Chapter 49—Dire State
In the busy street of the impoverished town of Country X, a food stall is active with many people gathering to have lunch. Laborers, construction workers, and students often visit the area because of the cheap food and convenient location.
The heat coming from the midday sun and the polluted air doesn't hinder the customer from enjoying their food.
However, since the food is cheap, the owner of the store does not get enough income and often has to break up a fight because of some drunk customer.
Vera is standing in the shop opposite the food cart where her grandparents are working. She intentionally didn't bring a car so as not to get too much unwanted attention. At the moment, she looks like an ordinary civilian with her casual attire.
Wanting to observe her grandparents more, she decided to find a spot directly opposite to them. She had been sitting in the same place for 3 hours, but the shop owner didn't mind since she kept ordering some food to eat.
Focusing back on the food cart in front, she could see the vast changes in her grandparents' appearance after many years of not seeing them. The proud look of her grandfather that always mesmerizes Vera is nowhere. Instead, desperation and complete defeat are evident on his old face.
Her grandmother looks sick and is about to pass out. Vera is worried that the intense heat is not suitable for her health. She shouldn't be in this place, she thought. She tightly clenched the napkin she was holding to prevent herself from throwing something.
Also, her keen eye didn't miss noticing that the woman who is cramming to cook at the back of the cart is her aunt. Fragments of her memory rush to her upon seeing her aunt's posture. She remembers that she always had a dignified body posture when she was a kid. Every time she visited the house, she would prepare her favorite food and play with her. She was very close to her mother since they both lived together in high school.
When her uncle and aunt announced that they would marry, their families celebrated. There was a big feast to celebrate the two's union. Who would have thought that her aunt would suffer like this for many years?
Vera stayed rooted to her spot and is considering if she should approach them now. In the end, she decided to wait for the perfect time.
-------------------------------
Lu Ming Rong is busy running around to serve food, not caring about the seat soaking his back. Today their food business is more active than usual because the construction workers have come to work. It is not often that they have a large number of customers, so today they are going to earn some extra.
Though his knees are killing him, he ignores the pain and keeps on doing what he usually does to help his daughter-in-law.
Life had been cruel for their family for the past years. After his son was scammed by his cousin, their family lost everything and was left with no option; they had to move out of their house.
They settled into this neighborhood after their butler let them stay in his ancestor's house. Their life situation didn't improve until two years ago, when Mira gathered enough money to open her business. To earn more, they all agreed to help.
It is a challenge considering their old age, but Lu Ming Rong didn't have a choice. He already loses many things in life, including her only daughter. He only has his son left. He needs to contribute and help him before he dies.
A big crashing sound got his attention to see his wife being pushed by a customer. He hurriedly comes to her side and supports her. Angry but not wanting to escalate the situation, he tried to reason with the drunk customer. However, his effort is useless. The man is belligerent and is making havoc on their stall. He rushes to stop the man from smashing their tables but is hit by him instead. The impact caused him to feel dizzy, and he unconsciously touched his head that was now bleeding.
A faint flicker of light is playing in his eyes, and before he passed out, he could only see his family running towards his direction. However, before he closed his eyes, he saw his daughter's face dashing towards him. Though he felt pain, he couldn't help but smile. "My daughter, you are here," he said hoarsely before he succumbed to complete darkness.