Chapter 688: Playing the Pig to Eat the Tiger
Chapter 688: Chapter 688: Playing the Pig to Eat the Tiger
"Summer, Happy New Year." Renee Jennings answered the phone.
On the other end, Sylvia Brooks laughed. "I just saw Michelle’s post. She went over early to make egg tarts with Aunt Rae?"
"Yup, the little glutton showed up bright and early." Renee Jennings’s lips curved into a smile. "Want some? Come over now, and I’ll save a couple for you."
Sylvia Brooks said softly, "I’m with Phoebe right now. I was calling to see if you guys want to come out and play mahjong this afternoon. We need two more players."
"Okay." Renee immediately agreed. "I’ll have my mom make some more egg tarts later to bring over for you and Phoebe to try."
Just as she hung up, Michelle Fuller and Rhea Dempsey came over with a tray of piping hot egg tarts.
"Time for egg tarts!" Michelle Fuller announced gleefully. "Delicious, freshly baked egg tarts are here!"
"Summer just called and invited us to play mahjong this afternoon," Renee said as she ate an egg tart.
Michelle Fuller’s eyes lit up, her voice filled with excitement. "Yes, yes! It’s been so long since I’ve played mahjong."
"Mom, could you make some more egg tarts this afternoon?" Renee looked at Rhea Dempsey. "I want to bring some for Summer and Phoebe to try."
"Phoebe’s going to be there too?" Michelle Fuller’s eyes widened slightly.
She knew Phoebe Sawyer was Rhea Dempsey’s biological daughter and had never had the chance to meet her. She never expected they’d end up playing cards together today.
"Yes." Renee nodded. "Summer’s with her right now."
Rhea Dempsey was also a little excited. "In that case, I’ll go work on my cookie recipe."
Hearing this, Renee raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I’m looking forward to the finished product."
Seeing Rhea Dempsey turn to leave, Michelle Fuller quickly called out to her, "Aunt Rae, aren’t you going to try one of the egg tarts we made together before you go?"
"Oh, right, right." Rhea Dempsey stopped and turned back. "Let’s taste the fruits of our labor."
Michelle Fuller picked up an egg tart and handed it to her.
After finishing her egg tart, Rhea Dempsey hurried back to the kitchen.
Michelle Fuller tilted her head, leaned against Renee’s shoulder, and whispered, "Renee, be honest. Are you jealous of Phoebe?"
’Jealous?’
Renee thought about it seriously, then chuckled. "No. If she loves one more person, it just means there’s one more person loving her back. I think that’s a good thing."
"That makes sense." Michelle Fuller nodded in sudden understanding. "Renee, you’re so magnanimous."
"It’s not because I’m magnanimous."
"Huh? Then what is it?"
Renee gazed at Rhea Dempsey’s retreating figure, a gentle smile in her eyes. "It’s because I love her very much."
Michelle Fuller was incredibly moved by this sentence.
Blueberry, who was sitting nearby, also fell into deep thought at these words.
’Renee said she loved it, too.’
’So it must be because Renee loves it so much that she brings other little friends home.’
’Renee was worried it would be bored.’
At this thought, Blueberry was so moved it started to cry.
Pudding noticed the change in its mood and turned to look, puzzled. "Meow? What’s with you?"
Not wanting its friend to see its vulnerable side, Blueberry jumped off the sofa and found a place to hide.
Pudding frowned, its furry little face full of confusion. ’So weird!’
**
「At 2:30 in the afternoon」, Renee Jennings and Michelle Fuller arrived at the clubhouse, carrying the desserts Rhea Dempsey had packed for them.
"These are the butter cookies and egg tarts my mom baked." Renee opened the containers. "They taste pretty good. You guys should try them."
"Aunt Rae is amazing," Sylvia Brooks praised. "These are just as good as the ones they sell in stores."
"Your mother is so talented," Phoebe Sawyer complimented while taking a picture with her phone. "They smell incredible and look delicious."
As if they were praising her, Michelle Fuller said smugly, "They’re really good. Not too sweet, not too bland, fragrant but not heavy."
Renee turned her head to look at her, amused.
"Come on." Michelle switched to video mode and held up her phone. "Let’s record a video review for Aunt Rae."
Sylvia Brooks and Phoebe Sawyer played along, eating the desserts and giving a thumbs-up.
Renee raised an eyebrow, immediately guessing Michelle’s intentions. She teased, "Michelle, you’re putting in so much effort. Next time Aunt Rae sees you, won’t she have to reward you with a giant egg tart?"
"Hehe~" Michelle shot her a playful wink. "Don’t be jealous. I’ll give you half of the giant egg tart when I get it."
"Sure, I’m looking forward to it."
After some more small talk, the four of them sat down at the mahjong table.
Phoebe Sawyer arranged the tiles in front of her and explained, a bit self-consciously, "I don’t play mahjong very often, so I’m pretty much a beginner. I might be a little slow, so please bear with me."
"It’s fine, we don’t play much either," Michelle Fuller reassured her. "I still feel like a beginner myself, so no pressure."
But after a few rounds, Michelle Fuller was staring at Phoebe Sawyer with wide, innocent eyes. "Are you *sure* you don’t play very often?"
Phoebe nodded earnestly. "Really."
"Then how come you keep winning by self-draw?"
"Maybe I’m just getting lucky..."
Michelle Fuller seriously suspected Phoebe Sawyer was hustling them.
This was no mahjong beginner. In her eyes, Phoebe was a mahjong master.
They played for three straight hours. The final result—Michelle Fuller lost to the other three.
"AAAAH, how could this happen?!" Unwilling to accept this cruel reality, Michelle Fuller wailed as she flopped onto the mahjong table. "How could I be so bad?"
It was Phoebe Sawyer’s first time playing with Michelle. Seeing her "crying" on the table, she nervously tugged on Sylvia Brooks’s sleeve and whispered, "Should we give the money back?"
Sylvia Brooks couldn’t help but smile. "Don’t worry. It’s not about the money for Michelle. She just can’t accept losing to all three of us."
Phoebe nodded in understanding. "So, what do we do now?"
"Just humor her a little."
"Huh? How?"
The words had barely left her lips when Renee reached out and patted Michelle Fuller’s head. In a serious tone, she said, "What nonsense. It’s not that you’re bad, it’s that the seat you chose today was bad. It affected your luck."
Michelle lifted her head, nodding in vigorous agreement. "Right! That’s what I was thinking! How could I really lose to all three of you? It must be the feng shui of this seat!"
With that, she quickly stood up. "Which direction is this seat facing? I’m never sitting here again!"
Renee pulled out a compass. "Northwest."
"Northwest. I’ll remember that." Michelle’s expression was solemn. "Next time, I’ll stay far, far away from this direction!"
Renee nodded with an equally serious look. "Right. If you sit facing a different direction, you definitely won’t lose."
Michelle patted her stomach. "So, what are we having for dinner? I’m getting a little hungry after such a busy afternoon."
Sylvia Brooks’s lips curled into a smile. She leaned over and whispered to Phoebe Sawyer, "See? All better now."
Phoebe pressed her lips together, unable to stop herself from remarking, "Michelle’s personality is so cute."
"Yes, she’s very guileless."
"I’m so envious that you have such a lovable friend."
Phoebe Sawyer had spent so many years abroad and had never met any friends she could truly open her heart to.
"Didn’t you decide to stay in Zenvia?" Sylvia Brooks turned to look at her, her gaze gentle. "We can get together often from now on. We can all be good friends."