Some time later, everyone returned to the hot spring cabin, and the repairman had fixed the outflow valve. After most people went back to sleep for a while, they continued to come out to soak in the hot springs.
The night temperature was even lower, making the hot springs more comfortable, but before the party began, Shiller drove out and quickly brought back someone familiar to everyone—Peter Parker.
Peter entered, took off his coat, and sighed, "I just came back from Battleworld, and I must say, some universes really have awful luck. I don't even know how they got into such big trouble.
"Which universe did you go to?" Shiller helped him hang up the coat, and as Peter went into the changing room to change clothes, he said, "I don't even know how to put it, Red Skull stole Professor X's brain, a red biohazard erupted in the valley, mutants and The Avengers started fighting, and The Hulk caused chaos everywhere…"
Shiller went through the corresponding comics in his mind and exclaimed, "You guys are too efficient."
Later, Shiller thought if you gave your Spider powers to Miles, what will you do after you enter the copy?
"It's not like you have to have superpowers to complete the mission, right?" Peter changed into his swimsuit, apparently feeling a bit cold, rubbed his arms, and hopped towards the pool.
The other people had already taken their turn, and now they were resting inside the house. Only Shiller and Peter were left outside, and the hot spring water had just been changed.
"I heard you no longer have superpowers, doctor, are you really not going to encounter any danger?" Peter asked, "The several copies I've joined have been very dangerous, even though I could use some magic and had other Spider Men to help me, it was still very tough."
Shiller shook his head and said, "Spider Man always thinks about saving the world, which is why it feels tiring. I'm different from you guys."
"That's true," Peter laughed and said.
He entered the hot spring pool, heaved a sigh, and Shiller picked up a tray from the side, topped with cold beers and fresh fruits. He slid the tray over the water to him and got himself a can of cold beer.
"It feels good to be back home." Peter slumped in the water and then suddenly sat up again, "Xu Shang-Chi called me, asking if he could join the Spider Man team, he seems to have a big conflict with his counterpart…"
"Normal," Shiller seemed to have been aware of the issue. He said, "He's a real Chinese, and his counterpart is either a Banana man or a defector. It's odd if they would get along well; I'm planning to send him to SWORD."
"That's good." Peter was relieved again and nodded, "Every time he travels between China and America, he brings us a lot of specialties. Gwen really likes one type of duck meat he brings."
"Marinated Duck?"
"Seems so." Peter pondered the pronunciation but his Chinese really wasn't that great. He could only describe the look of the duck before adding, "He gave me some cigarettes to pass to Chief George, but Gwen says her dad is trying to quit smoking, told me to wait till he fails at quitting again before giving them."
"He's always failing," Shiller laughed as well, "Plans to quit smoking in the first half of the year, fails in the second half. You'll have a chance to give him gifts soon enough."
"Tony's wedding is coming up soon." Shiller asked, "Didn't you say you wanted to wait until after his to learn from him?"
"Don't even mention it," Peter frowned, "His style of wedding wouldn't suit us. There'd be too many people, cost too much money. Gwen and I decided to have a simple wedding in New York, inviting just close friends, and spend the rest on a trip to Australia."
"That sounds good too, but even your close friends are a large number."
"Exactly, so Harry is helping me prepare for this."
"How are he and Mary Jane doing?"
"They have broken up and gotten back together six times in the last six months." Peter visibly felt exasperated, "They can't live without each other, but they constantly fight, break up after every fight, yet they can't stay apart..."
Shiller rubbed his forehead and said, "I guess they started fighting again while helping you plan the wedding."
"Yes, they have different views on marriage and always clash over various wedding details. But Gwen and I, we're always on the same page,"
"There are two types of couples in the world, one like you and Gwen, and the other like Harry and Mary Jane. Although it seems like you and Gwen would be the more loving type, Harry and Mary Jane argue every day, yet still can't leave each other. It's hard to say they don't love each other."
"Who's to say?" Peter sighed, "I thought we could have a double wedding with them, but now it seems they still have a lot of issues to resolve. It probably won't happen in the next few years."
"By the way, how's the child doing?" Shiller asked, referring to the child previously in Gwen's belly who then was with Lisa.
"Pretty good, they're a happy family of three. In fact, we've been considering this issue lately too." Peter stroked his chin, "People are really amazing. Initially, we didn't want to have kids, but recently we've been feeling that having a child would be nice."
"The change that Lisa's family brought to you?"
"Not entirely, but the half month we spent at the Texas farm really shocked us. Traditional families in the central part of America are so different from many families on the East Coast; it's like they live in a fairy tale."
Shiller turned his head to look at Peter, who shook his head gently and said, "Gwen and I had never experienced such a large family atmosphere, with humorous and kind grandparents, happy and loving parents, supportive siblings gathering warmly, and even obedient and capable dogs and cute cats."
"You never had these?"
"Yes," Peter opened his mouth, paused, and then said, "My uncle and aunt were very good to me, they completely took over the role of my parents, but they were city people with little connection to the previous generation, and I had no siblings. Because of financial reasons, we couldn't afford pets, and in my adolescent years that I can remember, I was always alone."
"Gwen was similar; her dad raised her single-handedly, but as a chief, his job was very busy. She started commuting to school by herself from elementary school and never attended any event that could be called a family gathering."
"After the two of us got together, Chief George and my uncle met once, exchanged a few pleasantries, but really, there wasn't much to talk about, and they didn't want to interfere too much in the younger generation's affairs."
"But those days in Texas, Lisa's family talked about almost everything. They were indeed very close, lively, loving, wonderful..."
"This changed some of our views. Urban life is indeed convenient, but there's always a certain coldness between people. The progeny of friends and colleagues we saw, aside from learning various skills, were just going through the motions of socializing. They are excellent, but not happy enough."
"I think if Gwen and I could have a farm, maybe we could provide our children with a childhood as happy as Lisa's, but I know we both aren't really going to become farmers; we have unfinished responsibilities in this world."
"But anyway, that large family atmosphere is worth learning from, and it made us somewhat envious, which really made us start to consider the possibility of adding more family members."
"Maybe start with pets." Shiller suggested, "Have you never had pets? Pikachu doesn't count; it talks too much."
"Yes, neither Gwen nor I had pets," Peter nodded and said, "Gwen had a kitten in her childhood, but it was very weak when rescued and died not long after. My neighbor had a dog, but it was a very fierce big dog, which gave me a bad impression of dogs."
"I wouldn't recommend you get a pet dog since you both obviously don't have that much time to walk a dog. A cat might be a good choice, requiring less space and less active, very suitable for your apartment."
"We think so too. Gwen has already been looking at adoption conditions; we want to adopt a local domestic cat, and if possible, start from a kitten, ideally under three months old."
"Then you should ask Dick," Shiller turned his head, waved at Dick behind the window, and said, "Where's Qiuqiu? Asleep again?"
"Yes, it was playing for a while and now is exhausted," Dick came out and jumped into the hot spring, then said, "Young mammals seem to be like that, wildly active when playing, then tired out in no time."
"Did you adopt a kitten? What breed? How old?"
"Yes, a Siberian Forest Cat, just a few months old, still a little one..."
The two of them chatted excitedly about the kitten.
In fact, Shiller could tell that neither Dick nor Peter were the type who needed pets to relieve stress or soothe emotions. Their purpose in having pets was to experience a different kind of intimate relationship.
Dick, Peter, and Gwen all came from typical small families, meaning a family of three living in an ordinary city apartment, with a small social circle consisting only of colleagues and classmates, very shallow neighborhood relations.
In contrast, large families like Lisa's, and even Shiller's own family, were surrounded by many people, grandparents, parents, siblings, even uncles and aunts from neighbors, elders and friends from the same village growing up in a lively social circle.
These two types of growing environments brought subtle differences, more like each viewing the other's environment as better.
Especially in a country like America where rural areas are more developed, large families do not mean poverty, and they might even be wealthier. Although urban life is convenient, the pressures of life are greater, so children from small families are more likely to envy children from large families.
Some people, due to this envy, are more willing to create a large family for themselves. The situation of their parents' generation cannot be changed, but they can have their own children.
If it's not feasible to have children, then they adopt more pets. Shiller had encountered many such people during consultations; they really treated pets like family, like the lively social circles they missed in their childhood and adolescence.
Although Dick initially came from a small family, after moving to Wayne Manor, he had Thomas and Martha, as well as Bruce and Selina, several siblings, and an attentive butler, which somewhat compensated for his childhood regrets.
But for Peter and Gwen, before and even after they got together, the addition of a partner, teammates from The Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D., and even Doctor Shiller, who had a great influence on him, could not make up for his longing for close, lively family relationships.
If one never experiences the light, naturally, they won't fear the dark; but after experiencing Lisa's family, Peter and Gwen naturally felt a bit empty, and the first step they chose to take after deciding to change, was to get a pet.