Chapter 19

"Henry?" David called out in surprise at the ragged little boy. The child's pants were too short, exposing his dark calves, and his shirt had several holes.

It was lunchtime, and smoke curled from chimneys throughout the village.

"Auntie, David, Tommy..." Henry greeted them timidly.

Emily Johnson studied the skinny boy, her heart aching. Even in modern times, children in impoverished mountain regions still lived such difficult lives.

"My stepmother sent me to gather firewood," Henry muttered, lowering his head.

"But it's mealtime. You should eat first," David said with a frown. He knew Henry's stepmother treated him poorly.

"Let's go gather wood together! Maybe we'll find wild berries too!" Tommy suggested excitedly.

Emily watched the three boys, noting how much thinner Henry looked compared to her sons. She sighed quietly.

In the bamboo grove, Emily showed the children how to collect bamboo husks for kindling.

"You gather here. I'll look for berries," she said, taking the basket from Tommy.

What wild berries could even be found in the autumn mountains? she wondered as she walked.

"Brother, do you think Mom will abandon us?" Tommy asked nervously as he picked up bamboo husks.

Both boys carried the same fear. Their mother's sudden kindness these past two days only made them more uneasy.

They remembered her saying it was because of them that she couldn’t return to the city.

"Michael, are you buying a gift for your wife?" Charles Clark asked as he saw Michael Stone heading toward the department store.

Samuel Bright and Daniel River nearly covered Charles' mouth. Wasn’t it obvious?

With the last batch of goods sold, they could finally go home. Michael clearly wanted to bring his wife a gift to make her happy.

Of their group, Michael was the only one married. The rest were too poor to afford a wife.

"Help me pick something," Michael said bluntly.

The department store was filled with dazzling merchandise.

"Get vanishing cream! And new clothes!" Charles suggested, recalling what village women often talked about.

Michael took his advice and first bought skincare products.

"I'd like a lipstick," he told the sales clerk.

The clerk eyed the group of men before pulling out several tubes. "We have scarlet, rose, and peach..."

Charles scratched his head. "Aren’t they all just for lips? Why so many colors?"

"Which shade would you like?" the clerk asked.

"Michael, the rose one looks nice!" Charles chimed in.

Michael ignored him. "One peach and one scarlet."

"Michael, one is enough..." Samuel whispered. A single tube cost five dollars—far too expensive.

But Michael didn’t hesitate. He also picked out a new dress, spending over a hundred dollars in total.

Wasn’t earning money meant for his wife? That was what he believed.