"I suspect Xiaonan’s soul floated overseas," Shane Thorne said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "We don’t have buildings that tall around here. You’d only find those in America." Even he found the idea incredible.

Old Master Tate pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "It wasn’t a foreign country. It was the future. One day, we’ll have skyscrapers hundreds of meters tall, too. We’ll be just as developed as America; all of it will happen. Besides, that little box she mentioned, the one you can make calls with? Even America doesn’t have that yet. But I know people are already researching it. It might appear in a few years. What Xiaonan saw was probably Vessaria, decades from now."

"The future? What do you mean? Mr. Tate, you’ve got to explain it better than that." Felix Thorne was completely baffled. He’d been in a daze ever since his daughter fainted.

His daughter had fainted for no reason, woken up for no reason, and then started spouting a bunch of nonsense. Then Mr. Tate and his sixth uncle started talking even more nonsense, and now he was completely lost.

The others were just as confused. They looked from Old Master Tate to Tang Xiaonan and back again, their eyes glazed over with bewilderment.

Old Master Tate explained patiently, "Scientists have discovered that time tunnels are real. People have actually traveled to the past and even seen the future, though it’s extremely rare. What Xiaonan saw was the future. Then again, it could be something else. It’s hard to be certain about this sort of thing."

This just made everyone even more confused, their minds turning to mush. ’What in the world is a time tunnel?’

A sudden flash of inspiration struck Byron Thorne. "Was our Xiaonan blessed by an immortal?" he asked happily. "Mr. Tate, does this mean she’s going to be a top scholar someday?"

Old Master Tate was exasperated. ’What does this have to do with immortals?’ Still, he didn’t deny it. "Xiaonan is very bright and a quick learner. If you raise her well, she’ll definitely get into a good university and have a promising future."

’Never mind her other talents; when it comes to foreign languages, that little girl is a genius. She could make a good living as a translator alone in the future.’

Byron Thorne beamed, so happy his eyes were mere slits. "I knew Xiaonan was a lucky child from the moment she was born," he said, unable to contain his joy. "Right before she was born, I had a dream that our courtyard was filled with blooming flowers. And soon after, there she was."

"And I barely felt a thing when I gave birth to her! It was a completely smooth delivery, not like with the first three. Those nearly killed me. Having Xiaonan was as easy as letting out a fart—POP!—and out she came. I didn’t suffer one bit. If that’s not a sign of good fortune, I don’t know what is," Phoebe Huxley added, bragging gleefully.

Tang Xiaonan’s lips twitched. ’So I’m just a fart?’

Raina chimed in, "Xiaonan was eight pounds and eight ounces when she was born! The double eights are so auspicious. My little Xiaonan is definitely going to be a top scholar when she grows up. She can even see the future—she must have been guided by an immortal in the heavens!"

Everyone else chimed in with their own praises, one after another, stopping just short of calling Tang Xiaonan one of the Jade Emperor’s own attendants sent down to the mortal realm. Tang Xiaonan lowered her head, blushing. She felt a little apprehensive. ’Did I take this too far?’

"Why did Xiaonan’s soul leave her body so suddenly? Wasn’t she perfectly fine during the day?" Old Master Tate asked with concern.

Phoebe Huxley looked awkward and was too embarrassed to answer. Raina shot her a glare and opened her mouth to speak, but Byron Thorne cut in first. "She must have gotten a scare yesterday. She was fine during dinner, and then she just fainted."

’You don’t air your dirty laundry in public.’ Byron Thorne didn’t want Phoebe Huxley to lose face in front of an outsider, giving them something to laugh about.

’Even though he was deeply dissatisfied with Phoebe Huxley’s ferocity and wasteful habits, he had to help her save face in public. He could lecture her when they were behind closed doors.’

Phoebe Huxley froze, then looked at her father-in-law gratefully. A pang of guilt hit her. ’I should bring my in-laws some more meat from now on.’