Furthermore, looking at the way Madam Heath was behaving, it seemed that even her grandson would have to temporarily step aside.
At this moment, Madam Heath was waving at Joanna Lawrence: "Joanna, come over here, Grandma has something to tell you."
"Ah, Granny, I’m coming right over."
Joanna Lawrence replied sweetly, her call of ’grandma’ also sounding particularly saccharine.
With a look of flattered surprise, she went over and sat next to the elderly woman.
As soon as she sat down, Madam Heath began to speak affectionately to her, holding her hand. "Did you sleep well this afternoon? Are you getting used to being here? Ashton’s room is so gloomy, it’s oppressive just to look at it. It’s tough on a delicate girl like you."
"He brought you back without telling us earlier. Otherwise, we could have prepared in advance."
While speaking, Madam Heath shot Ashton an unhappy glance, "You should have called yesterday to notify us about such a significant occasion as bringing your wife home. Who else, like you, can keep something so critical hush-hush? If your mother hadn’t called you yesterday, would you have brought her home without informing us in advance?"
Ashton went over and sat next to Joanna Lawrence.
He glanced at the table, then, to Madam Heath’s and Lady Octavia’s surprise, he spooned half a bowl of the freshly stewed Ginseng-Infused Chicken Soup into a small white porcelain bowl, placing it in front of Joanna Lawrence.
"Drink some soup first," he said softly to Joanna Lawrence.
Once he was done with this, he lifted his eyes and flashed Madam Heath a smile. "Grandma, didn’t your grandson just want to give you a surprise?"
Madam Heath looked at the bowl of broth placed in front of Joanna Lawrence. She remained silent for a few seconds before letting out a sigh - a look of hurt on her face. "It’s just different once someone has a wife. He even knows how to pamper and care for people now."
"It seems that beside his wife, us mothers and grandmothers are not afforded such a luxury."
While Madam Heath was joking, there wasn’t any true intention of blaming or complaining.
But this remark meant something entirely different to Lady Octavia.
She was reminded of Rebecca Kelloway’s previous statement: It seems in Ashton’s heart, Joanna is even more critical than you, his mother.
She had not felt so at the time, but now, witnessing Ashton’s actions, she suddenly got the gist.
Far from being happy about her son knowing how to pamper his wife, she was, in fact, extremely upset.
Just as Madam Heath said, not even she, his mother, had the privilege of such pampering.
It was a woman who had not been with her son for long that could get him to do these exceptional things.
Moreover, her son serviced people willingly.
The more Lady Octavia thought about it, the angrier and more stifled she felt. Finally, she couldn’t help but respond sarcastically: "Indeed, I’ve never received such treatment. No wonder they say, once a man gets a wife, he forgets his mother. This statement truly isn’t wrong."
Madam Heath, still oblivious to Lady Octavia’s discontent, jokingly responded: "Isn’t that the way it is? Remember when you and Darren were all loved up? Back then, he was a man who kept his hands clean, but because of you, he learned to do the laundry and cook. At that time, I was also jealous, feeling like I’d raised my son for nothing."
The expression on Lady Octavia’s face stiffened.
She did not expect Madam Heath to jest at her expense.
For a moment, she felt somewhat uncomfortable.