Chapter 9

“That’s right. These bums are talking about war and bringing glory to the country. What a joke!” The other youngster snickered along. Bang, bang! However, the very next instant, both youngsters only saw a blur then was sent flying away and slammed into the wall behind them, causing it to crash. “Pfft!” Both of them spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Their legs stiffened, then stopped moving. “Ah! Murder!” Both the girls shrieked as though they had just seen a ghost, running away immediately. “Oh no, Fane, you’ve killed someone. What if they’re some important people or belong to some organization? What’re we going to do?” Seeing the two of them lying there motionless, Joan went pale. “Y-y-you’re just too hot-headed. This is not the battlefield. There are some people that we can’t afford to offend. Do you think you’re still on the battlefield where killing your opponent was fine?” “Why can’t you hold your temper? They’ve only said a few words!” Selena was extremely frustrated as well, unsure of what to do. Seeing how the two women he cared for the most was worrying about him, Fane felt his heart all warmed up. “Ma, Selena, don’t you worry. They’ve just passed out. I know how to hold back. They’ll be waking up in a while!” Fane made a bitter smile as he explained. “Really?” Selena quickly stepped forward and placed her fingers under their noses for confirmation. She then let out a sigh of relief. “They’re still breathing. It should be fine.” “Come, let’s leave quickly!” Joan ushered while looking around. “Ma, let’s go. You can forget about your job. It’s about time for you to enjoy your life!” Fane looked at both women with a carefree smile on his face, stating, “Let’s go. It’s still early. I’ll bring you both to buy a few sets of suitable clothes!” “A few sets?” Hearing that, Joan was shocked. “And where is your money? Furthermore, how can I stop working? There are so many people I need to feed. Our whole family is depending on Selena and me! Son, listen to me. Selena had suffered a lot of hardships for Kylie’s sake. You better treat her well and not let her down!” “That can’t be it. Father-in-law’s leg might be stopping him from working, but mother-in-law and Clifford should be able to work right? Are they also being suppressed at work?” Fane scowled. Clifford Taylor was still young in the past and was unable to be enlisted. However, five years have passed and he should be an adult by now. He should be helping out the family. “Sigh!” Speaking of them, Joan could not help but sigh deeply. “They’re blaming everything on you for their ill fate. Moreover, they’re used to being pampered back when they were in the Taylor family. How do you expect them to be willing to work? They’re just unwilling to look for work!” “My brother is too useless. He hardly comes home, and every time he does, it’s to ask for money!” Speaking of the useless brother, even Selena was frustrated. Having said that, Selena looked at Fane. “However, now that Fane’s back, the Taylor family didn’t set any restrictions on him. It’d be great if he can go get a job soon!” “Them restricting me?” Hearing that, Fane chuckled. “It’s already very kind of me to not suppress the Taylor family!” “Look at you. Just because you’ve been a soldier, you’re behaving all different now. You’ve grown tougher. However, it has also made you boastful!” Joan looked at her son, her face glowing blissfully. Everyone told her that Fane was surely dead, but she did not believe them. She was sure that Fane would make it back safely eventually, and that day arrived. “Come on, let’s go get you some clothes!” Fane pushed Joan forward. “Where did your money come from?” Selena thought for a moment, then a sudden realization hit her. “Oh right, I’ve heard that the soldiers returning from war are given rewards. Seems like you’ve gotten some rewards, didn’t you?” “Is that so?” Joan was delighted. “Then that should be tens of thousand bucks, right? You’ve been a soldier for five full years after all. However, you should be thrifty. Kylie is about to start kindergarten. Nowadays, better kindergartens are very expensive!” “It should be more than tens of thousand bucks. I’ve heard from several people returning from the battlefield. One of them was awarded over two hundred thousand bucks, and that’s a common occurrence!” Selena gave it some thought, then smiled delightfully. “That’s wonderful. If we have two hundred thousand bucks, then our lives would be more comfortable.” “Ma, you don’t need to worry about it. If Kylie’s attending kindergarten, it must be the best kindergarten!” Fane took Joan and Selena along, quickly arriving at a huge shopping mall. He stopped in his tracks and held onto Selena’s hand, saying in full seriousness, “Selena, you don’t need to collect trash anymore. You can work to kill time if you want. If you don’t feel like working, I’ll take care of you!” “What’re you talking about? There are so many people watching!” Selena’s face turned scarlet immediately as she quickly retracted her hand. To be honest, she had little feelings for Fane. Back then, she was forced into the marriage. It was out of spite that she got herself drunk, resulting in that incident. However, she really could not bear to abort her own child. Moreover, Fane was a filial son and seemed to have a decent personality. It was because of her child that she held on for so long. Now that Fane suddenly held her hand, she felt extremely shy. “Let’s go in and have a look. However, Fane, don’t you buy anything for me. You should buy some for your in-laws. They’ve suffered a lot of hardships for the past five years because of you!” Joan, on the other hand, just smiled at them. She obviously hoped that Fane could gain the recognition of his in-laws. “For clothes, it’s better to bring them over to pick for themselves. If I buy it for them, it might not suit them!” Fane answered after some consideration. They were his in-laws after all. They have suffered hardships all these years because of him, yet he had never treated them properly for even a day. Their dissatisfaction with him was understandable. Very quickly, Fane brought them to the second floor of the shopping mall. “Fane, I think it’s better for us to shop around on the first floor. The clothes on the second floor are mostly branded. There are even international brands. Those are expensive!” Selena whispered to him after looking around. “Really? Are they that expensive?” Upon hearing that, Joan urged, “Son, let’s go downstairs. Those on the first floor are cheaper. Just buy some for your wife. That’s sufficient. Don’t worry about me. I still have quite a lot of clothes!” “I don’t need them. Just buy some for your mother instead!” Selena interjected. She was also thinking of saving some money. “Let’s stop this. Listen to me. We’ll shop here!” One on each hand, Fane pulled both of them and strode right into an exclusive store. “No no no, this is too expensive…” Selena retorted, but it was too late. Fane was very persistently strong, dragging them into the store easily. However, right as they entered the store, she immediately kept quiet. After all, she knew not to embarrass Fane in public. However, unbeknownst to them, their apparels immediately attracted disgusted glares.