Seeing Zinniaโs chewing slow down, Fiona gently fed her another bite of pancake.
โIโm full, Fiona,โ Zinnia mumbled with her cheeks bulging. She squatted by the flowerpot and absentmindedly played with the rose petals in front of her.
Fiona gently wiped the crumbs from Zinniaโs mouth with a handkerchief. โYou barely ate anything, yet you claim youโre full? I bet youโll have Nathan make you a midnight snack again tonight.โ
Zinnia barely ate anything at Christmas dinner. In previous years, faced with a feast, she wouldnโt leave the table for at least an hour. But this time, she just took a few bites with Simon and the other kids before running off to play.
Hearing Fionaโs words, Zinnia could only blink.
Fiona fixed her deep eyes on Zinnia and asked, โZinnia, what happened between you and Nathan? He looks so much thinner lately. At dinner, he barely touched anything. He only picked some vegetables.โ
Fionaโs sharpness caught Zinnia off guard. Zinnia lowered her eyes and murmured, โNathanโs fine. Heโs justโฆ been swamped with work lately, so he hasnโt had much of an appetite.โ
Zinnia kept her head down, never once mentioning Nathanโs health to the townspeople.
However, Fiona didnโt buy her story. โZinnia, somethingโs happened to Nathan, hasnโt it?โ
Fiona didnโt know Nathanโs exact identity or what he did for a living, but she was sure he was no ordinary man. Exceptionally brilliant and gifted, he was, above all, a genuinely good person.
โNo, Fiona, donโt worry,โ Zinnia said with a faint but steady smile. โNathan is brilliant. If anything happens, heโll definitely be able to handle it.โ Her voice was firm, though she wasnโt sure if she was saying this to reassure Fiona or to convince herself.
As dinner was winding down and the night grew late, Chandler waved at Zinnia with a warm smile. โCome here, Zee.โ
Zinnia walked over and said in a soft, sweet voice, โYes, Chandler.โ
โZee, I wish you happiness and safety this Christmas,โ Chandler said with a warm smile. Then he pulled a small present from his pocket.
โChandler,โ Zinnia said with a shy smile, โIโm all grown up now, and youโre still giving me presents?โ
Chandler placed the present in Zinniaโs hand. โPresents are a must during Christmas,โ he said warmly. โNo matter how old you two get, youโll always be children to us. And children should always receive presents for Christmas.โ
โTake it, Zee. This is a little something from Chandler and me. We just want you to be safe and sound this Christmas,โ Wendy urged.
โThank you, Chandler and Wendy,โ Zinnia said softly as she accepted the present.
With a gentle smile, Giselle said, โZee, come to me.โ
Tessa gently handed Zee a present and said, โHere you go, sweetheart. I wish you happiness and safety.โ
The small town folks had all prepared Christmas presents for Zinnia and Nathan.
Seeing Chandler pull out yet another present for him, Nathan said helplessly, โChandler, I really donโt need one.โ
โOf course, you need one!โ Chandler insisted, pressing the present with โMerry Christmasโ written on it into Nathanโs palm.
He added, โYouโre still young, not married or settled down yet, so youโre still a kid in our eyes. When elders give you a present for Christmas, you canโt refuse. Itโs my blessing. One for you, and one for Zinnia.โ
โYes, Nathan. None of us is short on money these days. Life is so much easier now. If you hadnโt brought that large medicinal herb plantation to our small town, we wouldnโt be living so comfortably. We really should be thanking you,โ someone chimed in.
Back then, they welcomed Nathan when he first settled in their small town. Now that he had grown up, he helped the community.
Thanks to Nathan bringing in a largeโscale medicinal herb plantation and helping develop the local tourism industry, the townspeople no longer had to worry about money. Their children no longer had to leave their hometown to work in other cities.
These days, every household in the small town lived comfortably, and everyone knew it was all thanks to Nathan. They had truly raised an exceptional young man.
After dinner, as it was getting late, everyone pitched in to clear the tables before heading home.
Simon wrapped himself around Zinniaโs leg, pleading, โZinnia, come play with us tomorrow!โ
Meanwhile, the other little ones crowded around Zinnia.
One of the kids piped up excitedly, โYeah, Zinnia. We found some super pretty blossoms. Weโll take you to see them tomorrow.โ
โYeah, Zinnia. Come play with us tomorrow. My mom bought tons of snacks, and Lindsay and the others said we were gonna make jambalaya with bacon and pepperoni. Itโll smell amazing.โ
โAlright,โ Zinnia said with a gentle smile, ruffling their hair as she nodded.
โYay!โ The kids instantly lit up when Zinnia agreed.
โLetโs do it tomorrow, Zinnia!โ one of them shouted.
โSee you tomorrow, Zinnia!โ another added.
Then the children scampered back to the adults, waving their little hands at Zinnia one last time. With everyone helping to tidy up, they soon gathered their belongings and headed home.
Fiona was in no hurry to leave. With the last bits of cleanup left, she stayed behind to help sweep the floor.
After loading the dishes into the dishwasher, Nathan came out and saw Fiona sweeping the floor. โLet me do it,โ he said gently. โYou should take a break.โ
โSince when do we stand on ceremony between us, Nathan?โ Fiona deftly avoided his hand. โIf I donโt do it, Zinnia will end up helping you instead. Would you really let her?โ With a few quick motions, she dumped the swept trash into the bin.
Nathan pulled on a light tan overcoat as the night air grew colder. Under the warm, amber glow of the overhead light, his silhouette appeared strikingly gaunt.
A gust of wind swept by, making Nathan turn his head as a cough escaped him. โI wouldnโt let Zinnia do it, either,โ he added.
After sweeping up, Fiona rinsed her hands at the outdoor faucet. โAlright, come on. No need to stand on ceremony between us.โ
She walked over to Zinnia, who had just returned to the yard after seeing the kids off.
Zinnia struggled to hold a pile of presents. Some were already slipping through her fingers as she tried to keep them all together. Every Christmas, she would always end up with a mountain of presents from everyone.
Fiona reached into her white coat and pulled out a present, handing it to Zee with a gentle smile. โHere you go, Zee. This oneโs from me. Wishing you a safe and healthy Christmas.โ
Because Zinnia had always been frail since childhood, everyoneโs wishes for her were always for safety and health.
โI canโt hold all of these!โ Zinnia exclaimed, her arms overflowing with presents. She tried to gather them up, but her pockets were stuffed full. Even her hat was crammed with them. Some of the kids had even tucked their favorite candies into her hat.
โJust tuck them in wherever you can.โ Fiona chuckled as she tucked the presents into Zinniaโs already full hands.
She turned back, handing another present to Nathan. โThis oneโs for you,โ she said.
Nathan sighed helplessly. โSince when did you start copying Chandler?โ
โZee got hers, so as her mentor, shouldnโt you get one, too?โ Fionaโs deep eyes crinkled with amusement. โJust like Chandler said. As long as youโre unmarried and unsettled, you qualify for presents.โ
โGuess I should prepare one for you, too,โ Nathan said, looking at her helplessly.
Fiona was 27 this year. She studied in Gernmiland before singleโhandedly founding her own law firm.
Exceptionally accomplished, she had never lacked suitors, yet she had never been in a relationship all these years. She had known Nathan since childhood, and their conversations were always easy and unrestrained.
Fionaโs eyes sparkled with growing amusement. โIf youโre offering a present, you know Iโll take it!โ
Nathan reached into his coat, pulled out a present, and handed it to Fiona.
Fionaโs eyes widened in surprise, and her smile deepened. โWow, you really did prepare one!โ
โYou already gave one to Zinnia. Arenโt these presents meant for kids at this time of year? Since when do adults get them, too?โ Nathan said, his voice mellow and teasing.
Fionaโs smile faded slightly as she took the present, noticing how Nathan deliberately stressed the words โkidsโ and โadults.โ