No Substitutes for the Bigshots' Dream Girl Anymore!-Chapter 1780: Daily Life After Marriage (8)

Several years slipped by in the blink of an eye.

"See, my memory is pretty good, isn’t it?"

Arnold Simmons smiled as he pulled her into his arms, lowered his head, and kissed her soft, fair cheek. His voice was low and gentle, "Mm, very good. Even if you don’t remember, it’s okay. I’ll remember for both of us."

Hannah felt that Arnold Simmons had prepared a surprise for her, so she decided to prepare a gift for him as well.

Taking advantage of the time before the dishes were served, she got up and went to the kitchen in the back.

The private dining establishment was owned by an elderly couple. It was said that the old lady’s family had ties to the imperial kitchen in their lineage. Though she had merely assisted, she had absorbed some culinary skills over the years.

With time, she apprenticed under a master and developed her own set of recipes.

Overall, the flavors were exquisite, though the old lady cooked entirely based on her mood.

She rarely lent her kitchen to outsiders. Whatever Hannah said to her must have worked magic, because the elderly woman was grinning from ear to ear, holding onto Hannah’s hand and saying, "This child just feels right to me, I like her."

Eventually, she let Hannah use the kitchen.

An hour later, a few plates of exquisitely presented dishes appeared on the table, along with a small bowl of soup.

Hannah cupped her chin with her hand, her eyes sparkling with humor. "Quick, try it and see how it tastes."

"What is it?"

Arnold Simmons looked a little curious.

The soup was still warm.

Hannah purposely kept him in suspense. "You’ll know once you taste it."

Actually, he didn’t need to taste it. A single glance revealed the answer.

It was seaweed egg drop soup—enhanced with tomato and dried shrimp.

The flavor...

"Very good." Arnold Simmons took a sip.

Hannah reached out her hand, looking eager, "Let me try it too."

The freshly "brewed" soup was still a bit hot. She hadn’t tasted it herself yet. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Arnold Simmons pulled the small bowl of soup closer to himself. "Didn’t you say it was a gift for me?"

Hannah looked at him with puppy-dog eyes. "Just one tiny sip."

Arnold Simmons replied, "Even a tiny sip isn’t allowed."

And then, he finished the entire bowl of soup himself.

By the time lunch was over, Hannah still didn’t know what her soup actually tasted like.

But she thought, it probably wasn’t very good.

Even though Arnold Simmons seemed to enjoy it immensely.

Just as they were leaving, the elderly couple came out to see them off. The old lady held Hannah’s hand and invited her to visit often. She also gave her a small gift.

It was a handcrafted pair of lanterns.

Not the kind for hanging at a doorway—these were delicate, palm-sized ornaments meant for decoration.

On the way home, Hannah kept fiddling with the two small lanterns in her hands.

She thought about the elderly couple standing together at the door, waving goodbye to them amidst the glow spilling from countless homes. The traces of time etched into their faces seemed to soften, transforming into an endless gentleness.

"Arnold Simmons, do you think we’ll be like them one day?"

The fiery red light of the lantern reflected in her clear, radiant brows and eyes, resembling early spring peach blossoms—soft, vibrant, and luminous.

The sky had already darkened. The car had stopped by the roadside, its interior lights switched off, leaving only the warm glow of the lanterns.

Arnold Simmons leaned toward her, one hand resting on her waist, the other gently cupping her cheek. Under the flickering light, the atmosphere became hazy, steeped in intimacy and lingering affection.

It felt like the tender light of a candle; just getting close to it burned with warmth that spread to the palm.

"We will." His deep voice, threaded with quiet laughter, carried an unmistakable seriousness. "Hannah, we’ll be together forever."

The car wasn’t spacious, and Hannah found herself enclosed between the narrow seat and his towering presence, entirely under the shadow he cast.