"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 th

  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!