"Grace, why are you back so late? Did everything go smoothly?" By the time Grace Winslow got home, Joanne Chase had already cleaned the house and made dinner.

Irene Lynch was at the hospital taking care of Grandma Forrest. Gregory Winslow’s company had just started its holiday break today, and he brought home a lot of New Year’s goods they had given out.

Seeing Grace was back, he smiled and waved her over. "Grace, you’re home?"

"When I got back, there was no one here. I thought I’d walked into the wrong house."

Grace Winslow smiled at his words. "What do you mean, no one? Isn’t Joy here?"

"Yes, yes, Joy is the only obedient one, holding down the fort all by herself. The rest of you are never home." Gregory Winslow wagged his finger playfully at Grace.

Grace sat down beside him. "Dad, how many days off do you have this year? Your break didn’t start until the 28th. That’s even later than last year."

"Not many days. My department is busy, and it’s good to have plenty of work. I have to go back on the fourth."

"Your mom went to the hospital to take care of Grandma Forrest?"

Gregory Winslow nodded, but then he couldn’t help asking.

He was worried he wouldn’t even see his wife during his few days off.

"Yeah, Grandma Forrest isn’t doing too well. She needs to be hospitalized for a few days of observation, but she’ll probably be discharged on New Year’s Eve."

"Oh, right, Dad, I bought Grandma Forrest’s house. What do you think, should we move in after the New Year?" Grace nodded, then brought up the house purchase.

"Buying her house could bring a lot of trouble. Your mom and I looked into it before. She has some relatives who have been eyeing that property for a long time."

"If she didn’t sell it, those people were probably just waiting for her to pass away so they could seize the house."

"Your mom and I ran into them once. I think they were relatives from her late husband’s side. They seemed like a tough bunch." Gregory Winslow thought for a moment before speaking. "Maybe we shouldn’t move. It’s nice here, isn’t it? Do you not like this place?"

"Not at all. It’s just that Grandma Forrest’s yard is so well-kept, and when my brother and sister-in-law visit on weekends with the kids, there’s not enough room here, is there? I was thinking, since we’ve already bought the house, we might as well move in." Grace shook her head. The thought of all the potential trouble that could come with the house gave her a bit of a headache.

This was exactly why she hadn’t wanted to buy a property with potential ownership disputes in the first place.

There would be so many more problems after the purchase.

"Let’s wait and see. There’s no rush," Gregory Winslow said comfortingly, seeing Grace’s worried expression.

"Godfather, Grace, should we eat now? After dinner, I’m going to the hospital to bring food to Godmother." Joanne Chase interrupted them, wiping her hands as she came in from outside.

"Let’s eat! Joy’s cooking is delicious, and I haven’t had it in so long." Grace got up and went out with a grin.

Gregory Winslow got up as well.

Joanne Chase then went to the backyard to call Archer Rhys for dinner.

Gregory Winslow was a little surprised to see Archer Rhys at his home. "You kid, are you planning on living here forever? Still have your eyes on my daughter?"

Archer Rhys’s feelings weren’t a secret to anyone; everyone in the Winslow family knew them perfectly well.

Archer Rhys wasn’t annoyed at being teased by Gregory Winslow. He just sat down beside him. "I have to go on a mission in a few days. It’s rare for me to be able to spend the New Year at home."

"My grandfather still asks about you, but his health isn’t great, so he can’t come visit."

Gregory Winslow thought for a moment and sighed. "The old man... come to think of it, I haven’t seen him in years. I’ll go visit him tomorrow."

"Great. He’ll definitely be happy," Archer Rhys said with a smiling nod.

The two of them chatted and laughed, seeming to have a very good relationship.

Grace and Joanne Chase conversed quietly to the side.

After dinner, Joanne Chase packed up some food to take to Irene Lynch at the hospital. Grace was worried about her going out alone at night. After all, public safety wasn’t as good as one might think; there were still plenty of thugs and gangsters around, not to mention human traffickers.

Stories of women who went out alone at night being trafficked to the mountains, with no way out for the rest of their lives, were all too common. They would be forced to waste their lives away in some remote mountain valley.

"I’ll take you. Let Joanne rest at home. She’s been busy all day," Archer Rhys said, standing up and grabbing his car keys.

Only then did Grace Winslow remember that he had driven over in his car, which was still parked in the lot at the intersection.

Since he had offered, Grace naturally wouldn’t refuse. She picked up the food container and left with Archer Rhys.

Joanne Chase was happy to give them an opportunity to be alone together, so of course she didn’t object.

She cleared the dishes, did a little more cleaning, then went to take a shower and read.

Grace and Archer Rhys arrived at the hospital in ten minutes.

Irene Lynch was still with Grandma Forrest.

Grandma Forrest seemed to be in much better spirits. Seeing Grace arrive, she smiled and waved her over.

"I heard from Abbott that you bought my house, and a storefront too? Do you have enough money? If not, you can have the money back from the house purchase to use," Grandma Forrest said, looking at Grace with a warm smile.

Grace quickly shook her head and refused. "No, I can’t do that. The money is yours now that I’ve given it to you. Grandma, if you really don’t know what to do with it, you could buy some supplies and donate them to the mountainous regions. A lot of children there can’t afford to go to school."

"If you just mail the money and supplies, how do you know they’ll actually end up in the right hands?" Grandma Forrest shook her head. After some thought, she spoke again. "But your idea isn’t without merit. You’d just need to find a few people specifically responsible for making sure it happens."

Grace thought about it. ’Isn’t that just like the charitable foundations of the future?’

’I didn’t expect Grandma Forrest’s thinking to be so progressive.’

She thought for a moment before speaking. "That’s certainly one way to do it, but it might be hard to find the right people. You’d need someone who won’t take kickbacks or embezzle the funds, otherwise you’ll never know whose pockets the money ends up in."

"As for people, I can recommend a few. They’re all ex-military, so their integrity is absolutely trustworthy. If you need them, I can make the introduction. They’ve just been discharged and don’t have jobs yet," Archer Rhys suddenly interjected.

Grace’s eyes lit up. "That’s right! I forgot all about you. But do you have the time?"

"Introducing a few people won’t take much time. If you’re serious about finding someone, I’ll bring them to you and you can talk to them." Archer Rhys’s lips curved into a gentle smile.

Grandma Forrest’s gaze swept back and forth between the two of them, a look of sadness eventually settling on her face.

’If my husband were still alive, by now we would also...’

Her heart ached.

Irene Lynch immediately noticed something was wrong and quickly reached out to pat her on the back. "Why the sudden sadness? There, there, let’s not think about it, okay? Let’s not dwell on sad things. Let’s just focus on being well."

Grandma Forrest found this a little amusing. ’She’s treating me like a child.’