After another night of intense activity, Mike looked at the messy scene in Cady's house and suggested they clean up the place together.
Their 'battles' this week hadn't been confined to just one room.
If Cady's parents, who were returning, saw the current state of the house, it wouldn't be good.
You know, Cady's dad, as a field researcher, had the right to be equipped with high-lethality weapons.
So, for everyone's physical and mental well-being, Mike and Cady spent the entire morning doing a thorough cleaning of the house, erasing all traces of their activities.
As it approached noon, Mike looked at the refreshed house, satisfied, and said goodbye to the girl before leaving.
According to the news from Cady's parents, they would be back by noon today.
Sure enough, not long after Mike left, a jeep pulled up to Cady's house.
Cady's parents, Chip Heron and Betsy Heron, covered in sand, got out of the car.
As soon as she entered the house, Cady's mother, Betsy, questioned, "Cady, what did you do at school? Why did the school call us?"
The reason Cady's parents rushed back was because they received that phone call from the school.
Although the person on the phone didn't directly state what Cady had done, Betsy could tell from their tone that her daughter's mistake this time was not small.
Betsy already felt guilty for letting her daughter grow up in a remote place like Africa.
If her daughter turned into a bad girl due to her own lack of attention, it would pain her even more.
It could be said that Betsy really wanted to be a qualified mother, but her sudden concern now was a bit ill-timed.
Cady's mood had already eased after Mike's guidance last night.
However, facing her mother's questioning now, she remembered the mistake she had made with Ms. Sharon.
"I..." Looking at her mother's stern expression, Cady didn't know whether to confess what she had done.
She knew that if she told the truth, it would only disappoint her mother more.
Seeing her daughter's hesitation, Betsy's mood inexplicably became irritable.
Just as she was about to press her daughter further, she was stopped by her husband.
"Alright, Betsy. Our daughter has grown up; she should have her own thoughts now," Chip comforted his wife.
Then, to prove that their daughter had grown up, he walked to a nearby cabinet, wiped it, and said, "Look, we've been gone for a week, and our daughter has taken very good care of the house."
The cabinet had just been wiped by Mike and Cady, so it was naturally very clean.
Looking at the clean and tidy house, Betsy's emotions indeed calmed down.
"Okay." Betsy, her mood settled, looked at her daughter and asked, "Can you promise that you can handle the school matter well?"
"I can," Cady nodded affirmingly.
...
On the other side, Mike also arrived at the Cooper family house before lunch.
"Oh, look who's back~" Connie got up and gave Mike a hug, asking softly, "How have you been these past few days?"
Although Mike had called Connie every day during the week he was away, she was still very worried.
"I'm doing very well," Mike replied with a smile.
Just then, Mary also came out of the kitchen: "Mike, you're back just in time. Get ready, and we can eat."
After that, Sheldon and Georgie also came out of their rooms and, upon seeing Mike, also expressed their welcome.
Especially Sheldon, who even specifically thanked Mike for helping him get rid of the trouble that was Kermit.
And Mike, on his side, unexpectedly found Tam at the Cooper family house.
Seeing Mike's gaze, Tam came forward awkwardly and greeted him.
"Mike, do you know? Tam brought a very interesting game; we can play together this afternoon..." Sheldon's timely interjection helped ease Tam's embarrassment.
"Is that so? I'm looking forward to it," Mike said with a smile.
After everyone in the room was gathered, they all walked towards the dining table.
As for George, the head of the family, he was currently working at the town's sporting goods store and couldn't get away for lunch.
And sweet little Missy had gone to Herschel's house next door to play with Bobbi, and it seemed she wouldn't be back for lunch either.
At the dining table, after everyone was seated, Connie carefully examined Mike's face and said, "Mike, have you lost weight recently?"
Hearing Connie's concerned words made Mike a bit speechless.
He knew that with the 'Moonlight' characteristic, his physical fitness was constantly increasing, so there was no possibility of him losing weight.
However, he also understood Connie's mindset.
It's like when a child comes home after being away for a while, parents always feel that the child has suffered outside, and "thin" is just an adjective.
Just as Mike was about to explain, he heard Connie say again, "If I had known you were coming back today, I would have prepared a dish to replenish you.
"That's a good thing I specially prepared for you..."
As she spoke, Connie's tone became a bit improper.
Others might not know what Mike had been doing these past few days, but Connie knew perfectly well.
"No need, I don't need that kind of thing," Mike shook his head and politely refused, "Let's leave it for those who need it."
"Alright, that'll be cheap for George," Connie said with a smile, glancing at Mary.
Sheldon, who was completely confused, raised his small hand and said, "Why specifically does dad need replenishing?"
Hearing her youngest son's ignorant remark, Mary exclaimed and interrupted him: "Sheldon, you're still young; these things aren't for you to worry about."
After scolding her youngest son, Mary also subtly glared at Connie, as if blaming her for talking nonsense.
At the dining table, perhaps Sheldon didn't understand the previous conversation, but Georgie and Tam, who understood the implication, looked at Mike with envy.
However, seeing Mike's handsome appearance, both of them seemed struck and simultaneously lowered their heads in silence.
"Alright, let's begin our pre-meal prayer!" Mary clapped her hands, breaking the gradually awkward atmosphere.
After a hearty lunch, Sheldon took out the board game "Dungeons & Dragons" and started playing it with Mike, Tam, and Georgie in the living room.
A bored Mary also pulled Connie to watch the game.
"Dungeons & Dragons" is an adventure board game with a grand background, where characters can be divided into three factions: evil, neutral, and good.
It must be said that this game was very thoughtfully made; the characters on each card were very lifelike.
"I want to be the final boss—" Sheldon was the first to grab the demon card.
Looking at the hideous demon character image on the card made Mary, a Christian watching nearby, feel a bit uncomfortable.
"You guys choose first." Mike didn't have any objections when the big boss card was taken.
"I choose the hero..."
"I choose the elf hunter..."
Georgie and Tam, relying on their senses, picked two cards with handsome character designs.
"Then I'll be the dragon." Mike casually picked a dragon card spitting flames.