My Pretty Sweetheart (Arianna)

He was stunned for a moment and nodded silently.

Anne looked up at me and then at Pedro, "Sir, what holiday is it today?"

Pedro looked at her with gentle eyes, "It's New Year's Eve. It's the last day of each year."

Anne looked like she understood him and mumbled, "Does it mean that the whole family has to be together?"

Pedro nodded.

After thinking for a while, Anne looked at me. "Mommy, why isn't Grandpa and Uncle Aaron here?"

I smiled, surprised at her question. "Grandpa and Uncle Aaron are busy. Aunt Yana has just given birth to a baby, so she can't come out and has to stay home."

"When are we going to see the baby then?" Anne was talkative and liked to ask a lot of questions. Once she started, it was hard for her to stop.

of her questions patiently. I got up and went to the kitchen. Nerissa was

"Do you know

nodded, walked to him and washed my hands before I started helping him make

in the south know how to. Even the older generation there have no idea how to make dumplings. I remembered

many places. She would make a lot of dumplings and bread every New Year. Besides, she liked hot pot. She wasn't a fan of the southern dishes, so she ate most of

and said, "Your grandmother sounds like she

never told me stories about her younger days, so

looked at me and said, "Arianna, have you ever thought about how an old lady like your grandmother, who didn't have any relatives or friends in Hovell, somehow knew Dalton, the

hesitated for a moment before shaking my head. "No." I never really did think about this seriously

her relatives or friends in Hovell, but she

little, I heard from Monique's mother that my grandmother came to Hovell in her fifties. She bought a small yard in Hovell and lived there on her own. Later, she accidentally found me and decided to raise me. Hovell residents

your grandmother's name?" Nerissa

moment and said, "Carol Reid.