Chapter 4

After the video call ended, Mom took a pen and paper from her bag.

She wrote a few lines on it.

"Miles, Mom is going back for now.

"You've made the house far too dirty and messy. Mom will give you one month. Clean the house and yourself properly.

"One month from now, Mom will come check. If your hygiene is acceptable, Mom will bring you and Grandpa to the city.

"If you fail, you'll stay here and keep reforming yourself."

After she finished writing, she looked hesitantly toward the house. In the end, she stuffed the note into Grandpa's leaky pocket.

"Dad, this note is for Miles. Make sure he sees it.

"I'm going back for now. Tell Miles I'll come again in a month."

With that, she hurried away without looking back.

I watched her back and cried while laughing.

Grandpa stared blankly after her for a long time.

"Grandpa, let's go back inside. Don't stand in the sun."

The blazing sun drew sweat from his hair, but he just stood there blankly, not even knowing to wipe it away.

Maybe he was simply hard to kill. Even after several heatstrokes, he had pulled through.

"Miles... Miles... mice... eating flies..."

He started mumbling nonsense again.

I watched helplessly as he was left to fend for himself, just as I had once been.

But Grandpa, I still don't want to be reunited with you.

I ran into the house, anxious and frantic, trying to clean up.

But my hands couldn't pick anything up.

I stamped my feet and cried in panic. "Grandpa, I can't help you anymore. What do we do? What do we do?"

He only chuckled and picked up the maggot-infested food from the table, eating it.

I cried even louder, nearly tearing my throat apart as I tried to make him hear me.

Again and again, I told him not to eat it.

But everything was useless.

One month later, Helen and Daniel came back together.

This time, their hands were empty.

I pouted and complained, "What are you back for? Mason is your only treasure. Don't come back and disgust me."

They couldn't hear me.

Instead, I heard plenty from them as they complained that I was filthy and disobedient.

By coincidence, Mr. Harper came to bring Grandpa food.

He knew Grandpa couldn't cook, so he only brought enough cooked food for one day. There was meat and vegetables, and the meat was stewed soft enough for Grandpa to chew.

The rest was water, bread, cookies, instant noodles, and other dry food.

When Mr. Harper saw my dad, he was both surprised and angry. Out of politeness, he didn't explode.

"You finally remembered you have an elderly father at home who can't take care of himself."

Daniel smiled awkwardly and found an excuse for himself.

"These years have been hard while we were struggling outside. Now that things are a little better, we've come back to bring him with us.

"Thank you so much for looking after my father."

Mr. Harper smiled faintly and said nothing.

Helen looked at the room, still completely untouched, covered her nose, and complained again, "What's wrong with Miles? I told him to clean up. I came to bring him away!

"He didn't clean up at all! This child is enough to drive someone mad!"

Daniel also looked nauseated, but in front of others, he held it in.

Mr. Harper looked suspicious. "Wasn't Miles taken to the city by you years ago?"