Dawn broke, and another day began.
Although they had already said their goodbyes yesterday, Dennis and his wife still came to Mike's manor early this morning to see him off in person.
"You brat, take good care of yourself over there. Remember to call us if anything happens..."
After a day of adjustment, Dennis had reverted to "parent mode." He was currently holding onto Mike, nagging him about things to watch out for while living away from home.
"I know~" Mike replied, then looked Dennis up and down and said, "You should watch your health too, try to have a baby with Aunt Kelly soon..."
"Huh?..." Dennis, taken aback by the counterattack, awkwardly touched his increasingly round beer belly and retorted stubbornly, "Brat, that's not something you should be concerned about. You just take care of yourself."
Saying that, as if to maintain his adult dignity, he reached out to ruffle Mike's hair.
As the saying goes, a man's head and a woman's waist are off-limits.
Mike, naturally, wasn't in the habit of letting a middle-aged man touch his head.
So, the two of them chased and dodged, circling around the pickup truck.
Aside, Ms. Kelly watched the two playing around with a smile on her face.
Behind the Dodge pickup, Kenya was leading his son Kiley, loading goods into the truck bed.
Besides two large wooden barrels containing fifty kilograms of homemade red wine each, the rest were vegetables and fruits grown on the farm.
Considered local specialties here.
"Master Quinn, everything is loaded." Uncle Kenya, having finished loading, called out to Mike.
"Okay, sorry to trouble you." Mike stopped and looked at the truck bed full of ingredients.
"This is what we should do..." Kenya smiled and said, "Wishing the young master a safe journey~"
At this time, Dennis, who caught up from behind, put away his playful expression and said sincerely, "Kid, stay safe on the road, take care of yourself~"
"Got it, Uncle Dennis. But you need to exercise more..." Mike glanced at Dennis, who was already breaking a sweat after just a few laps, then glanced meaningfully at Kelly.
Reaching middle age, one inevitably feels their ability falling short of their ambitions.
Seeing Dennis about to turn red from being poked at his sore spot, Mike jumped into the pickup truck first, rolled down the window and waved: "Uncle Dennis and Uncle Kenya, please take care of the farm in the future."
"Goodbye~"
As the voice fell, the Dodge pickup launched, leaving a trail of white smoke under the morning sun as it left the farm.
"This kid seems to have grown a lot in the past year. Seems he doesn't need our care anymore..."
Behind, Dennis held his wife's hand, watching the car go away, a warm expression remaining on his face.
Time came to the evening. Mike, stopping and going along the way, came to the forest path at the Texas border again.
Driven by curiosity, he drove off the fork to the previous lair of the cannibals.
"It seems the cannibal matter was also deliberately suppressed..."
The dense scrapped vehicles in this clearing had all disappeared. Even the small wooden house where the cannibals were burned to ashes was specifically covered with soil.
No one could tell that all sorts of terrible things had happened here.
Another two hours or so later, Mike rushed to the end of the forest path under the moonlight, where the small inn was before.
Borrowing the moonlight, Mike saw that the traces of this small inn at the turn had also been cleaned up.
"What Jessie and the others said before was true..." Mike, back in the pickup truck, breathed a sigh of relief.
The day before, he had received a call from the three of them, Jessie.
During the call, the three said that the local police personnel did not intend to delve into the cannibal incident.
Therefore, the three successfully left the town yesterday.
This way of handling things might not be bad news for the current Mike.
Fighting and killing is still too dangerous for a sixteen-year-old boy.
Why not enjoy a peaceful and beautiful life?
Next, Mike, adhering to the principle of not causing trouble, drove into Texas overnight and found a regular hotel along the way to check in and rest.
The next day, after sleeping until noon and having lunch at the hotel, he leisurely returned to the town of Medford.
"Hi, Mike. What do you think of my car?" Outside the Cooper family's yard, Georgie was wiping a white RV.
"Is this the car you bought?" Mike looked at the RV in front of him, which looked sixty to seventy percent new, with a surprised expression.
RVs belong to large vehicles. Unlike ordinary commuting cars, they can meet people's needs for living and resting.
Some luxuriously configured RVs are even more comfortable to live in than some residential houses.
Therefore, the prices of RVs are generally not low. Even second-hand RVs should be priced in the tens of thousands.
"How is it? This car is pretty good, right~"
Seeing Mike's surprised expression, Georgie's show-off psychology was satisfied. Then, he continued somewhat proudly: "I bought this special price car through connections, it cost a whole three thousand five hundred dollars..."
"Want to go up and try it?"
Three thousand five hundred dollars should be all the money Georgie has, but this money is not enough to buy an RV unless there is something wrong with this car.
Conservatively estimated, Georgie was likely scammed.
Mike, who came to this conclusion, was about to check it for him.
But before he could climb onto the RV, he was stopped by Meemaw Connie who came out upon hearing the noise.
"Mike, what's loaded in your car?" Meemaw Connie circled the pickup truck, pulled Mike aside and whispered: "Don't bother with Georgie's junk car, he's having a conflict with the family because of this matter."
Giving Mike a knowing look, Meemaw Connie pointed deliberately at the two large wooden barrels on the pickup truck and said with surprise: "These wouldn't be filled with red wine, would they!"
Just during the time Meemaw Connie interrupted, the rest of the Cooper family and the little girl Paige all came out.
Missy even cheered and jumped into Mike's arms.
"These are all local specialties I brought back from the farm, the two wooden barrels contain homemade red wine..." After comforting the little girl in his arms, Mike explained to the curious crowd.
"Try the fruits, grown at home..."
Next, Mike shared the brought fruits with everyone.
Meemaw Connie, biting into a sweet apple, still had her eyes on the wooden barrel red wine and suggested: "How about we have a dinner party tonight. I happen to have some top-quality beef, we can have steak platters with red wine..."
This proposal was instantly unanimously approved by everyone. Afterward, Meemaw Connie pulled Mary to discuss the menu for the evening.
There was still some time before dinner, but if they were preparing a big meal, starting now would be just right.
"Georgie, come help move the ingredients~"
Seeing Georgie, who finished eating the fruit, about to wipe his RV again, George called him loudly.
With abundant ingredients and people to share food with.
This leisurely afternoon, the Cooper home was filled with a happy atmosphere.