As they were eating their amply-seasoned breakfast noodles deliciously, they heard the scuffles upstairs and soon saw the little heads peeking down from upstairs.
They looked adorable with their half-dazed eyes, poking their heads down, and trying to see what the adults were up to.
Both Harold and Eugene stood up to take the children and guided them in the circle for breakfast.
It was just that Theodore was a little big man and didn't want to get carried anymore. After all, sister Maya was just a teeny bit older but she didn't get carried around.
Seeing him struggle, Eugene then let him down as soon as they got to the lowest step of the stairs. He immediately ran to where the center of 'activity' was (food), and his feet pitter-pattered on his way there.
It was just that as he ran to the pot he missed a step and tripped.
Thud!
"Oh, no, Theo!" Sheila exclaimed, and the adults quickly stood up to assist him.
It was Eugene who got to him first, gently patting non-existent dust on his little pants, and patting his head to comfort him.
There were tears lined up in his cute big eyes, but even if a few bits of tears fell, he did not make a sound. The sight itself was heartbreaking.
Althea quickly lifted the little ball to her lap, gently wiping his tears. "You are so well-behaved. You don't even cry."
The mocha-colored child still hadn't spoken after all this time. They mused that he may have been traumatized by his mother's death to the point that he became a mute.
She felt pity for the little boy, and her motherly heart softened to mush. It was around here that her own little balls got active and started kicking.
Theodore felt it and he gaped at her stomach, tentatively touching the protruding stomach, which promptly moved again.
His little mouth made a little 'o' of wonder, and his sadness was quickly swept away. His big eyes filled with curiosity and glee as he stared at her stomach.
It was adorable.
"That's your little sister and your little brother." She said, gently rubbing his copper-colored chubby cheeks. "They will come out to play with you very soon."
Theodore opened his mouth as if wanting to say something, but he closed his mouth again just as quickly.
Althea's eyebrows rose, interested, but before she could ask there was a knock on the door.
Everyone looked at each other in wonder.
They had been alone for so long, it seemed like a door knocking felt… strange??
They… seemed to have a visitor?
…
When Harold opened the gate, what met him was the ingratiating smile of a plump man. It was still an acquanitance they just met the night prior.
He seemed to be in his early thirties, and he was very much cleaned up, very different from what he looked like the night before (wherein he was grimy, slimy, haggard, and with a face full of snot and tears).
Anyway, the man's current smile was so wide that Harold was taken aback.
"Hello. We have just mov—" Then the man saw him and gaped. "BENEFACTOR!!"
"Uh, hi?"
"Good morning! I didn't know you lived here, what a wonderful coincidence! I was just about to look for you!"
"Ok…"
"I was one of the people you rescued last night." He continued to baller, "Now that I see you, I would like to express my gratitude on behalf of the team."
He then very graciously manifested 50 gold.
Harold gaped, but he raised his hand in surrender, afraid that the gold would be handed over to him. "Uh… this is too much. We really didn't do much—"
"I insist—" Baron smiled, grabbed his raised hand, and handed the money to him anyway. He tentatively looked behind Harold, hoping to see another face. "I also hope to give some to the woman who rescued me with you."
"You mean Sheila?"
Ah, Sheila, he mused dreamily. What a beautiful name.
He didn't know he was making a creepy face and Harold could not say anything without being rude, so the old man simply stayed silent.
Some of his teammates behind him 'kindly' poked his back to pull him back to the present.
He turned to glare at them, but they pointed at the house owners in front instead.
It was only here that Baron finally realized that he scared the other man and he extended his hand to introduce himself.
He cleared his throat and gathered himself, like a gentleman. "My name is Baron Smith. I bought the house next door."
"This is my cousins Angelo Smith and Jesse Pyue." He said, introducing the two young men beside him.
"While we were walking along the… neighborhood, to try and find you guys, in fact, we couldn't help but be attracted by a fabulous scent." He said, with special emphasis on the word 'fabulous'.
"I know it could be too much to ask, but can we perhaps buy a few bowls from you? I am willing to pay." He said and took out yet a couple more gold.
Harold blinked but did not agree immediately. "I'll ask my boss." He said, and ran inside after gently closing the gate. "Excuse me."
Althea's eyebrows raised at this. This was the guy who had the most gold next to her.
While they really wouldn't charge that much, it definitely wouldn't be cheap. And yet, this guy was willing to buy a few bowls of noodles for so much gold?
Golden Goose indeed.
…
Outside the fence, the trio waited for the response, eyes staying on the now-closed gate. They looked patient but their stomachs were already rumbling.
In fact, it wasn't that Baron was the stupid rich type. He himself was a businessman, and he was known to be a bit of a shrewd one.
It was just that people who could eat well after so long and rent (or buy) a villa so soon must have abilities and was worth befriending.
Not to mention that they lived next to each other, so their interactions was inevitable.
And, of course—most importantly—they were also his team's benefactors. Hence, a good relationship was a must.
Also, perhaps they've been here longer than they did? They didn't have the time to explore the previous night. Maybe this group had information they needed.
Anyway, just as he had an intuition to purchase the two remaining farm villas, he had the intuition to befriend this neighbor of his.
And he was very correct at this. In the future, he couldn't help but worship the 'him' at this moment!
He was a genius!