Out for a Walk

Every so often, Lin Hai would call toward the living room, "Mom! Where did you put the dark soy sauce?" Or, "Mom! Come taste this dish and see if it's right!"

Whenever that happened, Mother Lin would temporarily pause her chat with Gwen, answer him, rise to her feet, and hurry into the kitchen.

But she clearly did not want to neglect Gwen, who was formally visiting for the first time. Every time she left the living room, she would push her son from the kitchen toward it, muttering, "Go on, go on. Keep Gwen company. Don't leave the poor girl sitting there all by herself."

So Lin Hai could only return to the living room in his apron and sit beside Gwen.

While Mother Lin was helping in the kitchen and could not hear what they were saying outside, Lin Hai looked at Gwen, sounding a little embarrassed. "Gwen... my mom, the way she's acting today... uh, being especially enthusiastic... she's really not normally like this. When you came over with Peter and Harry last time, you saw it too. She's usually more... normal..."

Seeing how he seemed to want to say something but held back, Gwen could not help letting out a soft laugh. Like sunlight, it instantly chased away the unease in Lin Hai's heart.

Although Lin Hai had phrased it vaguely, how could Gwen, with her intelligence, fail to understand what he meant?

She smiled and said lightly, "Don't worry. I think Auntie is wonderful like this, really adorable. It means she likes me a lot, and that makes me very happy."

After hearing Gwen's reply, Lin Hai let out a long breath, relief spreading across his face. "That's good. That's good!"

After a pause, he added, "But if there's really anything you're not used to,