"It wasn't me." Chloe instinctively denied, then realized she had slipped up and quickly defended herself, "I wasn't saying anything bad about Mommy; I was praising her."
Just as she finished speaking, her brother betrayed her. "Mommy, it was Chloe who said something bad about you. She said you were lazy, and Daddy was there too."
"Daddy, I didn't say that, right?" Chloe immediately hugged Lance's arm, acting cute and hoping he would support her.
Unfortunately, she didn't know that her daddy's greatest affection was for her mommy.
Lance flicked her on the forehead and chuckled, "Didn't Daddy teach you to own up to what you've done?"
"Daddy doesn't love me anymore."
The little girl pouted immediately, her cheeks puffing up in indignation.
Seeing this, Deanna raised her eyebrows playfully, "Of course your daddy doesn't love you. He loves me the most, right?"
She turned to Lance as she said this.
Seeing her playful expression, Lance's eyes were filled with affection, and he nodded.
"That's right, I love you the most."
His deep, affectionate voice came from Lance's throat.
At those words, Deanna's heart surged with emotion.
The two little ones nearby found it all too sweet and started rubbing their arms, expressing their mock disgust.
After a bout of laughter, they headed to the dining room for a meal.
At the table, Deanna savored the dishes carefully prepared by the kitchen, finding them delicious.
"These dishes taste different from what I've had before, but they taste just like the ones at your home," she said, squinting her eyes as she tasted them carefully.
The table was full of her favorite dishes, so she could notice even the slightest change in taste.
Seeing this, Lance pointed to the dishes on the table and said gently, "It's probably because these dishes are all from our estate's own produce."
"Your own produce?" Deanna asked, puzzled.
Lance nodded and continued, "The vegetables and fruits grown here are all organic, but the yield is small, just enough for our family."
Hearing this, Deanna understood.
Just then, Lance seemed to think of something and smiled, "I have wanted to have these supplies sent daily, but since Grandma likes to go shopping every morning, I didn't want to say anything and make her feel uncomfortable."
Deanna was momentarily stunned but understood what Lance meant.
After all, Lance had just said the produce was only enough for their family, but she didn't receive any organic vegetables, showing he didn't want her to overthink.
"It's okay. Grandma goes shopping in the morning to keep herself busy, and the vegetables she buys are very fresh too."
Deanna smiled, indicating she wouldn't overthink it.
Lance looked back at her, his eyes filled with gentleness, "But when we go back the day after tomorrow, let's bring some vegetables and fruits for Grandma to try."
"Sure."
Deanna nodded.
The two little ones understood their conversation and exclaimed excitedly, "Then I want to pick the vegetables myself for Great Grandma."
"And pick apples too," Chloe added from behind.
Seeing their filial piety, Deanna felt very gratified.
Later, after a warm family meal, they headed to the back hill.
This estate was built on the hillside, so the back hills were part of the estate.
Walking along the tree-lined path, Deanna felt that the surrounding air was refreshing and uplifting.
The dappled sunlight fell through the gaps in the leaves, creating an indescribable artistic scene.
Seeing Deanna stop, Lance looked over with concern, "Are you tired?"
"No, I just don't want to disturb the beautiful scenery ahead."
Deanna said, her eyes filled with admiration for the path ahead.
Lance found her words both amusing and endearing.
Looking at the indeed picturesque path ahead, an idea struck him, and he gently pushed Deanna, "Since you like it so much, let me take some pictures for you."
Hearing this, Deanna didn't refuse. The two little ones, seeing their parents' interaction, exchanged glances and saw the mischievous glint in each other's eyes. Then, they simultaneously reached out to push their daddy.
In the next second, Lance was pushed towards Deanna.
Caught off guard by the sudden move, Lance lost his balance entirely.
Deanna was also unprepared for such a turn of events and stared blankly as Lance fell towards her.
Just as they were about to hit the ground, Lance reacted quickly, turning over to shield Deanna with his body.
Soon, they both fell in a heap.
The two little ones behind them were stunned; they hadn't expected things to turn out this way.
Deanna quickly regained her senses, hurriedly getting up from Lance and helping him up while asking with concern, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Lance said, though his brows were tightly furrowed, clearly indicating the fall wasn't light.
Deanna believed him, turned around, and sternly questioned the two little ones, "Why did you push Daddy?"
Seeing her serious expression, the two little ones were frightened.