Wrong marriage and sweet love (Joyce and Luther)

Chapter 1981: Meteor Shower

Chapter 1981: Meteor Shower

It was time for dinner.

Today, with Mrs. Hurley's assistance, Cecelia had prepared a sumptuous meal, filling the entire dining table.

Cecelia smiled and said, "Elsa cooks at a five-star level, and I just lent a hand today. Try it, everyone."

Mrs. Hurley came forward and placed Joyce's postpartum meal in front of her. "Miss, this is your confinement meal."

Joyce nodded. "Thank you."

Looking around and noticing that the other maids were not present, she asked, "Mrs. Hurley, won't you join us for dinner? Where are the other ladies? What about Jane? Shouldn't we all dine together?" This is property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

Mrs. Hurley replied politely, "We had our staff meal an hour ago. Thank you for your concern, Miss."

Joyce hesitated. "I'm not that formal. You don't have to be so restrained. Let's all sit down together and have a meal. It's more lively with everyone."

"Miss, it's not appropriate. There are rules to follow, and they must be adhered to. I'll excuse myself." With that, Mrs. Hurley respectfully left the dining room, leaving Joyce feeling a bit embarrassed, as she was, after all, family.

Cecelia reassured her, "It's alright, let's follow the rules. They've already finished their staff meal an hour ago and take turns eating and taking care of the children. Elsa will have a schedule prepared for these few days."

"Alright," Joyce shrugged. Despite being accustomed to being served, she realized that she couldn't be overly familiar. This was the way it had to be.

Luther sensed Joyce's thoughts and gently patted her hand. "Don't overthink it; their main task is to take care of you and the children."

"Mm," Joyce agreed.

At that moment, Anderson commented, "Ivy, who took care of me before, was quite nice. It's been a while since I last saw her, and I find myself missing her a bit."

Following the destruction of the Warner residence and the increase in family matters, Joyce had Ivy return to the Capital for safety reasons and had generously compensated her.

"Anderson, do you want me to call Ivy back?" Joyce inquired.

"No need, I was just thinking. I'm all grown up now; I don't need someone to look after me. Besides, there are so many people at home now. It's the younger brothers who need care," Anderson shook his head.

Alisha chimed in, "I don't need anyone to take care of me; I'm all grown up. I can even look after my younger brothers."

Cecelia ruffled Alisha's head. "That's right, Alisha is the most capable! Alisha is the best."

Alisha grinned happily.

"I'll start eating," Alisha said eagerly. She picked up a crab leg pastry with her chopsticks. "I want to try this; it looks delicious."

Taking a large bite, her mouth full, she mumbled, "So tasty!"

Everyone began their meal.

After trying her confinement meal, Joyce wrinkled her nose. "Why is my dish so bland? How about yours?"

"Ours are fine, well-seasoned, with a perfect balance of flavors," Luther replied.

Joyce raised an eyebrow; Luther's picky eating habits were widely known. If even he praised the food, then it must really be good. But why was her dish so bland?

"I'll try yours," Joyce said, attempting to pick something from the other dishes on the table with her chopsticks.

Cecelia stopped her. "Don't. It's different. Your dish is specially prepared, with a milder taste. As a new mother, your body needs to recover, and the food you eat is different from ours. Lighter is better."

Joyce mused to herself.

Goodness, was she supposed to be in confinement or being mistreated? All these unfair treatments, not allowed to go out, not allowed to work, only allowed to sleep. Even the food was bland and tasteless. She felt like crying.

"Hang in there," Luther comforted her. "It's all for your own good."

Inwardly cursing, Joyce reluctantly finished her confinement meal, which included fish soup, red bean soup, mushroom red date congee, pork liver congee, shrimp and radish stew, and so on. Despite having a main course and a dessert of snow fungus swallow's nest, it all looked exquisite, but the taste was truly insipid. She longed for something flavorful but was out of luck.

As dinner concluded, Joyce said, "I'm done. Take your time."

She left the dining table early, unable to watch them enjoy the meal while she struggled to finish hers. She decided to retreat to her room.

Luther set down his chopsticks and followed Joyce back to their room.

Holding her from behind, he lifted her up. "I'll carry you to bed."

Noticing her unhappy expression, he chuckled. "What's wrong? You seem unhappy."

"Would you be happy eating such things? And for a whole month!!" Joyce was extremely discontented. "It's either soup or congee, tasteless and lacking texture. It's so awful."

Luther leaned down and kissed her softly, soothing her. "Endure it; the first week's diet is strict. I've seen the menu; it mainly consists of soft foods because your stomach and spleen are weak after giving birth, needing easy-to-digest food. By the second week, quality protein will be added, and by the third and fourth weeks, you can have a bit more salt, other than avoiding spicy foods, the rest of the menu is similar to ours."

"Alright," Joyce's mood finally improved. "You finished eating so quickly? Do you need to go back to the table for more? Remember, you need to take care of yourself too."

Luther pinched her nose. "My precious, your happiness is the most important."

Joyce pushed him away impatiently. "Go eat. Let me down; I can walk on my own."

Luther carried her to the edge of the bed and set her down. "Just teasing; I've already eaten. I'll stay with you."

He climbed onto the bed, enveloping her in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder.

Snuggling against him, Joyce sighed. "It's so boring, if every day is like this. From the moment I wake up, I count the hours, one by one, until it's time to sleep at night. It's mind-numbing just thinking about it."

"Foolish girl, when Wilson and Cullen return, you won't have such peaceful days. You should cherish these last few days of rest," Luther pointed out.

"Oh right," Joyce's eyes lit up. How could she forget that once the children came home from the incubator, she'd be busy immediately and possibly overwhelmed with tasks.

"There's a meteor shower tonight at nine. It's a rare phenomenon that happens once in a century," Luther suddenly mentioned.

"A meteor shower?" Joyce was surprised. "Why would you take me outside to see it at night? You should take the children instead."

"From the rooftop of the house, we can watch it there. I'll be with you," Luther smiled, pulling her closer.