Tidying up the two rooms was simple.

The rooms were given a quick cleaning every day, so all they needed was to have the bedding laid out.

It was cold in the winter, so the family had already started heating the kangs. Grace Winslow went ahead to ask Gregory Winslow to help get the heated brick beds going.

Archer Rhys and the old master didn’t act like strangers. They were already quite familiar with Gregory Winslow, so upon meeting, they went straight to the living room to drink tea and chat.

Irene Lynch, for her part, put the child down and went to cook.

"You’re the lucky one, with your whole family living together. It’s so lively. Not like me, just an old man all alone in the house. You can’t imagine how lonely it is." The old master looked at Gregory Winslow, his eyes full of envy.

The days of family reunions were long gone for him.

Gregory Winslow smiled and poured the old master some tea. "I hear your young Archer is quite capable, managing to win my daughter over. My girl was raised like a precious treasure in this family. He’d better not bully her in the future, or I won’t let him off easy."

"And another thing, Old Master. From now on, we’re family. If you ever get lonely living at home, just move in with us. Our house is big; one more person is no problem at all."

The old master laughed and nodded. "Alright, alright. I have no shame, you know. If you’re inviting me, I’ll really come. And once I’ve settled in, I’m not leaving. I won’t leave even if you try to kick me out."

"Why would I ever kick you out? Even if your boy wasn’t with my daughter, I’d never drive you away. Just live here with peace of mind. I’ll take care of you in your old age," Gregory Winslow said with a wave of his hand, his tone sincere.

Archer Rhys was completely sidelined.

He simply got up and walked out, leaving the two of them alone.

Grace Winslow and Joanne Chase finished tidying the rooms in short order and were about to help Irene Lynch prepare dinner.

Seeing Archer Rhys standing alone in the courtyard, Grace looked at him curiously. "What’s wrong? Did my dad kick you out?"

"No, Grandpa and your father are having a nice chat. I felt like I was in the way, so I came out. What are you two up to?" Archer shook his head. Seeing Grace and Joanne carrying large bags, he stepped forward to help.

Grace dodged him and shot him a glare. "Don’t you know your own condition? This is just trash. My older brother will be here in a bit; he can take it out. Don’t you move around. If you have nothing to do, go sit over there and help peel garlic. We use a lot of it for the New Year."

Archer felt her concern and nodded, following her to help with the task.

Grace didn’t let him do any heavy lifting, only giving him small, miscellaneous chores.

"Huh? Dad, why is there a little kid in our house?"

When Nolan Winslow and Brandon Winslow arrived, they saw the little fellow in the living room, who had just woken up and was looking for someone.

The little guy was adorable, with fair, tender skin and chubby cheeks. He had a fortunate look about him that made people instantly like him.

Nolan Winslow couldn’t resist and reached out to poke his cheek.

The little boy’s eyes instantly welled with tears. He pouted grievously, looking at Nolan on the verge of crying.

Nolan jumped in fright and quickly raised his hands. "Hey, hey, hey, don’t cry! Please, please don’t cry! I’m bad, Uncle’s bad. Uncle shouldn’t have poked you. Please don’t cry, or Uncle is going to get a beating in a minute."

The little guy looked at Nolan’s panicked state, blinked blankly, and his tears retreated.

Nolan immediately breathed a sigh of relief and asked Gregory Winslow, who was nearby, "Dad, where did this kid come from? He’s surprisingly cute."

"Your mom and your sister brought him back," Gregory replied casually.

"Mom can still have kids at her age?" Nolan blurted out without thinking.

Gregory Winslow’s hand, which was pouring tea, froze. He silently put down the teapot, unbuckled his belt, and pulled it out, preparing to beat his son.

Nolan sensed a murderous aura. He looked up to see Gregory standing there, staring at him menacingly with the belt in his hand.

He realized his mistake, yelped, and jumped up to flee out the door.

"You get back here!"

A chase scene unfolded in the house.

The little guy looked from one to the other, probably finding it amusing. He stood there laughing and even started clapping.

Nolan took a few hits to his rear and was rubbing it in pain.

Seeing the little guy laughing so happily, he couldn’t help but complain woefully, "You’re having a good laugh, you little rascal. Pity me, I’m the one who got a beating. Say, whose kid are you anyway? You’re so good-looking, your parents must be too. Why would they not want you?"

He didn’t know which of his words had struck a nerve, but the smile on the little boy’s face vanished. He stared at Nolan for a moment, his lips trembled, and he burst into tears with a loud "WAAAH!"

The crying was so loud it immediately alerted Irene Lynch, Grace Winslow, and the others busy in the kitchen.

They all rushed out without even wiping their hands.

They came out to see Nolan standing helplessly in front of the little boy, while Gregory raised his belt to strike again.

Brandon Winslow, standing to the side, couldn’t help but shake his head. "I’m telling you, big brother, if you don’t know how to talk, then don’t. How can you say things like that? You always say the absolute worst things."

Nolan glared at him.

"Aren’t you going to comfort him?" Gregory’s belt was about to swing.

Nolan quickly picked up the little boy and started walking him around in circles in the garden to soothe him.

Fortunately, as a father of two himself, he had some experience with kids.

Seeing that things with the child were under control, Irene Lynch and the others scolded Nolan a few times before returning to the kitchen to get busy.

The little boy was just recovering from a serious illness and couldn’t eat many things, so Irene Lynch specially prepared a few dishes just for him.

By the time dinner was served, it was already six-thirty.

Gregory Winslow turned on the TV to watch the news while the family gathered around the table to eat.

The meal was a lavish spread. Looking at the feast on the table, the old master’s eyes grew a little red.

After a few rounds of drinks, those who were going to get drunk were drunk.

Archer Rhys couldn’t drink because of his injury, but Nolan Winslow and Brandon Winslow were already passed out drunk.

Hayley and Lily Callahan were speechless.

In the end, they had no choice but to stay the night.

Fortunately, the kangs in the house had all been freshly prepared. The heated beds were spacious, so sleeping a few people on one was no problem at all.

In the end, Gregory Winslow, Nolan Winslow, and Brandon Winslow were all thrown together, sharing one kang with a few of the young boys.

Since Archer Rhys and the old master were guests, they each got their own room.

Hayley and Lily Callahan ran over to join Grace Winslow for the fun.

Irene Lynch took the little boy to sleep with her.

Grace had also had a couple of drinks during the meal and was a bit tipsy. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Hayley and Lily pulled her aside and peppered her with questions. When the topic turned to Archer, she couldn’t help but feel a little parched.

’Adults have certain normal needs. I’m a normal person, too, not some desireless puppet. Of course I’d have some messy thoughts. I could have ignored them, but after being questioned and teased by Hayley and Lily, things started getting a little out of hand.’

That night, Grace Winslow had a dream.