The morning breeze carried pleasant laughter. The fat cat basking on the windowsill twitched its ears and looked up at the little girl chasing a white "walking chicken" nearby. It lazily opened its mouth, brushed its whiskers with a paw, and prepared to lie down for another nap.
Before Fat Cat Tom could close his eyes, the little girl tripped on the lawn and burst into tears.
With agility that belied his size, Tom leaped down from the windowsill and trotted over to Little Alice. He nudged the girl with his head, then looked helplessly at the young man approaching them.
"There, there, don't cry!"
Albert reached out to stroke Tom Cat's head, lifted Little Alice high into the air, and smiled at the young woman walking over. "She fell while chasing Shera."
"I really don't know who this little rascal takes after. I certainly wasn't this naughty when I was young." Isobel smiled as she took her daughter.
"Neither was I. She's probably hungry."
"Or perhaps her trousers are wet." Isobel was quite experienced in such matters. She kissed Albert on the cheek and said with a smile, "Breakfast is ready. You go on ahead."
Albert watched Isobel walk away, then bent down to pick up the fat cat rubbing against his trousers. He weighed him in his arms and murmured, "You seem to have put on weight again lately, Tom. It's time you went on a diet."
As he carried the cat toward the dining room, Katrina, who had already finished her morning exercise, was drinking milk as usual. She smiled and greeted Albert.
"Louise and I have an appointment today. We're planning to go to France and take a look at the Witch Beauty Shop's potion industry chain," Katrina said, mentioning the day's plans.
"You'll probably be