Chapter 9

His chubby little hands diligently folded the clothes. It was slow, but compared to the previous one, it was much better. After folding the clothes, his big eyes were filled with hope as he looked at his mommy. His small mouth was slightly open.

"Ash is amazing! You’re getting better and better at folding. Let's continue to work hard together, okay?" Emma indulgently touched her son's fluffy little head.

When the expected praise came, Asher smiled happily. "Okay!"

Emma looked at her joyful son, a soft tenderness lingering in her eyes. She would not let Asher go through the painful childhood she had experienced. She wanted Asher to be happy and become a confident, optimistic person.

Landon was a reasonable person. He would probably not bring any negative emotions into their lives. More importantly, he was a successful person, and for the year, her son could learn a thing or two from him. That was the most valuable aspect of their collaboration.

When she first moved out, she did not have much. Over the years, most of what she had were things for Asher. However, due to financial constraints, she did not have many belongings, and it took only two days to pack everything.

On the evening of the day she finished packing, she contacted Landon to confirm that he would come over the next day to help with the move. She did not want to trouble Landon, but in the short time they had interacted, she could sense that Landon was a dominant figure and did as he wanted.

He was accustomed to being in control. When Landon spoke to her, he was gentle and polite, but in reality, he had already made all the decisions. He directly instructed her, and she followed his directions. However, she could accept all that because, despite his authoritative style, he was reasonable, understanding, and sensible.

When she mentioned going home to get her household register, he did not interfere too much. Coupled with the generous remuneration he offered, Emma felt like she hit the jackpot with this collaboration.

The next day, at the agreed-upon time, Landon drove over and happened to see Emma coming out of the building carrying a bunch of cardboard boxes and books. By her side was a little tot, taking small steps and holding two tiny paper boxes. He was walking over to an elderly man dressed in worn-out clothes.

Sitting in the car, Landon lowered the window and watched quietly.

"Grandpa, for you," the little tot said, tilting his small head and smiling.

"Oh, thank you, Ash," the old man said, reaching out to take the cardboard box. Instinctively, he wanted to pat the little boy’s head, but his aged hand hesitated and withdrew. His own hands were rough and dirty. It made him reluctant to touch the little one.

The boy raised his hand, grabbed at the old man's rough fingers, and gave it a shake. "Grandpa, I'm leaving. Goodbye."

"Okay boy, goodbye..." The old man's cloudy eyes were slightly red. He had been scavenging for many years and had watched the little one grow up. This obedient child was leaving, and he felt reluctant to part with him.

Emma smiled and said softly, "Ash, let's go upstairs."

"Okay," the little one replied softly. He waved to the old man with enthusiasm, holding his mom's hand, and bounced into the building.

Landon watched as the old man bent over to put the paper boxes, books, and various bottles into his worn-out little cart. It was evident that the old man made a living by scavenging in the neighborhood.

Amusement flashed in Landon's eyes. Despite facing difficulties herself, Emma still gave away her accumulated possessions to others. Most people would keep things to sell for a bit of pocket money. Emma, on the other hand, cared about others. ‘She is an interesting person,’ Landon thought to himself.

Landon got out of the car and went upstairs. The old staircase was narrow and dim, with rusty anti-theft doors. Every detail indicated that the people living there were from the lower strata of society. It was a completely different world from the places he usually frequented. If it were not for Emma, he would never have had the opportunity to visit such a place.