CHAPTER 402: CHAPTER 402: PARENT-CHILD OUTING

The next day, at breakfast with the Sullivan father and daughter, Ruby Sullivan officially announced that as soon as Rhonda Sullivan returned to the country, she would immediately send her back to the Sullivan Family.

Brandon Sullivan listened with a cheerful smile, agreeing to whatever she said.

Seeing his meek demeanor, Ruby felt annoyed again, "Remember to take your medicine after breakfast." She placed his medicine box on the table, placed a cup of water next to it, and then went to watch TV.

He had done so many unforgivable things, and now just because he’s old, sick, and his brain is malfunctioning, he can be forgiven and naturally forget everything. It’s simply Heaven’s favoritism!

Because Brandon Sullivan was home, Ruby didn’t dare to bring the kids over, so she planned to visit them at noon. After briefing Brandon, she set off, planning to take them to the children’s playground in the mall in the afternoon.

Initially, Seth had no interest in such places, thinking it was a waste of time. Later, he felt that wasting time with his sister was a kind of life investment, but Ruby didn’t know what kind of investment. Anyway, as long as her son was happy, it was fine.

On the way to the old house, Ruby felt a bit uneasy, unsure if Ethan Sterling had talked to the kids after returning yesterday. Seth had already spoken with her, so she was more at ease, but she was worried about her sweet Honey.

She didn’t know if Honey’s intelligence got distributed more to her brother while in the womb, as she has unique views on many things, and no one could guess what she would assume after hearing her dad’s words.

She felt she wasn’t a good mom because this daughter raised by her side, although looking naïve and sweet, was extremely sensitive inside. At an age when she should be naughty, she was very well-behaved and always put Ruby’s emotions first.

People often say that when children are too understanding, it’s likely that the parents are not. She suspected she was an immature parent.

Ruby feared that her overthinking would affect her driving, so she turned on the radio. Although she didn’t pay much attention to what the two new hosts were saying, it seemed to help her concentrate better.

When she got out of the car, Ruby breathed a long sigh of relief, realizing she had been tense the whole way.

She felt a bit apprehensive about seeing the kids.

Well... when she entered, she saw Vivian, Uncle Don, Leon Sterling, and the kids playing the Eagle and Chicks game in the living room. Seth, playing the eagle, was having a great time, completely sweaty, which took Ruby by surprise. She realized she was being overly worried.

As soon as Honey saw her, she shouted, "Mom, come play as a chick!"

Ruby twitched her lips, "I can’t run; you guys play." She said this as she walked to the side and sat on the back of the sofa, taking out her phone to record them playing.

"I can’t run anymore either." Vivian, who was the tail, asked to quit the game after being caught by Seth again.

Seeing this, Leon called a break, "Alright, let’s rest after playing for half a day."

Honey immediately snuggled into Ruby’s arms to sit beside her, while Seth sat on the other side, smugly raising his eyebrows, "I caught seven chicks just now, being the fiercest eagle. Mom, am I awesome or what?"

He used to think Honey bragging about such trivial things to mom was childish, but seeing his sister unhappy recently, Honey taught him this method. She said when mom laughed and praised her, she felt like the smartest kid in the world, and her mood immediately improved.

As Seth spoke, seeing his mom’s focused expression and surprised smile, his mood lifted without needing to hear her compliment.

Honey’s life philosophy indeed had some truth to it. Seth found this embarrassing moment delightful and thought he could use it more often in the future.

It’s said that growing up is a repeated process of embarrassment. If it’s this delightful, he’d be more willing to grow quickly.

Ruby was genuinely amazed by her son’s confident look; it was like another soul beneath his skin!

All her previous worries vanished; suddenly, she thought Vivian was an incredible grandmother, effortlessly spreading joy to the kids.

Ruby kissed her son on the cheek, "Of course, you’re the best!"

Leon also loved his nephew’s expression, affectionately ruffling his hair with satisfaction.

Seeing this, Vivian seized the chance to remind him, "Isn’t having a child wonderful? If you’re envious, quickly find one and start a relationship."

In Vivian’s view, marriage was a distant concept one needn’t consider, but one should start dating early, lest they miss the beauty of love when they’re older.

Leon slapped his forehead, thinking Vivian’s urging resembled a stereotypical parent from Celestia, despite her many years in Gallia.

He massaged Vivian’s shoulders gently and said, "Just focus on planning your wedding with Uncle Don, and don’t worry about others’ affairs."

"You are not others; you’re my son. Don’t worry, I treat everyone equally. Not only you and Cindy, but I’ll even speak to Aidan about it. Maybe you guys can have a contest to see who starts dating first," Vivian mused, feeling it was a great idea and decided to bring it up the next time she had dinner with Aidan.

Watching the mother-son conversation, Ruby felt things were somewhat different from before. Vivian used to not care about such things. Insisting her son, daughter, and grandchildren call her by her name was, in some way, diluting her familial ties.

She then noticed Uncle Don smiling beside her and realized Vivian’s change had much to do with him.

Uncle Don’s life had been a mess, yet after meeting Vivian, not only did his life become happier, but he also helped Vivian become a better version of herself. They were truly a match made in heaven.

Ruby suddenly felt a pang of envy and then saw her emotional Achilles’ heel, Ethan Sterling, coming down the stairs.

"Weren’t you going to the amusement park?" He was casually dressed and seemed puzzled seeing them still chatting on the sofa.

"You’re coming too?" Ruby was surprised.

"Dad promised to go with me on the gigantic slide," Honey explained with a smile.

"Well... alright." Ruby pursed her lips, not saying much more. It was their father-daughter agreement; she had no right to interfere.

On the third day of the lunar new year, the mall was filled with young people dining with friends and hanging out. The children’s area was bustling. Ruby and Ethan both took off their shoes and joined the kids in the ball pit, quickly getting immersed in it.

Though it was all meant for kids, they had even more fun throwing balls around.

To capture a perfect photo, Ethan took Honey on the giant slide five times. After confirming Ruby had taken the flawless shot, he turned to his daughter, asking, "Want to go again?"

Honey raised her eyebrows, "I’ll go once more with you because you’re my dad!"

Watching Ethan’s twitching lips, unsure of what to say, Ruby couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

After climbing around the equipment, Seth sat beside her, watching Honey and his dad, "Mom, Dad said he broke up with that woman. Did you know?"

Ruby tilted her head, immediately seeing through his scheme, "Your dad and I are impossible."

They were never right for each other from the start, so there was no need to persist.