He didn't know whether to laugh or cry at how Reilei reacted. He originally thought Reilei would be happy, but her face turned extremely pale as though she was frightened by what she saw. The thing that caught him off-guard the most were her tears.
"Jin... You must tell me where you received this money from. We can return it... Or, I'll work it off and pay the interest if I have to must. We can even anonymously drop it off at the place it came from."
Reilei felt as though she was having a panic attack. Her thinking was all over the place as she tried to think of a solution to their current issue, but she was unable to calm herself.
He almost fell over when he heard her words. Return it? Pay interest? Drop it off? He finally understood why she reacted the way, she thought that he had come across this money by illegal means! How could she not be in a state of panic after thinking such a thing?
,
Jin shook his head, "Please calm down, mother. I promise, this money was earned due to my own hard work and there are no connections to anything illegal. This is from an item I sold on the game I'm currently playing" he said trying to calm her down.
Reilei sniffled a little as she wiped her tears away, "Game...?" she blinked a few times with a confused look on her face. When she heard Jin's promise, it made her feel a sudden sense of relief. Reilei would not doubt the words of her son, especially if he made a promise, but she was still worried.
Jin nodded his head, "Yes, it's from the game I most recently purchased. I've found a way to generate income so that you won't have to work so hard" a smile formed on his face after he finished speaking.
Reilei's eyes were widened in shock, "But... that's over 90,000 RMB... You've made so much in less than one day? How is that possible..?" She never really understood anything about video games. When Jin was just a little child he used to try to get her to play with him, but she simply could not comprehend them.
"The details are pretty long... How about we talk about it over lunch? My treat of course" it would not take that long to explain, but he wanted to use this chance to drag her away from having to work.
"I would love to but I have work in-" this time, Reilei was cut off before she could finish speaking.
"Mother, trust me. You've taken care of me for all these years, so please allow me a turn to take care of you now. Trust me" Jin spoke in a serious tone.
Reilei almost felt like tearing up when she heard those words. It was not because Jin was offering to take care of her, but more so that he asked her to trust him. The way Jin spoke made Reilei feel as if she were seeing her little boy become a man right before her eyes.
To be truthful, part of her was reluctant to see such a thing happen. After all, it was difficult for most parents to see their child grow up as they may not need them or depend on them anymore. Reilei seemed sad yet happy at the same time.
Even though the majority of parents did not want to see their children grow up, they still wanted them to be happy and well off. Reilei wiped her eyes and prevented herself from tearing up. She then nodded her head while smiling in a joyful way, "I trust you, Jin. Of course, I trust you."
Reilei gave her everything for Jin's sake. She would trust him since he appeared to be very serious about the situation. In fact, this was the first time Reilei had seen her son behave in this manner.
She then cleared her throat before lightly pushing Jin out of the room, "Out you, your mother can't go out like this... She looks like a mess, so you must give her a second to freshen up" Reilei closed the door as Jin was forced into the hallway. When she closed the door a lovely smile blossomed onto her face.
Jin held his hands up in a helpless manner as he was pushed out of the room. "Haha..." he who was once known as the number one cultivator within the Seven Realms was powerless when faced with this mortal woman. Who in all of the Seven Realms would dare to believe such a thing?
A few moments later...
Reilei stepped out of the room wearing a lime green pleated skirt that stopped just a bit before her ankles. Along with that, she wore a simple white blouse and white peep toe wedge sandals. It was a very casual look and yet most men would fawn over Reilei with her current appearance.
"Well? How do I look?" she asked with a small giggle. This was something that she could comfortably move around in. Reilei could not remember the last time she actually dressed up in any clothing besides the ones she worked in.
Jin let out a sigh, "Mother... How can I fend off all the men who will try to approach you?" he said in a tone of voice that sounded powerless but there was a smile on his face in the process of saying so.
Reilei playfully pinched Jin's cheek, "Alright that's enough out of you mister. You shouldn't tease your single mother. Besides, my little Jin is the only man I need in my life" she locked her arm with Jin's.
Reilei was startled inwardly when she locked her arm with Jin's... When did her son start working out so much? "It seems he took my advice on taking better care of himself," she thought to herself.
Jin had already changed into some normal jeans, with a black V-neck shirt and some black tennis shoes. It was the first time Izroth had worn such clothing and although they were not as comfortable as the clothing he was used to wearing, it was not bad for mortal clothing.
While he was sensing the changes in his body earlier, he was also properly organizing all of Jin's memories. The «Heavenly Golden Body» did not just change the outside of the body, but also the inside. This included things such as the bones, heart, brain and all other organs.
If he tried to absorb all of Jin's memories directly into his mind, it would be unable to handle the sudden payload of information and may cause the memories to be very scattered and fragmented.
But now, he no longer had to depend on his soul to slowly search through the memories of Jin manually every time he needed information. One could say that Izroth was finally completely one with Jin now.
Reilei released Jin's arm as both of them walked to the front door and left the house heading outside.
"Are you sure you don't want me to call for a ride?" Jin closed the door behind him and locked it after letting Reilei exit out first. He had more than enough money at the moment to call them a ride, but Reilei seemed to be against the matter.
"I am absolutely sure. The restaurant is not too far and... we have not gone for a walk since you were 10 years old. I'll actually enjoy this much more than a ride" Reilei was content just spending time with Jin.
Jin decided to let Reilei pick the restaurant they were going to. She chose one that was within walking distance and had affordable prices. Even though Jin told her she could choose anywhere, Reilei was still very reserved.
...
Jin and Reilei were sitting down at the table of a restaurant. It was nothing fancy, just a nice local family's owned business. The people here were polite and friendly. The two had already ordered their food and finished eating. Now they were just having a casual conversation.
"Mother, there's something I want to talk to you about" Jin looked directly at Reilei with a determined expression. It was time to bring up the topic that he'd been putting off for quite some time now. Though, he knew it may be somewhat challenging to get the answer he was looking for.
"You know that you can talk to me about anything, Jin. Is something bothering you?" from the way Jin was speaking to her and looking at her, it sounded serious.
"I want you to quit your jobs" he decided to just come out and say it.
Reilei was caught off-guard by that request. Quit her jobs? But there were debts, bills, she had to take care of herself and Jin. Even if Jin had over 90,000 RMB right now, that was not enough to settle everything.
Also, was such constant payment even guaranteed? How could she let her son take on such burdens by himself... What kind of mother would she be?
"Jin, you know that I can't-"
"You can" Jin removed his phone from his pocket and pushed a few keys. Just moments later, Reilei could hear the phone go off in her purse. "Check your phone" Jin smiled slightly.
Reilei was confused by Jin's request, nevertheless, she still dug her phone out from her purse and checked the alert. She moved her hand over her mouth in shock, "Jin... I can't accept this..! You've worked so hard for it, I..." she quickly shook her head.
Jin transferred 70,000 RMB over to Reilei's bank account. This left him with around 25,000 RMB remaining for himself. He was not too concerned about how much he gave away at this moment because he still was in possession of two rare items.
Also, each of those rare items was worth more than his «Nameless Blade»! The only reason he kept 25,000 RMB for himself was just in case there were any unforeseen expenses. But, this should definitely be enough to last him until he sells off another piece of equipment.
"As you've said, this is something I have worked hard for. If that's the case, then I should be able to decide how I want to spend it. So if I want to give it to you, mother, then I can do so. Trust me, mother... I just want you to be happy."
Reilei smiled wearily as she let out a long sigh, "Jin has changed so much lately... I haven't even had the time to see most of those changes take shape because of my jobs. But still, this is..." she thought... Reilei was feeling extremely conflicted right now.
Was it okay for her to do so? Was she allowed to be happy and have a normal life not working 18 or more hours every day? After so many years of being pushed down by the world around her, it was hard not to feel such a way.
At some point, Reilei gave up her own happiness. She solely focused on Jin's happiness which was enough for her. Now, he was telling her that she could be happy. He wanted her to be happy. Reilei faced downward, "Haha... Look at me... I'm crying so much today that it's a little embarrassing..."
Jin stayed silent and waited patiently. This was someone who buried any thoughts about a carefree and normal life.
If one had to dig through all of those memories full of burdens, and hardships while dealing with this overwhelming feeling of bliss... He understood controlling so many emotions at the same time was nearly impossible for anyone who possessed them.
"I can be happy..." Reilei mumbled to herself. She lifted her head up to look at Jin with an exquisitely beautiful smile, tears were flowing down her cheeks, but they were tears of endless joy. "Jin... Am I allowed to be happy...?"
...
Author's Note:
This was unable to fit in the little author's note box, so I've decided to just post it down here. The story is moving at a pretty slow pace at the moment, however, things start to pick up in the next chapter. :) Enjoy the double release and have a wonderful day everyone!
Special Note: I would love to be able to do more double/mass release, however, 1 chapter a day + the occasional double/mass release is already a miracle with my schedule. I do hope that one day I'll be able to completely focus on the novel and just improve myself a little bit at a time. Thank you all for your love and support. :)