The next morning, Deanna woke up to find herself lying in her own bed at home.
Apparently, she had fallen asleep in Lance's arms last night and he had carried her back.
She couldn't help but look around the room and found that she was alone. She wasn't disappointed, though, and got up with a sweet smile.
After all, Lance always woke up earlier than she did.
After a simple wash, Deanna went downstairs and saw Lance sitting on the living room sofa, playing with the two little ones.
"Mommy, you're up," the two children greeted her with bright smiles.
Deanna smiled and asked, "Have you had breakfast?"
"We haven't. Great-grandma had to go out and already had breakfast before she left," Gregory answered in his childish voice.
Lance added from the side, "Great-grandma asked me to tell you that she joined a senior community. She had plans to go hiking with them this morning. If she doesn't come back tonight, don't worry."
"When did Grandma join a community? Why didn't I know?" Deanna was a bit surprised.
Lance chuckled, "You were busy those days, so Grandma didn't tell you. But don't worry, I had someone check it out. It's not a scam."
Upon hearing this, Deanna's worries dissipated.
She then called everyone to have breakfast since it was getting late.
After breakfast, Lance initially wanted to take Deanna to the research institute, but she refused.
"I'm not going to the institute yet. I need to visit Old Hughes first," Deanna explained.
Lance unconsciously asked, "Why?"
Deanna didn't hide anything. "The herbs Mr. Grant brought aren't enough. I want to see if Old Hughes can help me get more."
Hearing this, Lance realized that the herbs Deanna mentioned were probably not ordinary ones.
He thought for a moment and said, "I'll have my people keep an eye out too. Give me a list later."
"That works," Deanna agreed.
She knew that the herbs she needed were rare and hard to come by without connections or certain capabilities.
Later, Deanna arrived at Hughes Pharmacy with a heavy heart.
Old Hughes happened to be seeing patients in the outer room. Seeing Deanna arrive so early, he was a bit surprised. "What brings you here so early?"
"Old Hughes, I need your help with something," Deanna stated directly.
Old Hughes liked her straightforwardness and joked, "I knew you wouldn't come without a reason. I'll have Ava take you to the back room. I'll come find you after I finish with my patients."
"Alright, you go ahead," Deanna nodded and followed Ava to the back room.
As soon as she entered, her phone rang. It was Lionel calling.
"Miss Jones, why didn't you come to the institute today?"
"I'm out looking for herbs. Is there something you need, Mr. Grant?" Deanna frowned slightly, uncomfortable with Lionel's probing tone.
Lionel continued without noticing her discomfort, "When will you be back?"
"Is there something specific you need?" Deanna asked instead of answering.
Lionel finally sensed something was off. "It's not urgent. Today is the first day of our research project, and I thought it would be significant for you to be here."
"No worries. Even if I come in the afternoon, I can still participate," Deanna declined politely while hinting that Lionel shouldn't let minor issues delay important work.
Lionel had no choice but to hang up.
Just as she put down the phone, Old Hughes walked in from outside.
Deanna quickly stood up and helped Old Hughes wash his hands, a habit of his after seeing patients.
After cleaning up, Old Hughes got straight to the point. "So, what do you need my help with?"
"Can you help me get these herbs?" Deanna handed over a prepared list.
Knowing she needed a lot, she added, "The quantity is large, but it's not urgent."
Old Hughes nodded as he took the list and started reading it. However, as he saw the herbs and their quantities, he frowned. "If you'd asked me half a month ago, I might have been able to get some for you. But now, with such a large quantity, it's difficult."
Hearing this, Deanna bit her lip. If Old Hughes said it was difficult, it really was.
Deanna had no choice but to compromise. "Then get as much as you can. We still have time to collect them slowly."
By the end of her sentence, even she wasn't very confident.