Chapter 11: The Family

Whether it was daytime or nighttime, the lighting in the house had never been adequate.

Lamplight at night lent a touch of coziness beneath its dim yellow glow, but by day, the place only seemed darker.

Nevertheless, Lu Xin’s spirits remained high.

The elegant and gentle Mother had already laid out breakfast: three bowls of plain porridge. On the plate lay a sliced salted egg. Mother ate little of the egg white, leaving the greasy yolk mostly for Lu Xin and Little Sister. Lu Xin, in turn, gave the greater portion to Little Sister. Father did not eat with them. He rarely left the kitchen, and whenever he did emerge, chaos ensued.

“Do you intend to take on that new job today?”

Mother asked Lu Xin gently, as if making casual conversation: “Are you prepared?”

Though neither Lu Xin nor Little Sister had mentioned it since returning home, Mother seemed to know everything, just as she always did.

Lu Xin nodded. “Prepared.”

“Our Little Lu has truly grown up.”

Mother gazed at Lu Xin with deep satisfaction and placed a piece of egg white in his bowl. “Working two jobs must be hard. Eat more!”

“Damn it! Trash! Exactly—trash! Knowing full well they’re using you, you still rush headlong into it!”

Father’s dissatisfied curses drifted from the kitchen. Everyone at the table pretended not to hear.

“Utterly useless! Getting swindled without even realizing it…”

Father’s voice rose louder, his anger intensifying.

Those at the table continued as though hearing nothing, silently eating their meal.

“If it were up to me, you should just slice them all to death!”

With a crash, the kitchen door flung open, and Father appeared in the living room.

He glared fixedly at Lu Xin, snarling, “Do you even know they nearly got you killed yesterday? Your life meant nothing to them! They planned from the start to have you die, even made preparations to kill you themselves!”

“If it weren’t for that dead shrew, they’d already have finished you off!”

“They practically murdered you! Why on earth would you still work for them?!”

“…”

He spoke, stepping menacingly closer to Lu Xin, eyes bloodshot, the bulging eyeballs veined with blood threads.

“What happened at the coffee shop… they weren’t in the right…”

Lu Xin ate his porridge quietly, only answering softly when there was no escape. “But… they offer payment…”

Father momentarily froze upon hearing this answer.

“Worthless waste! How can scum like you exist?”

This only fueled his greater fury. Cursing, he suddenly lashed out to grab Lu Xin.

Crash…

Just as Father’s hand was about to seize Lu Xin’s shoulder, a bowl of plain porridge splattered onto his face.

“How dare you—!”

Father instantly spun towards Mother in a violent rage, roughly wiping the porridge from his face.

“The true waste is you!”

Mother sat elegantly and composedly in her chair, emanating an icy aura. She looked at Father with utter disdain and said, “If it weren’t for your incompetence and your temper, why would we all be trapped here?”

“…”

“Whore! You’re courting death! Seeking your end!”

Father roared as if stabbed in a raw nerve, suddenly reaching out to grab Mother again.

But this time, Mother seemed disinclined to engage. She merely watched him coldly, then calmly raised two fingers.

The furious Father stumbled back as though startled by the gesture, suddenly halting.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Why’d you make that sign?”

He actually seemed intimidated, his voice lowered into a harsh whisper.

“You know exactly what it means.”

Mother smiled faintly. “So if you’re scared, get back in there!”

“Waste! Useless! Damnable trash all of you…!”

Father’s rage appeared to mount relentlessly, several times seeming to crest into utter, uncontrollable frenzy.

Meanwhile, Mother maintained the gesture of her fingers, watching him coolly.

Finally, the enraged father managed to restrain himself. Instead, he erupted into a torrent of crazed shouts, overturning the dining table in madness, tearing down the ceiling fan, smashing the nearby cabinet, crushing a glass in his grip. Then, his bulging eyes, laced with blood threads, swept savagely over Lu Xin, Mother, and Little Sister. Still cursing, he finally retreated back into the kitchen.

“Alright, it’s over now.”

Mother rose gracefully, straightening Lu Xin’s collar tenderly as she said, “Attend to your own matters. That’s very important.”

“I know.”

After a moment’s silence, Lu Xin spoke softly, “Thank you.”

“Silly child, we’re family. What are you thanking me for?”

Mother gave him a light tap, smiling. “But you must remember — no matter whom you meet, you must be polite and talk things through with them!” She smoothed her hair slightly, adding cheerfully, “Of course, we’ll reason with them only if they are willing to reason with us. You’re so honest, you’d never harm anyone… But if someone intends to bully you…”

Lu Xin looked up warily at Mother.

Her smile seemed even gentler, even more tender. “…then the whole family will go looking for him together…”

A chill ran down Lu Xin’s scalp. He merely gave a light sigh.

For the sake of others’ lives and safety, he really couldn’t afford to let anyone bully him…

…

As usual, Lu Xin arrived at the Office forty minutes before his official shift started.

Throughout the day’s work, he diligently finished every report and document assigned to his care. Only, unconsciously, he’d quickened his pace noticeably. He even skipped lunch. Consequently, by the time the evening shift ended, he had already completed his entire workload. He shouldered his backpack – the first to leave his workstation.

He didn’t voluntarily stay for overtime as he usually did, for now he had another task.

The night before, he’d carefully reviewed the materials Chen Jing had left him. This had given him a certain understanding of his new job.

His focus was mainly on the salary and subsidy section.

He understood that if Chen Jing notified him, he had to rush immediately to the specified location, follow her instructions, and deal with the Contamination Incident. But even if nothing particular happened to warrant his attention for a full month, he would still receive his pay.

Crucially, each Contamination Incident he handled would earn him an additional subsidy.

This money amounted to a considerable sum – ranging from ten thousand to thirty thousand, with targets as high as one hundred thousand noted.

Finding great motivation in this prospect, Lu Xin resolved to perform well at this job.

Seek opportunity. Take it seriously. Work hard. Aim for a permanent position soon.

He carried his identification, stowed the Satellite Phone and the gun in the backpack, and hit the street.

Taking Little Sister with him, he went out patrolling.