Free Web NovelChapter 424: Chapter 424: Returning to Vessaria
They were heading back to Vessaria the next day. The return tickets Adrian Hawthorne had bought were for the Vessaria stop, which meant they could store the goods in the city instead of hauling them all the way back to Millstone Peak. Their train was at nine-thirty in the morning. The guesthouse where they were staying wasn’t far from the train station, but they would still have to take a bus, and there was no way they’d be allowed on carrying several huge sacks.
"Will said yesterday that he’d have someone come help us. I wonder if he was serious," Jim Thorne muttered.
He had just tried hoisting one of the sacks, and the weight was crushing. The fabric was dense and heavy. He and Adrian could probably only manage one sack each, at most. But with a build as slight as Adrian Hawthorne’s, he likely couldn’t even lift one—and he had to carry little Xiaonan on his back, too. It would be a real problem if no one came to help.
"Let’s wait a bit," Adrian said. "It’s no big deal if they don’t show. We can go to the alley across the street and hire someone. All it takes is money."
Adrian Hawthorne checked the time. It was only eight o’clock. He’d wait another half hour. If no one came, he’d go across the street to hire someone himself. He’d already checked yesterday; there were several men with carts in the alley opposite who would deliver the sacks to the train station for just one yuan. They would even help load them onto the train.
"Why aren’t you on your way yet? Hurry up, you don’t want to be late!"
Aston Marsh had come over. He wasn’t heading back just yet, as he still had some unfinished business, but he had intentionally cleared his morning just to see them off at the train station.
"Have you called for a cart yet?"
"Will said he’d have someone come help, so I’m going to wait a little longer," Adrian Hawthorne said.
Aston Marsh asked, puzzled, "Who is this Will?"
"Someone who works for Madman Feng."
Aston Marsh’s eyes widened in disbelief. He mumbled, "You guys have some kind of connection to Madman Feng? I’ve never heard of him taking such good care of a customer. Even with the biggest orders, once the goods and money changed hands, the deal was done and he wouldn’t give you a second thought. Not unless you were paying extra for a private railcar."
Adrian Hawthorne just smiled. "Maybe he’s just looking out for me because I’m young."
Aston Marsh nodded, only half-convinced. "Maybe that’s it. I heard Madman Feng doesn’t have any children. Plenty of people have wanted to be his adopted son, but he’s never taken a liking to any of them."
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. Aston Marsh lowered his voice and whispered conspiratorially, "Don’t tell me... Madman Feng wants to adopt you?"
Adrian Hawthorne didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He shook his head. "I’m far too dull for his tastes. Madman Feng wouldn’t be interested in me. Besides, I have a father and mother. I can’t just become someone else’s son. He’s simply taking pity on me because I’m young and lending a hand where he can."
Aston Marsh gave a hollow laugh, his gaze shifting. Inwardly, he scoffed. ’Pity... That’s a word you’d never associate with Madman Feng. Rumor has it he has a lot of blood on his hands. How could a boss who kills without batting an eye possibly have a heart capable of pity?’
He was certain there was a special connection between Adrian Hawthorne and Madman Feng, but he didn’t want to find out what it was. It was better not to know about certain things, especially when they involved major figures in the criminal underworld. The more you knew, the faster you died. He knew the rules.
"Will sent us. Are you ready to go now?"
Two burly, middle-aged men appeared at the door, holding thick hemp ropes. They weren’t tall, and their dark skin glistened with sweat. Dressed in tattered clothes, they were clearly manual laborers.
"Yes, let’s go now. Thank you for your trouble."
Adrian Hawthorne was secretly pleased and gestured for the two men to enter. The two men lifted the heavy burlap sacks with surprising ease. One shouldered two, and the other shouldered three. They tied the loads securely with their ropes, their backs bending at almost a ninety-degree angle. They looked like great trees about to topple over, and the sight was heartbreaking.
Little Xiaonan’s heart ached for them. She couldn’t help but say, "You could make two trips."
The man carrying three sacks didn’t say anything and was already heading out. The other laborer, who was carrying two, caught his breath and said with a smile, "We’re in a hurry!"
