From Sneers to Cheers: Anthea’s Ascent (Anthea )

Anthea hung up and turned to Nanson. "Uncle Nanson, you need anything?"

Snapped out of his thoughts, Nanson replied, "Ah, dinner's ready."

"Uncle Nanson, you and Mom go ahead and start without me," Anthea continued what she was doing. "I'll save this file and be right over."

Knowing Anthea was working on something significant, Nanson didn't bother her further and said, "Well, make it quick. We're having roasted rabbit tonight."

"Will do," Anthea nodded slightly.

About fifteen minutes later, Anthea finished her last bit of coding, hit save, checked everything was in order, closed her laptop, and headed to the living room for dinner.

Nanson was engrossed in a video game on the couch in the living room.

Meanwhile, Carole was poring over a book on starting and managing a business.

She didn't have much experience in entrepreneurship, but she was sharp enough to learn from books, hoping to cut out the mistakes of trial and error.

"Mom, Uncle Nanson, have you finished already?" Anthea asked, a bit surprised.

Caught up in his game, Nanson didn't immediately respond, but Carole closed her book instantly. "We haven't started yet. We were waiting for you."

"Mom, you don't have to wait for me next time. Just save me some," Anthea said with a smile.

"There's more joy in a shared meal," Carole said as she set the table and served the roasted rabbit. "Ann, could you grab the Coke from the fridge?"

As she spoke, she turned to Nanson. "Nanson! Enough with the games! Come on, dinner's ready!"

"I'm on it!" Nanson said, moving to the dining table with his phone in hand.

Anthea brought over the Coke and couldn't help asking, "Uncle Nanson, what game are you so absorbed in?"

"Kings of the Realm."

"Kings of the Realm? Is it fun?" Anthea inquired further.

"Loads!" Nanson replied passionately, thumbs flying over his phone screen. "The other guy, what's he running for? Oh, come on! Someone is hiding in the bushes! Help! Kid, get over here! What is this? Kid's first game, huh? This guy's clueless!"

"How do you know your teammate's a kid?" Anthea asked curiously.

Nanson responded, "With skills that bad, you just know it's a kid."

Poor skills equated to being a kid, Anthea mused, as she cut a small piece of rabbit leg, thinking how tough it was to be a kid these days, always taking the blame.

The roasted rabbit smelled great.

Anthea picked it up with her fork and took a careful bite. The spicy and aromatic sauce matched the rabbit meat's unique flavor. It was so good that one just wanted to keep eating, almost wishing he could swallow his tongue. Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

Carole, who had made the roasted rabbit, watched Anthea nervously. "Ann, how's the taste?"

"Great! I've never had roasted rabbit this good before!" Anthea gave a thumbs up.

"Really?" Carole asked in disbelief.

Anthea nodded earnestly and quickly served Carole a piece of rabbit meat. "Mom, you try it."

Carole took a bite and was equally astonished. She hadn't expected her roasted rabbit to taste this amazing!

With the successful taste test, Carole was brimming with confidence about the future of their diner!

With renewed vigor, Carole was ready to tackle any challenge!

After dinner, Nanson inquired, "Sweetheart, how's the diner’s renovation coming along?"

Anthea replied, "They said they could finish it in a week. Once all the permits are approved, we can open for business."

"That soon?" Nanson asked, visibly impressed.