When Chloe entered the house, she heard laughter coming from the yard.
She was a bit stunned.
In her memory, her uncle had never been this happy. Every time he visited, except for when Jasmine acted spoiled and threw tantrums, he always stood by the window, staring blankly, as if lost in thought.
“Miss Chloe, come in! We have some of your favorite little cakes,” Nancy called out.
Chloe snapped out of her daze, changed into her slippers, and as she walked in, she saw her uncle picking up Jasmine and suddenly taking a bite of someone else’s cake.
The long-haired woman turned around, looking a bit annoyed, and her uncle had to lower his head and apologize.
“Chloe, you’re here!” Jasmine giggled and turned around to spot her.
Lillian turned her head, and their eyes met.
Chloe was indeed a very beautiful young girl, and she resembled Fox to some extent, though Fox’s features were sharper, while Chloe had a softer, more innocent look.
“Chloe, come here,” Conrad waved at her.
Conrad and the others were already familiar with the child, and Hogan immediately brought over a cup of juice. “How did the exams go? Are you feeling confident?”
“What grade are you in again?”
Chloe answered one by one and then sat beside Jasmine, curiously glancing at Lillian, before quietly looking down.
Lillian extended her hand. “Chloe, do you want to go see the little yellow chicks we just got? They’re so fluffy and cute.”
Chloe’s eyes lit up. “Can I?”
“Of course! Come on!”
Chloe, holding onto the hem of her dress, placed her hand in Lillian’s, and Lillian led the three children to see the chicks.
Conrad slowly followed behind.
Hogan turned around. “Wait, where did the cook go? Who’s going to grill the skewers for us?”
“Do it yourself,” Lionel took the skewers. “He’s been acting like a stone waiting for his wife, do you really think you can boss him around?”
George prepared grilled eggplant and, to everyone’s surprise, it was actually quite well-made, and he placed it in front of Melissa.
“What’s this? Trying to bribe me?”
“Well, will you accept?”
“Let’s be clear, eating is fine, but I’m not agreeing with your intentions.”
“Just eat it.”
Melissa took a bite of the eggplant, and it melted in her mouth. It was the flavor she liked, but as she ate, a sudden feeling of sourness stirred in her heart.
The old George would never have done something like this.
Kama leaned in. “Hey, are you guys divorced or not?”
“He’s been holding it up, and the papers still aren’t signed.”
“So, you’ve been arguing for years but can’t get divorced? Why not just keep living like this?”
Melissa continued eating the eggplant. “We’ll see.”
The children gathered together, always full of things to talk about. Chloe, being a very thoughtful older sister, took care of Quincy and Jasmine.
It was clear that the two kids really liked her, as Chloe occasionally looked over at Lillian.
Lillian smiled and asked, “Why do you keep staring at me?”
“You’re even more beautiful than I imagined. Uncle’s been thinking about you for these past few years. I thought I’d never get to meet you in this lifetime.”
Lillian sat down on the swing frame by the door, patted the spot beside her, and when she looked up, Conrad was still standing by the door.
“We need to talk about some girl stuff.”
Conrad shamelessly responded, “Then treat me like a girl.”
Lillian didn’t say anything, just stared at him.
Conrad surrendered, raising both hands. “Okay.”
As soon as he left, Chloe covered her face and giggled. “This is the first time I’ve seen Uncle like this. He’s really different.”
She immediately sat down next to Lillian. “Did you and Uncle make up?”
“Well, I think we’re trying to find a way to get along that makes both of us comfortable. Actually, Chloe, I’ve known you for a long time, just never met you in person. Has your eye healed?”
“It’s better now. I can see so many things I couldn’t see before. I’m getting used to both the dark and the light, and I really love this world, how colorful it is. I also really like Uncle, Jasmine, and I like you, too.”
Lillian watched her quietly, and Chloe blushed. “You came back, and Uncle was so happy. The way he was just now-I’ve never seen him like that. I know he was really sad before. Even though Auntie always told me that with time, there’s no one you can’t forget.”
Chloe added, “But I know, you’re different to Uncle. It’s been five years, and he’s never smiled like that, even when he’s with Jasmine. After he smiles, he always feels a bit empty. Uncle’s illness is very serious, it’s a sickness of the heart.”
“Now that you’re back, it’s like his medicine is back. I don’t really understand adult feelings, but I know you’re very important to Uncle. I’ve always thought of him as a father. At first, I was scared that if Uncle had you, he wouldn’t like me anymore.”
“Later, I realized that everyone walks a part of the road with someone else, and it’s already a great happiness to have had someone accompany you for a while. We meet so many people in life, but the one who stays with us in the end is the one we love the most.”
Lillian looked at her. “Chloe, you really like your uncle, don’t you?”
Chloe nodded. “Uncle has been raising me since I was little. In my heart, he’s like a father to me, and Jasmine is like my little sister. I still remember that time when Uncle could hardly go on. After Jasmine came, I could feel his happiness. He would talk to himself by the crib, and Auntie said Uncle had gone crazy, crazy for a woman. I knew it wasn’t a good thing to say, but at that time, I thought, if I ever met you, I would beg you to stay for Uncle’s sake. Because you’re the pillar of Uncle’s spirit.”
“You’re so young, how do you know so much?”
“Because feelings don’t depend on age. We can all feel them. Uncle is a man of action, not just words. Many times, he does things without ever talking about them. I go to the old house every month, so I know more than most people. Great-grandmother was even preparing to arrange Uncle’s funeral.”
“It got to that point, and they were dragging Uncle to the ancestral hall to be punished, but he refused to bow his head and give in. He said, ‘If I’m not the clan leader, then I’m not, but I only ask for one thing.'”
Lillian paused. “What was it?”
“He wanted to lie with you, live and die together.”
Conrad had been muttering in the living room and wasn’t sure what Lillian and Chloe had talked about, so when she returned with the kids, his gaze was fixed on her.
Lillian went to the kitchen to cut fruit, and he followed her in. “What were you talking about? You two seem to really click.”
“Is it so strange that I get along with kids?”
“It’s not strange, I’m just curious what you two talked about.”
“What do you think we talked about?”
“Well, Chloe must’ve praised me, but I didn’t hire her, I’m clean.”
Lillian chuckled. “Yeah, she kept praising you so much that I actually started to suspect she was hired by you. What now?”
“You’re wronging me, aren’t you?”
“Conrad.”
“Hmm?”
“I’m back, aren’t you happy?”
“Of course.”
“Then stay happy forever, okay?”
“Stay happy forever.”
That sentence completely fried Conrad’s brain.
After sending the guests off in the evening, he lay in bed, tossing and turning, still thinking about those words. Did it mean she would always be there by his side?
Conrad suddenly sat up straight
Andrew, who had been about to head to bed, glanced at the figure walking on the monitor and, resigned, climbed out of bed.
It turned out Conrad was just standing at Lillian’s door, grinning like a fool.
He didn’t go in; he just stood there, happily smiling.
Then he went back to his room.
Andrew was too scared to sleep and stayed up all night. The door never opened, and only then did he finally go back to his own room.
He thought that if this kept up, Conrad wouldn’t be the one to die. It’d be him, slowly dying from sleep deprivation.