Mike went back to his room to wash up briefly, then came out just in time to catch up with Connie and Sheldon, and they went to the Cooper house together.
Compared to last night's misery, the atmosphere at the Cooper house was much livelier today.
Missy, dressed in a floral outfit, was darting around the house. Georgie, on the other hand, was excitedly sitting in front of the TV, studying a disc.
In the dining room, Mary had also prepared a lavish lunch.
"George, you look much better today," Connie said with a smile as soon as she entered, greeting George who was sitting at the head of the dining table.
Such a thing would have been impossible before.
George was a bit surprised to see Connie smiling at him, but he responded warmly, "Thanks to you, I feel much better."
Don't let George's current gentle and kind demeanor fool you; he was quite a rascal when he was young. And his marriage to Mary was also because they had George first.
Due to these various reasons, Connie had always been somewhat displeased with George in the past.
Now, it was all good; their conflicts seemed to have vanished into thin air because of George's serious illness.
At this moment, Sheldon began to seek attention: "And me, I prayed earnestly to God, which is why dad was able to recover safely."
"Yes, my Sheldon is the best—" Connie said with a smile, stroking Sheldon's head, not holding back her praise.
Beside them, Missy, seeing Mike's arrival, also quieted down and sat next to him at the dining table like a lady.
Seeing the family enjoying themselves, Mary smiled, "Alright, let's say grace before the meal, giving thanks for everything God has given us."
This time, Sheldon prayed more earnestly than ever before.
Mike vaguely heard his soft murmuring: 'Almighty God, please bless our family with good health! Hmm, and Mike… Please don't let Missy throw her worn socks around, please bless Georgie to take a bath at least once a day…'
He seemed to have treated God as an almighty wishing machine.
Amen—
As Mary finished her prayer, the wishes in Sheldon's heart had not yet been fully expressed.
"Come and try my egg feast…" Mary promoted her newly developed egg delicacies to everyone.
Cheese egg frittata, bacon egg rolls, potato-stuffed eggs.
It must be said that, apart from the single ingredient, Mary's cooking skills were indeed good.
The dining table atmosphere at the Cooper house was very relaxed, and it did not require: no talking while eating, no talking while sleeping.
Seeing George habitually open another bottle of beer, Mike pulled out his medical record from his pocket and advised, "George, your medical report shows that your blood pressure, blood lipids, and blood sugar are all high. You should appropriately quit drinking and eat less greasy food…"
Seeing Mike speak seriously, Mary took the medical record and looked at the dense medical jargon on it. She didn't understand it at first and could only ask doubtfully, "Is it really that serious?"
"Of course, it's a bit more serious than you think," Mike suggested, "If you want to prevent a relapse, George should ideally do some moderate outdoor exercise, and it would be good if he could lose some weight…"
As the person involved, George had a deep understanding of yesterday's danger. However, he touched his increasingly bulging belly and then looked at the delicious cold beer beside him, his expression somewhat conflicted.
Having been accustomed to a comfortable and leisurely life, it was indeed somewhat difficult to suddenly change one's lifestyle habits.
"George, if you're willing, you can exercise with me in the future. Of course, you only need a light amount of exercise…" Mike suggested again, seeing the other party's troubled expression.
"This…" George looked at the beer beside him, still a bit reluctant.
"Dad, you don't have to worry. I've already made a deal with God, and He will bless you with good health." Sheldon, dressed in white devotee attire, seemed to feel the Lord's calling at this moment.
"Thank you, Sheldon—" George smiled, feeling comforted. After estimating for a bit, he let go of the cold beer beside him.
Mary, knowing her husband's personality, also began to persuade him, "George, we all know that moderate exercise is good for your health. You can adapt slowly; we believe in you."
"Alright, isn't it just quitting alcohol and outdoor exercise? I'll consider it…" George's emotions showed a slight compromise.
Although George had not yet given a clear guarantee, this could be considered a good start.
Next, everyone calmly enjoyed the egg feast.
As Mike ate, he suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable in his stomach. Because of his Demon Body, he rarely got sick.
Recalling that his digestive system was stronger than that of ordinary people, he quickly attributed the cause to the food on the table.
"Wait, everyone stop eating, there's something wrong with the food," Mike said immediately, enduring the stomach pain.
He had a Demon Body, so a slight food poisoning wasn't a problem; he could just tough it out.
But the Cooper family were all ordinary people. If they ate poisoned food, they would probably suffer for a long time, and Mike didn't want to gamble on that probability.
"What's wrong, Mike? All the ingredients were handled by me personally, there shouldn't be any problem…" Mary hadn't realized the seriousness of the situation yet. She turned to her husband, "By the way, George, did you buy that large basket of eggs in the kitchen?"
"No," George shook his head and explained, "The eggs were a gift from Billy, the kid next door, yesterday noon. You know, their family has a small chicken farm, and they have more eggs than they can eat…"
The area where Sheldon's family lived was not urban-planned, and there were several neighbors nearby, with Billy's family being one of them.
Billy was a chubby kid about the same age as Sheldon, and he often carried his home-raised chickens to tease Sheldon.
Moreover, the chubby Billy had a crush on the beautiful and cute Missy, so he would occasionally send small gifts to the Cooper family.
Seeing the conversation veer off-topic, Connie called out, "Listen to Mike, everyone stop eating—"
Then, she looked at Mike with concern, "Mike, where do you feel uncomfortable? Do you want Grandma to take you to the hospital?"
Mike shook his head; the cramping in his stomach had already eased a bit. He said, "I'm not entirely sure, but these foods are very likely problematic…"
Just as he was speaking, George, who had been eating with his head down, suddenly clutched his stomach, his face instantly turning pale, and cold sweat breaking out.
Then, as if a virus was spreading, the other people at the dining table successively clutched their stomachs, their faces turning grim.
"Damn it, it must be that the eggs Billy sent have expired," George had just suffered last night, and his reaction now was particularly severe.
"No, Mike, quickly call an ambulance—" Connie was also clutching her stomach at this moment, looking very uncomfortable.
Seeing that some people were starting to vomit and the situation was getting worse, Mike hurriedly said, "There's no time, I'll get the car, you all squeeze in, I'll take you to the hospital."
"Take my car, it's more spacious…" George endured the dizziness and handed the car keys to Mike.
Then, he helped his family walk out.
"How could this happen? God clearly promised me He would bless my family's safety…" Sheldon was also very uncomfortable now, but compared to the physical discomfort, he was more resentful that God had broken the "covenant."
"Sheldon, what are you waiting for, come over," George stood at the doorway, turning back to call his youngest son.
"Wait—" Sheldon took off his white devotee clothing, complaining, "I'll never believe in God again. Even if He exists, He must be a bad person…"
Mike finished starting the car and came back just in time to see Sheldon, who could barely stand, still muttering.
Because the blow this time was too great, a glowing attribute orb appeared on him.
[Intelligence +2]
'God bless!' Mike silently prayed. After picking up the orb, he picked up Sheldon and ran out.