Chapter 1038
Christmas Shopping
Chapter 1038 Christmas Shopping
Morning light streamed through the gaps in the deep blue curtains, casting a shimmering golden line on the wooden floor.
Wade changed into a soft wool sweater and dark trousers, drew back the curtains, and saw that the street was covered with a thin layer of snow.
The windows of the house across the street were decorated with snowflake and Santa Claus stickers, and colorful lights hung on the porch. Several children, dressed in thick clothes, were rolling and playing on the lawn.
"Wade, are you ready?"
Fiona's voice came from downstairs: "Hurry up and come down, we should get going!"
"Coming, Mom!"
Wade responded, took out his wand and tapped the wardrobe space, stuffed the shrunken pencil case into his pocket, then picked up his coat hanging on the hanger and quickly walked down the stairs while putting it on.
Fiona, wearing an indigo wool coat, was already waiting at the door. She was smiling at him, her round cheeks flushed slightly from the cold wind outside.
Dobby stood in the doorway, dressed today in a little outfit with a Christmas tree pattern and a reindeer antler hat. He shook his head and said, "Have a good shopping trip, Mrs. Grey."
“Thank you, Dobby.” Fiona crouched down and patted Dobby’s thin shoulder. “I’ll buy you a Christmas present too. Is there anything you want?”
Dobby twisted the edge of his coat, his ears trembling slightly, and said in a soft voice, "Dobby... Dobby will do anything! As long as it's from Mrs. Grey, even if it's just a snowflake, Dobby will love it."
Fiona chuckled, tapped Dobby's nose, and said, "A snowflake? That's too easy!"
She stood up and said, "That gift is a secret! I'll give you a surprise!"
Dobby looked up at her, his eyes sparkling as if the stars had fallen into them.
“I’m ready, Mom.” Wade went over, changed into his outdoor shoes, and said, “The house is in your care, Dobby. We’ll be back this afternoon.”
Dobby sniffed and said seriously, "Dobby will keep the fireplace burning brightly and prepare hot tea and dinner for everyone when they come back!"
……
When Ferdinand arrived, the car was already parked at the door. The car was well-heated, and as soon as he opened the door, a warm breeze rushed out.
After getting in the car, Fiona immediately took out a densely packed list from her handbag and began to read aloud:
“Let me see, we have a lot to do today! First, we need to go to John Lewis to get new tablecloths and napkins; then we need to go to Marks & Spencer to buy holly and mistletoe, as well as Christmas tree decorations and ribbons… Oh, and the ingredients for Christmas dinner, we’ll get those from Fortnam Mason this year…”
The car smoothly entered the city traffic. Christmas decorations were everywhere on the streets outside the window, and pedestrians were carrying large and small shopping bags. Familiar music flowed through every street, and Wade even heard some shops playing upbeat Chinese songs.
The tablecloth and napkins were entirely Fiona's decision; the father and son's only purpose was to carry the shopping bags. When they left the store, they also had an unexpected set of exquisite tableware in their hands.
However, when they arrived at the department store, Fiona was overwhelmed by the dazzling array of decorations and would frequently turn to ask her father and son for their opinions.
"How about this dark green ribbon? I like the gold feathers on it... but wouldn't it look too heavy with the red wrapping paper?"
Ferdinand: "How could that be? I think it's gorgeous."
"Should we buy some more decorative balls and ribbons? Although last year's are still in the warehouse, these colors are much brighter..."
"Buy whatever you like, darling." "Wade, look at this candy, doesn't it look just like that tin soldier from your toy box when you were little?"
Wade: "It does look a bit like it. There's a sword right next to it, so I can hang it together."
Fiona happily took the candy shaped like a sword and exclaimed, "Great! That's what I was thinking too!"
After filling the car trunk, the shopping for Christmas gifts and decorations was finally over, and the family went to a nearby coffee shop to rest.
They ordered coffee and cake, and while waiting, Ferdinand casually picked up a newspaper on the table, which turned out to be the international edition.
“Oh, they finally signed the Dayton Agreement,” he said softly. “They’ve been fighting in the Balkans for so long; hopefully, it will finally be a real ceasefire.”
Fiona wasn't particularly politically astute, but she knew it was a brutal war. She sighed, "God help me, I hope there won't be any more war. The children are so pitiful!"
Ferdinand continued reading the report: "It seems Britain is going to send troops to participate in peacekeeping, something called IFOR? The first batch of troops is already preparing to depart this month... Sigh, even if there's a ceasefire in those places, the situation is still very complicated. Our soldiers going there..."
Wade frowned slightly, his eyelids drooping, his gaze fixed on the patterns on the table, his expression thoughtful.
After reading the report, Ferdinand shook his head, said nothing more, and continued flipping through the newspaper.
Every news item in the international edition makes one realize how precious peace is, and how conflicts around the world never seem to end.
“Look at this, darling, Africa is truly terrifying. This is the third clash on the Zaire border, the situation in Burundi is extremely tense, Angola has just achieved peace, but war could reignite… and then there are the refugees in Rwanda…”
Just then, a sharp scream suddenly rang out from the street outside the window: "Robbery! Catch him! He stole my bag!"
The family turned their heads at the same time. Wade's relaxed body tensed up instantly, his sharp gaze shooting in the direction from which the sound came. His fingers instinctively reached for his wand, but he stopped at the last moment.
A young thug in an old jacket with greasy hair was seen struggling to push through the crowd and running across the street, clutching a dark red handbag. A panicked woman and passersby who tried to help were chasing after him.
Just as the thug who had snatched the bag was about to rush across the street, Wade's finger on the table moved swiftly, and the colorful flags hanging from the shops along the street suddenly fell down, hitting the thug squarely on the head.
"what!"
The man's view was suddenly blocked by the falling colorful flag. He cried out in surprise, lost his balance, stumbled and fell to the ground, and the bag in his hand flew out of his hand.
The man chasing behind rushed forward, bent his knee and pinned the thug down, grabbing his wrist and pulling it behind his back!
Pedestrians on the street applauded and cheered. The woman who had lost her bag rushed over to pick it up, then ran back and hit the thief on the head a few times without hesitation. She then thanked the man who had caught the thief with gratitude.
"Hey, we caught him!" Fiona, who had also craned her neck to see it, exclaimed excitedly, "That's great! That guy was so decisive... he looks like a policeman."
Ferdinand watched as his son withdrew his gaze, reverting to his gentle and quiet demeanor, and said with a smile, "Yes, I think so too."
For some reason, the man's heart suddenly ached.
(End of this chapter)