Lynn patted the dog hair on his hands, turned around and walked back to the porch, picked up the already cold cup of tea again and blew on it.
The dead silence on Lawn lasted for half a minute.
"Ahem..."
Reggie was the first to come to his senses. He tentatively took two steps forward, squatted in front of Buddy, stretched out a finger and shook it on the golden retriever's nose, "Man, can you do arithmetic problems now, such as how much does one plus one equal?"
Buddy rolled his eyes and blew out a thick breath from his nose.
Due to Lynn's warning just now, all the words that were not suitable for children were suppressed in his mind.
"Listen, fast boy."
Buddy sighed in that deep uncle voice, "Just because I can speak doesn't mean that my IQ has degraded to kindergarten level. Also, take your finger away, I just smelled that you touched the dead mouse in the grass."
Reggie retracted his hand like an electric shock and rubbed it hard on the grass, causing Annie and Kevin next to him to laugh.
Tommy held his hands in front of his chest and circled Buddy twice.
"This is incredible."
Tommy touched his chin and analyzed like a little old man, "Buddy, besides being able to talk, do you have any other Superpower, such as shooting lasers from your eyes or being able to fly?"
"If you call a perfectly shaped poop Superpower that poops outside Black Noir's door on time every morning, then I do."
Buddy lazily changed his posture.
Black Noir, who had been standing on the edge as Translucent, made a move.
He silently lowered his head and glanced at the soles of his shoes, and his gaze under the mask instantly became a little dangerous.
The atmosphere on Lawn was completely enlivened by Buddy's words.
Several children gathered around the dog asking questions, and even Kevin had the courage to ask Buddy if he could understand what Charlie said.
Buddy sneered at this, saying that he was a noble mammal and did not bother to learn the language of lower aquatic creatures.
John stood on the outside, looking at Big Golden Retriever who was surrounded by everyone.
He didn't come over to join in the fun, but his Azure eyes, which always had the look of being unapproachable by strangers, were unknowingly filled with a soft smile.
In this family, it seems that no matter how outrageous something happens, it will eventually turn into a farce.
No one cares that Buddy is a monster, everyone just thinks that there is a new member in the family who can quarrel.
"Okay."
Lynn's voice came from the porch, interrupting the noise on Lawn, "This afternoon's training is over. Reggie, go wash your dirty hands. Annie, Kevin clean the water tank and prepare for dinner."
As soon as he heard the word "dinner", Buddy's ears immediately stood up.
Almost as a reflex, it shot off from the grass and rushed to the foot of the porch steps with a cheerful pace.
"Boss! What's for dinner!"
Buddy looked at Lynn with a flattering face, his tail wagging like a propeller,
"Now that I am an intelligent creature with the ability to think independently, I feel that I deserve a place at the table. I am not picky about food. As long as it is not dry dog food, I can barely accept even a medium-rare rib-eye steak."
Lynn put down the teacup and looked at the dog who was pushing the envelope.
"Go to Backyard's utility room and find two clean scrap wooden boxes and stack them up."
Lynn gave a casual instruction.
Buddy was stunned for a moment, and then understood what Lynn meant.
The boss means that he agrees to it being served.
Big Golden Retriever cheered and ran towards Backyard. The speed was simply a few points faster than Reggie.
Ten minutes later.
A very strange but extremely harmonious scene appeared in Long Island Estate's restaurant.
Next to the large long dining table, Buddy is sitting on two stacked wooden boxes, just high enough for its front paws to rest on the edge of the table.
Annie also very thoughtfully tied a pink plaid napkin around its neck.
In front of it, there was a deep ceramic plate that was larger than usual, filled with stewed potatoes and beef that were soft and delicious, and the rich soup was still steaming.
"God, this smells like heaven."
Buddy twitched her nose and almost shed tears.
It lowered its head, and just as it was about to feast as before, it felt a cold gaze fall on itself.
Lynn is sitting at the main seat, holding a knife and fork in his hand, and is slowly cutting the steak on the plate.
"Don't squeak like a pig while you're eating. If I see a drop of soup splash on the tablecloth, you'll have nothing but boiled cabbage for dinner tomorrow."
Lynn didn't even raise his head, and his voice was so calm that there was no fluctuation.
Buddy The hair all over his body became taut in an instant.
It immediately closed its mouth tightly, its chewing movements instantly became extremely graceful, and even its swallowing was carefully controlled.
The aggrieved look of fearing to offend their parents made Reggie and Tommy sitting opposite almost spit out the juice in their mouths.
John is sitting on the left hand side of Lynn.
He looked at Buddy's funny look and raised the corners of his mouth slightly.
He conveniently cut off a piece of lean beef without fascia, and while Lynn was getting the pepper, he accurately threw it into Buddy's plate.
Buddy raised his head and glanced at John, blinking his wise dog eyes at him to express his gratitude.
Outside the window, the Long Island night is getting darker.
The breeze blew through Lawn, bringing with it the chirping of autumn insects.
After dinner, a few little guys ran to the sofa in the living room to grab the TV remote control as usual.
Black Noir silently put away the tableware and went to wash it in the kitchen sink.
Buddy had a round belly after eating, and burped full of beef flavor. He strolled out of the door with satisfaction and lay down on Lawn in the yard to eat.
It looked up at the stars in the sky, felt the cool night breeze blowing through its long golden hair, and felt that this day had no regrets.
Just when it was about to close its eyes and take a nap, a burst of very light footsteps stopped beside it.
Buddy opened one eye and saw John standing there with his hands in his pockets.
This blond boy, who usually exuded a sense of arrogance and alienation, looked a little different tonight.
He did not go to the living room to join in the fun with Reggie and the others, but walked to Lawn and sat down cross-legged next to Buddy.
"You are actually very scared Lynn, right."
John looked at the night ahead, his voice was very soft, as if he was talking to himself or asking the dog.
Buddy closed his eyes again, changed into a comfortable position, and rested his chin on his paws.
"That's not called fear, John, that's called respect for your parents."
Buddy muttered in a deep uncle-like voice, "In this damn world, there are not many people who can provide you with top-notch beef stew and not treat you like a monster after you cause trouble."
John lowered his head slightly after listening to Buddy's rough remarks.
Yes, not much more.
He thought of the ordinary people he saved on the streets of Manhattan yesterday, and also recalled the powerlessness and anger he felt when his memory was forcibly erased by Ministry of Magic and Auror.
He suddenly felt that his current situation was actually no different from that of this talking dog.
They are all aliens in the eyes of the outside world, monsters, or expensive experimental materials.
Only in this Manor, within the sight of Lynn, are they living family members who are qualified to sit at the dining table and eat.
"So, cherish it."
Buddy stretched out his furry paws and patted John's knees very humanely, "We are all a bunch of freaks, but at least in this yard, we are freaks who have a home."
John was stunned for a moment.
He did not refute, but imitated Lynn's usual behavior, stretched out his hand and rubbed Buddy's head hard twice.
Buddy shook his head in disgust, but did not move away, letting John rub its fur into a mess.
The light in Lynn's bedroom on the second floor was still on, and the faint sound of flipping through paper documents could be heard.
John sat on the grass for a long time, until the night dew began to wet his trousers, and he slowly stood up.