Chapter 367: Chapter 367: Mutual Heartache and Understanding
"Since you’re the head of the household, Father, how many work points do you earn in a year?" Clayton Xavier stepped out, blocking Storm Xavier and reaching for the basket.
Storm Xavier’s pride stung. He could hurl abuse at Verna Golding without a second thought because he couldn’t stand the ugly hag. But when it came to his son, he still felt a flicker of affection—after all, the boy was his own flesh and blood. It was just a flicker, though.
"I’m not well enough for heavy labor, you know that! You’re not a kid anymore, so why aren’t you out there earning work points instead of sitting at home all day with those useless books? What damn good does that do? I’ve raised you all this time and can’t even enjoy a moment of peace. I’d have been better off raising a dog!"
The more Storm Xavier spoke, the angrier he became. Clayton Xavier was fourteen, and most boys his age in the village were already earning work points. Only Clayton stayed home studying all day, spending so much money on books. That money would have been much better spent on meat. He couldn’t remember the last time the family had eaten meat, all because of this spendthrift son.
Clayton Xavier’s fair face flushed crimson. The words hit a raw nerve. He truly hadn’t contributed anything to the family, living off the fruits of others’ labor every day. Even the money for his books had been saved up, bit by bit, by his mother from selling medicinal herbs she gathered. ’In truth, he was no different from Storm Xavier—they were both parasites feeding on the family.’
"You’re the one who’s worse than an animal! I would carve off a piece of myself to feed my son if I had to! Besides, Clayton is a grown boy now—have you ever contributed a single coin or a grain of rice? I’m the one who supports even you, you beast! What right do you have to yell at my son!"
Verna Golding suddenly snapped. Like a mother bear protecting her cub, she viciously slammed into Storm Xavier. She could endure anything, but her son was her entire world. ’No one was going to bully her son!’
The entire basket of eggs smashed onto the ground, covering the floor in a sticky mess of yellow and white. Verna Golding froze, a pain as sharp as a knife twisting in her gut.
Her heart didn’t ache for the eggs; it ached for her son.
She was powerless, unable to afford meat to give her son proper nourishment. All she could manage was to provide him with one or two eggs a day. She sold any extras, saving up coin by coin to buy him books. What Storm Xavier had just smashed wasn’t just a basket of eggs—it was her son’s future!
"What gives you the right to smash my eggs? I raised those chickens! You haven’t lifted a single finger to help! What right do you have?! Storm Xavier, are you even human? You don’t even care about your own son! All you ever think about is that—"
Verna Golding grabbed Storm Xavier, hitting and cursing him, but she cut herself off mid-sentence, forcefully swallowing the name. She couldn’t speak of such ugly affairs in front of her son. ’He’s so prideful, he wouldn’t be able to bear it.’
Clayton Xavier, however, wasn’t so easily fooled. He had clearly heard his mother start to say a name before she stopped herself. His intuition told him that person was a woman—most likely his father’s mistress.
He wasn’t some oblivious bookworm who only knew how to study; he was well aware of some of the family’s problems. Storm Xavier left early and returned late, always out fooling around, and never exchanged a single word with his mother all day. All the signs pointed to one thing: Storm Xavier had a mistress.
But Clayton Xavier didn’t want to investigate further. He was afraid of hurting Verna Golding, so it was better to just maintain the superficial peace. ’Once I get into university and settle down in the city,’ he thought, ’I’ll bring Grandma and Mom to live with me. I’ll let Storm Xavier stay here in Xavier Village and fend for himself.’
"You psycho! If you hadn’t started a fight with me, would I have smashed them? Are you satisfied now?!"
Storm Xavier also felt a pang of regret over the eggs. He had heard that Phoenix Golding had gotten into some trouble and was planning to sneak over to visit her that night. He had wanted to bring a few eggs along—he couldn’t very well show up empty-handed. Now they were all smashed. He was furious.
