot of explaining to do towards his granddaughter and she wasn"t sure if Zhao Lifei could ever forgive him for his actions. When the truth was at last revealed, nothing could prevent the old fox from finally being caught in his own trap.