Chapter 599: Chapter 599: Mom Doesn’t Want Us Anymore
The middle-aged man turned and went back into the hardware store.
The little girl, Willow, clutched the ten-yuan bill in her hand, her eyes fixed on his retreating back.
"Sis."
Her little brother’s voice pulled her back from her thoughts.
Willow turned her head to look at him and asked calmly, "What is it?"
Glenn held out the single, light-as-a-feather yuan. "You keep this for me, Sis."
"That’s from your dad." Willow didn’t take it, her expression blank. "Let’s go. We have to get home and do our crafts."
"Sis, can we have meat today?" Glenn asked.
Willow thought for a moment, then said, "Let’s have egg fried rice today."
Glenn pouted, his head drooping in disappointment.
Seeing his expression, Willow added, "If that lady is willing to sell us two yuan worth of meat, then we can have meat today."
"Okay!" Glenn’s thin face was full of determination. "I’ll make sure to beg that lady to sell to us!"
The brother and sister returned to the farmers’ market. This time, they weren’t there to sell fruit but to buy fifty cents’ worth of green vegetables and two eggs. Finally, they approached the pork stalls.
Willow led Glenn to one of the stalls and asked, "Mister, can you sell us two yuan worth of lean pork?"
"Don’t joke around, little girl." The male owner of the pork stall waved his hand dismissively and shook his head. "Two yuan of lean pork is just a tiny sliver. I’m not selling that."
Willow took Glenn to another stall to ask.
This time, the person didn’t refuse outright but asked, "Two yuan is hard to cut. How about five yuan? I’ll cut it for you for five."
Hearing this, Willow shook her head forcefully. "Ma’am, I just want two yuan worth. Please, can you sell it to us?"
Glenn, afraid of being refused, quickly chimed in, "Please, Ma’am! My sister and I haven’t eaten meat in days."
"What?" The female stall owner looked at them in surprise. "For real? How can there be people who can’t afford meat these days?"
"Our family is very poor!" Glenn looked at her pitifully. "Please sell it to us. I really want to eat meat."
The woman saw that the siblings were indeed rail-thin and sighed. "Alright, alright. I’ll sell it to you."
She took a piece of pork loin, casually cut off a small chunk, bagged it, and handed it over.
"Thank you, Ma’am." Willow took it with one hand and passed over two yuan with the other.
Holding the bag of meat, she said in surprise, "Ma’am, this is more than two yuan worth!"
The owner waved her hand. "Forget it. The extra is a gift."
Willow’s face immediately filled with gratitude. "Thank you, Ma’am!"
She pulled Glenn along and gave the woman a deep bow.
Hand in hand, the brother and sister left the farmers’ market, completely satisfied.
Inky followed them all the way, winding through one small alley after another, finally stopping in front of a dilapidated little house.
Willow and Glenn climbed the stairs to the third floor and used a key to open the rusty iron door.
"Glenn, you go work on your crafts first," Willow said while closing the door. "I’ll make dinner."
Seeing this, Inky had to fly over to the window to see what was happening inside.
Willow washed the rice and put it in the rice cooker.
The fifty cents’ worth of green vegetables wasn’t much, and she quickly finished preparing them.
Willow then washed the piece of pork loin, placed it on the moldy wooden cutting board, and sliced it into shreds.
’That lady was so generous, she gave us so much meat.’
’Using it all at once feels too extravagant.’
Willow glanced at the freezer next to her, sealed shut with duct tape, and frowned.
’It’s a shame the freezer is broken. Otherwise, we could freeze it and make it last for days.’
After hesitating for a few seconds, Willow put all the shredded pork into the wok to stir-fry.
"Wow! It smells so good!" Glenn came over, holding a handmade flower, and took a deep whiff. "We finally get to eat meat! My mouth is watering!"
A small smile touched the corners of Willow’s mouth. "We can eat meat all day today!"
"That’s great!" Glenn’s face lit up with happiness.
Willow stir-fried a large wok of egg and pork fried rice and also cooked the green vegetables.
This was how their mother used to cook when she was home. She said you needed a balance of meat and vegetables to be nutritious.
Glenn ate his fill, rubbing his round belly contentedly. "This is the best meal I’ve had since Mom left!"
Willow ate more slowly. Hearing her brother’s words, her hand tightened around her spoon. She murmured, "Where on earth did Mom go?"
"Dad said Mom doesn’t want us anymore," Glenn said. "He said she went to be a mom for someone else."
Willow abruptly dropped her spoon, clenched her fists, and yelled with a frown, "Don’t talk nonsense! Mom would never abandon us! She must have had her reasons!"
Glenn’s eyes immediately turned red. He pouted, hurt. "That’s what Dad said. Why are you yelling at me, Sis?"
Willow was furious, her little face flushed red.
’I so badly want to tell him. Your dad is lying. Things aren’t at all like he says!’
’Mom didn’t abandon us. She had no other choice but to leave secretly on her own.’
’I have to work hard and save up lots and lots of money so I can go find Mom.’
As if suddenly drained of all strength, Willow’s clenched fists slowly relaxed. Her shoulders slumped, and she began to sob quietly.
Hearing her cries, Glenn was a little stunned.
He blinked in confusion, then said helplessly, "Why are you crying, Sis? You were the one who yelled at me, so why are you crying?"
As he spoke, he looked around for tissues.
But he couldn’t find any tissues no matter where he looked.
Even more bewildered, Glenn said, "Mom’s not home, and now the tissues are gone too."
"Yeah," Willow choked out. "Without Mom, we’re like stray kids. Your dad doesn’t care about us at all."
"Then what do we do?" Hearing that he had become a stray kid, Glenn was instantly overcome with sadness. "I don’t want to be a stray kid! I want my mom!"
He started wailing at the top of his lungs.
Willow’s suppressed sobs gradually grew louder.
The dilapidated house echoed with the helpless cries of the two children.
Inky knew that not having a mother was indeed a very sad thing.
It stared at them, a hint of sympathy showing in its tiny, beady eyes.
’So pitiful.’
’I think I’m going to cry.’
"SOB SOB SOB... Renee, they’re so pitiful." Inky stood on the coffee table in front of Renee Jennings, crying its heart out. "Why would their mom abandon them?"
Renee Jennings’ slender brows were tightly knitted, her porcelain-white face deep in thought.
Michelle Fuller and Sean Fuller sat on her left and right, their slightly similar faces showing the exact same curiosity.
But Renee was thinking, and they didn’t dare disturb her.
After a moment, Renee’s lips moved, and she asked softly, "Inky, Willow called that man ’Mister’, but Glenn called him ’Dad’, is that right?"
"Yes!" Inky bobbed its head emphatically and added a detail. "That man told Glenn to buy candy, but not Willow!"
Renee pursed her lips and analyzed, "Then Willow and Glenn must be half-siblings, sharing the same mother but different fathers."
Inky didn’t understand the term and tilted its head in confusion. "What does that mean?"
Renee explained it, then summarized, "Their mother is gone, and Glenn’s father told them their mother abandoned them to be a mother to someone else."
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