CHAPTER 353: CHAPTER 353 THE NATIONAL TREASURE IS NOT EASY TO BE (2)_1

Scarlett Taylor walked toward the dining room, ready to serve dinner for her daughter and son-in-law.

A moment later, the three of them sat down at the table.

Scarlett then placed a bowl of stewed soup in front of Julia Bluen, smiling with concern as she said, "Julia, this is pigeon and shiitake mushroom soup, a nourishing broth for pregnant women. Mom specially made it for you. Mom knows what’s good for pregnant women, so from now on, you should come back twice a day, and Mom will make you soup. The temperature is just right. Drink it quickly before your meal; soup should be drunk first."

She had gone shopping with Mila Anderson that morning and had bought many tonic ingredients for stews. She planned to prepare nourishing soup for Julia Bluen twice a day to ensure the baby in Julia’s belly would grow up healthy.

Upon hearing her mother’s words, Julia Bluen quickly exchanged glances with Glades Horne. Glades’s eyes were full of concern; he was ready to bring her back to the Bluen Family for soup every day if that was what she wanted.

Julia’s gaze was a mix of helplessness and complaint.

Heavens, twice a day, and that’s just from my own mother! If my mother-in-law also insists on twice a day, then I’ll be drinking soup all day long without needing to eat any meals.

How can a woman’s treatment undergo a complete three-hundred-and-sixty-degree turn just because she’s pregnant?

"Mom, there’s no need. I mean, this pregnancy is brand new, isn’t it? I can’t even feel its presence yet. There’s no need for such intensive nourishment so soon. So, Mom, please don’t go to all this trouble." Julia sipped the soup in small sips, still carefully trying to decline her mother’s offer.

As soon as Scarlett heard this, she immediately responded, "How is this troublesome? I’m idle at home with nothing to do anyway, so it’s perfect for me to have something to keep me busy. It’s not troublesome at all. Oh, right, now that you’re pregnant, for the baby’s sake, you should stop working for now. Staring at a computer all day isn’t good either."

This latter part was what Mila Anderson had asked Scarlett Taylor to convey. Mila wanted Julia Bluen to stay home and rest during her pregnancy. Julia felt that since she had only recently become pregnant—still three or four days shy of a month—she could still work and didn’t need to start staying home right away. And Glades, being an indulgent husband who would never go against his wife’s wishes (if his wife said east, he would absolutely not go west), meant Mila could only seek help from Scarlett Taylor. As a mother herself, Scarlett also had her daughter’s and the unborn child’s best interests at heart, and she knew that computer radiation indeed affected the fetus.

Once Mila suggested it, Scarlett immediately agreed.

You’ve got to be kidding me!

Julia’s short hair practically stood on end, which, admittedly, looked somewhat amusing.

Neither my mother-in-law nor my own mother wants me to work.

"Julia, your mom is right. Being in front of the computer for long periods isn’t good," Glades Horne suddenly chimed in.

Julia immediately shot him a look.

So, both moms are against me working, and he’s joining in too?

Glades Horne blinked his deep-set eyes, his gaze silently telling her, Honey, what I’m saying is just the truth!

"Mom, I’m fine. I’ll try to use the computer as little as possible," Julia reassured her mother, firmly disagreeing with staying home for prenatal care right now.

Pregnancy lasts ten months, not just a day or two! If I start staying home for prenatal care now and do it for nine whole months, how will I ever endure it?

"I’ll have someone else handle matters that require a computer. It’s possible for me to avoid direct contact with them," Julia said, having found a solution. For the baby’s sake, I need to be careful about radiation too.

Glades Horne then pursed his lips and fell silent.

Scarlett opened her mouth as if to say something but ultimately said nothing.

My youngest daughter has never been one for a pampered life, Scarlett thought. Besides, the solution she proposed is feasible. The baby is hers, after all; she’ll undoubtedly be more concerned and careful than anyone.

Therefore, Scarlett didn’t push the issue of work any further with Julia. In Scarlett’s mind, Julia was opinionated, accustomed to her independence, and also stubborn. Once she decided on something, not even nine oxen could change her mind.

"Drink more. Finish this whole bowl of soup," Scarlett kept urging Julia.

Julia’s eyes widened at the words.

Just then, as if summoned by the tension, another interruption occurred.

Mila Anderson was calling again.

When Julia saw the incoming call was from the Horne Family, she knew it was her mother-in-law. She quickly answered. She had barely pressed the answer button when Mila Anderson’s worried voice came through, "Julia, what’s going on? Why haven’t you arrived home yet? Did something happen on the road? Are you okay?"

"Mom, I’m fine. We’ll be home soon," Julia said, forcing a smile to reassure her mother-in-law. She was telling a white lie. Her mother-in-law would surely be displeased to learn she had gone to her parents’ house first to have her mother’s soup, so she didn’t want Mila to know.

"That’s good. Tell Wade Coleman to drive carefully; my precious grandchild is in your belly, after all! Everyone knows by now and is absolutely thrilled. Those boys have brought back a ton of gifts. Your aunts—Second Aunt, Third Aunt, and your father’s sisters—are all here too. Basically, you need to get home safely and smoothly." Mila’s words made Julia break out in a sweat.

Everyone knows?

Well, it figures. In a large family like the Hornes, good news or bad, word travels incredibly fast.

"Yes, Mom, I will. Please don’t worry," Julia said. After a few more words, she hung up.

Looking up, she saw Glades Horne’s awkward gaze. She blinked her almond-shaped eyes, then stood up nonchalantly and said to Scarlett, "Mom, my mother-in-law is urging us back, so we’d better get going."

Glades stood up too, his lips pressed even tighter. He kept his eyes downcast, looking as if he were hiding something from Julia and felt embarrassed about it.

Mila Anderson had gone shopping with Scarlett Taylor and had bought twice as much as Scarlett. Scarlett, of course, footed the bill. They were family, after all, and everything was for Julia. Since Scarlett had more money than she knew what to do with, she was very generous about paying for Mila’s items.

Hearing Julia’s words, Scarlett wasn’t surprised at all. Seeing that Julia had drunk about half the bowl of soup, she felt somewhat satisfied. At least her daughter had come to her parents’ house first and had drunk the soup she, as a mother, had personally stewed.

"Alright then, you two should head back. Julia, you haven’t even touched your food. Why don’t you eat something before you go?" Scarlett stood up. Suddenly realizing Julia hadn’t taken a single bite of her meal, she couldn’t help but try to persuade her again.