Blue and white clouds, cracked asphalt, and a classic Dodge Challenger stopped in front of a standard U.S. detached house.
Housing prices in Los Angeles are not low—after all, Hollywood is not far away—but the housing prices here were not very high either. After all, this was Los Angeles, not Hollywood.
James Nixxon's mood had been low, but Owen was full of energy.
He believed that with his efforts, James would definitely accept and integrate into this family.
It was already afternoon when they returned from the Orphanage.
Owen didn't go to the auto repair shop; he had a lot of things to deal with today. Bringing James home was very important, and getting his family to accept James was equally important.
His daughter, Mia, was an obedient and well-behaved child, so Owen wasn't too worried. He believed that within a month at most, Mia and James would become a loving family.
But his eldest son, Dominic Toledo?
Truly, ever since his son entered his rebellious phase, he had become increasingly troublesome.
He didn't study well on weekdays, constantly getting into fights or hanging out with disreputable characters. Fortunately, with Vincent from the same street, even if Nick caused trouble, it wouldn't be too big a mess.
Opening the refrigerator, he casually grabbed a bottle of beer, twisted off the cap, and the ice-cold beer instantly dispelled the waves of heat brought by Los Angeles. There wasn't much in the refrigerator.
Mainly milk, vegetables, and several kinds of fruit.
In addition, there was beef he had marinated yesterday. In Owen's opinion, the best way to integrate into a new environment was through food. He believed there was nothing a BBQ couldn't solve; if there was, then two BBQs!
He held a plate full of marinated beef, all large steaks, seasoned with celery, onions, tomatoes, black pepper, salt, and other spices.
He looked at James, who was sitting on the sofa in a daze, and invited him with an enthusiastic smile: "James, want to help?"
James looked up at Owen, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes: "Can I? Uncle Owen."
Owen let out a hearty and happy laugh, his eyes even showing a hint of pride: "Of course, before I got my hands on my first car, my dream was to become a BBQ chef."
"Then why didn't you become a BBQ chef, Uncle Owen?"
"It's simple, because the sound of an engine is too captivating. But no matter what, my cooking skills are excellent."
Relationships between people are always built on mutual giving and receiving.
Both Owen and James were skilled in this.
Conversations between intelligent people are always pleasant.
James was very surprised. He hadn't expected Owen, who seemed "fierce" and not like a good person, to actually have some knowledge.
His conversation, insights, way of dealing with people, and the unique humor and optimism made people involuntarily feel good about him.
However, unlike James's surprise, Owen's mood at this moment could even be described as shock.
Was this a six-year-old child?
Are you telling me that this boy, who discussed current national conditions, economic development trends, changes in music styles, and the future rise of the internet, is merely six years old?
For a normal six-year-old child, being able to communicate normally and having some understanding of the World is already considered a qualified six-year-old child. After all, most children at this age only think about TV and toys.
If he hadn't known James was only a six-year-old child, if he hadn't personally watched him talk, Owen might have thought he was speaking to an adult.
But even with those fantasies, James's mental maturity at this moment was even greater than that of his own rebellious son.
Is this talent?
Owen felt for the first time that the gap between ordinary people and talented people was so huge!
However, everything in the World has two sides.
James was talented; his mind was very mature and should not be viewed with the eyes of a child. This meant James didn't need Owen to worry, but it also meant James had strong opinions.
Through their conversation during cooking, Owen could feel that James's state wasn't very good, which meant that his usual approach to ordinary children would barely work here.
Gazing at James in front of him, Owen patted his shoulder.
His palm was very large—or James was still too small—so much so that his palm could not only cover half of James's shoulder but also had half a palm remaining: "James, I know leaving Mrs. Samantha will make you feel uncomfortable, but believe me, you don't need to be nervous, you absolutely don't need to be nervous, just treat this place as home."
James opened his mouth, wanting to explain that it wasn't because of Mrs. Samantha, but after thinking about it, he finally sighed.
At the same time, a seven- or eight-year-old girl, looking mischievous, walked in from the street in the backyard.
She had long brown-black hair, and her eyes were beautiful, as clear as the water of Lake Baikal. Her features hadn't fully developed, but from her outline, she would definitely be a great beauty in the future.
Their eyes met. James looked at the girl in front of him, but she didn't pay attention to him. Instead, she turned her head haughtily to look at Owen not far away: "Dad, I'm home."
Owen's face showed a few more smiles. He patted James's shoulder: "Let me introduce you. This is your older sister, Mia. This is your younger brother, James."
The girl froze, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes: "Brother? Isn't it a sister?"
But then, she shook her head, looking at Owen with a hint of coquetry: "Never mind, I don't care about that. Dad, there's BBQ today, you're being a bit partial, aren't you? Don't you love me anymore?"
Owen flipped the steaks, a smile on his face: "That depends on whether you're obedient."
But the girl looked at Owen with disdain: "Hmph, I'm not a child anymore."
Owen didn't mind. He casually asked, "Where's your brother?"
The girl shook her head, a hint of cunning flashing in her bright eyes: "I don't know, he'll probably be back soon?"
Owen froze, then became a little annoyed: "He'll be back soon? Don't think I don't know, he didn't go to school today at all. Nick has been increasingly disobedient lately. I clearly told him to come home early today."
Although he didn't know the specifics, how smart was James?
He was not a child who was only six years old.
It was certain that Owen approved of adopting him, and this future overlord of the Los Angeles underground racing scene, the beefy Toledo, apparently wasn't very fond of him.
As for the girl, Mia, her attitude should be fifty-fifty.
A slight smile crossed his lips, and he thought to himself, This is interesting. James looked at his adoptive father, Owen, beside him: "Uncle Owen, it's okay."
The girl froze, then defended her brother: "Dad, look, James is fine."
Owen sighed, a hint of helplessness in his eyes: "You two, neither of you makes it easy for me."
Time passed by second by second. James's charisma was truly strong. Perhaps because of his natural charm, he quickly became familiar with Mia.
This made Owen a little depressed. He always felt that the relationship between James and Mia was better than his relationship with James.
Was it because he was older and his charm had declined?
It shouldn't be. Just two days ago, Carey from the neighboring community even asked him to treat her to dessert (an American hint of agreeing to a relationship), but he refused, using his children as an excuse.
Dinner was BBQ, and there was also a vegetable salad made by Mia herself. Although it was just mixed, it still made Mia feel very accomplished.
As for Toledo?
He did not appear during dinner.
James ate a lot. His appetite surprised Owen. Six-year-old James's appetite was almost three times that of eight-year-old Mia, and even more than Owen's.
If it weren't for James looking normal and showing no signs of discomfort, Owen would have almost taken him to the hospital.
In fact, James didn't want to be like this, but he couldn't help it. He had just transformed into a Basilisk, and a large amount of energy was consumed in his body. Moreover, whether as James or as a Basilisk, he was in a period of rapid development, and his body needed a lot of food.
Just like that, around seven or eight in the evening, Owen was holding James and Mia watching Tom and Jerry when the front door opened.
Toledo walked in, bearing more than ninety percent resemblance to the Dominic Toledo in James's memory. Westerners developed faster; although his face was slightly immature and his physique wasn't yet robust, James was certain that this was the street racing king who would become famous in Los Angeles over a decade later.
However, compared to the wise and dominant big guy in his memory, the current Toledo was clearly too green.
He scanned the room and immediately saw James sitting on the sofa. He then frowned and left without a word, leaving Owen with a helpless expression, forcing a dry laugh to ease the awkward atmosphere.