"She was sent by my godfather to take care of me." Seraphina Ashworth casually made up an excuse, a small pang of guilt rising in her heart.
"Oh, I see."
"Seraphina, you've gotten so thin. You must eat well to build yourself back up. Auntie will go make you some soup." Sharon Forrest looked at Seraphina Ashworth, who had grown a little taller than a year ago but was even thinner, a heart-wrenching sight.
"Thank you, Auntie."
"Come on, come on, Sylvia, let's go make something nice for Seraphina to eat." Susan Lindsey, seeing how tense Sylvia Blaine had been, wanted to use this as a way to distract her.
"Mom, it's been so long since I've had your cooking. I miss it so much," Seraphina Ashworth said coaxingly, holding onto Sylvia Blaine's arm.
The moment Sylvia Blaine heard Seraphina Ashworth say this, she immediately stood up to go to the kitchen. "You just wait, Mom will go make it for you right now."
As soon as the adults left, Maurice Ashworth and the others immediately gathered around Seraphina Ashworth. "Seraphina, this wheelchair is gorgeous! It even has patterns carved on it," Jasper Ashworth said admiringly, stroking the wheelchair's armrest.
Everyone had been so shocked by the fact that Seraphina Ashworth was in a wheelchair that they hadn't paid any attention to it. Looking at it now, they were stunned by its sheer luxury. Who on earth makes a wheelchair out of jade?
"Seraphina, was this also a gift from your godfather?" Mr. Ashworth asked gently.
"Yes. My godfather said jade is good for one's health," Seraphina Ashworth replied smoothly.
"Seraphina, your godfather truly treats you incredibly well," Mr. Ashworth remarked with a sigh.
Seraphina Ashworth hummed in agreement.
Cecilia Ashworth and the others chattered away, asking Seraphina Ashworth about her life over the past year, while the adults listened in from the side. Seraphina, in turn, only told them funny and interesting stories to keep them entertained.
"Alright, it's time to eat. You can chat more after dinner," Miss Ashworth said, walking over to gather everyone.
"Come on, Seraphina, Dad will carry you," Paul Ashworth said, crouching down in front of Seraphina Ashworth.
Looking at Paul Ashworth's broad back, Seraphina Ashworth felt her heart unexpectedly clench, and she froze for a moment.
"Seraphina, what are you staring at? Come on, get on," Paul Ashworth said dotingly, turning his head back. His eyes were filled with an affection so deep it seemed to melt.
"Mm," Seraphina Ashworth snapped out of it and, stretching out her arms, climbed onto his back. The back she hadn't felt in a year was just as warm as ever, filling her with a profound sense of security that could only come from a father.
The rest of the family followed them to the dining room.
"Seraphina, eat more. This is good for you." At the dinner table, everyone kept piling food into Seraphina Ashworth's bowl.
"Okay, okay, everyone eat your own food. Don't just focus on me," Seraphina Ashworth said helplessly, watching as they piled food into her bowl until it was a small mountain she couldn't possibly start on.
Only when they saw there was no more room in her bowl did they finally stop. This was the first time since Seraphina Ashworth had left that the Ashworth Family's dinner table was so lively and harmonious. Jokes from Jasper Ashworth and the others periodically sent the whole table roaring with laughter.
After dinner, everyone sat in the living room, drinking tea and chatting. Just then, the woman who had been pushing the wheelchair earlier walked in carrying a box. "Mistress, the items have been delivered."
"Just put it on the table." The woman set the box down and left.
"These Jade Pendants all have names carved on them. Everyone take one. The jade has been specially treated and is very good for your health if you wear it. You should wear it every day," Seraphina Ashworth said, opening the box and gesturing to the pendants inside. "This is a token of my godfather's goodwill, so Grandpa, all of you, please don't refuse."
Everyone stared, dumbfounded, at the Jade Pendants in the box, clicking their tongues in amazement.
'Seraphina's godfather is truly extravagant.'
"This one is mine, and this one is Maurice's." Jasper Ashworth found his and Maurice Ashworth's pendants, then handed Maurice his.
All the Jade Pendants were made of high-quality Mutton Fat Jade. The ones for the men were carved with a Chinese Unicorn, while the women's featured a Phoenix. Each was engraved with the last character of the owner's given name and was already strung on a chain. Everyone who received one immediately put it on.
Seraphina Ashworth chatted with everyone for a little while longer before deciding to go back and rest. She was a bit tired, having rushed back immediately after finishing her Cultivation. "Grandpa, I'm going to go rest now."
"Then Dad will push you back." Seraphina Ashworth had planned to just have the robot push her back, but since Paul Ashworth had offered, she didn't object.
"Okay," Seraphina Ashworth replied with a nod to Paul Ashworth.
Sylvia Blaine could see that her husband wanted to say something to Seraphina Ashworth, so she didn't follow them.
On the path back to her small building, Paul Ashworth pushed Seraphina Ashworth in silence. It wasn't until they reached the entrance that he finally spoke. "Seraphina, Dad doesn't know what you've gone through this past year, but I'm certain you must have endured pain we can't even imagine. If you don't want to talk about it, Dad won't ask. If you do, Dad will listen. I always wanted to spoil you rotten, to let you live a life without a care in the world. But you were always so smart, so guarded. Besides family, it was hard for you to let your guard down with anyone, and you never asked me for anything. Back then, I used to think how wonderful it would be if you were just a little more spoiled and willful. I want to tell you that no matter what, whenever you're tired, Dad will always be your safe harbor. Do you understand?" Paul Ashworth knelt down, taking Seraphina Ashworth's small hand in his and looking gently into her eyes.
"Mm. Dad, there's something I've always wanted to say to you and Mom. Dad... being your and Mom's daughter is the best thing in the world. It's truly wonderful. I'm so happy." Seraphina Ashworth squeezed Paul Ashworth's hand, her face breaking into a wide smile. It was the first time she had ever smiled so radiantly in front of him.
Hearing this, Paul Ashworth's eyes couldn't help but fill with tears, but he held them back.
Under the faint moonlight, the father and daughter had their first true heart-to-heart, bringing them closer than ever before.
The instant Seraphina Ashworth was back in her bedroom, she coughed, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the floor beside her bed.
"Seraphina, are you okay? I told you, I told you to wait a few more days before coming out! Look at you, you're coughing up blood!" Trudy was so frantic it flew into a tizzy beside Seraphina Ashworth.
"I'm fine. I'll be better in a few days," Seraphina Ashworth said, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth and popping an Elixir into it.
"You... I really don't know what to do with you," Trudy said with a sigh.
Seraphina Ashworth knew that given the state of her body, she shouldn't have left her space at this time. But seeing how much her family missed her, she just couldn't bear to stay away.
The suffering she had endured over the past year was nothing like the light and breezy stories she told her family.
Six months into the year, she had reached the Third Level of the Nine Nether Cold Technique. However, breaking through from the Third Level to the Fourth Level required enduring a pain several times more excruciating than the poison's usual flare-ups. She had almost died then. Afterward, she spent nearly two months recuperating before focusing on consolidating her Cultivation. But then she'd run into the poison's annual flare-up, which occurred during the last month of the year. The body she had just managed to heal was ruined all over again, which was why she couldn't even spend the New Year with her family. So, the moment she felt sixty or seventy percent recovered, she immediately left her space. But she was still pushing herself. The mouthful of blood she had been desperately holding back all the way to her room could finally be suppressed no longer. 'Looks like it will be at least another two months before I'm fully recovered.'
Seraphina Ashworth had the robot clean the bloodstains from the floor, then went to bed early. She was, after all, exhausted from the day's events.