Ashley opened her mouth, trying to say something more when she found Andrew pulling the hem of her skirt. "Ashley, Uncle Patrick is right. We won't be of much help even if we are there. Instead, we'll make trouble for them. We'd better stay home and wait for news."
"Okay!" Ashley nodded reluctantly. Recalling how Rick had been kicked to the ground, she couldn't help but shed tears. "Rick is so poor... Andrew, do you think it's my fault?"
Andrew broke off in the middle of wiping the tears off his sister's face when hearing her words. "Why is it your fault?"
Ashley's face was red from the crying. "If I haven't had Rick chase me, I wouldn't have run into Grandma, and she wouldn't have vented her anger on Rick..."
Andrew shook his head like a little man and said, "It's not your fault!"
"It's not my fault? Then is it Grandma's fault?" Ashley turned her black, grapes-like to Eve, mustered up her courage, and shouted at her, "Bad grandma! I don't like you anymore!"
"Ashley!" Nora was so shocked that she came forward to cover Ashley's mouth, hoping the little girl wouldn't saying anything inappropriate.
Hearing her granddaughter's announcement that she no longer liked her, Eve said with shaking lips, "Nora! Let go of Ashley and let her speak!"
"Ashley is young and ignorant. She is easily misled by something superficial. You are generous. Don't argue with her. I will bring them back to their rooms now and teach them a lesson!"
Nora finished that in one breath and took the two kids upstairs as if she was running away from some plague.
"Nora! You!" Eve didn't expect her obedient daughter-in-law could take away the kids without her consent. Subconsciously, she wanted to follow and snatch the two Hoppers back!
Standing next to her, Florence accused her, "Mom, why did you kick Rick? It's the pet of Patrick and Amelia. They brought it here so that Andrew and Ashley could play with it!"
"I didn't mean it." Eve was so angry that her face turned pale. Now even her sweet little daughter was reprimanding her for outsiders?
"Well. Since you say so."
Given that Eve had just recovered, Florence didn't want to argue with her. But deep down, she started to be a little displeased with her mother.
As for Patrick, he had driven away from the courtyard. Through the rearview mirror, he could see that Amelia was crying with worries with Rick in her arms...
Her crying was very low, different from the cry of other women when they made a fuss about everything.
Her sobs were like two hooks on both sides of his heart, pulling and torturing him.
"Do you still remember what Rick looked like when it was sent here?" Patrick had no choice but to distract her.
And the trick worked. Amelia stopped crying and started to recall. "When it was brought home by Ashley, Rick didn't have much hair. It could neither open its eyes nor walk... Rick was so weak that it seemed as if it might die at any moment...."
Patrick continued, "What happened later? What did it look like?"
Amelia looked down at the dog lying still in her arms, tears trembling down from her beautiful eyes. "Later... Rick becomes stronger and can climb up and down the stairs on its own. It often comes upstairs to look for me with a tray in its mouth. It eats a lot and is as fat as a little pig..."
Patrick nodded. "When Rick was so little, it survived even though it had been thrown into the snow. Now it just tumbled. Given its sturdy body from abundant food and sleep, it will be fine. Don't forget that Rick is a bulldog. It is not as fragile as other puppies."
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