Dorothy started tugging at Brandon's clothes, wanting to check his injuries. "Let me see, did she hurt you?" Brandon impatiently pushed her away. "Stop fussing! I need to talk to you about something important." Dorothy frowned in confusion. "What is it?" Brandon pouted. "I don't want Olivia anymore. She's not good enough for me. I want that pretty girl who lives across from Olivia. Pick a good day and go talk to her for me. Tell her I want to marry her." Dorothy stared at him in shock. "What did you just say?" Brandon frowned. "What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Dorothy's voice went shrill with worry. "You absolutely can't! That girl is nothing but trouble! Look at my face—she's the one who hit me ..." Brandon rolled his eyes. "What do you know? That's what makes her interesting. She's not like those country bumpkins in our village. Pretty city girls are supposed to have a bit of an attitude." Dorothy kept trying to persuade him. "Brandon, be good and listen to Mom. Let's not mess with a woman like that. Isn't Olivia good enough? She was your brother's wife, and we know her well enough to keep her in line. Besides, she's a doctor ... " Brandon shoved her away. "Stop telling me to behave! I'm not a little kid anymore. Just do what I say. Don't you want me to carry on the Huxley family bloodline?" Dorothy looked troubled. "It's not just about her temper. What could we possibly offer to get her to marry you? I've heard city girls want big wedding gifts ..." She paused, then added, "Not everyone is like Olivia. She married your brother without asking for anything. But that was because Daniel is educated and capable ..." Brandon snapped at her. "So you think I'm not as good as Daniel?"Dorothy rushed to explain. "That's not what I meant! I'm just saying, Olivia's already part of the family. Why bother looking for someone else?" Brandon insisted, "I don't care! I want to marry that pretty girl! If you won't help me, I'll just kill myself!" With that, he started rolling around on the floor like a little kid. Dorothy watched her grown son making a scene and felt a headache coming on. But she didn't think he was being childish at all. She only felt sorry for him and tried to soothe him. "All right, all right, I'll help you. Stop doing that! You'll get heatstroke!" Brandon finally got up, satisfied. "Mom, don't sell yourself short. We've got a place in the city now—this unit is ours, isn't it? And about the wedding gift, that's easy. Olivia never leaves her place. She must have loads of supplies stashed away." He lifted his chin. "She was Daniel's wife, so that makes her the Huxleys' daughter-in-law. Everything that belongs to the Huxleys is mine! Go ask her for all her resources, and that'll be my wedding gift." Dorothy still looked uneasy. "It's not that easy to just ask for supplies." If it were, I wouldn't have to make a scene in the hallway every day. When Brandon saw her hesitation, he started to throw himself back on the ground. Dorothy quickly stopped him. "Okay, okay! I'll figure something out. Whatever you want, I'll find a way to make it happen!" That finally made Brandon happy. "Good. Now go make me something to eat. I'm hungry." Dorothy pointed at the box on the table. "The crackers are right there." Brandon's face fell again. "Crackers again? All we ever eat are crackers. There's no nutrition in that! I want something different." Dorothy glanced at his chubby frame and frowned. "My poor son's lost so much weight lately. You really have had it rough ..." She tiptoed over to their luggage, carefully took out a big bag, and took out a handful of jerky from it, looking as if it were gold. After some hesitation, she put some back and brought the rest to Brandon. "Brandon, make it last." Brandon snatched the jerky from her, stuffing it straight into his mouth. He didn't even bother to leave any for his mom. While eating, he mumbled, "Make sure you get all of Olivia's supplies for me." Dorothy nodded along, tearing open a package of crackers. She took one, chewing it 30 or 40 times before finally swallowing. Brandon finished his jerky and stretched out a hand. "Give me some crackers, too. It's boring to just eat meat. They're too greasy." Dorothy quickly handed him the rest of the crackers. Brandon wolfed everything down. A short while later, he asked with a frown, "Why are you still here?" Dorothy was startled. "Huh?" Brandon snapped, "Go find Olivia, now!" "Oh." Dorothy glanced at the empty wrappers, rubbed her belly, and left without saying anything else. She was still covered in bruises from falling down the stairs earlier, and every bone in her body ached as she dragged herself upstairs. She sat on the stairs leading up to the 14th floor for a long time before she finally managed to get up and knock on Olivia's door. "Olivia, open up!"It's me, your mother-in-law. Hurry and open up!" Inside, Olivia was feeding the chickens. At first, she didn't want to respond. But she was worried the yelling would disturb Natalie across the hall, so she came out. She looked at Dorothy and let out a helpless sigh. "Dorothy, what is it now?"