Alex raised his finger towards the doctor to silence him, then said, "Mom, don't worry. I'll make sure to reward the doctor later. He's a good man; he didn't insist on giving us a house only, he invited us for a lavish dinner to welcome us. Isn't that right, sir?"
"Dinner, yes, yes. You're invited for dinner tonight. I must go, I'm very busy," the doctor wiped sweat from his forehead. As soon as his foot stepped out of the door, he rushed away.
The mother crossed her arms and spoke firmly, "Hey, young one, what did you do to the doctor to scare him like that? He's the stingiest person in the whole village; it's impossible for him to lend you a house and spiritual medicine."
Alex smiled, seeing his angry mother's face. 'She's truly remarkable; even if she can't see, she managed to figure it out. Maybe I should come up with a better lie.'
"The truth is, I caught him harassing one of his patients. The house and medicine are the price for my silence. Don't object, it's not allowed to refuse free gifts."
The mother sighed, dissatisfied with the situation, but what could she do?
"Mom, Mom, where are you? I'm thirsty!" The voice of the little girl made the mother's heart skip a beat. Her daughter, who couldn't speak due to her illness, was shouting with strength and vitality. She knew that spiritual medicine could work wonders, but she didn't expect the results to be so fast.
Alex approached his little sister Angela and examined her. "She's fine. The fever is gone after some rest and good food. She'll recover in no time."
Tears of joy rolled down the mother's cheek. Finally, her daughter regained her health, on the same day her son returned, reuniting their family at last.
The seven-year-old girl, pale and unable to stand before, had regained some of her vitality thanks to the medicine. Her wide brown eyes stared curiously at the white-haired boy, just like her mother. She asked, "Mom, who's this short old man?"
"Old man, me? An old man?" Alex exclaimed.
"Your hair is white, so you're an old man."
"Your mother also has white hair. What do you say about that?"
"Hey, how dare you say that about my mom? Everyone agrees that my mom is the most beautiful woman in the town."
"Hahaha, hahaha," the mother laughed out loud at her children's conversation and finally introduced him, saying, "Angela, this young man is your older brother, Alex. He's returned from his trip."
"My brother... you're my brother, Alex. Why did you become old? Are you strong? Can you defeat Luna's brother? She always boasts about her fighter brother."
"Calm down a bit, you're still tired. You should... Oh, she's gone back to sleep."
When he tried to stand up, he was surprised by a small hand gripping his thumb tightly. He looked at his hand, then at the sleeping girl who was talking.
"Don't leave... Mom will cry... Stay and play with me."
Gently, he extracted his thumb from her grasp to avoid waking her. "Wow, my brother defeated your brother... Luna's brother is the strongest."
Angela's unexpected conversation made Alex's heart race, his body tensing with surprise. But upon seeing her, he couldn't help but laugh until tears streamed down his face.
'Was I laughing just now?'
Alex asked himself, and for a few minutes, he gazed at the sleeping little girl on the cold floor. This warmth he felt and the spontaneous laughter he let out only meant one thing – it was the warmth he had been searching for. That foolish old man, who would abandon such a family.
He turned to his mother and spoke firmly, "Mom, trust me. You need to move from here. This damp and cold cottage won't help her recover. As for your debts, I'll take care of it."
In the face of his determination, she had no choice but to agree, thinking with a smile that her son, whom she lost as a child, had returned as a man.
In one of the largest houses in the village, the nobleman Monroe was angrily tapping his foot on the ground. He was tall and bald in his fifties, his irritable temperament making his portly servant nervous to the point of stumbling over his words.
"M-Master, the boy has money, so..."
"Who cares about money, you imbecile? I paid the doctor several times the amount and threatened him to keep the girl sick. Curse my luck. The most beautiful woman in town would have been mine if not for that cursed rat."
"Sorry, sir, you misunderstood me. I meant to say that we can increase the value of her debt by adding one or two zeroes to the debt note, especially since she lost her half."
The usual practice in business and loans involved writing notes in which both parties' names, the amount, and signatures were recorded. After signing and stamping, each party took half of the note. It was a contract and a means to ensure each party got what they were due. If one party lost their half, they couldn't blame anyone but themselves. The portly man took half of the debt note from his pocket and handed it to the nobleman, whose eyes gleamed. Now all he had to do was raise the value of the note by tenfold.
"Using that brain of yours for something other than not bowing, you surprised me this time. You truly deserve a generous reward." The nobleman opened his chest and took out a bag of money, tossing it towards the servant.
Unexpectedly, the servant didn't move an inch to catch it. He merely gave him a cold look, surrounded by a murderous aura. The nobleman stepped back, yelling, "What's gotten into you? Why are you staring at me like that?"
*Woosh!*
Monroe didn't finish his words as he felt warm blood gushing heavily from his neck. Involuntarily, he tried to stop the bleeding by pressing on his neck artery, his eyes fixed on the servant who betrayed him, searching for an explanation. His pupils dilated as he saw thick white smoke rising from the servant's body. The servant's body shrank, and in his place appeared a young man with white hair.