Chapter 506: You Are Not Allowed to Speak for That Zhu
Chapter 506: Chapter 506: You Are Not Allowed to Speak for That Zhu
Ms. Dawson invited Renee Jennings and her companions, along with the cats and dogs, into the living room.
"Why don’t you all have a seat?" she said before turning and heading into Granny Mae’s bedroom.
"Grandma."
Granny Mae was sitting by the window, her left leg in a thick plaster cast. She wore a pair of tortoiseshell-framed reading glasses, and her withered hands were nimbly holding a silver needle, mending clothes.
The moment she saw her granddaughter enter, she quickly hid the clothes.
"Yuna, who was that just now?" Granny Mae asked cheerfully.
Ms. Dawson had, of course, noticed her small movement of hiding something, but she didn’t call her out on it.
She walked over to Granny Mae and crouched down, taking her wizened hand. "Grandma, they’re here to see you."
"To see me?" A surprised look appeared on Granny Mae’s aged face. She took off her reading glasses and asked, "Who’s here to see me?"
"A good friend of yours," Ms. Dawson said teasingly. "Want to go out and see?"
Granny Mae blinked and started guessing. "Which good friend? Is it Grandma Flora, or Grandma Jade?"
"Neither of them." Ms. Dawson stood up and pushed a wheelchair over from the corner. "Let’s go see."
This certainly piqued Granny Mae’s curiosity.
Ms. Dawson lifted Granny Mae and placed her in the wheelchair.
In the living room, the cats and dogs were sitting obediently in a neat row.
Sprout was perched on Renee Jennings’s shoulder, repeatedly asking into her ear, "Miss, are you really not considering getting a parrot?"
Renee Jennings replied with an amused laugh, "Actually, I could consider it."
Sprout’s little eyes widened in surprise. "Then adopt me! I’m very cute!"
Renee Jennings raised an eyebrow slightly. "You won’t do. You have an owner."
"Huh?" Sprout was deeply disappointed. "Didn’t you say you could consider it?"
Renee Jennings: "I could consider getting a parrot that doesn’t have an owner."
Sprout grew anxious. His sharp little beak opened and closed, but he didn’t know what to say.
Just then, Ms. Dawson wheeled Granny Mae into the living room.
Seeing the young people on the sofa, a puzzled look crossed Granny Mae’s face. She furrowed her brow, trying hard to recall who these youngsters were and where she might have seen them before.
’How strange. Why can’t I remember?’
It wasn’t until Ms. Dawson wheeled her into the center of the living room that Granny Mae noticed the familiar furry friends.
Her tightly furrowed brow instantly relaxed, and a look of joy spread across her aged face. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes seemed to come alive with an unconcealable delight.
"Sunny, Bella, Shadow..." Granny Mae called out the names she had given her furry kids, beaming so widely she couldn’t close her mouth. "How did you all get here?"
The furry kids all crowded around Granny Mae in her wheelchair.
"WOOF~ Granny Mae, we came to see you."
"WOOF WOOF~ Granny Mae, we were so worried about you."
"MEOW~ Granny Mae, does your leg hurt? This kitty will make it better!"
"MEOW MEOW MEOW~ Granny, this kitty missed you so much!"
"..."
Although Granny Mae couldn’t understand what her furry kids were saying, she could feel their concern in their cries.
"Good children, Granny Mae can’t walk lately, so I couldn’t come see you."
"But Granny had Auntie Sterling come feed you. Have you all been getting enough to eat?"
"WOOF~ Auntie Webb?" Sunny barked in confusion. "We haven’t seen Auntie Webb."
Hearing Granny Mae’s words, Ms. Dawson suddenly remembered that when she’d arrived, Auntie Sterling had said she was going out to feed the stray cats and dogs.
"Grandma, are these the little animals you often go to feed?"
"Yes," Granny Mae said with a grin. "Aren’t they adorable?"
Ms. Dawson frowned. "Then why did Auntie Sterling say she was going out to feed them just now? Where did she go?"
"Oh, right!" Granny Mae realized and said hurriedly, "I have to call Jewel and tell her to come back, so she doesn’t waste time looking for them."
She looked at her granddaughter. "Yuna, go to my room and get my phone for me."
"I’ll get it for you in a moment." Ms. Dawson’s expression turned serious. "Now that she’s not here, there’s a question I want to ask you."
Granny Mae was playing with a kitten, a constant smile on her face. "What question?"
Ms. Dawson: "This leg of yours... did you fall by accident, or did Auntie Sterling cause it?"
At these words, the smile on Granny Mae’s face stiffened. She immediately changed the subject, pointing to Renee Jennings and her group on the sofa. "Yuna, you haven’t introduced them to Grandma yet. Are these young people your friends?"
"I’ll introduce them in a moment," Ms. Dawson said sternly. "First, answer my question. Did Auntie Sterling cause you to fall and injure your leg?"
Granny Mae lowered her head guiltily and pointed vaguely. "Yuna, there are lots of pet treats on that cabinet. Could you get them for Grandma, please?"
Goldie barked anxiously, "Granny Mae, we don’t want treats! We just want to know if you were bullied by Auntie Webb!"
"WOOF! That’s right! You can’t let Auntie Webb bully you!"
"WOOF WOOF~ We’ll help you bite Auntie Webb!"
"..."
Its companions all chimed in to agree.
Ms. Dawson’s brows knitted tightly; she already had her answer. "Grandma, why are you helping Auntie Sterling lie to us?"
"I..." Granny Mae didn’t know how to answer. "Yuna, can you please stop asking Grandma? Just pretend you don’t know about this."
"No!" Ms. Dawson exclaimed, completely exasperated. "After Auntie Sterling’s ’care’ left you like this, how could I possibly pretend not to know? You’re not young anymore, Grandma. For someone your age, a fall is no small matter. What if something terrible had happened?"
"But Grandma is fine now, isn’t she?" Granny Mae offered a placating smile.
Ms. Dawson took a deep breath. "You won’t always be this lucky!"
Renee Jennings glanced sideways at Sprout. "Do you know why Auntie Sterling caused Granny Mae to fall and break her leg?"
"I do." Sprout was holding a grudge. "But I’m not telling you. It’s your own fault for not adopting me!"
Renee Jennings: "..."
She pursed her lips and softened her tone. "Sprout, I’m begging you, please tell me, okay?"
Sprout: "W-well, okay then! Auntie Webb cornered Granny Mae on the stairs. She wanted Granny Mae to recommend her daughter for a job at Yuna’s company. Granny Mae refused, but Auntie Webb kept pestering her until she lost her footing and fell."
Ms. Dawson heard Sprout chirping away. As soon as he finished, she immediately asked Renee Jennings, "Miss Jennings, what did Sprout say?"
Renee Jennings: "Sprout said..."
After listening, Ms. Dawson was instantly seething. "That scoundrel, Auntie Sterling!"
Granny Mae stared at Renee Jennings in shock. "You... you can understand what Sprout is saying?"
Renee Jennings smiled slightly but said nothing, as she saw Ms. Dawson taking out her phone to make a call.
The next second, a furious voice boomed through the living room, "You get your ass over here right now!"
Ms. Dawson hung up the phone. She took a breath to compose herself before saying to Granny Mae, "Grandma, in a little while, you are not to say a single word in defense of that Zhu woman. Do you understand me?"