Chapter 36: The Exchange of
Marital Property
Hope was a bit shocked. Easton actually owned a store?
In the afternoon, James drove them to Easton’s store–a small restaurant.
This little restaurant was tucked away in a corner of the southern district, with an unassuming entrance. If it weren’t for the signboard “Royal Cuisine” hanging on the doorframe, one might think it was just a regular residential house.
The two wooden doors, which looked a bit historical, were tightly closed. James knocked on the door, and after a while, a plump middle–aged man dressed in a Zhongshan suit came to open it.
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When he saw who it was, he greeted them enthusiastically. “Oh, Eas and Hope are here! Come in! Hey, could this be Eas‘ wife?”
Hope, a bit embarrassed, scratched her head. “Hello, I’m Hope.”
“There’s no need to be so formal. Just treat this like your own home, come on in!”
The three of them entered the courtyard, and the door shut behind them.
The courtyard had a flowing stream, a rock garden, and a fish pond. It didn’t look like a restaurant; it resembled more of a private residence!
Hope looked at Easton with confusion, and Easton explained, “This is a private chef restaurant, and it’s also where Uncle Dragon
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lives.“”
“Uncle Dragon is a close friend of my father and also the manager of this place.”
“What manager? I’m just a cook,” Uncle Dragon said, not liking the term “manager,” which sounded too formal. “Hope, right? Anything you’d like to eat? I’ll make it for you!”
Hope didn’t know what to say she liked since there was no menu.
“Uncle Dragon, just make what I usually eat. James, go help him out.”
“Alright, you two can wander around. This is your business, so you should come visit often!” Uncle Dragon chattered as he went to the kitchen, with James following.
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Easton, using his wheelchair, guided Hope around the house. “It’s not that big here, so usually, we only take two tables of guests per day.”
Hope raised an eyebrow. Only two tables, and with Uncle Dragon handling everything on his own–there couldn’t be much income!
But that’s alright, she would make money!
Soon, Uncle Dragon prepared the food: simple home–style dishes like Mapo tofu, Grandma’s braised pork, steamed three treasures, steamed fish, and blanched bok choy.
Though the dishes were simple, the flavors were extraordinary.
The tofu was tender and smooth, the braised pork was soft and savory, the steamed
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Easton was helpless; this was an impromptu
decision on his part.
“Next time,” he said.
“Make sure you do! Don’t forget!” Uncle Dragon mumbled as he returned to the kitchen. “I’ll make some dessert for you.”
Easton exchanged a look with James, and James left for a while. When he returned, he was holding a document.
Easton handed the document to Hope. “This restaurant is yours now.”
Hope was stunned. “What do you mean?”
“Marital property.”
“That’s not necessary!” This was probably
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Easton’s only asset, how could she take it?
“If you don’t want it, I’ll refund you the money.”
Easton’s attitude was firm. This wasn’t just about the restaurant–there were many things he wanted to give to Hope. But
for now, he was afraid of scaring her and planned to tell her slowly when the time was right.
“Alright.” Hope thought that the restaurant was so small, and it probably didn’t make much money each day. She could accept it for now and give Easton money later. Easton wouldn’t be able to refuse!
So, without even glancing at the document, she signed her name on the last page.
Had she looked at it, she would’ve realized
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this wasn’t just some small shop!
After finishing the dessert, Easton and Uncle Dragon started talking.
Hope had come empty–handed today. She hadn’t expected Uncle Dragon and Easton to be so close. She hadn’t brought any gifts for their first meeting, which was quite impolite.
So, while the two men chatted, she wandered around the area to see if she could find something suitable as a gift.
Unexpectedly, she ran into Louis and Mrs. Newton.
Mrs. Newton was furious and immediately started questioning, “Where have you been all night? I had to send people looking for you for so long!”
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If they hadn’t found her, she’d have just sent a servant to replace Hope!
Fortunately, she had just received news that Hope had appeared nearby!
She immediately told Louis to come with her to catch Hope.
“Hmph, you dared break my precious daughter’s hand, now you’ll get a lesson!”
“I didn’t ask you to look for me!”
“Forget it, I don’t want to argue with you.”
Mrs. Newton, however, only wanted to get Hope back and execute her next plan!
“Come home with us and have a meal. Your second brother is back. You two haven’t met properly yet, have you?”
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James, telling him to take Easton home first. and that she would go back to the Newton family for a while.
Louis was overjoyed!
Did this mean his sister was listening to him?
Had his sister forgiven him?
If he had known it would be this easy, he would have fought Noah long ago!
Effort does pay off!
James received the message and immediately reported it to Easton.
On the way, Louis tried to talk to Hope, but she ignored him. Surprisingly, Mrs. Newton didn’t scold her either.
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It seemed like this return to the Newton family wouldn’t be as simple as it appeared!
At the Newton family’s home, the dining table was already filled with delicious dishes.
Sylvia and Noah, who had been laughing and talking, suddenly looked displeased when they saw Hope enter.
Noah asked in an irritable tone, “Why are you back?”
Hope ignored him and directly said to Sylvia, “Your mother said you wanted to apologize to me. Go ahead.”
Sylvia froze for a moment. When did she say she wanted to apologize to Hope?
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Mrs. Newton hadn’t expected Hope to be so direct. “Why are you in such a hurry? We can talk about the apology after we eat.”
“Louis, hurry up and sit Hope down. Don’t just stand there like that!”
Louis, in a gentlemanly manner, pulled out a chair for Hope, acting like the caring big brother.
“Little sister, whatever misunderstandings we had, we’ll clear them up today. Let’s all be a family and stop fighting.”
“Mom and dad just haven’t realized how great you are. Give them a chance, and they’ll surely like you.”
Louis didn’t want Hope to have a falling out with their parents and siblings. He didn’t want the tragedy of the past to repeat itself.
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He wanted the family to live in peace and harmony.
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