Someone did come, but it wasn't Nilson.It was an elderly servant. He was leading Nelson's dog, Oloso, and holding a Christmas tree made of pine boughs as he knocked on the door of their house.The man introduced himself and said, "I am Mr. Gama's butler. Mr. Gama said this young gentleman invited Oloso over for Christmas."Celeste stood at the door with Leo. They exchanged a look, and she found it both amusing and helpless.Alright. He actually just sent the dog over."Yes. Sorry for the trouble," Leo said politely. He went over to pet the dog's head and then signalled to it. "Come in, Oloso. We'll spend Christmas together."Then he politely asked Nilson's butler, "Will you be staying here for Christmas too?"The man understood the implication and naturally declined the offer."No, sir. I have other work to do. Just let me know when it's convenient for you, and I'll come back to pick up Oloso."This statement left room for interpretation. Hence, Leo smiled."It's fine. I'll
Celeste and Leo really did spend Christmas Eve with Oloso. They didn’t feed it any food because Leo said it didn't need any, but they did give it some water. Before leaving, Leo even stood on a small stool to take down a red stocking filled with Christmas gifts for the dog."Oloso said it likes this," Leo said.No matter how strong Celeste's mental fortitude was, learning that her son could talk to animals still felt frightening.She could only try her best to stay calm so Leo wouldn't feel like he was being treated as an oddity.At 8 p.m., Damon called as usual. Leo took a photo of Oloso with his smartwatch and sent it to Damon."This is Mr. Gama's dog. It likes playing with me," Leo said."Yes, I'll send it back soon. Mommy and I will go together."Celeste didn't know what Damon said on the other end. She reminded Leo, "You can tell your dad he doesn't have to stay up so late to call you. He can call two or three hours earlier, and you'll still be available around 5 to 6 p.m.
Celeste could have made demands at this moment. However, she couldn't bring herself to do it in front of Nilson.He was a lonely eighty-year-old man spending Christmas alone. Even his dog wasn't with him that night.She couldn't do it. Her conscience wouldn't allow it.Leo, being a genius, naturally thought about this too.He gave Celeste a questioning look.Celeste subtly shook her head at Leo and then smiled at Nilson, saying, "Leo says he understands some. I don't know how much he understands. You can ask him anything you want to know.""Leo?" Nilson called out Leo's name for the first time. Before this, he hadn't cared about what the child's name was.Leo obediently walked over. "Sir, your dog also said it really liked something you gave it to eat last week. It was yellow and sticky, with pieces of potato, meat, and rice in it."Nilson's eyes widened as they shone brightly under the light. "Yes, last week we had Phailune cuisine, and I gave it some curry rice."Celeste had
It only took them about forty minutes from leaving to returning.Light snow was falling outside, and Nilson was still sitting in the yard. A blanket covered his shoulders, with some white specks on it. He was silently smoking a cigar while gazing thoughtfully at the gate.His dog, Oloso, was lying on a blanket at his feet, covered with another blanket."Go ahead, Leo." Celeste stood at the gate. She handed the stocking with the gift to Leo and patted his head.Leo took it and went over.Nilson looked at the returning mother and son. He was visibly puzzled."Merry Christmas, Nilson!" Leo handed the stocking to Nilson and even gave him a hug.Nilson was clearly taken aback. He didn't know how to react.Leo, having completed his task, didn't care about Nilson's reaction and ran back to Celeste.Nilson's gaze was complex as he looked at them again."Goodbye." Celeste nodded at him and then walked away with Leo's hand in hers.Everyone had their own suffering, and this was all sh
Perhaps it was Leo's behaviour that moved Nilson. For now, he had completely let down his guard."Sir, please go ahead," Leo said respectfully. In Francisian culture, it was not customary to address non-blood relatives as grandparents, and Leo, unused to calling people by name, addressed him formally.Nilson looked at Leo with his blue eyes full of longing. "Did it ever talk to you about its previous owner?"Leo's eyes flickered. "Yes, sir.""What did it say?" Nilson's blue eyes suddenly shone brightly."It said its previous owner was a very beautiful lady who liked to wear denim jackets," Leo answered truthfully.Nilson's pupils dilated instantly. Before long, his eyes were filled with tears."Yes, my lover indeed liked to wear denim jackets. Child, you truly can communicate with Oloso." Nilson murmured as his motions suddenly became uncontrollable."Many pet communicators in Franciso have never mentioned such detailed things.""Ms. York, you've raised a genius."Celeste a
Leo was only four years old, but Nilson was sure he understood the story.Then again, Leo could communicate logically with adults and fluently speak and write in Frence. If he pretended not to understand, Nilson would never believe it.Thus, Leo gave Celeste another questioning look.Only after Celeste nodded slightly did he ask, "Was Oloso with the lady in her final days?""Yes," Nilson confirmed.Hence, Leo squatted down, cupping Oloso's face, and stared into its eyes.The more serious Leo acted, the more Celeste felt a chill run down her spine. Was this considered a form of communication with the dead?Leo held Oloso's face, and the two stared at each other for over ten minutes. Nilson simply watched the scene with his eyes full of anticipation."It says the lady never believed you had someone new," Leo suddenly looked up at Nilson and said in all seriousness."Really?" Nilson's eyes brightened."Oloso said the lady kept telling it that you, Nilson, are trying to get them
Celeste and Leo finally made their way back to Carlino by the evening of the next day.She took Leo to pick up the checked bags and then remembered what Nelson's butler had said before following the process provided to collect Nilson's gift.It was a somewhat heavy square wooden box.On it, written in French, were the words "Precious item, handle with care.""What's this?" Leo was full of curiosity."It should be a gift for you, to thank you. You'll open it later," Celeste said.It wasn't until they were in the car that had come to pick them up that the mother and son opened the box in the back seat."Mommy, it's what you wanted!" Leo couldn't help but exclaim softly.Celeste's eyes widened in surprise.Inside the wooden box was the bronze dog-head incense burner!The burner lay quietly in the box, resting on a layer of soft Carlino silk padding. Celeste looked at the dignified dog's head and suddenly felt like crying.She carefully took out the incense burner. Underneath wa
It was Kenny who gave Celeste this idea while they were in Taverdale.Kenny was well-versed in capital operations, having made his start in the glove industry. He was adept at using other people's money for his purposes or facilitating the transfer of funds seamlessly from one hand to another.Having spent his youth walking by the riverside, he naturally knew better than most where the pitfalls, the fish, and the electric nets were.Among all the methods of money laundering, road construction was undoubtedly one of the best.The money that disappeared without a trace could reappear through road construction, with some over-reporting here and there. In the end, every penny could be accounted for. This required only good cooperation between the person in charge and the construction company.In a one-billion-dollar project, if the construction company was willing to compress costs to five hundred million dollars and then issue a two-billion-dollar invoice, the job was done.Henry’s