Chapter 35
The dining room remained silent. Alex, observing this, couldn't bear the tension and decided to break the ice.
"Cough!!"
Instantly, the people present snapped out of their fantasies, trying to comprehend the reality of the situation.
"Russell, is this real money? Are you not joking?" asked Greenfield's mother, still in disbelief.
Alex found himself torn between laughter and tears at their reactions.
"Hahaha, Mom, why so much suspicion? Why would I casually bring counterfeit money? If you don't believe me, check for yourself."
Mrs. Greenfield, taken aback by her son's response, hesitated but could see the sincerity in his eyes. Still, she carefully examined the money before her.
Curiosity piqued, Greenfield's father also joined in to take a closer look at the astonishing sight before them.
The two old people finally confirmed the authenticity of the money, while the others looked on with curious and hopeful eyes. Each individual had their thoughts and ideas about this unexpected windfall.
After a while, Greenfield's father finished examining the bills and seemed satisfied with their legitimacy. Meanwhile, Greenfield's mother was still struggling with the money, looking visibly overwhelmed.
It took Mrs. Greenfield quite a while to finally put the money back in the suitcase and breathe a sigh of relief. The room fell silent as everyone stared at her, their eyes burning with anticipation. They were all eager for an explanation.
"This money is real," Mrs. Greenfield said weakly.
Upon hearing her confirmation, the expressions of everyone in the room became extremely diverse. They had already suspected from their mother's earlier expression that the money was indeed genuine. However, hearing it confirmed first hand left them all shocked and astounded.
"Now that it's like this, you guys don't have to worry too much about the debt hanging over my head!" said Alex, trying to reassure everyone.
Lily, who had been silent until now, was in a mixed mood.
"Your son knows he has money, but why didn't he tell us and instead made the family worry!" Greenfield's mother complained. She felt that she had been needlessly concerned.
Alex, upon hearing this, felt naturally embarrassed. If he didn't retrieve the money from those gangsters, where would he get these three million dollars from?
But even so, he couldn't reveal his vulnerability and explained with a straight face. "Having money is indeed beneficial, but if we suddenly acquire a large sum, it's easy for people to change and lose their way."
Alex complimented himself on choosing his words wisely.
Greenfield's mother, upon hearing this, became angry. "What's to get lost! Even if your money is used to pay off the debt, it's not even half of it. Tell me what you're hiding! Is this money not rightfully yours, or is it stolen money that you can't spend openly?"
Alex, who had just been feeling proud of himself, suddenly became flustered. He couldn't help but wonder if he was being too obvious and not good at lying.
"Cough, how could I do such an illegal thing," Alex tried to rebut.
Seeing that his mother still wanted to scold him, Alex hurriedly continued, "Aren't you guys wondering why I'm missing one hand and why I look like a gangster?" he said in a mysterious tone.
Hearing this, everyone became curious, wanting to know what was going on. However, they refrained from asking, fearing that their questions might delve into military secrets. Thus, they had to suppress their curiosity and keep it to themselves.
With Alex's revelation, their long-buried curiosity resurfaced. Observing their changing expressions, Alex decided to continue his story.
"When I first entered the army, everything went smoothly—very smoothly. I achieved some success and garnered the attention of higher-ups. Over the next three years, I accomplished many things. But then, I encountered a criminal with powerful connections. Getting involved with them led to accusations of interfering with their interests, and I was quickly framed. Even the higher authorities couldn't help me, and I had no choice but to join and become a part of the gang to survive. I secretly collected money while living in constant fear of contacting home, worried that these dangerous people would target my family. After several years, they became careless and eventually discarded me, thinking I was of no use to them anymore. In the process, they burdened me with debts, as you all know by now. I deliberately hid myself so they wouldn't pay attention to me again. If they found out I had money, they might come back to torture me once more."
Alex's family listened in shock, absorbing the weight of his past struggles and the sacrifices he made to protect them.
Alex explained the situation truthfully, mixed with a few lies. after all, Russell was at first immersed himself in the gang lifestyle and had no intention of returning home to reconnect with his relatives.
Hearing his story, everyone was at a loss for how to react. The revelation contained too much information to process.
"Are you still in danger from them?" Greenfield's mother asked, her anger replaced by genuine concern for her son. The middle-aged woman never imagined that being a soldier would entail such complexity, with her child becoming entangled in such dangerous matters.
"I don't know for sure, that's why I'm being extremely cautious. If only I had been more vigilant and strong, I wouldn't have to worry about them now. Besides, the gang may appear inactive, but they are still very active behind the scenes," Alex replied, contemplating the risky situation he was in.
The family fell into silence, absorbing the gravity of Alex's struggles and the potential dangers lurking in the shadows.
"Good. At least you came home safely, and now you can find some peace in this small mountain," Greenfield's father agreed with all of his son's decisions and approaches.
Both parents were distressed, realizing that there was little they could do to help their son in such a dangerous situation. If they had known that something like this could happen, they might never have allowed their son to serve in the army.
The atmosphere at the dining table remained complex as everyone continued to eat. Lily, who had remained silent, felt a tinge of bitterness in her heart. She had thought that she was the one suffering the most, but little did she know that her husband had endured so much outside.
Lily couldn't help but blame herself, resolving to be a better and more supportive wife to her husband.
As for the two little girls, they were a little scared, but they couldn't think of anything else to say or do at that moment.
Seeing that everyone had finished their meal, Alex excused himself and headed back to the kitchen.
"Wait a moment, I'll make something for all of you," he said.
Greenfield's father then looked at the two girls and spoke in a firm tone, "Everything discussed at this table must not be known to others, understood?"
"Understood, Father! (Grandfather!)" the girls replied in unison.
Greenfield's father nodded in response.
After a while, everyone was eager to leave the dining area, not knowing why Alex had asked them to wait.
Just then, Alex appeared with a teapot and some glasses in hand.
"Come on, let's drink some Jamu before we leave. It's good for the body," he said cheerfully.
Contrasted with Alex's cheerful tone, Some of the faces in the room turned sour at the mention of jamu. Lilith, in particular, was already fed up with it.
Both Greenfield's mother and Lily seemed a bit overwhelmed by the idea.
However, Alex paid no mind to their reactions.
On the other hand, Greenfield's father and Rose were curious.
"Brother, what kind of drink is it? Is it delicious?" asked Rose.
"Jamu is a healthy drink, and the taste of this one—"
"Ahhh Dad, I want to try it. I like to drink jamu!" interrupted a girl's voice suddenly.
Alex, Lily, and Greenfield's mother were a little puzzled by the girl's sudden change in attitude. If they hadn't witnessed her complaints while drinking the Jamu before, they might have believed that she genuinely enjoyed the taste of the medicine. Knowing her previous reactions, they couldn't help but find her current enthusiasm strange.
Despite the odd looks from those who knew her well, Lilith persisted and urged her father for a drink. Her lips carried a faint smile, adding to the mystery.
Confused initially, Alex became even more perplexed by his daughter's behavior. He couldn't fathom why she was acting this way.
"Why is she acting so sneaky? What is she planning?" he wondered to himself.
Alex couldn't bring himself to believe that his daughter had suddenly developed a liking for the Jamu he made. He suspected there was something else at play.
After a moment of contemplation, he still couldn't grasp her intentions, so he decided to go along with it and handed her a glass of the Jamu.
Lilith then took the glass with a very happy look. Meanwhile, Rose, who had been watching from the side, immediately shouted that she wanted some too. Lilith sneered slightly at her.
With this, Alex finally understood what his daughter was up to. "Very clever!" he thought to himself.
Rose, holding the yellow jamu in her hand, frowned slightly. She was a little unfamiliar with the smell emanating from the drink. However, she quickly disregarded her doubts and gulped down a considerable amount of the yellow liquid. Confident that her brother's creations must be delicious, she didn't think twice.
But what happened next completely shattered Rose's expectations. Her face twisted horribly from the sour taste that spread in her mouth, followed by a bitter aftertaste that made her feel sick. The experience of drinking the jamu was tormenting, but it only lasted a few seconds.
As Rose suffered, the sound of a little girl's laughter filled the air. "Hahahaha, little aunt, your face looked so bad just now! How can you find the herbal medicine my father made delicious?" Lilith teased with delight.
Everyone was amazed by Lilith's cunning. Lily, in particular, was impressed with her daughter's influence on Lilith. Previously, Lilith had been reserved and distant from her family, but after her husband returned home, she started to change. Lily realized that Lilith was no longer shy or distant with her husband.
Rose, now semi-conscious, finally understood the situation. The girl couldn't help but scold her laughing niece. "Ahhhh Lilith, you are so naughty for teasing your aunt!"
"Hahahahaha," Lilith laughed, satisfied with her prank.