CHAPTER 69: LEAH IS BACK

Watching her go upstairs, Luis revealed a meaningful smile.

This was exactly the effect he wanted. Even though the mission related to his sister-in-law hadn’t started yet, it was always good to prepare in advance and plan ahead. The key was to target her pain points and stimulate her.

"Hubby, morning! What are we eating?"

Not long after, Lily, having brushed her teeth and washed her face, came downstairs in her athletic wear. She hugged Luis from behind, looking very happy.

"Pig feed. You slept like a pig."

Luis turned his head and kissed her. Lily was both shy and delighted.

Just then, Nancy came downstairs and saw this scene. Her feelings were utterly mixed, and her gaze turned somewhat strange, as if lost in thought.

"Sister, please sit down. It’ll be ready to eat soon."

"Wow, seafood congee! Hubby, you’re amazing..."

"Stinky hubby, this braised pork intestine—I’m blindly guessing it’s from the stall at the very end of the market."

"So talkative. Help me get the bowls."

The stall at the very end of the market was the most expensive. Its location wasn’t great, but it had the best business because the taste was excellent. If you went too late, you’d almost certainly miss out.

Nancy sat on the sofa but had no idea what was playing on the TV. When she turned her head, she saw Luis and Lily talking intimately while both busied themselves with tasks, looking very happy.

The harmony of husband and wife preparing food together appeared especially affectionate. For a moment, Nancy felt dazed.

This should be what marriage is about... the most beautiful scene of a man and woman together out of love. Everything felt natural and ordinary, yet particularly pleasing to the eye.

"Sister, time to eat!"

Aside from a pot of seafood congee, there was also braised pork intestine, several types of pickles, and sliced salted duck eggs. For a home meal, it was quite lavish.

"Delicious! Hubby, you worked hard!"

Lily giggled while eating and then recommended, "Sister, try it! Luis’s congee is absolutely top-notch."

"Not bad!"

Nancy replied simply, but she also had a hearty appetite and ate more than usual. The strangest thing was that meals at her own home weren’t this lavish. Before she married, whether Ruth cooked or she did, they never paid this much attention to detail.

A glance into the kitchen revealed many different seasonings, suggesting that Luis wasn’t just cooking on a whim but had been doing it regularly.

"They’re here, they’re here!"

Just as they finished eating, the scrap collector arrived. Luis got up first to open the door.

"Lily, you take them upstairs. I’ll clear the table."

Luis then said, "Sister, please supervise. Sell everything, including those air conditioners..."

"Including the air conditioners??"

Even Lily was startled.

"Those old air conditioners are inefficient and consume too much electricity. They definitely need to go. Saving a little money isn’t worth the high electricity bills."

Luis pointed toward the master bedroom. "Even Mom’s needs to be replaced."

Nancy thought for a moment and, unusually, offered proactively, "Luis, you and Lily go handle your things. I’ll clear the table and wash the dishes."

Luis, while clearing the table, stopped her and said with a smile, "Sister, you go with Lily. Deal with that pile of junk yourselves. Just remember one thing: empty all the rooms for me."

"Hubby, you’re the best!"

Lily was overjoyed and gave Luis a kiss.

Nancy’s eyes sparkled with eager excitement. It was clear how much the three sisters detested those junk items.

Luis continued humming a little tune while doing household chores. The two sisters went upstairs with the scrap collector. Nancy couldn’t help but ask, "Lily, does he do housework at home too?"

"Why wouldn’t he?"

Lily was momentarily stunned, then understood what was going on. She snorted. "Sister and Mom are just biased against him. I know it."

"Mom hasn’t done laundry in years. When I’m tired or on my period, Luis does the housework. Last time during the big cleanup upstairs, even wiping the hallway was his job."

"He didn’t go into your room or little sister’s out of respect for you. Why does Sister think my husband has so many flaws?"

In reality, it only happened once or twice a year, but the more Lily thought about it, the happier she felt. Whether compared to the old Luis or that good-for-nothing brother-in-law of hers, the current Luis was definitely a good man.

"I... I didn’t mean it like that!"

For the first time, Nancy felt a bit embarrassed in front of her.

"First, clear out all that stuff. Have little sister come back and pack her own things."

After saying this, Luis went out. Nancy’s eyes held a touch of soft affection. "He’s specifically going to pick little sister up too?"

Lily said with a proud smile, "Luis has always been very considerate and respectful. He said last night that little sister has grown up, and we need to respect her privacy too."

"I really couldn’t tell before!"

Nancy was slightly surprised. Almost against her will, she couldn’t help but compare her brother-in-law to her own husband.

Her previous sense of superiority, the reasons she had looked down on this brother-in-law—all seemed like prejudice and ignorance now.

Actually, Leah could have come back on her own by now, but to be more considerate and also to have a bit of couple time, Luis specifically went to pick her up. Mainly because asking for leave required Luis, as her guardian, to do it.

"Brother in law!"

Leah already knew about this through Whatsapp. As soon as she left the school gate, she cautiously asked, "Brother in law, what reason did you give for asking for leave?"

"I told the teacher that your eldest sister’s husband was in a car accident..."

"You’re so mean."

In the taxi, she felt a bit shy. After returning to the community, they kept running into people, and as a result, there wasn’t a single chance for them to be alone. Luis was extremely frustrated.

They worked hard all afternoon, disposing of all the junk Ruth couldn’t bear to throw away. They also got rid of the old furniture from all three rooms, practically clearing out the entire second floor.

It wasn’t until 5 p.m. that Ruth, having finished playing cards, hurried back first.

The entire second floor was completely cleared out and felt very empty. The two small rooms looked much more spacious. Ruth couldn’t help but sigh.

The fierce mother-in-law frowned and couldn’t resist asking, "You all have too much free time. Why did you hire people instead of just cleaning it yourselves?"

The housekeeping company had sent four people who were cleaning all the rooms, including the bathroom. The three Wood sisters were holed up in the master bedroom chatting. Ruth naturally found it hard to accept.

"Mom, it was Luis who told us not to do it."

Lily said cautiously, "He said deep cleaning requires professionals from a housekeeping company and told us not to get our hands dirty, that the weather is too hot and we shouldn’t exhaust ourselves."

Nancy also said cheerfully, "Mom, our brother-in-law is doting on his wife, and we’re benefiting from it too."

"Mom, you’re back!"

Just then, Luis walked in from outside, holding a box of fruit platter. He said with a smile, "Perfect timing to have some fruit. It’s so hot today."

"Long live my husband!"

"Long live brother-in-law!"

The deluxe fruit platter contained not only chilled watermelon but also premium-grade cherries, milk strawberries, and other expensive items.

Ruth felt heartache seeing it and said, "Son-in-law, this must have cost quite a bit. You’re spoiling them too much."

"Eldest sister, I specially picked out a box of the best strawberry for you."

Luis also took out a box of durian.

"Thank you..."

Nancy took it, feeling a bit surprised. She didn’t know how her brother-in-law found out she loved strawberry. Come to think of it, Daniel always complained that strawberry was expensive and didnt taste good. He never bought it for her and didn’t allow her to eat it at home.

The mother and her four daughters ate the fruit. Looking at this beautiful scene where each had her own charms—some plump, some slender—Luis felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He secretly vowed to turn this home into his den of debauchery... ahem, his harem.

"Mom, we’ll split into two groups tonight."

Luis made orderly arrangements, "You three go take measurements and then pick out new furniture at the furniture mall."

After thinking for a moment, Nancy suddenly said, "Mom, since Lily and the others are moving into the master bedroom, why not break down the partition between the two small rooms? That way, the other room will be bigger too."

"Why?"

Ruth was somewhat surprised.

Even sensible Leah said, "Eldest sister, after clearing out the stuff, my room is plenty big. If we break down the wall, there will only be one room left. It wouldn’t be convenient for you when you come back to stay after arguing with brother-in-law in the future."

"Pfft, I rarely come back. Now that I am back, I mostly sleep with Mom anyway, so there’s no need to specially keep a room for me."

Nancy said with a smile, "If needed, I can just sleep with you!"

"These two small rooms are only separated by a wooden board. There’s no soundproofing at all. You can hear every word of a phone call clearly. There’s really no need for it."

Ruth felt somewhat conflicted. Initially, the knockoff renovation upstairs was done so that each daughter could have her own room. Although she was controlling and unreasonable, at least she had awareness in this aspect.