Fabian deposited his money and bought the medicine, then decided to go to the church to see Evangeline.

Along the streets he passed, protesters were still walking in scattered groups. Because they were heading in the same direction, he merged into the crowd and walked slowly forward with them.

He even followed along and shouted a few slogans.

However, in his suit and leather shoes, he looked quite eye-catching.

At the church at noon, Evangeline was busy distributing food to the homeless. Because she was constantly looking down to move bread, she didn't even notice Fabian when he stood in front of her.

Setting down his bundle, Fabian also helped with the moving.

"Eh? You..." Evangeline understood at once; Fabian had left Madam Vivienne.

Inside the small bundle, it must be his personal belongings.

White porridge had been distributed to the poor in the church. After finishing the work, Fabian ate half a small bowl and didn't feel hungry anymore.

"Let’s go find Salazar," Evangeline suggested.

Fabian was more concerned about his mother: "But I still have to go home, and my house is quite far."

"Are you silly?" Evangeline pinched his arm. "Salazar said he already found a job for you. Every day you delay is a day someone else might snatch it away. You should secure the job first, then go home."

Fabian thought for a moment. "True."

After Evangeline changed into casual clothes, the two of them headed to Salazar’s house.

Salazar had left his address for both of them: Room 304, Building 7, inside the Land Bureau civil service dormitory area.

At first, Fabian guessed this would be a large house in a work-unit compound.

The wives of officials he had served lived in very large houses within such compounds. Those husbands with secret fetishes would bring him home at night under the guise of hosting a guest, then let him do those things with the wife while the husband watched from the side.

Fabian felt an intense disgust at himself for always thinking of these memories.

The door opened.

Salazar, clutching his injured stomach, came out to open the door. Seeing these two good friends, he immediately pulled them into the house.

Fabian was stunned. This was a tiny apartment with only one bedroom, one kitchen/bathroom set, and a small living room of only eleven or twelve square meters.

Because there were various books and aerospace models piled in the corners, and a small sofa took up a third of the space, the three of them even felt a bit cramped standing in the living room.

Fortunately, when they sat on the sofa, the space seemed to get a bit larger.

"My house is too small." Salazar scratched his head in embarrassment.

But he didn't expect that such a tiny house was the dream of the two young people in front of him.

"If I have a place like this when I'm thirty like you, I'll be satisfied," Evangeline said with a smile.

"I'm twenty-nine, don't make me sound old," Salazar corrected her.

"Are you afraid of being too old to find a wife? Hehe, don't worry, as a civil servant, as long as you want to get married, the people lining up could stretch from your house to the road."

Evangeline’s teasing was justified.

It wasn't for economic reasons that Salazar wasn't married yet; he simply didn't want to. His father died in the war, and he used half the pension to buy this small house in full, and gave the other half to his married sister.

Since his mother had also passed away many years ago, Salazar was now in a state where one person's hunger was the whole family's hunger; he had no life pressure at all. But if he married a wife and had a child, he couldn't afford it on that bit of salary.

In the current chaos, self-preservation was the best choice.

Being mocked, Salazar could only shake his head with a bitter smile. "With such a sharp tongue, your man is going to suffer in the future."

"Hehe..."

At this time, Salazar saw Fabian’s bundle.

"Oh, I'm here to beg for a job. I was kicked out by the Madam." Fabian patted the bundle on the sofa and smiled bitterly.

Salazar nodded and started making a phone call: "...Yes, yes, I'm Salazar. Regarding the position I reserved last time, he has arrived. Can he report to the company today? He can? Then I’ll have him go over right away."

He said "have him go over," but Salazar actually hailed a taxi to take the two of them there.

When the taxi stopped at the entrance of the dozen-story The Sol-Rock Mining Co. building, Fabian felt more settled.

This was the largest local mining company in Port Sol. The major shareholder was the famous miner Sebastian, an American expatriate. The pay was high, and they gave workers reasonable leave according to American regulations.

While going up the steps, Salazar walked with some difficulty.

He moved up level by level, smiling bitterly: "It's not this big company, it's a joint-venture subsidiary under it. Don't be disappointed."

"Hey, don't say that. I'm already feeling guilty that I shouldn't have let you personally escort me here. Hearing you say that makes me feel even more guilty."

"You don't know?" Clearly in pain, Salazar grinned. "The doctor said I have to climb stairs, otherwise the large intestine will adhere to the wound. Just like a C-section."

"Puff..." Evangeline covered her mouth and laughed from the side.

The three people entered the office building and found Deep-Rock Discovery to sign up.

A female office clerk, after verifying Salazar’s identity, had Fabian meet briefly with a manager.

The meeting process was simple. Fabian was only asked a few questions by the manager about his family situation.

He answered each one truthfully, such as his mother’s serious illness and that three of his four siblings were still very young. He only told a small lie on the question of his father's occupation.

When the meeting ended, Fabian received his work ID. Originally, he had to report to the company within three days, but because he still had to go to the countryside to see his seriously ill mother, the company made an exception and gave him seven days.

A new life had started!

When leaving the office, Fabian glanced at the difficult way Salazar went down the stairs and felt a sense of gratitude.

Looking at Evangeline, who was constantly clapping and cheering for Salazar, his eyes were full of affection.

After Fabian said goodbye to his two friends, he went to the Riverside Market. Enzo, the brother of the lame Barrett, was Fabian's childhood friend from the same village. He had to ask if Barrett needed him to take any words home.

Barrett looked left and right. Seeing that the boss lady wasn't paying attention to him, he pulled Fabian to a corner to talk.

"My brother isn't in the village. He's over at River Street setting up a floor stall to sell picture books. We were just looking for you; we couldn't find you anywhere."

"Looking for me?" Fabian was a bit surprised.

"Yeah, my brother even said you have money now and forgot us." Barrett smiled bitterly.

Enzo was one of the few friends who knew Fabian was kept by a rich woman, almost like a confidant. But Barrett didn't know why Fabian had money; he looked at Fabian in his suit and leather shoes with envy.

"Go see my brother, okay? He's definitely at River Street setting up a stall right now. Now that you've made it, don't forget about us when you have good opportunities!"

Barrett was only sixteen and had already learned to speak polite social words.

Fabian smiled and didn't even say goodbye to Barrett, heading straight toward River Street.

River Street was a street where you could see the river water, which is why it was called River Street. During times of peace and economic prosperity, young parents liked to bring their children to play by the river, so the picture book floor stalls along the street always had business.

With somewhat messy hair, sitting on a small stool by the street and dozing with his head down, Enzo saw the suit trousers and leather shoes standing before the stall, and his eyes narrowed into a line.

"Finally came to find me, hehe. Abandoned by the rich woman, right?"

"Mm." Fabian nodded. "But I heard you have something for me."

By then, Enzo was already packing up his stall.

Fabian was a bit speechless.

"Why are you packing up? Am I in the way of your business?"

Enzo wrapped the cloth, and the whole bundle of picture books was on his back. Holding the small stool in his hand, he walked straight forward.

Walking to a corner with no people, he whispered: "I found a big business, but I need you."

Fabian was stunned for a moment.

Was his luck turning?

How were all sorts of opportunities starting to appear now?

Enzo’s rented room was just a small single room. It had a bathroom but no kitchen. The space could only fit two small beds, with a half-meter aisle in the middle.

He threw the picture books into the corner but sat comfortably on the bed.

"Hey, if you go home dressed like this, you'll make others die of envy."

Fabian originally wanted to say that he simply had no time to go back to his rental to change clothes. Then he thought, wouldn't explaining make it more troublesome?

He simply said: "I was kicked out by the rich woman. Last night I had no place to sleep at all. Where would I go to change? I gave up that rental long ago."

Enzo’s eyes widened: "Rich people are so heartless."

From a corner at the head of the bed, Enzo pulled out a jar of jam with no label. "This thing is very popular. It's a source of goods leaked from the butcher. My brother only managed to grab one jar."

Fabian knew this jam. Vivienne had not only become obsessed with this thing but also used it to coax Madam Rosalind until she was dizzy.

But of course, he wouldn't say it.

"I’ve eaten it at the rich woman’s house. Sweet and sour, very delicious."

"That’s it!" Enzo slapped his thigh and stood up excitedly. "Rich women like this thing, so we must do this business. One jar can sell for at least 25 dollars. Fabian, I'm looking for you to cooperate."

This childhood friend of Fabian's had always been very shrewd. Although he was loyal and kept his word, he was definitely not a fellow who would share blessings. If there was a benefit, he would swallow it himself without hesitation.

"What is my value of being used, after all?" Fabian smiled.

"You know Beldora, right?"

Fabian nodded. He found Enzo was speaking too slowly. "That's my hometown. Continue."

"There's a place in Beldora called Solana. I've asked around; this kind of jam is made from snakeberries grown on Mount Solana. You go find out the production method for this jam, and we'll do this business."

"I almost don't remember what Beldora looks like. There's only one street there, and our family used to live on the street."

"Exactly! Since your family lived on the street, isn't information more developed?" Quick, find someone to ask.

Fabian felt Enzo was talking about a pipedream.

With the military standoff on both sides of the Sangreza boundary river, how could he ask? Besides, he had long ago lost contact with those paternal aunts and uncles on the other side.

But of course, he couldn't say it out loud, otherwise Enzo wouldn't look for him to cooperate.

He pretended to think for a while, then said: "Oh right. I'll go back and ask my father how to get in touch with my uncles."

"Hi!" Enzo waved his hand. "I went to find many trishaw drivers. They all said your father has disappeared and hasn't done trishaw work lately. Do you know where your father went?"

Fabian feigned surprise. "My father disappeared? Maybe he sneaked across the river to find my uncle and aunts? Lately, our family has had it really hard, my mother’s illness..."

Enzo’s eyes were as bright as lightbulbs: "Go to the other side of the river? Oh right, if a person disappears, where else could he go if not to the other side. Quick, Fabian, go home quickly and ask your mother."

Fabian was secretly happy even as he left Enzo’s house.

If he could cooperate with Enzo on the jam business, there would be more hope for life.

Before the sky was completely dark, by catching a lift on a truck and walking four or five kilometers of muddy road, Fabian finally returned to his home in the countryside.

His nineteen-year-old brother Caleb was herding cows into the shed. This fellow had an honest nature. Seeing his eldest brother return home, and in a suit too, he grinned and laughed.

Sixteen-year-old sister Tessa was washing clothes, and there were two others.

Ten-year-old Toby and thirteen-year-old Mina—one was cooking rice, the other was feeding chickens.

Perhaps it was because Fabian had been away for too long, Toby stood before him timidly, not daring to get close: "Big brother, you're back."

"Mm." Fabian responded, patting Toby’s head.

He lifted the pot lid. Inside was a half-pot of porridge, half water and half rice. Beside Toby sat a half-basket of freshly washed wild greens.

Fabian pulled five or six loaves of bread from his bundle and distributed them to his siblings. These were "welfare bread" given to the poor by the church; Evangeline had specially saved them for Fabian to take home.

In Evangeline’s eyes, Fabian’s family was certainly in desperate need of aid.

Thinking of this, Fabian smiled bitterly.

Except for Caleb, the other three children took the bread and began munching happily.

"I'll take it in to Mom." Caleb took the bread and was about to head into the room. When their father and eldest brother were away, whether his mother and the youngest, Toby, could eat their fill was the first thing Caleb had to care about.

This was the vow Caleb had made to his father when his father left home.

"Hey, I'll go myself." Fabian had long legs; in two large strides, he caught Caleb's arm.

The hearth fire lit up the main room. Because the kitchen was set in a corner of the main hall, their house actually had only one private "master bedroom," with walls roughly partitioned by wooden boards. His mother was sleeping right inside this "master bedroom."

The other children’s rooms couldn't really be called rooms; they were just open spaces with a few wooden boards laid down where several children slept.

Regardless of whether they were boys or girls.

"Fabian, is that you?" His mother’s weak voice drifted out from the master bedroom. Pushing open the wooden door, Fabian found the kerosene lamp in the darkness. He carried it to the hearth fire to light it before walking back into his mother’s room.

He saved a match.

His mother had taught Fabian to save money this way, and she surely taught his younger siblings the same. Although Fabian now had 5,000 dollars and his father had 1,500, they weren't strictly "poor" anymore.

But this money would be gone once spent, and his mother still needed medicine.

"Mom!" Fabian called out to his mother, who lay on the bed and could only turn slightly. Even though it was the scorching heat of August, she was still covered with a quilt.

She was sallow, both from taking too much medicine and a lack of nutrition, like a withered leaf about to turn yellow.

Mina ran in from outside and propped up their mother’s head with a higher pillow. "Mom, do you need to pee? I'll help you out."

"No need." Their mother refused Mina and reached toward Fabian. "Child, let Mama look at you. This suit you're wearing is so handsome."

"Okay." Fabian set down the lamp and leaned in, letting his mother stroke his face.

The light and shadows shifted.

It was Mina who moved the lamp closer to the bed so their mother could see Fabian’s face clearly.

"Don't do bad things out there. The money for these clothes mustn't come from stealing or robbing, do you hear? You can't break the law."

"I know." Fabian nodded with a smile. "Mom, if I broke the law, could I still come home today?"

In truth, being kept was a crime, but of course, he didn't dare say it.

"Right, Mom." Fabian stuffed two hundred dollars into her hand. "This is two hundred dollars. It's worth a lot. When there's no money for food, use this money."

"So much money?" His mother’s hand trembled. "Mina, go call your second brother in."

A moment later, Caleb was called to the bedside.

"Caleb, keep this two hundred dollars from your big brother safe..."

"Yes, Mother." Caleb took the money honestly.

Afterward, Fabian sat by the bed and told his mother many interesting stories from the city. For instance, he told her his father had picked up an officer who looked almost exactly like him, and the man gave him a large sum of money. Of course, this was a story Fabian invented based on Antonio’s appearance.

For another, he claimed he saved the life of a clerk from the Land Bureau at the church, and the man rewarded him with several thousand dollars. Of course, this was a story he made up based on Salazar.

He also truthfully told her he found a job with a monthly salary of 300 dollars. He mentioned the large bag of medicine he bought and his plan to leave 3,000 dollars for the family...

He told every happy story he could think of, just to make his mother happy for a while.

After dinner, Tessa stayed in the room to wipe their mother’s body with warm water. The suit Fabian had taken off became an object of research for Mina and Toby.

Only Caleb sat by Fabian, listening to his elder brother’s instructions.

"I can only stay home for three days. Enzo found a business and wants to cooperate with me. I need two days to study it, then one day to prepare for work."

"Mm." Caleb was a man of few words and simply nodded.

"Dad might not be able to come back for a while. Don't worry, we're looking out for each other."

"Mm."

"Don't be stingy with the money for Mom's medicine. If things go well, I can bring back a hundred dollars a month in the future."

"Mm."

"Tessa is grown up; she can't sleep in the open area anymore. Tomorrow and the day after, we'll saw some boards together to partition a room for her." Fabian paused, then added, "Partition one for Mina, too."

"Mm."

Finally, Fabian pulled a reddish-brown bankbook from his pocket: "There are 3,000 dollars in here. You must not spend it recklessly; this is all the money I have. Once we save another sum, we’ll take Mom to a big hospital."

In fact, Fabian still had 2,000 dollars on him, but he couldn't say it for fear Caleb might squander it. However, Caleb likely wouldn't have the chance or the intent to waste this life-saving money.

Because Fabian would give the bankbook to their mother to keep.

More chapters here:：https://www.32novel.com/novel/book/10