While the others gathered around the dining table, enjoying a hearty lunch prepared by Tan earlier, Ivy and Marc had their own little bonding session in the living room. Marc, brimming with excitement, had taken a special liking to Ivy and decided to give her a full tour of his vast toy collection.
“Look, Aunt Ivy!” Marc said, pulling out a shiny red firetruck. “This one goes woo-woo-woo!” He pushed it across the floor, mimicking the sound of a siren.
Ivy laughed, crouching down to his level. “Wow, Marc! That’s such a cool truck. Do you have any more like this?”
Marc’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Wait here!” He scurried off to his toy box and began pulling out more toys—cars, action figures, building blocks, and even a tiny stuffed panda that had seen better days.
“This is Panda!” Marc said proudly, holding up the worn toy. “He’s my favorite.”
“Aww, Panda’s so cute!” Ivy said, giving the toy a gentle pat. “You take good care of him, don’t you?”
Marc nodded seriously. “Yes, but sometimes Dada says Panda needs a bath. But I think Panda is fine.”
Ivy giggled. “I think Panda’s perfect just the way he is.”
Meanwhile, at the dining table, Phum and Mick were chatting about upcoming work projects, while Beer was busy teasing Tan about how his house had turned into a mini toy store.
“You know, Tan,” Beer said with a smirk, “if you keep letting Marc collect all these toys, you’re going to need a whole new house just to store them.”
Tan rolled his eyes, chuckling. “Tell me about it. I swear, every time someone comes over, they bring him more toys. I’m running out of space!”
Fang, who was seated next to Tan, laughed softly. “You’ve got to admit, though, seeing him so happy with his toys makes it worth it.”
“True,” Tan said, smiling. “But maybe we should start rotating them. Half of them can go into storage, and we’ll bring them out later.”
“Good luck with that,” Phum chimed in. “Marc will probably protest the second you try to take anything away.”
Back in the living room, Marc was still eagerly showing Ivy his treasures, lining up his toy cars in a neat row. “This one is my race car,” he explained. “And this one is my monster truck. It goes vroom-vroom!”
Ivy clapped her hands, thoroughly entertained. “Marc, you have the best toys! I think you’re the coolest little guy I’ve ever met.”
Marc grinned proudly and handed her a small toy dinosaur. “This one’s for you, Aunt Ivy. You can have it.”
Ivy’s heart melted. “For me? Really? Thank you, Marc! I’ll take good care of it.”
“Marc!” Fang called from the dining table. “Come eat your lunch, love!”
Marc ran to the table, dragging Ivy with him. “Aunt Ivy, you have to eat with us too!”
Ivy smiled, sitting next to him as the group welcomed her back to the table. Lunch continued with laughter and lively conversation, and Marc’s excitement over sharing his toys with Ivy became the highlight of everyone’s day.
Ivy couldn’t help but feel a warm sense of admiration as she watched Marc interact with everyone at the table. He was polite, well-behaved, and full of energy—a testament to how well Tan and Fang had raised him.
Marc, in between bites of his food, was busy talking about his toys and the park visit from the other day. His tiny hands gestured animatedly as he shared stories with his uncle Phum and Mick, who nodded along with amused smiles.
