"If there's anything you need here you can ask Auntie Lu or any of my maids for it." Tang Moyu said as she opened the sliding door which led to a vast garden that was still unkempt. She hadn't had enough time to hire gardeners to fix it since they arrived.
"It would be a waste leaving the garden like that. Have you planned anything for it?" Feng Tianyi asked. He heard pattering footsteps coming their way and saw the little buns running to join them.
Tang Moyu shook her head. She had no time for this.
"None so far. If you want, you can renovate this garden, since this is closer to the guest house." She offered.
Being stuck here without doing anything could drive a person insane. She had no idea if Qin Jiran was born this way or not, but she was sure that he would need something to distract himself from overthinking.
"Is that so?" Qin Jiran cupped his chin and looked around. "Well, would you mind if I plant some crops here?"
Tang Moyu furrowed her brows in confusion.
"Crops? Why crops?" she voiced out her confusion.
"Do you like flowers, Miss Tang?" He asked.
"No, why?" Tang Moyu said nonchalantly. She wasn't fond of flowers, but she did appreciate their fleeting beauty. Something to remind herself that appearances could lose its charms as time passed by.
Feng Tianyi chuckled and shook his head. As he expected; for someone like Tang Moyu, she definitely wasn't like any other woman he'd met in the past.
"Nothing. I was just thinking of growing some tomatoes and cucumbers here, or perhaps some vegetables that can grow in this season," he replied. "Maybe some watermelons and sunflowers?"
He could already envision where he could plant the seedlings, but first, he might need to ask Song Fengyan to make some flower beds for them later.
"How about apples and oranges? I like them very much!" Little Star interjected.
Feng Tianyi laughed and patted Little Star's head.
"We can plant apple and mandarin orange trees now, but I'm afraid you'll need to wait for a long time before you can harvest their fruits," he told her.
"It's alright, Uncle Ji. Mommy once told us good things come to those who patiently wait," Little Star pressed her forefinger on her lips while staring up at Feng Tianyi.
For a moment, Feng Tianyi could imagine what the fallen empress looked like when she was younger through Little Star. Most of Little Star's facial features came from her mother, especially her eyes.
The only difference was; while Tang Moyu's eyes were cold and calm, Little Star's eyes were filled with warmth and mischievousness. Perhaps when Tang Moyu was younger, she probably had this mischievousness streak in her too, Feng Tianyi thought.
He raised a brow at Tang Moyu, who only shrugged in return. Well, at least she was able to teach her children how to be patient. Not everyone could be patient if they needed to wait, and it was one of the virtues most people didn't have.
That whole day, Feng Tianyi and the twins spent their time planning what to plant in the garden and which crops would the little buns like to plant on their own flower beds while Tang Moyu remained seated on the couch inside the guest house, working on her laptop while occasionally making phone calls.
Later that afternoon, Auntie Lu and the maids filled the fridge in the kitchen and stocked the pantry with necessities that Qin Jiran may need.
"Miss Moyu, is there anything you want for dinner?" Auntie Lu asked when the children and their guest came back from the empty garden. It was rare for their Miss to spend the day with her children these few weeks.
Tang Moyu shook her head.
"Anything will do, Auntie Lu," she said before turning her head at Qin Jiran. "Mr. Qin, is there something you want for dinner tonight?"
Feng Tianyi pondered for a while. Song Fengyan had already left earlier, so there's nothing else for him to worry about regarding paperwork He Lianchen sent the other day.
"Since today's the day I move in with you, why don't we celebrate? I'm thinking of having steak and some fries tonight." He grinned at the little buns whose eyes sparkled with excitement upon hearing him mentioning their favorite steak. It's been a while since they had one.
Tang Moyu closed her laptop and followed Qin Jiran and the twins into the kitchen, taking a seat at one of the stools near the counter as she watched Qin Jiran prepare the ingredients he would be using while her little buns bombarded him with questions.
Qin Jiran then asked her how she liked her steak, all the while seeing the twins cringe from the corner of his eyes.
Laughing at her children's reaction, Tang Moyu turned to him.
"I don't like my steak well done. It's too dry and rubbery to my liking. It feels like I need a lot of drink to swallow it down," she said.
"I understand what you mean, Miss Tang," he laughed along with her while the twins made a nauseous act, imagining the steak that their mother preferred.
After an hour of preparation, Tang Moyu set the dining table while Feng Tianyi finished cooking their steaks and fries. The twins excitedly took their seats next to their mother, who helped them cut their well-done steaks into bite sizes.
"What would you like to drink?" Feng Tianyi asked as he opened the fridge.
Tang Moyu hummed and glanced at him.
"I'll have a beer, thanks."
Feng Tianyi snapped his head and looked at her before letting out a laugh. He took two cans of cold beer from the fridge and joined them at the dining table.
"A beer, huh," he chuckled and passed one can to Tang Moyu.
"What? Women can drink beer. I don't remember reading any ethics manual that I can't drink beer in my own home." The empress said in defense.