Chapter 34

Although Mia didn't quite understand Martha's thoughts, but as she had always said, they had no right to interfere with other people's decisions, so she just sighed helplessly, and then started to work in the mansion. She is looking for her third client - her mother.

After not seeing her for so long, Mia firmly believed that her mother must have been lost in the manor. Even though Martha and the others had told her that they did not see her, it was possible that she was. They noticed.

After all, this manor was so big that even if she had stayed in this house for most of the summer vacation, she would often get lost.

Sometimes it was just that when she was leaving the restaurant and about to return to her room, she was attracted by something next to her. It might be a vase from a certain period, or a portrait or something. In short, she stopped to look at them. Footsteps, and when she reacted again, she couldn't tell the difference between left and right, so she could only walk according to her own feelings.

And this resulted in Mia not being able to return to her room most of the time. She would just get completely lost at one corner after another, and in the end she simply gave up on herself and regarded this as another adventure of her own.

She would wander slowly down the hallway. Solemn and soft carpets are spread on the floor, and the patterns that were popular decades ago still make people feel beautiful today. But what Mia likes most are the oil paintings by the masters.

Alfred told her that it was Wayne's tradition that Bruce would hire a painter to paint a family portrait of him and his children almost every year.

Although Mia doesn't know much about painting, she can't analyze the artist's brushstrokes, light and shadow, structure, and the emotions he wants to express from a painting... But this does not prevent her from thinking that these paintings are beautiful. The painting shows her family members standing together, wearing formal but not too serious clothes, with friendly and relaxed expressions on their faces.

If they didn't already know that only Damian was Bruce's biological child, anyone would regard them as a family when seeing this painting.

But if you have to say it, they are a family. In the more than ten years of getting along, family affection has long surpassed blood ties and tightly linked them all together.

Martha and Thomas looked at the painting as well. Speaking of which, they were present when the artist painted this painting, and the situation at that time was far from as peaceful as the painting showed.

For some well-known reasons, Jason's brows never relaxed after he stepped into this house. He adjusted his suit impatiently. Perhaps because he was born in a crime alley, this kind of more formal clothes always made him feel uncomfortable. Rather than wearing a suit in a magnificent manor, he would rather suit up. T-shirt was lying on the sofa he bought from the second-hand market, eating fast food, and enjoying a beautiful and leisurely weekend.

Just because this manor was the house where he had lived for several years, the person who invited him to appear here today was his nominal father and mentor.

Even if the invitation wasn't the right place or time, who would be on the streets of Gotham late at night, wearing a black tights, asking his kids if they wanted to go home for a family photo this weekend.

At that time, Jason had doubted whether the old man had been hit on the head by some gangster and his brain was damaged. However, after hesitating for several days, or it should be said that the result was doomed from the beginning, he still put on a suit and returned to the home he had left for a long time, just to take a family photo with his family.

However, what greeted him when he entered the mansion was not a hug from his family, but chaos. Damian looked at Tim with an expression of pride mixed with a bit of disdain, perhaps because he was the one who came to Gotham. Tim was working as Robin at that time, so Damian always had some hostility towards him.

But think about it carefully when he escaped from death and returned to Gotham to learn that the Joker was not dead and that Batman had found a new Robin. He was also very unhappy with Tim. He once wanted to make Batman regret it by hurting him, and in fact he almost did so, but in the end he chose to give up. He realized that if he did hurt the child, he would be no different than the Joker.

Thinking of this,

Jason couldn't help but cross himself in his heart to express his apology and sympathy for Tim.

Tim, on the other hand, was completely unaware of Jason's thoughts. He only took a moment out of his sarcastic exchange with Damian to say hello and tell him if he hadn't had breakfast yet - based on their nightly routine. , breakfast is like a legend to them, they know it exists, but they have never actually seen it or tasted it - you can go to the kitchen and have a look. Although judging from the current time, it would be more appropriately called brunch.

Bruce leaned back on the sofa. He read the newspaper and did not take his eyes off the newspaper after hearing his voice. However, as the Red Hood, Jason did not miss his slightly turned body and the fact that the newspaper was still in the entertainment section. Normally he would skip this part.

Kashan was sitting on the other side of the sofa playing with her mobile phone. When she saw him, she looked up from her mobile phone and said hello to him.

Jason responded in kind, adjusting his cuffs out of habit as he asked them where Dick was. After glancing around he realized that he was not here now.

"Still on the way." Tim replied after hearing his words. He enjoyed Damian's angry glare - because Bruce was still here he couldn't make a move to him, and then shrugged and turned to look at Jason, " After all, you know, it's the holidays."

When it comes to the holidays, almost everyone leaves their house, gets in their car, and takes their family or friends for a day of fun outside.

After hearing Tim's words, Jason recalled the traffic he saw on the way back to Wayne Manor, and couldn't help but worry about whether today's family photo could still be taken.

But it was obvious that his worries were completely unnecessary. Dick not only arrived in time before the start, but also brought them donuts.

When Damian saw it, he mocked him and told him not to become the losers of the Gotham Police Department who only know donuts, but he did not refuse to have one. After all, seriously, who can resist a piece of chocolate sprinkled on it? As for the donuts with candies, didn't you see that even the great Batman couldn't help but take two of them?

After everyone had finished enjoying the donuts and everything was arranged, the painter stood in front of the easel and asked everyone to quickly stand in their positions so that he could start today's work.

After hearing what he said, Damian firmly believed that he should stand next to Bruce. He was his biological child and he had the right to stand by his father's side.

Tim and Jason didn't care about this. They just hoped that this matter could end quickly, especially Jason. If it weren't for the painter asking him to get closer, he could stand at the end of the room now. beside.

And his stiff look made the painter sigh. He looked at Bruce and tried to get Mr. Wayne to say something. For example, they only planned to draw a family portrait, not a portrait.

But he's his boss, he can't really say that. So I had no choice but to make a simple draft based on this situation. However, when he was drafting, he made some slight modifications, bringing the legendary second son of the Wayne family who was resurrected from the dead closer to his family, as if as long as this was done, the years he was forced to lose would disappear. The pain and sorrow will be forgotten, and all that will be left behind is a holiday filled with sunshine, donuts, and hot tea.

"Afu said that I will appear on it after a while, and they will draw a new family portrait, a family portrait with me in it." Mia suddenly said happily. She stretched out her finger and pointed at the painting, with an expression on her face. excited. She had never experienced a painted family portrait like this.

Martha and Thomas smiled after seeing her like this. They left the painting and continued walking forward. When they saw the portrait of themselves and Bruce, they would stop briefly to tell Mia about what happened in the past. .

She told her that the necklace around her neck was a gift from Bruce, and she was so happy when he came back from school and handed it to her, telling him it was the best gift she had ever received.

She also told her that Bruce loved to sit on the carpet and watch Gray Ghost when he was little. At that time, Thomas would sit on the sofa nearby and watch with him. When it was bedtime, he would be responsible for taking him back to his room and telling him bedtime stories.

"But almost every

time I checked in Bruce would still be sitting in front of the TV, and when he heard my voice he would run up and hug me, begging me to let him watch one more episode," Martha recalled with a smile. arrive. She glared at Thomas when she said that, but all she got was a helpless shrug from him. Just like Martha would never say no to Bruce, he would never be able to say no to Bruce's request.

Only Mia had a blank look on her face after hearing Martha's words, just like people always subconsciously ignore other people's childhood. In Mia's view, Bruce was gentle, calm, and as reported in the news from the beginning. A completely different adult, she could never imagine that he would act coquettishly to his parents just to watch one more episode of animation.

So she just muttered "That doesn't sound like the Queen of Batman" and continued looking for her mother. She opened doors one after another, hoping to see the familiar figure inside, but she was often disappointed.

This made Mia purse her mouth. She squatted on the ground tiredly and looked through the window at the garden in the distance. Several small animals, whether undead or alive, were lying on the grass basking in the sun.

"So are you working overtime again today?" Mia complained softly. She always does this when her mother hasn't left her yet. If she doesn't wait for her to pick her up at school, or if she doesn't see her mother come back after get off work, then she must be working overtime.

At that time, Mia was almost used to having to stay at home alone most of the time during the working day (whether it was school or a holiday).

I just don't know if it's because this situation never happened again after her mother left her. She always came to her as soon as possible and spent a lot of time with her, as if she wanted to To make up for the time they lost, Mia actually felt a little wronged when she encountered this situation again.

She slumped down on the ground as if she had finally given up, and raised her head and asked Martha if they often had no time to be with Bruce because of work.

"Of course we do. In fact, almost all parents will have such a time when they are forced to choose between work and children," Thomas replied gently. He also squatted down and sat next to her, with an expression on his face. With a little distress, "Even I am often worried that I stay in the hospital too long and spend too little time with Bruce." "

Then why don't you quit your job? I mean, Wayne is enough If you have money, you no longer need to be a doctor and spend most of your time in the hospital." Mia asked curiously.

She understands that a large part of the reason her mother works so hard is because of her, and she wants to give her a better life, but that's not the case with Wayne, who is already rich enough, even if Thomas and Martha don't work, They can also give Bruce the best life.

"Because this is my dream," Thomas replied, "I want to be a doctor to save more people, and I believe Bruce will understand me. He is our pride." "But I still don't understand

. ," Mia muttered after hearing Thomas' words. She leaned her whole body against the wall. The sunlight shone in from the window, allowing her to see the dust floating in the air. "Since you love him, treat him as a human being. Proud, but unwilling to believe that he will solve those difficulties alone as you believe that he will understand your work, but instead worry about things that have not happened yet, why?" Mia continued.

She looked at them with searching eyes. To her, since they were proud of Bruce, they should believe in their children. Just like her mother, she loved her, regarded her as a pride, and supported her unconditionally in all her adventures because she believed in her and thought she could solve the difficulties on her own and get home in time for dinner. , telling her everything that happened today.

But before Mia could get the answer from Thomas and the others, Alfred appeared. He didn't show any surprise when he looked at Mia's appearance. During this time, he could always find ways to help Wayne. From various places in the manor, I picked up a Mia who was tired and slumped on the ground because she was lost. Instead, he told her that he had baked cookies and asked her if she wanted one now.

Mia almost immediately threw away her doubts after hearing

Alfred 's words. She stood up from the ground smoothly, ran over and held Ah Fu's hand, and couldn't wait to pull him towards the kitchen. Walk .

The smell of biscuits wafted from the kitchen to the living room, making Mia start to swallow her saliva unconsciously before she even got close. What she didn't expect was that there were not only cookies in the kitchen, but also a big bat.

He stood in the kitchen in his housecoat, stiffening when he saw Mia, or rather Martha and Thomas standing behind her.

Of course, he can't really see them. Bruce Wayne is just an ordinary person. He does not have the superpower to see the undead, but you must know that besides Bruce, he is also Batman, and this is his base camp.

So when he entered the Batcave because he wanted to get something, it seemed normal to see his child sitting in front of the Batcomputer using the surveillance camera to view footage of his daughter. After all, which superhero didn't The home is filled with surveillance cameras to protect the safety of your family.

"I remember what we talked about, Damian, you can't use those surveillance cameras to check things about your siblings." He said tiredly while holding the coffee.

"But this is different, Father, I'm investigating." Damian replied, he jumped out of his chair and looked at Bruce with a serious expression, "When I asked Mia this morning what her role was. She didn't answer me directly, but suddenly talked about her plan to dress up as a ghost for Halloween, and I found on the surveillance that she often talked to something we couldn't see today, so I doubt her ability today. It has something to do with ghosts."

"Even so, you can't..." Bruce sighed after hearing Damian's words, and he looked at him helplessly, although as Batman he would often do this, out of worry or other reasons. Why install positioning and other items on his children, but as a father, he has the responsibility to tell his children that they cannot use surveillance to view other people's privacy at will, especially about his family.

But before he could finish speaking, Mia's voice sounded in the Batcave. She looked at the ghosts they couldn't see and asked them, "So you couldn't always be with dad because of work? Just?" Like my mother."

That sentence was like a thunderbolt that instantly woke Bruce up from his sleepiness. He looked at the screen with wide eyes. Mia was sitting on the ground, and her face was full after hearing the other party's answer. His expression was still confused, "Then why don't you quit your job, I mean, Wayne is already rich enough..." he heard her say.

This made Bruce almost feel that his throat was dry. He stood stiffly, his mind subconsciously trying to avoid guessing who the ghost who was talking to Mia was, but the questions were filled with pictures. The answers to the questionnaire, they were telling him that the ghost, the ghost that was talking to his daughter, was his father - Thomas Wayne.