Turning Of the Tide by Diana Sander

A few of them opted for the largest snow house, the largest within the snowy mountain. It was capable of accommodating all of them.

It seems like everyone took their seats in order to bring together Leia and Chris. Natalie, Trevon, Frank, and Ava had already settled with the three children on one side.

Meanwhile, Christina, Joseph, George, Stella, and Quinn had orderly taken their seats. The last two spots were for Chris and Leia, and everyone appeared to have taken their seats without issue, following the sequence.

Quinn pulled Leia to sit beside her, saying, "Sit next toso | can look after you." Leia sat down next to Quinn. Inside the room, there was a stove burning, the matchsticks crackling. The fiery red glow from inside the stove could be seen through the crevices, and the room was warm. After closing the wooden door, the heating circulated inside the room.

Everyone took off their coats and hung them on the coat rack at the side. Several men, following the gentlemanly code, automatically received their wives' coats when they took them off.

Chris did not think too much about it and took the coats from his sister and Leia. Leia was a little embarrassed but still thanked him. She said shyly, "Thank you." Chris only replied, "It's nothing." Everyone was speechless by Chris's reaction.

Quinn smiled and declined Chris's gesture, saying, "I'll do it myself. I'm older and need to move around more.

Inside this snow house, | might be the oldest one." Stella sweetly said, "Quinn, with your figure and appearance, if you said you were 25, people would believe it." Women always loved being complimented on looking young, and Quinn was no different. Stella's words made her happy. Quinn replied, "Your sweet talk is like honey. | like it! | thought you were going to say 18." Stella replied cheekily, "Well, 18 wouldn't work. That's too fake. | prefer to be realistic." Quinn said, "Leia, you've taught her well. She learned the art of sweet talk well from you." Leia smiled but didn't say anything. Chris wanted to expose Quinn but stopped himself after looking at Leia next to him. He decided not to say it.

Soon, several plates of pizzas and food were served. They emitted billowing steam, and a few people used forks to pick food for their wives. Quinn watched this scene with a faint smile. She remembered that she had once been treated the sway, but it had been a long time.

Chris also wanted to help, but his decorum didn't allow it, so he politely asked, "Do you need any help?" Before Leia could reply, Quinn interjected, "Sure. You can help us open the drinks for us. Otherwise, all the guys are moving around, and you just sitting idle doesn't look right." Leia was accustomed to Quinn's way of speaking, but she worried that its directness might make Chris uncomfortable. She subtly signaled Quinn to tone it down a bit, and Quinn responded with a smile and a shrug, indicating she understood.

The meal progressed harmoniously, with the children behaving well. Once the children had eaten their fill, they went outside to check the snowmen they had built.

Olivia and George were busy shaping the snow, smoothing out uneven parts of the snowmen. Meanwhile, Sophia stood with her hands behind her back, shaking her head in dissatisfaction at their current creation.

Jasper wore an expressionless face as he watched Sophia. He tucked his hands into his pockets, delivering a cold threat. "Don't you dare take off your clothes again. You know what will happen to you." Sophia withdrew her hand from the zipper she'd started to open and pouted, saying, "Got it." Inside the snow house, Joseph asked the other adults, "Afterward, do you all want to go off-roading, skiing, or ice skating?" "In the snow, we're limited to snow-related activities. | reckon the snow in Sapphire City will last a while." With that, Joseph helped Christina pick up sfood and placed it in the empty bowl in front of her.

Ava, inclined toward the cool activities, sought the opinion of others. "Well, what do you want to do?" In unison, the women replied, "Off-roading." The men were stunned after hearing their response. They all thought that these women were quite tough.

Chris did not find it strange that Natalie, Ava, and Quinn chose off-roading. It could be seen that Quinn was relatively bold. However, Chris was surprised when Leia also chose off-roading.

After lunch, they arrived at a mountainous area. They saw a dazzling array of off-road vehicles parked in an open space. There were all kinds of colors.

Natalie smiled as she watched while Trevon looked down and asked, "Which color do you like?" Natalie replied, "The black one." Trevon nodded. "Okay, I'll go with that." Trevon headed toward an area, presumably to communicate with the staff there. He requested a black car and three children's off-road vehicles suitable for flat terrain. Pat, Ethan, and Benjamin watched over the children.

Trevon told them, "Guys, chere and choose your vehicle." Jasper chose a black one and told Trevon, "I'll take George with me." Joseph squatted down and asked his son, "Want to drive with Jasper?" George stood eagerly by the vehicle, attempting to climb in. Joseph lifted George with one hand, securing the seatbelt. These were children's cars and were very safe.

Every year, many children would chere to have fun with their parents.

Olivia and Sophia already had off-road vehicles in their houses, so they were very familiar with the vehicle's structure. Especially Sophia, who skillfully started the car and drove it on the flat ground.

The three vehicles circled around on the flat terrain, with Pat, Ethan, and Benjamin accompanying each vehicle.

Pat and Ethan had neutral expressions, while Benjamin was more active.

Frank and Ava chose a red and black off-road car, with Frank driving and Ava sitting beside him.

Quinn, Christina, and Joseph didn't join in. They all stood on the sidelines with cups of coffee. Quinn claimed to feel a bit drowsy as she had gotten used to taking naps these past few days and was afraid of dozing off while driving.

Finally, Leia and Chris each took a car. Seeing this, the three onlookers shook their heads in resignation. Quinn teased Christina, "Christina, there's a reason your brother is still single. He's too passive. At this rate, when will he take our little Leia home? Your mother might have to wait forever for your brother to get married." Joseph held Christina by the waist and smiled slyly. He asked Quinn, "Could you help him?" Quinn glanced at the group driving off in the distance and joked to Joseph, saying, "How can | help him? | can't exactly confess on behalf of your brother-in-law, can I?" Christina sighed in resignation. "It is already a miracle that Chris even manages to calong with us. At first, | was worried he might not cto Sapphire City this time." Joseph responded, "You're resourceful, aren't you? Give it your best shot." Quinn shot Joseph another look. She understood his implied request but remained silent. She turned to Christina and said, "You seem to have pretty low expectations for your younger brother. Alright. I'll figure something out and do a good deed for him." Chris continued trailing beside Leia's car as if he was afraid something would happen to her. Every tLeia glanced back at the road, she caught a glimpse of Chris's handsface, causing her to quickly turn away.

The more she saw, it got etched in her memory.

Soon, it was already evening. At Turner Manor, everyone was playing with fireworks in the courtyard. The entire courtyard was filled with the smell of fireworks and was a little pungent.

In one corner of the courtyard, there was a pile of fireworks stacked as tall as a person. Joseph knew the kids liked them, so he had prepared these fireworks early before Ava and the others arrived. There was a variety of them.

Most of them were sparklers. Joseph avoided the most intense ones, fearing they might be dangerous.

At that moment, the children held their sparklers in their hands. They running and spinning around the yard.

Olivia danced with her sparklers. She was enveloped in the glow of the sparkles, resembling a fairy.

Jasper was taking care of his younger siblings. He used his dad's lighter to help light the fireworks. Natalie reminded him, "Jasper, be careful with your clothes." Jasper nodded and replied, "Okay, got it." Meanwhile, Sophia played creatively, holding a bunch of sparklers and engaging in a playful boxing routine. The sparks brushed against her clothes, causing Natalie's eyebrows to twitch and her blood pressure to rise. This little girl was always a handful, trying out one stunt after another.

Sophia was always unpredictable, and they never knew what she could do in the next second.

Natalie sternly reminded her, "Sophia, can you stop punching and kicking? It's too dangerous!" Sophia, being the young-spirited one, promptly agreed. "Sure." George was very well-behaved, standing quietly by Jasper's side. He earnestly watched the fireworks sparkle and fade. He patiently waited for Jasper to help light up another sparkler once it was extinguished, repeating the cycle without a fuss and remaining very calm.

Joseph and Christina each held one of Frank and Ava's twins. Emma and Angie Yamin were chatting inside while Daniel and Charlie were having a conversation in the study.

The two babies, Cyril and Nona, watched the beautiful and sparkling fireworks with delight. They clapped their hands. They drooled a bit, and Frank fetched sbaby wipes to help clean up.

Meanwhile, Chris leaned against the doorway. His mind was filled with the image of him shielding Leia from snowballs earlier today. His figure had shielded her. When he lowered his head, he could see Leia's fluttering eyelashes and delicate lips. For a moment, he almost wanted to lean down and kiss her.

However, he held his urge and stopped himself. He was disgusted with his own inappropriate thoughts. He seemed to be going through a phase of infatuation.

Trevon stood by the door with his arms crossed. He then leaned lazily against it. Following suit, Frank also leaned nearby. His feet were against the wall, and he leaned sideways, resembling a boneless caterpillar.

Trevon teased Chris, "Watching the fireworks?" Chris shot him an incredulous look and retorted, "Or what, should | be seeing ghosts?" Frank chuckled. He replied with a sneer, "If you could see ghosts, it'd mean you have the gift of sight. Tomorrow, research institutions will be queuing up to study you. You'd be contributing to the medical field." Chris becspeechless.

Chris knew he couldn't argue against Frank and Trevon alone. He thought maybe silence would be better since they would just mock him non-stop.

Trevon was idle, so how could he let go of the chance to tease Chris? Glancing at Natalie playing with the kids in the distance, he cheekily said to Chris, "You're pretending to be deep in thought." "Is your brain damaged? What's it to you if | stand here? Go find your wife and kids." Chris didn't want to engage with these troublemakers. They were clearly there to taunt him with ulterior intentions.

Then, Frank said to Chris, "You're a doctor, right? Trevon is sick, so why don't you cure him?" A few seconds later, Frank leaned over to Chris and asked, "You can't cure him?" Chris was annoyed. He furrowed his brow and said, "I can't cure his terminal illness. It's beyond help. We need Natalie." Trevon was not angry but amused. "Terminal illness? Great! Since you can see ghosts, I'll cto haunt you in the future." Chris was rendered speechless.

The conversation here was in full swing when Sophia's down jacket caught fire. Natalie rushed over and quickly stripped her daughter's clothes off. A few others also gathered around.

Sophia wasn't afraid at all. She threw her clothes on the ground and stomped on them fiercely.

Everyone watched this scene with lingering fear, but the protagonist, Sophia, seemed quite pleased. Free from the heavy down jacket, she felt lighter and even waved her fists.

Ava and Christina both crouched down to check if Sophia was injured. After a thorough examination, they found only the clothes were damaged, which eased their worries.

Natalie stared at the large hole burned into the jacket on the ground, nearly breathless with exasperation. She knew this might happen and glared at her daughter.

Joseph stepped in, shielding Sophia. "It's okay, accidents happen. Don't be mad on Christmas. Sophia, no more playing like this later." Christina fetched a brand new down jacket from inside the house. "I bought this. Let's see if it fits." There were many new clothes purchased for the other kids at home.

Like a childish kid who never learned, Stella selected the fireworks Joseph bought from the corner. Among this group of children, she was the queen.

Sophia glanced at Christina and politely thanked her. "Thank you, Aunt Christina." Sensing his wife's anger, Trevon walked over quickly, putting an arm around Natalie and comforting her, "I'll talk to her later when we're alone. Let's not embarrass her in front of everyone." Natalie went speechless.

Meanwhile, Frank thought Trevon's daughter was quite fierce and bold.