Chapter 728: 728: Surprise

“Why are you awake?” Cindy Clarke whispered.

Adrian Zhekova did not answer, instead he asked, “Why are you up so early too?”

He was carrying a little one on him so he couldn’t turn around.

He could only struggle to turn his head and finally see the time on the wall clock.

“It’s only 7 o’clock.” Adrian Zhekova said.

His voice was still hoarse.

It didn’t sound like he woke up naturally, but rather like he could fall back asleep at any moment.

“I got up to prepare breakfast.” Cindy Clarke said, “It’s too early now, Aunt Evans and Butler Howard might not be able to make it back.”

“Then let’s order some takeout, and you sleep a little bit more.” Adrian Zhekova suggested.

They had only gone to bed at 2:30 in the middle of the night, and in total they’d only slept for a little more than four hours.

“Which takeout place would be open this early on the first day of the New Year?” Cindy Clarke laughed.

Even if a shop was open for business on the first day, it would start its service later than usual due to the holidays.

Very few stores would be open this early.

And even if there were, they’d have to check the delivery distances for the takeout and whether it would exceed the delivery range.

Even if they found someone to run an errand for them to buy something, the dishes might become cold and even unappetizing by the time they were delivered if it was too far away.

“Anyway, I’m already awake.” Cindy Clarke said with a smile.

At this time, Morgan Zhekova was also awakened by their whispering.

The little one rubbed his eyes, realizing that he had somehow ended up leaning against Cindy at some point.

He was ecstatic about this wonderful surprise.

“Cindy!” The little one immediately let go of Adrian Zhekova and jumped into Cindy Clarke’s embrace.

He hugged her tightly.

Cindy then lowered her head and kissed him on the face, “Go back to sleep, I’ll call you when breakfast is ready.”

Morgan pouted and also kissed Cindy on the cheek before releasing her.

Cindy then got up and changed her clothes.

The new clothes for the New Year were all in her room with Adrian.

So, Cindy went next door to their room first, put on the new clothes she had bought before the New Year – from head to toe, inside and out – and then took all of Adrian’s clothes to Morgan’s side.

After that, she went to the Main Hall.

“Aunt Evans, Butler Howard!” What a coincidence.

As soon as she arrived at the entrance of the Main Hall, she ran into Aunt Evans and Butler Howard.

The two were still wearing their thick coats, which looked like new clothes for the New Year.

Their appearance was festive, full of renewed energy.

It added more festivity to the Spring Festival.

Seeing Aunt Evans and Butler Howard in this attire, it was clear they had just returned.

Cindy was surprised, “Why are you both back so early?”

“We didn’t have much to do, so we thought we’d come back early.” Aunt Evans said with a smile as she entered the door, “Besides, all the workers at the family mansion are on vacation, and there is no one here. So, if we come back early, we can help out.”

“We’re also preparing breakfast for the family mansion.”

Aunt Evans and Butler Howard had been working at the family mansion for decades.

Ever since Adrian Zhekova could remember, Aunt Evans and Butler Howard had been at the family mansion.

Their attachment to the place was naturally incomparable to that of other ordinary workers there.

“I was going to prepare breakfast anyway, it would’ve been better if you both had rested a bit more at home.” Cindy said.

“We usually get up early anyway, and as we get older, we sleep less. As soon as we wake up, we can’t fall asleep anymore, and we also worry about the family mansion.” Aunt Evans explained.

And there were some things she couldn’t say.

Her son had his own family now, and their little family had become the priority.

It was enough to reunite for holidays like the Spring Festival.

Staying too long could cause annoyance.

Over time, various conflicts could arise due to differences in living habits.

So, Aunt Evans and Butler Howard had come back early.

Leaving a little longing for each other was better than staying until they became unwelcome.

“Don’t rush now that you just got here.” Cindy said, “Take a rest first.”

“Breakfast is very simple, just fried dumplings, I can do it on my own.” Cindy said.

“No way.” Aunt Evans immediately said.

“This is actually my job. It’s not good for you to do it while I’m standing around idling.” Aunt Evans shook her head vigorously.

“You both just came in from the cold outside, and haven’t even warmed up yet.” Cindy said as she went to get two cups of warm water for both of them, “At least warm up a bit first.”

Aunt Evans and Butler Howard felt a little embarrassed, but followed Cindy’s advice, sat down, and warmed up.

Their hands holding the cups of warm water, they warmed themselves for a while.

Cindy then went to the kitchen.

Not long after, the Old Madam also arrived.

Upon seeing Aunt Evans and Butler Howard, she was surprised, “Why are you both back so early again?”

It had been the same in previous years, with the two always coming back this early.

Every time before they left, the Old Madam would advise them to rest at home for a few days.

Even if they had to return on the first day of the New Year, there was no need to hurry so much.

Whether it was morning or afternoon, it didn’t matter, and there was no need to rush for an early start.

Why not spend more time with their children, daughter-in-law, and little grandson during the rare holiday season?

“Isn’t there not much to do at home? We just came back early. Otherwise, we’d be idle at home, having nothing to do, which is uncomfortable.” Aunt Evans explained.

As it turned out, they felt more comfortable being at the family mansion.

Aunt Evans warmed up enough and hurried to help in the kitchen.

Butler Howard also tidied himself up and resumed his position as the butler.

Old Madam also went to the kitchen.

Cindy and Aunt Evans naturally wouldn’t let Old Madam do any work.

Old Madam was just there for a chat.

“How’s your son and daughter-in-law doing?” Old Madam grabbed a handful of melon seeds, sat down, and asked while cracking them.

“They’re doing great.” Aunt Evans said with a smile, “My little grandson is now one and a half years old, with a chubby and lively face. I’ll show you a video later.”

“Why don’t you spend more time with your grandson? It’s rare to have such a fun little guy around.” Old Madam said.

Aunt Evans sighed and said, “I won’t hide it from you, my son has been living in the family mansion since he was a child too.”

Because Aunt Evans and Butler Howard had been working at the family mansion, they had even had a separate courtyard there.

Their son, Theodore Hughes, naturally lived with them and grew up in the family mansion.

Until he went to university, lived at school, and then graduated and rented a place after graduation.

Aunt Evans and Butler Howard had relatively high incomes at the family mansion.

Moreover, their food, clothing, and housing expenses were all taken care of, and they had very low daily expenses, allowing them to save quite a bit of money.

So, they directly bought their son a house.

He lived there on his own, and it could also be used as a wedding house when he got married later.

“But children grow up, start families, and have their own small families – things are not the same anymore. There are differences in our lifestyle habits.” Aunt Evans said.

“And we are not familiar with our daughter-in-law. If we stay for too long, she will have opinions. Anyway, it’s not like we don’t have a place to go.” Aunt Evans said with a smile.</p