A Matter of Wife and Love

Chapter 40

Amelie woke up with a start, startled. For a moment, she thought she was still at the Alston Residence and Leo had come back in the middle of the night, kicking the door again. She hastily got out of bed, almost tripping and falling.

When she ran to the door and saw Steven there, she finally remembered that she had left the Alston Residence, and she no longer had to open the door for Leo.

As Amelie was rubbing her eyes, Steven had already opened the door.

From outside the door, a messy head poked in.

Amelie was surprised at first, but when she took a closer look, she realized that it was Abby.

Abby strode in jovially, and when she saw Steven, she exclaimed in exaggeration, "Hey there, Dillon. You didn't run into any trouble yesterday, did you?"

Steven looked at her in confusion.

Abby didn't mince her words at all. "Yesterday, when Amy knew that you bought a knife and went out, she thought you were about to cause trouble. She was so terrified! But Dillon, why exactly did you buy a knife yesterday?"

Amelie didn't even have time to stop Abby before the latter spilled everything.

An obviously awkward look appeared on Steven's face, his expressions unnatural.

"What brings you here, Mrs. Gordon?" Amelie interrupted her.

"Oh, uh..." Abby was tongue-tied since she was just here to spectate.

"Oh, it's nothing." Noticing that Amelie kept staring at her, she scratched her head awkwardly, then peered inside the house. "How many days are you planning on staying here, Amy?"

"She'll be here for a while, Steven answered in Amelie's stead.

"A while, huh. Abby turned a little bashful.

Then, she continued, "For someone as fortunate as you, you probably can't get used to living in small houses like this after marrying a rich husband."

Amelie didn't make a sound as she simply looked at Abby.

Abby hastily pointed in the distance. "A grand hotel recently opened in town, and it was built to accommodate wealthy people who come here on vacation. The environment and service are excellent there, and even all the three meals of the day are included. Amy, you should stay there for a bit with your dad to show him more of the world."

I've lived long enough; what more is there in the world to see?" Steven didn't seem too interested.

Amelie looked at Abby. She had already guessed what Abby was trying to say.

Abby was worried that the family wouldn't have enough space to live in and might insist on moving back to their old house.

Amelie's father was a kindly and reasonable person; since he never asked Abby for their rent, she was thinking of hogging the place all her life.

Amelie didn't plan on breaching the subject so soon, but now that Abby herself came knocking, she naturally wouldn't let the latter continue taking advantage and feigning ignorance.

Hence, she smiled. "Don't worry, Mrs. Gordon. We won't move back to the old house no matter where we live, so feel free to keep living there."

When Abby heard Amelie saying that they wouldn't be moving back, her wizened face immediately blossomed into a smile.

"Well, just as expected. Rich people are really built differently."

Amelie was still smiling as she said, "Dad, about the house Mrs. Gordon and her family are living in, do they pay the rent monthly or yearly?" "Huh?" Abby's blooming face instantly froze.

"If it's yearly, you can give them a discount. Why don't we give them 20 percent off?"

Abby's expression stiffened so much that it looked weird.

She was beginning to regret making this trip.

She thought she would just be here to join in on the fun and get some juicy gossip, then completely take over that house. In the end, however, they were asking her for the rent now.... She didn't dare stay there any longer, so she found a random excuse to escape.

After breakfast, Steven took Bria to the backyard.

Under a shelter in the backyard sat his tool of trade.

Steven sat in front of the old machine and began working it.

The machine was from times long gone, and it kept creaking as it ran.

Bria was curious about everything, and she would touch and peer at everything that caught her fancy. Her eyes widened as she watched Steven thicken the soles of the shoes, and she would ask a few questions here and there.

Steven answered every question she asked.

The grandfather and his granddaughter spent a peaceful time bonding.

Amelie walked over to them. Just like what she used to do back then, she leaned against Steven as she sat down, placing her head on his arm while feeling the bobbing movements of his arm. "Dad, you've been toiling all your life. Why don't you quit?" she suggested.

For as long as she could remember, her father had always been sitting in front of this machine, toiling away with abandon.

"That's right, Grandpa. Mommy opened up a big company, so she can provide for us," Bria hastily supplied.

Even though shoe-making looked fun to Bria, her grandfather had to pierce the soles with a very thick needle over and over again. It looked like hard work.

Bria didn't want her grandfather to work too hard.

Steven lovingly caressed Bria's face, the wrinkles on his face spreading as he smiled. "What a good girl you are, Bria. You even know how to worry for your grandfather." Bria rubbed her cheek against Steven's palm.

She liked the feeling of his large hand covering her small face.

"However, I'm too used to this. If I stop working on the shoes, I would feel very uncomfortable."

The shoes Steven made were durable and resistant to wear. The price wasn't too high either, so many people would order shoes from him.

Looking at her daughter behaving like a kitten, Amelie felt something in her heart soften.

She should've brought her daughter home earlier.

Her father was elated to see her daughter, and the two were very close to each other as well.

Knowing that Steven didn't want to give up on his job yet, Amelie didn't force him. Instead, she said, "It's okay if you want to keep working, but you can't take too many orders at once. If you get tired, you have to rest."

"Yes, I know. I got it." Like an overaged child, Steven nodded obediently.

Seeing that, both Amelie and Bria burst out into laughter.

"Dad, why don't I buy a shoplot for you on the street? I can also buy a house while we're at it, so you don't have to work in such a small space," Amelie suggested.

"Oh, no, it's fine." Steven shook his head furiously. "I moved here precisely because the previous house was too big. If the place is too huge and empty, I'd feel restless."

Even though Amelie married into the Alston Family, she didn't ignore him at all. She would regularly send him some money via Julia.

Steven could stay alive with his own skills, so he hadn't asked for even a cent. He would return the money every time.

Throughout all the years, Steven hadn't gained anything from Amelie, but she had caused him quite a lot of worry. At the thought of that, Amelie felt regretful again, and her eyes reddened.

"Still, I suppose I'm growing old. My eyes and legs are failing, so I don't think I can work much longer." Steven sighed, a forlorn look on his face. "Young people these days don't like complicated work like this. I'm afraid my craft is going to die with me."

Steven used an ancient method of shoe-making. The procedure was complicated, and the standards were very high.

"Mommy, why don't we find an heir for Grandpa?" Bria blinked with her huge eyes as she took the phone and waved it.

Amelie understood what she meant, and she felt that it could work.

She hastily produced her streaming equipment and began setting it up in the yard.

Meanwhile, Bria took out the fox mask she brought back. She put one on, then gave another to Amelie.

"Grandpa, this is for you." She passed the biggest one to Steven.

When they returned, she had asked Amelie to make a fox mask for Steven too.

She climbed onto a chair and helped Steven put the fox mask on.

Steven chuckled as he allowed his granddaughter to fix the mask for him. He thought that the design was a little weird, but he didn't reject it.

After the three had put on their masks, Bria took a look and was extremely satisfied.

Her little face popped out between Amelie and Steven, then she smiled her wide toothy smile. "Now, we're the fox family."

Amelie and Steven couldn't help but laugh at her antics.

Amelie briefed Steven on the rules of live streaming, but there wasn't much to look out for. Steven would be making shoes with his mask on, while Amelie and Bria danced and sang with their masked faces. They would also be showcasing Steven's ancient shoe-making technique to the viewers.

Amelie positioned the camera at Steven, capturing his skills and craft from every angle as Bria explained and narrated.

She didn't know much, and when she was at a loss for words at the end, she could only say, "All in all, my grandpa makes the best shoes in the world. If you want to be as amazing as him, you have to learn from him, okay?"

The viewers' reactions in the live stream were very supportive.

Everyone was amazed at the craft, and they insisted on ordering from Steven. In a mere few minutes, almost 100 orders were made.

Amelie's face fell.

Bria waved her hands furiously. "Grandpa is already very busy! No, we're not accepting orders, no orders! We're here to recruit disciples, disciples!"

Her exaggerated movements gained them a wave of fans, but none of them were willing to be disciples.

The one-hour live stream ended. Fearing that Steven would be discouraged, Amelie hastily comforted him again and again.

Steven smiled and waved his hands, saying that it was fine. Still, there was a disappointed look in his covered eyes.

Amelie could see that, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say.

"Look, Mommy! What is this?!" Bria's voice suddenly sounded.