Chapter 571: The Old Madam’s Confidence
Old Man Feng, who had been lounging lazily in his chair, suddenly perked up. He shot a fierce glare at a few of his subordinates chatting in the room. ’Noisier than a flock of ducks. So annoying.’ Will shooed them all out of the room, but then came back in by himself. He wanted to hear what his boss and the chubby little girl were saying to each other.
"Uncle, I received your gift. Thank you!" Tang Xiaonan said politely.
Every time Adrian Hawthorne came back from Capria, he would bring a pile of gifts—clothes, shoes, snacks, candy, and more. He even brought Coca-Cola, which pained Raina to no end due to its cost. Tang Xiaonan had been wanting to thank Old Man Feng for them anyway.
Old Man Feng couldn’t help but smile, his voice growing warmer. "I’ll bring you more next time. You’re on summer vacation, aren’t you? Want to come over to my place and have some fun?"
Tang Xiaonan was incredibly tempted. ’I really want to go!’ But— "My mom and dad won’t let me go out."
"Don’t worry about that. Just sneak out, and I’ll have someone come pick you up."
Old Man Feng sounded like the Big Bad Wolf luring a little girl. Will, who was standing beside him, rolled his eyes. ’What a hassle,’ he thought. ’It would be easier if I just went to Vessaria and brought the chubby girl back myself.’
Tang Xiaonan was tempted, but she still had her wits about her. ’I can’t sneak out again,’ she thought. ’This time, I want to go play with their permission.’
"Once I get my mom and dad’s permission, I’ll come visit you, Uncle," Tang Xiaonan said reassuringly.
"If they say no, just have Mr. Hawthorne sneak you out," Old Man Feng suggested, thinking it would be more efficient anyway.
Tang Xiaonan and Old Man Feng chatted for about ten minutes. It was mostly just idle talk about everyday things like eating and sleeping, but the old man and the little girl were completely engrossed in the conversation. The receiver was warm to the touch before they finally hung up, both reluctant to end the call.
The group wandered around Wraven for a while and bought quite a few things. Adrian Hawthorne had given Clayton Xavier his full commission of over seven hundred yuan, not a single cent short. Seeing the money made Patrick Thorne burn with envy. He decided to find his second uncle that very night to discuss things. His uncle was on good terms with the factory director and would surely be able to persuade him.
When Clayton Xavier got home, he pulled a wad of sweat-soaked cash from his pocket. It was a thick stack of over seventy ten-yuan bills. The ones on top were damp. He had been so nervous on the way back that he hadn’t dared to take his hand out of his pocket, clutching the money tightly the entire time for fear it would fall out. His palm was slick with sweat.
Clayton Xavier called the Old Madam and Verna Golding to the second floor. After closing the door and windows, he spread the money out on the table. The light gleamed off the crisp new bills, reflecting a beautiful sheen. Verna Golding was dazzled; she had never seen so much money in her life.
The Old Madam, however, remained perfectly calm. She glanced at the money once and then looked away.
"Th-this... you earned all this money?" Verna Golding’s voice trembled as pride swelled within her.
In just one business trip, her son had made more than a strong laborer earned in a full year of work points. ’Let’s see who dares call my son useless now,’ she thought.
Clayton Xavier smiled and nodded. "Mom, you don’t have to go into the mountains to gather herbs anymore."
Verna Golding wiped her eyes as tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. ’I’m finally able to benefit from my son’s success,’ she thought. ’Heaven has been good to me. The first half of my life was bitter, but right now, I’m the happiest woman in the world.’
"Things will only get better from now on," the Old Madam said quietly. She thought, ’As long as the overall situation improves, our Xavier family can definitely make a comeback.’
Besides, her confidence wasn’t baseless. The Xavier family had weathered decades of turmoil, and she had made preparations long ago. She had sold off the majority of the family’s assets, converted them into gold bars, and buried them all underneath their old estate.
Back then, she had given up all their other properties, keeping only this one seemingly unremarkable house, all for the sake of making a comeback one day.
’The good days are almost here. I’ve finally lived to see it.’
’But I have to wait a little longer. I must live to hand over the Xavier family’s assets to my grandson. I also have to wait for that little bitch to return so she can witness Storm Xavier’s wretched end with her own eyes. Only then can I finally rest in peace.’