The Ross family didn’t have the tradition of staying up to welcome the New Year. By the time Charlene and Nadine got home, Helena and the others were already asleep.

Charlene headed upstairs to her room, and it was just striking midnight.

Her phone had been buzzing for a while.

Messages from Stewart, Granger, and a few folks from PrimeStar she was close with, like Abelard and Hickey, had all sent her New Year’s greetings.

Charlene responded to each of them, including Granger, and even took the initiative to send Kenton and Connie a New Year’s message.

Just then, Abelard sent her another message asking if she was free in the coming days. He mentioned he hadn’t had the chance to properly thank her for something due to his busy schedule and wanted to take her out for a meal. After chatting with Abelard, Charlene put down her phone and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

Though visiting Sybil Ross at the nursing home was always a painful ordeal for the Ross family, there was no way they wouldn’t see her on such an important day.

Every New Year’s Day morning, Charlene and Helena would prepare a lavish spread of food to take to the nursing home for Sybil.

This year was no different.

So, on New Year’s morning, Charlene got up early. When she went downstairs, Helena, Vernon, and Maisie were already up.

Seeing her come down, Helena and Maisie handed her a red envelope as a token of good luck.

Helena gently patted Charlene’s cheek, her eyes soft with affection. “May our Charlene have a smooth and blessed year.” Charlene smiled, “Thanks, Grandma.”

After breakfast, Charlene and Maisie headed into the kitchen and started preparing the ingredients.

Both Helena and Vernon were great cooks, but when it came to cooking for Sybil, they could only assist. Sybil could always tell if they had cooked the meal, which might upset her.

Traditionally, Maisie was in charge on this day. However, once Charlene learned how to cook, they started sharing the responsibility.

Charlene had wanted to learn to cook from a young age for Sybil’s sake, but her grandmother had insisted she wait, not wanting to burden her with adult responsibilities too soon. She wanted Charlene’s childhood to be as carefree and joyful as possible, without being overshadowed by the past.

Two hours later, the table was laden with a feast.

Nadine and Carl helped pack everything up.

With the prepared gifts in hand, the Ross family of six headed to the nursing home.

They had also prepared New Year’s gifts and red envelopes for the doctors and nurses who took care of Sybil.

Sybil was still as frail as ever, her gaze vacant and distant.

Charlene and the others stood where Sybil couldn’t see them, watching her remain indifferent to the gifts the doctors passed along.

Helena’s envelope was placed in her hand by a nurse, but Sybil soon forgot what it was, glanced at it briefly, and tossed it aside. 09:54

She didn’t seem to have much appetite either. Despite the spread of food before her, she only ate a few bites when the nurse put it on her plate. Before she could try everything, Sybil retreated into her own world once more.

The nurse had to clear the table.

Charlene’s eyes were already welling up with tears.

But she held them back, not wanting to affect everyone else’s mood.

In truth, Helena and the others felt the same way.

After spending about half an hour at the nursing home, they decided it was time to leave.