Lilian smiled and said, "Connor, I can’t hold you right now. Why don’t you sit and play with your toys for a while?"Connor stretched his arms but was not picked up, so he complained loudly at Lilian. "Wow, now you know how to shout when you aren’t picked up too." Amused, Lilian freed a hand and lifted Connor to hold him as well. Once in Lilian’s arms, Connor noticed that his sister was still holding a toy and tried to grab it from her. Chloe clung tightly to the toy and would not let him take it. Even when Connor persisted, Chloe managed to wrest the toy back and hit him with it. After being hit a few times with the toy, Connor pouted, his eyes welling up with tears as he prepared to cry."Antonia, quickly, take Connor. He’s about to cry."Lilian was most afraid of children crying, as evidenced by her attempts to comfort her own son. She wanted to escape the moment a child started to cry. Antonia took Connor from Lilian’s arms and picked up one of Connor’s toys from his crib
Daughters were so adorable. They were also more obedient and less mischievous compared to sons.Beatrice said, “Didn’t you say you weren’t going to have a second child? If you do want one, you should wait a few years until Oliver starts preschool. Then you can consider having a second.”Beatrice had a laid-back attitude toward how many children her daughter-in-law wanted to have. She would not interfere or rush them. Whether one child or more, or none at all, she would not oppose it. They were all grownups with minds of their own. As long as they knew what they were doing and were happy, it did not matter to her whether they got married, had children, or how many they had."Yeah, not now. I don’t have the time for that right now."Lilian thought about how she would be flying to Wiltspoon that night to accompany Patrick to Jensburg. With her busy schedule, she truly had no time for a second pregnancy right now. She decided to wait until Oliver got a little older before thinking abou
Serenity smiled and said, “That’s how kids are. Childhood is the happiest and most carefree time in a person's life. When they grow older and start schooling, and face academic pressures, they won’t be as carefree as they are now.”Jane agreed. “Yes, I sometimes wish I could return to my childhood. Being a little kid was the happiest time.”As a child, she was the family’s little darling. She was pampered by everyone and was even more carefree than her adopted son Laurence. After all, Laurence had to study medicine and self-defense. Before she started elementary school, her time was purely spent playing.Serenity said, “Keep your voice down—don’t let Ben hear you. Otherwise, he might think you’re unhappy with him and start wracking his brain to figure out how to make you happy.”Jane instinctively turned to look at Ben. As if sensing her gaze, Ben looked up and smiled at her. Jane smiled back. Turning her head, she affectionately linked arms with Serenity.“I’ve always been happy.
Sonny, feeling satisfied, said, “I’m so cute. I just knew everyone would miss me.”“This kid’s becoming more shameless by the day,” Serenity commented about her nephew’s growing arrogance.Jane laughed as she took Connor from Antonia's arms. “Sonny is speaking the truth. He’s as adorable as my Laurence.”This was a double entendre. Both kids were clever and cute, but they were also becoming quite thick-skinned, especially Laurence. Jane felt that her adopted son had grown up a lot in his recent time away. He was very perceptive. With a few unconventional old-timers around raising him, they could not judge Laurence by conventional standards.“I’m good friends with Laurence—we’re like brothers. My uncle says that Laurence and I have been playing together since we were little, so we’ll be childhood friends, and that we’ll always be best buddies.”Sonny and Laurence were sitting on either side of Lilian, who was still holding Chloe. The adults in the room laughed. It would be delightf
Lilian was “scolded” by Doc and was only left off the hook after she promised to never bite Oliver again. When baby Oliver returned to Lilian’s arms, he still gave her a huge smile that melted her heart. No wonder her master loved the baby so dearly. Oliver was truly adorable.The Johnson family had breakfast prepared. Everyone took their seats and together they had breakfast at the dining table. After eating, Jane and Lilian accompanied Serenity on a stroll in the garden. Serenity often felt too full after a meal and needed to move around. However, she would get hungry as soon as everything was digested. Jane smiled. “The fetus is growing rapidly at this stage. It needs a lot of nutrients. That’s why you get hungry quickly. Most pregnant women eat small but frequent meals.“I used to eat more than you when I was pregnant. My appetite returned to normal after I gave birth.”Jane had twins. Naturally, more nutrients were required for two fetuses.She felt herself stuff
After two years, Liberty had become a better version of herself. Her style was also more similar to Aunt Audrey’s.Jane did not know what to say. Serenity turned to look at Lilian. She asked, “When are you going to Wiltspoon, Lilian? Is it tonight or tomorrow?”Lilian replied openly, “Tonight. Mr. Patrick is eager to return to Jensburg. He’s been waiting for this day for decades. It has been the sole motivation that’s been keeping him going.”After speaking, she smiled. “How did you know I’d be going over?”“Doc is back, and he can’t possibly leave so soon. Mr. Patrick is old and is plagued by many ailments. He needs a doctor at all times. If your teacher won’t be with him, then it must be you. It’s easy to guess.“The masters will most likely leave tomorrow. Going home was an excuse. They are simply taking a detour to go to Jensburg.”No one had revealed anything to Serenity. She had guessed and analyzed everything herself. Lilian praised, “You’re clever, Serenity. You also
“Children don’t have to be worried about gaining weight. They’re physically active, which burns a lot of calories.”Jane added, “There was a period when Laurence gained weight but lost it soon after.“Since Sonny is also practicing martial arts, he won’t gain too much weight if he doesn’t overeat.“Lilian’s also right, Serenity. My brother and sister-in-law are nosy people. Even if I don’t tell them, they’ll go over themselves. You don’t have to feel like you owe me a favor.”Jane reassured Serenity and told her not to be too worried about the situation in Jensburg. She also convinced Serenity that getting her brother and sister-in-law to go to Jensburg was no big deal. It would be nothing but entertainment to them. “I’m not worried. I’ll wait for my sister to return and celebrate Christmas.”Serenity nodded gratefully. Zachary bringing her over and linking her up with Jane and Lilian back then had been really helpful. Jane and Lilian had powerful families backing them.
“Spot on. He learned the tricks from his friends.”“Aunt Ser.”“Mommy Jane.”The two boys came running over. “Where did your pinwheels come from, Laurence?” Jane asked despite knowing the answer. “This is one of Sonny’s presents for me. Don’t you think this pinwheel is pretty, Mommy Jane? It’s fun. The wind is strong today. It’s a perfect day to play with pinwheels. It’ll be better if we have kites.”Laurence was happy that he had received gifts from his friend. He told Jane eagerly, “Sonny gave me many presents, Mommy Jane. There are toys, snacks, and even books.”Jane patted his head and asked, “Have you said your thanks? Did you get something for Sonny too?”“I thanked him and gave him presents. He liked them a lot.”Sonny chimed in, “I love the present Laurence gave me, Aunt Jane.”The items Laurence had given him were something Aunt Ser could not buy. Laurence said his teacher’s teacher made them. The carved animal figurines looked like they could come alive any seco