Chapter 126: I Want a Brother! (1/2)
A few days have passed since then and both mother and daughter had already significantly recovered from the events that transpired a few days ago.
But this fact didn't console nor calm Calvin down.
Instead, it made him sad...
What kind of grievances these pair of mother and daughter suffered for them to be this numb to events like what happened days ago?
Calvin felt disturbed.
But since the two were acting as if they were in a new house, Calvin couldn't possibly ask them directly about their thoughts related to that event since that would be too insensitive for him. In the past few days, Calvin acted normally and similar to the actions of both mother and daughter pair.
He reported to duty at the Captivating Fragrance Coffee Shop as normal and perused the documents hidden in the library beyond the walls of the kitchen with great interest and curiosity.
His five joselian pesos daily salary was enough for him to keep the mother and daughter indefinitely within an inn, but the inn where they were temporarily staying was still too small to raise a child.
The daily amortization for the room amounted to three joselian pesos a day.
A steep price for a middle-class family in the City of Ashmelion.
Of course, Calvin planned on buying them a house.
At first, he wanted to ask Captain Ron Samuel a salary advance.
However, it was only less than a week since he started his job. He felt that he couldn't be that shameless to ask for a salary advance when his work wasn't even that difficult nor exhausting. Furthermore, Captain Ron Samuel had already given him an advance back then.
Calvin could only shake his head and let out a sigh, the average cost of housing rental in the Northern Borough was three joselian pesos a week.
But in the Southern Borough where most of the middle-class people lived in, the average cost of housing rental was at an astonishing ten joselian pesos a week.
Adding to the fact that new tenants needed to pay two months in advance, a month's worth of rent as a security fee, and the amount for the rent of the month.
The amount stacks up so fast and so easily that it was incredibly difficult for anyone from a different borough to transfer to another borough due to the difference in the cost of living.
In other words, if Calvin wanted to transfer Charlotte and Cecilia to the Southern Borough in a detached house with a livable space and a front yard as well as some maids and servants along with suitable furniture.
He needed at least 200 joselian pesos.
If he saved one joselian peso a day it would still take him 200 days to complete the savings goal.
Calvin felt a headache coming.
But since he had decided to change the life of both mother and daughter pair for the better, there was no room for regrets.
Calvin walked out of the Captivating Fragrance Coffee Shop and went ahead to Malasakit Inn where both mother and daughter pair stayed in the past few days. As soon as he opened the doors to the room, Cecilia came crashing towards his knees with a shout.
”Daddy, welcome back!” Cecilia jumped in joy and bloomed with a smile when she saw Calvin standing in front of the door. It was already eight in the night when Calvin arrived at the Inn.
As for the reason why he got home so late?
It was because he painstakingly lined up for some roast beef, chicken soup as well as some ingredients for several bowls of noodles at the night market of the Southern Borough.
The aroma of the dishes and meat attracted the attention of Cecilia.
”Mommy! Daddy brought us food! Let's eat!” She then rushed towards Charlotte.
”Oh, Calvin, you're back... Welcome... home...”
Charlotte seemed to be embarrassed saying these words.
Calvin lightly chuckled, ”Yeah, I'm back. I have some food here, so if you can please prepare the table and the utensils?”
”By the way, what are you doing?” Calvin noticed that Charlotte seemed to be holding a needle and some fabric. A single glance was enough for him to see what Charlotte was doing, but he still wanted to confirm it with her.
”Errr... I'm sewing some rags... I can sell them to the Northern Borough for some money...”
Charlotte avoided his gaze, but she still noticed that Calvin was somewhat annoyed when he heard what she said, ”Calvin, please don't stop me. I can't endure this anymore. I am someone that lived my life in the past few years without any outside help...”
”I...”
”I'm just not comfortable letting you take on all the work with me lazing around doing nothing...”
”I feel so guilty...” She outright confessed her true feelings and Calvin lifted a smile on his face.
He stretched his hand out to Charlotte's head and reassured her, ”So what if you're just lazing around and doing nothing? So long as you are taking good care of Cecilia and also playing with her then I'm fine if you don't do any work...”
”But...”
”All right, I understand...”
Calvin interrupted her before she could even say anything, ”You're the type of person that just can't stop working for some reason or else you'll feel bored and useless. I know what you feel. Every well, since you want to sell those rags, then I will permit you under one condition.”
Charlotte's eyes gleamed, ”What is it?”
”I don't want you to sell them in the Northern Borough...”
”Tell me what you need, I just don't want you to sell them in the Northern Borough...”
”That place is too dangerous, it's just not suitable for a lone beautiful woman like you to hawk your merchandise. Else, why would the wet market be situated at the Southern Borough if that place wasn't so dangerous?” Calvin reasoned it out with Charlotte.
Charlotte fell silent.
The quality of the fabric that she had in hand couldn't possibly compare with the quality of rags being sold in Southern Borough. She felt ashamed to sell these rags made out of inferior fabric in the Southern Borough.
Although she knew that she could ask Calvin for help, she couldn't possibly be so shameless, can she?
Charlotte thought to herself.
Calvin detected her inner turmoil and a frown appeared on his face. But in the end, he didn't say anything as he dragged Charlotte out of the bedroom into the living room where they could eat their meals. The room that Calvin rented in the Malasakit Inn was indeed worth its hefty price.
It boasted a single independent bedroom, a kitchen with a furnace, a bathroom connected to the sewers of Ashmelion, and a tub with readily available hot water from a nearby faucet. Light bulbs powered by gas was also present in the room, albeit their light wasn't really that strong.
Still, it was enough for the pair of mother and daughter who had once lived in total darkness for two weeks back when they were unable to afford gas for their gas lamps.
To be honest, for them, the existence of these light bulbs was a luxury. In fact, everything in this room was a luxury for them.
Charlotte was incredibly grateful to Calvin.
Not only he hauled her out of the matchstick and textile industry, but he was also giving them a new lease in life.
Words weren't enough to describe the gratitude that Charlotte felt for Calvin.
Just how could she repay him in this lifetime in hers? She thought of repaying Calvin with her body, but he seemed to be disinterested with her. It was understandable since she was a woman that everyone considered in Ashmelion as used goods.
Furthermore, she might only be in her mid-twenties, but the years of malnutrition and working and living in the harsh environment of Northern Borough took a toll on her body. She was so young, yet she looked as if she was already middle-aged.
Her hands were calloused, and yellowish from the chemicals that she handled in the past few years on a daily basis, and her figure looked as thin as a stick.
Even though her health had improved when Calvin came to her life, it was still a fact that she was far from a gorgeous woman that Calvin described her to be.
Thinking about all of these, Charlotte suddenly became dejected.
She stood up and walked mechanically towards the kitchen.
Cecilia realized that her mother seemed to be deeply concerned about something so she asked, ”Mommy... What happened to mommy? Is mommy sad?”