blenderwars Chapter 830 - 855: Competing for Favor and Suppressing Others (6)
Chapter 830 - 855: Competing for Favor and Suppressing Others (6)
The room was crowded.
Besides the old man, there were Butler Jackson, Daniella Jackson, Lydia Williams, Lydia’s two children, and Bailey Gomez with her child.
Mia Ginger glanced around and felt strange, surprised that these people could coexist peacefully.
Next to her, Koa Jackson addressed everyone, and she promptly followed, "Grandpa, Aunt, Mom..."
The last call was naturally to Lydia Williams, as not calling her wasn’t an option, but she felt awkward uttering the words. It seemed odd to her, as if she didn’t quite like Lydia Williams; each time she smiled at Mia, it felt somewhat forced inside.
Was it because she was a stepmother?
Because she was Brother Jackson’s stepmother; did it feel awkward to Mia?
Mia was pondering this when Lydia Williams stood up, smiling, "Koa and Mia are back. Come over and sit."
After those words, she personally stepped forward to pour tea.
Koa Jackson didn’t fuss much and stepped over to sit on the sofa. Mia sat next to him, and as soon as they settled down, Bailey Gomez cautiously smiled and said, "Joel, be good, call brother and sister over."
The old man allowed her to visit the child once a month, and she happened to come today.
Upon arriving, she learned that Koa Jackson was returning, and naturally, she was pleased. Since then, she had been quietly teaching her child how to address people.
However—
Jax Jackson had always been left to others for care, learning to speak slowly. Despite being two years old, he wasn’t as clever and quick-witted as other children, only managing to say simple words, without even thinking about short sentences.
He’d been staying at the Jackson Family for a few days, getting familiar with the environment. Today, especially, Bailey Gomez visited him, making him happy. Sitting on the sofa, he pointed at Koa Jackson and said, "Guh-guh, guh-guh."
Koa Jackson: "..."
No matter how displeased he was, it was hard to get angry at a two-year-old child.
What fault could the child have?
Koa Jackson nodded slightly at Bailey Gomez, expressionless.
That was enough to make Bailey Gomez happy, and she pointed at Mia Ginger, saying, "And sister, call sister over."
Words like aunt were still beyond Jax Jackson’s learning.
Jax Jackson stared with big round eyes, biting his little fist, looking at Mia Ginger with an innocent grin, mumbling, "Ginger, Ginger..."
His pronunciation of ’sister’ was fuzzy, sounding more like ’Ginger.’
Mia Ginger glanced at Koa Jackson, unable to pretend she hadn’t heard, pressed her lips and said, "Joel is quite cute."
"He was fussy at first, and now he’s been quite good these days," Daniella Jackson said with a smile.
She was in her fifties, with Allen being restless, always running around with his camera, never staying home. At her age, she had stopped doing much, spending her days at home with the old man, sharing her experiences from all over the years, fulfilling her filial duties.
Naturally, everything followed the old man’s wishes.
The old man adored children; a two-year-old child was harmless. After all, he was Zane Jackson’s flesh and blood, so she paid him extra attention, treating him no differently than Marianne Jackson and Bryan Jackson, equally.
In this way, Lydia Williams was utterly displeased.
She was initially discontent with Daniella Jackson’s sudden return to the country, let alone her current extra attention to Jax Jackson.
Pouring tea and placing it on the table in front of Koa Jackson and Mia Ginger, she smirked insincerely, "Joel is quite gentle, once he gets used to it, he doesn’t fuss. But I always wonder if this child is developing late; he’s two years old and only says a few words. When Bryan was two, he could recite Tang poetry. Old man, do you think we should take the child to the hospital to check his intelligence?"
She had spent years in the Jackson Family, skilled at wooing people. Though recently flustered due to Mia Ginger’s situation, now calm, she spoke gently and considerately, making it hard for anyone to get angry.
Bailey Gomez bit her lip, glanced at her, bowed her head, without refuting.
The old man looked at Jax Jackson.
Honestly, he quite liked this child.
For one, as people age, they enjoy having grandchildren around; for another, Bryan Jackson had been troublesome since birth, and as he grew, more unruly. Though well-behaved before him, he was overly bold in private, which the old man saw clearly, naturally disliking.
Jax Jackson was different, timid and shy, appearing naive and honest.
Those seasoned in life often favored such youngsters.
The old man briefly thought, acknowledging that the child indeed spoke late. Their Koa Jackson had spoken at half a year old and recited Tang poetry by the age of one. Lydia Williams listened to this after entering the family; as soon as Bryan spoke, she immediately taught him poetry.
Even then, he only managed to recite them by two years old.
No wonder the old man favored their Koa; Ayla Ward’s child was bound to be sharp and perceptive, right?
The old man was lost in thought, yet to formulate his opinion when Bryan Jackson, busy playing with fruit, suddenly remarked, "The son of a lowlife must be a fool, a retard who won’t recite..."
Before Bryan Jackson could finish, Marianne Jackson covered his mouth.
The old man’s face turned dark as he looked at the two.
During the summer vacation, Bryan Jackson caused trouble and was sent out for discipline for a month, upon returning, kept a distance from the old man. Recently, because of Jax Jackson’s arrival, Lydia Williams had been pushing him to make his presence felt, ensuring he accompanied the old man as soon as he got home.
However, Bryan Jackson was restless and bored, constantly cutting fruit with a knife.
Not skilled, he wasted several pieces of pineapple in no time; when Koa Jackson and the others arrived, the old man was scolding him.
Upon hearing those words, how could he not be furious?
The old man’s face turned livid, coldly glaring at Lydia Williams.