The morning light streamed through the gap in the dark blue curtains, casting a sparkling golden line on the wooden floor.
Vid changed into a soft wool sweater and dark trousers, pulled open the curtains, and saw the street covered with a thin layer of snow.
The windows of the house across the street were adorned with stickers of snowflakes and Santa Claus, and colorful lights hung on the porch. A few children dressed in thick clothing were rolling around and playing on the lawn.
"Vid, are you ready?"
Fiona's voice came from downstairs: "Hurry up and come down, we should set off!"
"Coming, Mom!"
Vid responded, took out his Magic Wand, and tapped the wardrobe space, stuffing the shrunken pencil case into his pocket. Then he grabbed the coat hanging on the rack, and while putting it on, quickly headed down the stairs.
Fiona, wearing an indigo wool coat, was already waiting at the door. She looked at him with a smile, her rounded cheeks flushed with a thin layer of red from the cold wind outside.
Dobby stood at the door, today dressed in a little outfit with a Christmas tree pattern and a reindeer antler hat. He wobbled his head and said, "Wishing you a successful shopping trip, Madam Grey."
"Thank you, Dobby." Fiona crouched down, patted Dobby's small shoulder, and asked, "I'll also get you a Christmas gift. Is there anything you'd like?"
Dobby twisted the edge of his coat, his ears slightly trembling, and said softly, "Dobby... anything is fine! As long as it's from Madam Grey, even a snowflake would make Dobby happy."
Fiona burst into laughter, touched Dobby's nose, and said, "A snowflake? That's too easy!"
She straightened up and said, "The gift will be a surprise! Let me give you one!"
Dobby looked up at her, his eyes sparkling as if stars had fallen inside.
"I'm ready, Mom." Vid walked over, changed into his outdoor shoes, and said, "Take care of the house, Dobby, we'll be back in the afternoon."
Dobby sniffed seriously and said, "Dobby will keep the fireplace burning brightly, prepare hot tea and dinner for when everyone returns!"
...
As they went out, Ferdinand had already driven the car to the door, and the heater inside was turned up high. Once the car door opened, warm air rushed out.
After getting in the car, Fiona immediately took out a densely packed list from her handbag and murmured:
"Let me see, we have quite the task today! First, we need to go to John Lewis; the tablecloths and napkins need replacing. Then it's off to Marks & Spencer to buy holly and mistletoe, and Christmas tree ribbon... Oh, and also the ingredients for Christmas dinner, we're buying from Fortnum & Mason this year."
The car smoothly drove into the city's traffic, and the streets outside were all decorated with Christmas ornaments. Pedestrians were also carrying large shopping bags, and familiar melodies flowed through every street. Vid even heard upbeat Chinese songs coming from some stores.
The choice of tablecloths and napkins was entirely Fiona's decision, and the father's and son's purpose was just to carry shopping bags. When leaving the shop, they even got a set of unexpectedly exquisite tableware.
But at the department store, facing dazzling decorations, even Fiona couldn't help but be overwhelmed with choices, occasionally turning to ask for opinions from the father and son.
"How about this dark green ribbon? I love the golden feathers on it... But will pairing it with red wrapping paper look too heavy?"
Ferdinand: "Why would it? I think it's very luxurious."
"Should we get more ornamental balls and ribbons? Last year's are still in storage, but this color is brighter..."
"Buy them all if you like, dear."
"Vid, look at this candy. Doesn't it look just like the tin soldier from your toy box when you were younger?"
Vid: "It does look a bit alike. Better yet, there's a sword next to it, we can hang them together."
Fiona happily took down the candy shaped like a sword and exclaimed, "Brilliant, I thought so too!"
After filling the car trunk with Christmas gifts and decorations, the shopping spree finally came to an end, and the family went to a nearby café to rest.
They ordered coffee and cake, and while waiting, Ferdinand casually flipped open a newspaper on the table to the international section.
"Oh, they've finally signed the Dayton Agreement," he said quietly, "The Balkans have been fighting for so long, let's hope it truly ceases fire."
Fiona wasn't too sensitive to politics, but she was aware it was a fierce war. She sighed, "God bless, hope there will be no more war. The children are so pitiful!"
Ferdinand continued reading from the report: "It seems the United Kingdom is going to deploy troops for peacekeeping, called IFOR? The first batch is preparing to set out this month... Ah, places like that, even if the fighting stops, the situation remains complicated for our soldiers going there..."
Vid slightly furrowed his brow, his eyelids partially lowered, his gaze fixed on the table's wood grain, his expression thoughtful.
Finishing the report, Ferdinand shook his head, refraining from further words, and flipped the newspaper again.
Each piece of international news painted a picture of how rare peace is, with no end to conflicts around the world.
"Look at this, dear. Africa is really nerve-wracking. It's already the third clash at the Zaire border, Burundi's situation is highly tense, Angola just found peace but might flare up again... and the refugees in Rwanda..."
Just then, a sharp shout suddenly came from the street outside: "Robbery! Catch him! He grabbed my bag!"
All the family members turned simultaneously, Vid's previously relaxed body instantly tensing up, his eyes sharply darting in the direction of the sound, fingers subconsciously reaching for his Magic Wand, only to pause at the last moment.
A young thug with greasy hair and worn-old jacket clutched a deep red handbag, clumsily pushing through the crowd, sprinting toward the street across while a startled woman and would-be helpful bystanders pursued him.
As the thug was about to dash across the street, Vid's fingers on the table moved quickly, causing a hanging flag from a nearby shop to suddenly fall, striking the thug on the head.
"Ah!"
The man, obscured by the unexpected flag drop, cried out, lost his balance, and stumbled to the ground, sending the bag flying.
A man chasing behind leapt forward, pinning the thug down with his knee, grabbing his wrist and locking it behind him!
Pedestrians applauded and cheered, the woman who lost her bag rushed over to retrieve it first, then returned, unhesitatingly hitting the thief on the head a few times before gratefully thanking the man who apprehended the thug.
"Oh, they caught him!" Fiona stretched her neck, delighted with what she saw, and said, "That's great. His actions were sharp... He seems like a policeman."
Ferdinand watched his son return his gaze, becoming the gentle and quiet young boy again, and remarked with a smile, "Yes, I thought so too."
For some reason, the man's heart suddenly ached.