Hearing Aunt Lia's words, Watson quickly shook his head, "No, no, no, she's not my girlfriend!"
"Oh~ then I'm relieved." Aunt Lia inexplicably let out a sigh of relief.
"Huh? What did you say?"
"No, nothing, child. So where is this new family member you mentioned?"
Watson smiled, turned to the door, and called out, "Come in, Braised Egg, come meet the family~"
A small brown head poked out from the doorframe: "Meow meow~?"
"Come on, come in~"
"Hoo~ Meow~" Braised Egg walked in with elegant steps, instantly attracting Aunt Lia's attention.
"Oh!~ She's so beautiful, quick~ Let me hold her~" Aunt Lia, holding Braised Egg in her arms, said in surprise, "You're really heavy, little one, and quite big too."
Uncle Poke also walked over, stroked little Braised Egg's head, and asked, "What breed is this? How can it be so big?"
"Her name is Braised Egg, and she's a mutated African Lion Cat, which is why she's so big. But Braised Egg is very intelligent; she understands everything you say~"
"Hehehe~ Little Watson, don't try to fool me~ But this little one is truly adorable~" Aunt Lia affectionately rubbed her face against little Braised Egg, clearly very fond of the little creature.
"Once I settle down, I'll let little Braised Egg stay with you~"
"Hahaha, that's great! If we have little Braised Egg, your aunt won't have to keep staring at me every day, hahaha~"
Aunt Lia gave Uncle Poke an exasperated look, then said, "Alright, we should go. Of course, this little one is coming with us too~ After all, she's a member of the family now~ Watson, go change your clothes quickly."
With that, Aunt Lia walked out, holding little Braised Egg, leaving a helpless Watson and Poke behind.
New York - Green-Wood Cemetery
The Watson family of four (including little Braised Egg) got out of the car and had just entered the cemetery gate.
Suddenly, Watson heard a commotion not far away and turned to look towards the source of the sound.
Several cars suddenly drove onto the usually quiet main road at the cemetery entrance. Many cars had "New York Daily News," "Huffington Post," "CNN," and other names written on them. Then, a black Rolls-Royce Phantom drove onto the road!
""I didn't expect them to come? It seems this friend was worth making. But---such a grand display... what is he trying to do?" Watson rubbed his chin and muttered. Watson had already recognized the car; it was the same car that picked him up when he first returned—Tony Stark. And the jeep behind it should be Rhode.
Uncle Poke heard this and couldn't help but ask, "Who is he? Watson, do you know him?"
"Yes, he's a friend, Tony Stark." With that, Watson walked towards the entrance, leaving Uncle Poke and Aunt Lia in surprise.
At this moment, Tony, in a pure black suit, and Pepper, in a solemn dress, got out of the car, and the moment they stepped out, they were bombarded with countless questions.
"Mr. Tony Stark, why are you holding a press conference at Green-Wood Cemetery?"
"Mr. Tony Stark, are you here to mourn a relative? What is your relationship with them?"
"Mr. Stark, after your rescue, you held a press conference here. Is it because the person who saved you unfortunately sacrificed their life and is buried here?"
What??? Watson, who had just reached the entrance, heard what some reporter said and was instantly bewildered. I just died like that??? Who said that, I promise I won't beat you to death!
Watson looked at Tony, who was walking towards him, and said irritably, "Are you not famous enough? Do you want to livestream dancing on a grave in front of the media??"
"Pfft...~ Sorry..." 'Pepper' Potts, who had burst out laughing, apologized awkwardly.
Then she said to the media, "Alright everyone, this is a resting place for the deceased, please do not make noise. We are holding this press conference to announce something important, but please wait patiently until we come out."
At this moment, Obadiah Stane, also in a black suit, and Rhode, in a military uniform, walked out from behind.
He extended his hand to Watson and said, "Hello, young man, I'm Obadiah Stane, Tony's uncle, so I'm sorry about your uncle's situation, and I completely understand. If it were me..." Tony, hearing this, smiled and quickly interrupted him, saying, "Alright, no need for pleasantries, let's go in quickly."
Poor Tony still didn't know --- the mastermind was his uncle.
Now, in Tony's heart, his uncle Obadiah was his only relative.
The five of them came before Uncle Poke and Aunt Lia, and Tony stepped forward and said, "Hello, I'm Tony Stark, Watson's good friend. This is my uncle Obadiah Stane, my secretary Pepper Potts, and this is Air Force Colonel Rhode."
Uncle Poke stepped forward and said, "Thank you very much for coming. I'm Poke Kane, and this is my wife Lia. Oh, and our new family member, little Braised Egg."
"Meow~"
"Ah ha, I've seen her before, but she probably doesn't think much of me." The group talked as they arrived at the chapel inside Green-Wood.
Opening the chapel doors, a black coffin lay in the center of the altar, and an elderly priest stood by, seemingly waiting for their arrival: "Please be seated, children."
"Thank you for your hard work, Father Koyah."
As everyone took their seats one by one, the priest began his prayer: "Loving God, we thank and praise You. You are the source of life and the destination of our lives. You brought this friend into the world; though his life on earth was brief, we deeply believe that Your love and will were upon him. Since You have called him back to Your side, we ask You to grant him a full life in Christ, and we ask You to comfort all those present—"
As the prayers and praises proceeded smoothly, everyone came forward one by one to bid farewell to the deceased, the entire process was solemn and serious.
Afterward, everyone came to Rocco's gravesite. Watching the black coffin being lowered, tears constantly welled up in Uncle Poke's eyes and finally flowed down. He mumbled, "Goodbye, you old bastard Rocco." And Aunt Lia, beside him, unconsciously hugged Uncle Poke's arm.
"Meow---"
Poke felt the warmth from his beloved, and the sparkle in his eyes no longer flickered. He raised his hand to stroke little Braised Egg's head, gently kissed Aunt Lia's forehead, and then looked at Watson. At this moment, he seemed to have shed that fleeting moment of weakness. He had once again become the Poke with the hearty smile!
And Pepper, being a woman, also had slightly red eyes as she watched the touching scene before her.
Tony turned to look at Obadiah, who gave a helpless smile: "Please, don't do this."