Rachel, holding her grandson, changed from being sarcastic and harsh to unreasonably kind. “Grandma’s good grandson, don’t cry. When we get to the big city, Grandma will take you to live in a villa, ride on an airplane, eat delicious food, and spicy treats…”
The child couldn’t understand any of this. The train carriage was crowded and noisy, and the smell was strong. The child couldn’t sleep and cried even more intensely.
Some people couldn’t bear it and reminded her, “Old lady, your grandson is probably hungry. You should feed him something. Everyone in this carriage needs some rest.”
“A crying child shows vitality. Besides, who hasn’t been a child before? What’s wrong with crying? It’s not illegal.” Facing her grandson, Rachel wished she could give him everything good.
“I can’t reason with you. I’m just kindly reminding you…”
“Do you need to remind me? Let me see if my good grandson needs to pee.” Rachel didn’t hesitate to take off the child’s diaper and comfort him by allowing him to urinate on the spot.
This scene immediately made people anxious.
“This is a public place. Do you have any manners at all? If the child needs to pee, can’t you go to the toilet? It’s disgusting.”
“Old lady, the toilet is just ahead, not far.”
“We’ll call someone on you for this. The carriage is stuffy enough without the smell of urine and feces. Do you really consider this place your own home?”
Rachel wanted to curse right then and there, but despite the crowd, she couldn’t make any headway. She looked at her useless husband and son lying sound asleep on the bed, feeling too angry to wake them up.
“You go and get some milk for Fugui, and Matthew, go buy a boxed meal.”
Rachel took the child to the toilet for urination, which took about five or six minutes. When she returned, the father and son had not yet come back.
She sat with the child for a while, completely unaware that their bag on the bed had been rummaged through.
It took an entire day to get to Chiwood by train, and after resting for a night, the staff reminded them to leave the station.
Rachel was busy holding the child, Christopher was randomly carrying the bag, and Matthew’s excitement was barely concealed. The thought of seeing their wealthy sister soon made him ecstatic.
The three of them were visiting the big city for the first time and felt somewhat apprehensive seeing the tall buildings.
Matthew said, “Mom and dad, let’s find a place to stay before we go to find Aoife.”
“Okay, we’ll follow your lead.” The couple were not educated and could barely recognize a few characters, so they had to rely on Matthew.
Luckily, Matthew could use the internet to read maps, but Chiwood train station was complex. After following the map and circling around, they couldn’t find the way, and ended up getting hungry, so they decided to eat at a nearby restaurant.
“Mom, where did you put the money?” Matthew rummaged through the bag and asked.
“Isn’t it inside? Wrapped in several layers in a red plastic bag, have another careful look.”
Matthew searched anxiously, but couldn’t find the plastic bag Rachel mentioned. “Mom, I can’t find it. Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”
Rachel’s heart sank. “You hold him, I’ll look for it.”
Rachel squatted down and turned over all the bags they had brought, but couldn’t find the money. She was absolutely certain she had brought the money, and it had been in the bag without being opened. It was their entire savings, totaling $50, 000. But now, without the money, they had no way to conveniently find Aoife in Chiwood. They had no place to stay, and no money to go anywhere. They were at a loss.
“When was the last time you saw the money?”
“I just put it in the bag. I never touched it. I was comforting the child the whole time on the train. Wasn’t the bag being watched by you and your father?”
At this moment, the three of them slowly realized that they had all left the bed for a period of time and had not looked after the bag. That must have been when the thief took the money.
Rachel sat on the ground, watching the bag turned upside down in front of her, wailing and crying, “Damn pickpockets, they even want to steal an old person’s hard-earned money. It’s unjust.”
Matthew felt suffocated as well, but seeing his mother wailing in the busy street made him feel even more ashamed.
They only realized the money was missing after getting off the train. They couldn’t retrieve it, and reporting it to the police was useless. They just had to accept their misfortune.
“It’s just $50, 000, right? Ifit’s gone, it’s gone. Just think, soon we’ll find Aoife, who’s worth over $600 million.”
It was precisely because she was thinking about that $600 million that she had been careless, and losing $50, 000 felt like having a piece of her heart ripped out.
“But what do we do now? You said we wouldn’t find Aoife right away, so where do we stay now that the money’s been stolen?”
“Should we go to the police and wait for them to inform Aoife?” Christopher couldn’t help but interject.
Matthew felt a sense of unease. Aoife had changed her name now, and her appearance had also changed significantly. She was now a multi-billionaire celebrity. Would anyone believe them? Plus, they had torn up the household register in the past, and because Aoife hadn’t been favored at home, there were no photos of her. In other words, they didn’t have any evidence now.
Once the money was gone, the whole situation had become a mess.
At this moment, a man walked up to them: “What trouble have you run into now?”
The man appeared to be in his forties, broad-shouldered, and wearing a large gold chain around his thick neck. In local terms, he looked like a well-connected individual. Matthew had been involved with people like him before and could tell from the man’s demeanor that he was wealthy and perhaps a local big shot who could help them out.
“We’re here to find my sister, but we didn’t expect the money to be stolen on the train.”
“Looking for your sister, huh? What’s your sister’s name? Let me see if I can help you find her.”
The three of them exchanged glances, and Matthew made up his mind: “Big brother, you might not believe me when I tell you, but my sister’s name is Elisa, the famous celebrity. When we find her and complete the family reunion, we will definitely reward you.”
“Elisa, the one who starred in that recent TV drama? I know, I know. Don’t say any more.” The man with the gold chain scrutinized their dark facial features. “Elisa does look quite similar to you guys.”
“That’s… after all, she’s my own flesh and blood.”
“It’s just a bit strange, how did she become a big star? She seems a bit… ”
Rachel burst out, “Raised a ingrate, provided her with good food and education, and what did she do? She left school to become an actress, disregarding our parental advice. Once she had money, she abandoned her family and now she refuses to acknowledge us. She probably despises us!”
“It’s unimaginable for a daughter to despise her parents. How about this, ma’am, you lost your money and have nowhere to stay. Why don’t you stay at my place for a couple of nights while we look for your sister? Are you certain she’s in Chiwood?”
Matthew said, “Her information clearly states she’s in Chiwood.”
“Regardless, as long as you are certain. Your sister is now a big star after all. Luckily, you’ve met me today. Otherwise, no one would believe you.”
As soon as they heard about a place to stay, their eyes lit up. Rachel immediately grabbed the man’s arm, “Young man, you are truly a kind soul.”
“As the saying goes, fate brings people together. Rely on parents at home and rely on friends outside. Who doesn’t encounter some trouble, right? As for us brothers.” The man patted Matthew’s shoulder heavily, “It’s clear I am older than you, so you can call me Cromwell.”
“Cromwell, from now on, we are brothers. We are closer than real siblings. My name is Matthew, you can call me whatever you like.”
Cromwell was not shy at all, directly calling him little brother. He opened his wallet and took out five red bills, “You lost your money, so you should keep this money for now. You can use it for a couple of days. You need money in a place like this.”
“How can we accept this?” Rachel refused verbally but took the five red bills from Cromwell’s hand, tucking them into her blouse like a treasure. Although she complained, five hundred was too stingy. How long could this little money last?
Despite Cromwell’s fierce appearance, he was quite hospitable, settling the whole family in a run-down room.
Walking at the back, Rachel pulled Christopher and said, “We’re living here? Our rural houses are better than this.”
“Be content. We lost all our money. Staying here is better than being on the streets.”
Rachel, however, discontentedly pursed her lips. She looked at the expensive gold chain around Cromwell’s neck. He brought them to such a rundown place despite wearing such an expensive chain. It sounded nice coming from his mouth. Even though they were currently down and out, their hidden wealth amounted to six billion. Shouldn’t he have treated them better? He wasn’t being a decent person.
Cromwell ordered takeout casually. The three of them had been hungry for so long after getting off the train. Crowded around a table, they wolfed down the food. After eating and drinking their fill, Christopher went to take a nap, and Rachel coaxed her grandson to sleep. The remaining Matthew, having nothing to do, was taken by Cromwell to familiarize himself with the surroundings.
Unbeknownst to them, they had been targeted since they got off the train. They had fallen into a trap without realizing it.
Cromwell took Matthew further and further away. Say what you will, big cities are nice. Everything is convenient to buy, and there’s no shortage of food, drink, and entertainment.
“Little brother, what do you usually like to do at home?”
“I sometimes go out to play cards with a few friends.”
“Playing cards? I also like to play cards. How about this, I know a good place, I’ll take you there.”
“But I don’t have any money.”
“Don’t worry, you have me, Cromwell, to treat you.”
At once, Matthew agreed. Cromwell took him to a gambling den and exchanged chips as soon as they entered.
Matthew hesitated. He had never played for such high stakes, and he didn’t have any money right now. He needed to be careful.
Cromwell reassured him, “You have a big star sister now, are you afraid of losing this little money? And coming here doesn’t necessarily mean losing; you could win big. Look around you.”
Matthew looked around, infected by the atmosphere, and in a moment of excitement, he exchanged for a hundred thousand chips. His luck was good, and he won a few hands. However, he soon started losing, and in no time, he had lost five million. Before he could react, it was too late.
He couldn’t pay back the money. Matthew rubbed his hands nervously, “Can I get a IOU? I don’t have that much money right now.”
The manager of the casino came over, smoking acigarette, “You dare to gamble without money? Do you think our place is a toilet? You can just come in and out as you please?”
Matthew usually only dared to play with a few friends in the rural town. He had never seen such a scene before. He was suddenly so scared that his legs trembled, and he nodded with his legs crossed, “Big… big brother, I just got carried away for a moment. I didn’t expect to lose so much. But I will definitely be able to raise the money. My sister, Elisa, is a big star who has recently starred in movies and TV shows that have made a box office of 6 billion. Let alone this amount, once I find my sister, I will return the money with interest to you.”
The surroundings fell eerily quiet, then burst into laughter after about three or four seconds. The manager of the casino laughed the loudest, almost falling over, “Did you hear that? This bumpkin claims that his sister is a popular star who has made 6 billion at the box office? Who does he think he’s fooling? With your appearance, claiming to have such a sister, you’re the most shameless con artist I’ve met this year. Even an 80-year-old lady on the street wouldn’t be as shameless as you.”
Matthew was sweating profusely, anxious to explain, “I’m telling the truth. My sister is really Elisa, her original name is Aoife.”
“You say she’s your sister, and I could also claim that the richest man in Chiwood is my brother. You need evidence to make a claim.”