Chapter 141
The first day of the weekend was going splendidly for Morwennå, her heart fluttering with a tiny leap of joy. It was her first time being smitten with someone, seeing and feeling only him in her heart and mind.
It didn’t matter to her that Stuart wasn’t responding; just a small acknowledgment from him could keep her happy for hours. Unfortunately, she was unaware that often reality was quite different from what she perceived.
By the time the two of them returned to Hetfield’s Homestead, the sky had already darkened. Stuart led the way, while Morwenna, laden with a mishmash of shopping bags, followed behind.
Norbert watched the scene with a slightly raised eyebrow, pondering if the two had gone out shopping.
“Has the lad finally come to his senses?” he wondered silently.
Looking around, Morwenna noticed that only Norbert was in the grand hall; the rest of the Hetfield family was busy elsewhere. Phineas and Sabrina were tied up with work, Yara was busy out, shopping or at the beauty salon, and her husband rarely visited. The younger. generation consisted of two cousins; one was woking at Hetfield Group and the other was still in sixth grade. Yara’s four daughters were all enrolled in various dance and piano classes over the summer break.
So, most of the time, the mansion was quiet, occupied only by Norbert.
Suddenly, Morwenna felt a pang of sympathy for Norbert, alone in the vast, silent house.
“Norbert, I’m back!” she called out with enthusiasm, breaking the quiet.
Norbert, usually stern, replied with a rare touch of lightness, “Stuart, lad, making a lady carry all the bags, where are your manners?”
Stuart paused mid–step on the stairs.
Jumping to his defense, Morwenna cut in, “Norbert, I insisted on hauling them myself. I’ve got more muscle than I look; 1 could even lift Stuart if I had to!”
At this, Stuart was speechless, and Norbert couldn’t help but chuckle.
Realizing her faux pas, Morwenna quickly changed the subject, “Oh, I need to check on the malt in the kitchen; it should be ready by
now.”
She dropped her bags and hurried to the kitchen. Indeed, the malt had grown nicely and was ready for making malt syrup the next day. Morwenna washed her hands and began soaking some glutinous rice and corn for the syrup. It needed to soak for several hours before she could steam it the next morning. Making malt syrup was a lengthy process.
After she was done, Morwenna returned to find that Stuart had gone upstairs and Norbert had resumed his reading.
Morwenna approached him, plucked the book from his hands, and declared spiritedly, “Norbert, too much reading is bad for the eyes. Come on, let’s go to the yard. I’ve got some baby spinach sprouting. What vegetables do you like? We can buy some seeds and plant them in the garden.”
Without waiting for a response, she pulled Norbert toward the yard.
With permission, Morwenna had taken over a small section of the Hetfield Homestead’s garden and planted various vegetables there. She was always bursting with energy, even when she barely had time to sleep, she remembered to water her plants.
Showing off the tender spinach shoots, she boasted, “Norbert, look how great they’re doing! I’ve been gardening since I was five. Back in the mountains, the old folks used to say I grew the biggest and best veggies.”
“Indeed, they’re looking good,” Norbert replied, a touch of pity in his voice for the hardships she had endured, yet never complained
about.
Then, taking charge, Morwenna suggested, “Norbert, why don’t you start weeding this small plot while I loosen up the soil? It’s all empty here. What do you think about planting some tomatoes and peppers?”