The next day, the bright summer sun shone down on the small courtyard, making the lush trees appear even greener. Underneath the eaves, Grandpa's pet, parrot, was squawking nonstop.
"My granddaughter is so lazy!"
"The sun is already shining on your butt!"
"Wake up! Wake up!"
The chirping bird woke Cheyenne from her slumber and she rubbed her disheveled hair. She glared coldly at the little creature.
"I suddenly feel like fried parrot would be pretty tasty."
The parrot clutched onto its iron perch with its tiny claws and rolled its eyes.
Fluttering its wings, it flew for a moment before landing back on the iron cage.
"Terrifying! Terrifying!"
"Protecting animals is a human virtue!"
Layne was practicing Tai Chi in the yard, wearing a loose white robe and moving gently as if he was about to fall asleep.
Hearing some noise behind him, he stopped his movements and turned around.
"Cheyenne, why are you bullying Lantern?"
This green parrot with a red beak had feathers that were green with hints of blue and blue with hints of green, quite flashy indeed. Hence, it was named "Lantern".
True to its name, this bird had an eccentric personality. For example, all those insults directed at Cheyenne earlier were actually coming from Lantern itself.
"Grandpa, tell me the truth! Did you teach that animal to say those things?"
As she spoke, Cheyenne quickly braided her long hair into a twisted braid that hung down behind her head. She gave Layne an intimidating look.
The latter shook his head helplessly and said, "How could I have taught it? It learned on its own!"
Lantern thought its owner was praising it for being clever and repeated after him. "Learned on its own!"
"Cheyenne is so stupid..."
Cheyenne's forehead throbbed as she shook the birdcage. "Shut up, you stinky bird!"
"Don't shake it, it's going to get dizzy!" Lantern inside the cage swayed back and forth.
Finally, with a flutter, it fell to the ground.
Fortunately, this eave was not high from the ground, only a little over two meters in height.
She stepped over Lantern expressionlessly. "Hmph! Let's see if you dare talk back to me again!"
Lantern: I'm so dizzy... Cheyenne is really mean.
Layne picked up Lantern with heartache and put it back in its cage before closing the door.
He looked at his granddaughter and smiled. "You're all grown up now but still just as childish as when you were young."
Cheyenne was pouring tea and first served her grandfather before herself.
"I'm just teasing it."
They ate breakfast together and then heard a roar of car engines outside.
A black Rolls-Royce Phantom pulled up at the entrance of his shabby courtyard. That car was worth no less than ten million dollars.
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