What kind of fruit is this?
It’s sour and sweet. It’s delicious!
After finishing half a plate, Owen walked to the kitchen door and looked at Evie.
“Evie, what fruit is this? It tastes great!”
“Cherry tomatoes!” Evie said.
“Cherry tomatoes? Never heard of them called that!” Owen muttered.
“They’re just tomatoes. Full of vitamins. Good for your skin.”
When Evie mentioned skin, Owen almost choked.
Why call them cherry tomatoes?
“Are you sure these are tomatoes?” Owen asked, hesitant.
“Blanch them. Sprinkle with sugar. Chill them in the fridge. That’s how you serve them.” Evie explained.
Owen could only laugh and shake his head.
He’d eaten half a plate, only to realize he’d been eating a vegetable as a fruit. A vegetable he never usually touched.
Forget it.
Who cares if they’re tomatoes?
They’re cherry tomatoes now.
After all, they’re still tomatoes.
Owen ate a few more.
By the time Alexander got home from work, Evie had all the dishes prepped. She just needed to stir-fry them.
“Evie—”
Evie turned around. She saw Alexander and smiled. “You’re back. I’m just about to cook. Go chat with Owen for a bit. Dinner will be ready soon.”
“Wait. I’ll help you.” Alexander said.
“No, no. Go keep your friend company. I can handle this myself. You two talk. I promise I won’t interrupt.” Evie insisted again.
“You’re the hostess here. You don’t need to promise anything.” Alexander smiled and pinched Evie’s cheek. “Take your time cooking. Don’t make too much. Owen has a small appetite. He won’t eat much.”
Evie stood there, frozen by the cheek pinch.
Since when did he do that?
After Alexander left the kitchen, she snapped out of it. She shook her head, turned on the stove, and started cooking.
Alexander went to his room to change. Then he returned to the living room and sat across from Owen.
“Not busy lately?” Alexander asked.
“Busy!” Owen sighed.
No wonder he was busy. The stock market had been a storm. He felt like he was about to capsize.
“If you’re so busy, why are you running back here?” Alexander raised an eyebrow.
“I heard you got yourself a wife. That’s such a strange thing. Of course I had to come see for myself.” Owen replied with a grin.
“Out of all of us, it looks like I’m the first to get married.” Alexander shot back lightly.
Owen choked on those words.
They were all around the same age. Alexander was the only one who tied the knot.
But for years, Alexander never got close to women. He didn’t even have a girlfriend. They all assumed he’d be a bachelor for life.
Then, out of nowhere, he got married. No signs at all.
And Lucas said the girl was young.
An old cow eating tender grass. Tsk, tsk.
Even Lucas had met her. Owen couldn’t fall behind. He squeezed time out of his busy schedule to come see which little girl had melted an iceberg so easily.
When he got here, he almost broke his glasses.
At first, he thought she’d at least be a beautiful fairy.
But she wasn’t that good-looking. She wore thick, smoke-framed glasses. Her eyes were a mess.
And she was just like Alexander. Obsessed with money. She took the bus everywhere. She even bargained for vegetables.
A perfect match for Alexander!
“Why did you suddenly want to get married?” Owen asked curiously.
“When fate comes, it just happens.”
“Come on. That kind of nonsense works on girls, not me. Did your mom pressure you into it?” Owen said with a smile.
“You mean if Uncle Owen pressured you, you’d go along with it?” Alexander shot back.
“How could that be? Who am I? I can’t be swayed by power or wealth. But if I had to follow, my dad couldn’t offer enough chips.”
“You just haven’t met the right person yet. When you do, you won’t talk about chips. You’ll be chasing after her for free.”
“I think too much. What kind of girl haven’t I met? The one who makes me chase her for free probably isn’t born yet.” Owen said, getting chatty.
He’d chased girls before. But none of them were rare.
“Don’t speak too soon.” Alexander glanced at Owen.
“Seriously! Oh, I get it. My sister-in-law didn’t marry you just for your money, did she?” Owen asked, grinning like he’d found a new world.
“We love each other. You wouldn’t understand that as a bachelor.”
“Can you stop showing off your love all the time?” Owen rolled his eyes.
“No.”
“...” Owen was speechless.
Evie finished cooking and called Alexander.
Alexander picked up his phone. He saw it was Evie and answered immediately. He got up and walked to the kitchen.
“Evie, what’s up?”
“Dinner’s ready.” Evie said awkwardly.
She wanted to go out and call them to eat.
But then she thought about it. What if she walked in on something she shouldn’t see? Or interrupted Alexander and Owen’s conversation?
So she called instead.
“You could have just come out. You’re too cautious.” Alexander said with a smile.
Evie laughed too.
Alexander came out and called Owen to dinner.
Evie set the table. She waited for Alexander and Owen to wash their hands and sit down. Then she served them soup.
“Evie, sit down. We can handle ourselves.” Alexander said.
“Okay.” Evie replied. She sat down in her seat. Then she said to Owen, “Owen, eat more. Don’t be shy.”
“Sure!” Owen said with a smile.
He thought to himself, Alexander really shows off his love all the time.
Even serving soup, he had to dote on his wife.
It must be great to have a wife.
He just didn’t want one.
If he wanted to, he could marry ten or eight.
Well, the law only allowed one wife. If he wanted more, he’d have to immigrate.
For the rest of the meal, Evie ate quietly. She tried to make herself invisible.
Alexander kept putting food on her plate. Shrimp, vegetables. It made Evie want to smoke.
She really wanted to say, are you torturing me?
Can you pretend I don’t exist?
If I’m in the way, I can go back to school.
It really doesn’t matter.
Later, Alexander brought out a bottle of wine. He drank with Owen.
“Alex, pour a glass for your sister-in-law too. It’s rude for us to drink alone.”
“She doesn’t drink.” Alexander replied calmly.
“You won’t let her drink, or does she really not know how?”
“I don’t know how.” Evie answered.
“It’s our first meeting, sister-in-law. How can you not have a drink?” Owen said with a smile.
Evie saw Owen’s posture. She got a little scared.
Was he going to challenge her to a drinking contest?