Chapter 19: Mother's Saintly Heart

Time flew by, and seven years passed in the blink of an eye. Now fourteen, Xin Zai should have been in the middle of a growth spurt, but he stood less than 1.3 meters tall, his frame so thin he looked as if a gust of wind could knock him over.

Just then, Mother Li stepped out of the room and explained, "Xiao Bo is back! Well, you see... with winter arriving, I couldn't bear to see Xin Zai living in that flimsy shanty. I felt so sorry for him, so I thought I’d let him stay with us."

"Absolutely not!" Li Haibo cut her off with a firm, uncompromising tone.

After all, he was an undercover agent. For a man in his line of work, having too many family members was a liability; more family meant more ties, making it easier for enemies to use them against him.

Sensitive by nature, Xin Zai sensed Li Haibo’s reaction. A surge of pride welled up within him, and biting his lip, he said, "Mother Li, forget it! I’m tough as nails! I haven’t frozen to death all these years, and I’ll be fine this year too!" With that, he turned to walk out the door.

"Come back! Sigh! Mother, since you’ve already brought them through the door, it wouldn't be right for me to throw them out now. It’s not like we’re short of a bite to eat," Li Haibo sighed in resignation.

"Exactly! That’s what I thought, too. How much can children eat? It’s just a few extra pairs of chopsticks and bowls," Mother Li chimed in.

"Wait a minute! A few... how many?" Li Haibo suddenly realized something was not quite right.

At that moment, several more children timidly emerged from the room, one of them carrying a little girl on her back.

Good heavens, Li Haibo recognized them instantly—they were all homeless orphans from the neighborhood.

Xiao Hei usually polished shoes for people, Ah Sheng sold cigarettes on the street, and Lai Li Tou was still young, begging along the streets with his little sister, Xiu Xiu. Relying on the help of older children like Xin Zai, they had managed to scrape by, huddled together in a small shack at night.

"They won't need support for long. Xin Zai is fourteen, and Xiao Hei is twelve; in a few years, they can go out and work for money!" Mother Li watched her son nervously, knowing he was the pillar of the household.

She hadn't consulted him when she adopted Xiao Hua years ago, and now that she had brought in even more children, she wasn't sure if he would agree. If he truly refused, there was nothing she, an old woman, could do. After all, the world was in chaos, and life was hard! But looking at these poor children, she simply couldn't find it in her heart to turn them away.

Lai Li Tou suddenly dropped to his knees, his eyes rimmed with red, his voice trembling with tears: "Brother Bo! We can leave. We are tough; we won't freeze or starve. But Xiu Xiu is sick. Please, save her!"

Just then, Xiao Hua tugged at Li Haibo’s sleeve, her eyes full of pity: "Big brother! They are so pathetic, please let them stay! I can eat less... no... I can eat only one meal a day and give my share to them. They... they are very easy to feed!"

Li Haibo looked at Xiao Hua’s cute and sensible face, his heart overflowing with tenderness. "Isn't eating your favorite thing, Hua Hua? How can you bear to give your meals to them?"

Xiao Hua’s lips trembled as she cried, "Actually, I know I wasn’t born to Mother!"

Li Haibo was startled. "Who said that? You are her own flesh and blood. If I hear anyone talking nonsense, I’ll tear their mouth apart!"

"I just know. I remember it clearly. I was nearly starving to death when Mother picked me up. I’m just like them—an orphan! I’m an orphan! Ah—" Xiao Hua sobbed uncontrollably.

Her crying tugged at Li Haibo’s heart. With a soft sigh, he picked her up and said gently, "Don't cry, Hua Hua. Don't worry, Big Brother has money; I won't let you go hungry."

Having finally calmed Xiao Hua down, Li Haibo took a few coins from his pocket and dangled them in front of her. "Go buy some candy!"

Seeing the coins, Xiao Hua instinctively swallowed hard, but she forced herself to resist, clasping her hands behind her back. She shook her head and said, "I... I don’t like candy!"

"Silly child! These new brothers and sisters just arrived; shouldn't you go buy some candy to welcome them?" Li Haibo said with a smile, tapping her nose.

Xiao Hua tilted her head, thought about it, and decided her brother was right. She took the coins and scurried away.

Li Haibo turned and carefully carried the frail Xiu Xiu into the inner room. The little girl leaned weakly against him, her body so thin she was nothing but skin and bones, making it hard to guess her age. Her hair was dry and yellow, and her skin burned to the touch—she was clearly running a high fever.

Anxious, Li Haibo hurried to find the fever medication he had acquired from the Mitsui pharmacy and fed it to her according to the dosage.

"Mother! Where do you intend to put all these children?"

Mother Li quickly explained, "Well, the Fu Sheng family next door moved back to their hometown to farm, right? I plan to have the boys stay there, and Xiu Xiu and Xiao Hua will stay with me. Don't worry, it won't disturb your rest!"

Li Haibo sighed again, silently pulling out all the money he had on him. "Go buy them some clothes. It’s so cold out; don't let the children freeze."

Mother Li waved her hands dismissively. "No, no need. The neighbors gave us some old clothes; I can alter them so they can wear them. They won't freeze!"

"Then go buy grain. They are all growing! Since I’ve let them in, I won't have them going hungry," Li Haibo said with firm, unquestionable authority.

"Yes!" Mother Li’s face lit up with a grateful smile. She happily tucked the money away, her heart finally at ease.

By now, Xiao Hua had shared the candy with the boys. Laughter echoed through the room; children were truly so easy to satisfy.

Li Haibo glared at the group and said fiercely, "Don't think that just because you’re in my house, you can just freeload. You have to go out and earn money! Don't expect me to support this whole family by myself!"

Xin Zai, the oldest, stepped forward immediately and said, "Don't worry, Brother Bo. I go out to sell newspapers every day, Xiao Hei polishes shoes at the train station, and Ah Sheng sells cigarettes on the street. The money we three earn is enough to feed the five younger ones!"

"Also, once spring comes and it’s no longer cold, you are to move out. Don't think about hanging around my house forever!"

"Alright," Xin Zai replied weakly, the children’s faces clouded with visible disappointment.

Mother Li sighed to herself: *Sigh, my son is perfect in every way—filial and capable—it’s just that he spent too much time in places like the Green Gang with his father when he was young. He’s seen too much killing; he started taking lives at sixteen.*

*I’m just a woman, I don't understand anything and I can't do anything, so I can only try to accumulate some merit for you.*

After dinner, Xiu Xiu’s fever began to subside. Mother Li knelt devoutly before the shrine, reciting prayers in a low voice. Behind her, a row of children knelt neatly. Though they didn't fully understand, they imitated her posture, their eyes reflecting a flicker of peace and hope.

Li Haibo walked out into the courtyard alone. Furrowing his brows, he pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag.

Looking up at the night sky, he cursed this damned world under his breath.

It was the end of 1938. Eleven more years. Just hold on for eleven more years!

He needed money—a lot of money—or he wouldn't be able to afford his saintly mother’s generosity. He calculated silently in his mind.

Suddenly, he remembered the massive safe inside the Infinite Space. Tossing his cigarette butt, he turned and hurried back to his room.

The safe was enormous. Standing in the room, it looked strikingly out of place, occupying nearly half the space.

Li Haibo was overcome with excitement. He had seen with his own eyes that it was filled with gold bars and silver dollars. If he could get them out, he wouldn't have to worry about his mother’s spending habits, and he could afford to take in as many orphans as he wanted!

Unable to wait, Li Haibo placed his hand on the dial of the safe and activated his "Sharp Ears" skill, focusing all his concentration on cracking the code.