Washing soap, scrubbing clothes, tossing them into the water for a rinse, wringing them out and hanging them on the fine woolen line in the yard. Six pieces of clothing were washed in one go, all done in just ten minutes, and under Julia Warren's supervision, each one was cleaned thoroughly.

“Son, where did you learn this from?”

Julia Warren was a little surprised.

Eric Bennett grinned proudly and played it off, “I watch you wash them every day, so I picked it up. Well, what do you think? Did I meet your standards?” Eric Bennett had been through tough times, so this kind of chore was nothing to him.

“Look at how pleased you are.” Julia Warren was amused by her son. “If you have the skills to make dinner for the two of us, then I’ll really be impressed.” Cooking isn’t like washing clothes; you can’t learn it just by watching once or twice.

Eric Bennett picked up the towel from the washbasin and wiped his hands, refusing to back down. “Alright! Just watch me!” Without another word, Eric Bennett confidently headed out to the small kitchen outside the house.

“Hey, you’re really going to cook? Forget it, just go back inside and do your homework. Don’t burn yourself again.”

“Hehe, it’s fine.”

Little did Julia Warren know, ever since Eric Bennett graduated from college, all the meals at home had been cooked by him alone.

……

“Yu Qin, I’m home.”

It was the voice of his father, Evan Bennett. The bearded old man walked into the yard carrying a small bag, looking exhausted. His father was an honest man, not one for scheming or currying favor, so he just drove delivery trucks for the factory, with no chance of promotion.

Evan Bennett saw Julia Warren standing in front of the small kitchen outside, looking surprised, and couldn’t help but walk over curiously. “What are you doing? Why aren’t you making dinner yet?”

Julia Warren nodded toward the kitchen. “Take a look at our good son.”

Evan Bennett focused and looked inside, only to see Eric Bennett holding a three-jin iron wok in one hand and stirring vegetables with a spatula in the other, moving skillfully, showing off all sorts of techniques—even wok-tossing, which neither of them could do!

The couple watched nervously from the side, afraid that one wrong move would burn their son.

……

After placing a few simple home-cooked dishes on the small round table in the inner room, Eric Bennett clapped his hands in satisfaction. “Mom, Dad, try my cooking.”

Color, aroma, taste—Eric Bennett seemed to have nailed them all.

Evan Bennett chewed on a slice of potato and nodded slowly. “You even knew to flash-fry the potatoes before stir-frying. Not bad, the taste is no worse than your mom’s.” Julia Warren was very pleased, but her gaze gradually turned suspicious. “Tell me the truth, who did you learn all this from?” The two of them both felt that their son seemed a bit different today.

“I learned from recipe books. I have strong comprehension, so after practicing a few times, I got the hang of it.” Eric Bennett busied himself serving food to his parents. “Eat up before it gets cold.”

At that moment, the old 21-inch Peony-brand CRT TV suddenly broadcast a news report.

“Today, the Hufangqiao branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank was robbed. Two criminals armed with homemade pistols seriously threatened the lives of more than thirty hostages. Police later deployed three snipers and shot the criminals, but things changed midway—one of the criminals wasn’t hit and raised his gun to shoot at the crowd. At that critical moment, a middle school student stepped forward, picked up the robber’s pistol, and pulled the trigger. After four shots, the criminal fell. Then, the student held the gun to another wounded but not yet dead criminal, saving the hostages in his grasp and protecting the lives of many people. Because he refused to reveal his name…”

Julia Warren felt a jolt in her heart and glanced nervously at the silent, head-down Eric Bennett. “That was close. Luckily our son didn’t go to that bank. Honestly, today’s middle schoolers are something else—so young and already daring to fire a gun and confront those desperados?” Evan Bennett also found it unbelievable, putting down his now-faded bamboo chopsticks and staring intently at the TV.

Eric Bennett gave a wry smile and rubbed his nose. He really didn’t feel that impressive—just thinking back to that moment, his legs were still shaking!

“Xiao Hao, if you ever run into something like that, you’d better stay as far away as you can. Don’t try to play the hero.”

“Got it.”

If it had been any other kid his age, they’d probably be showing off a little. But Eric Bennett was different. His first thought was how not to worry his parents, so he didn’t say anything—he just wanted to quietly wait for the bonus that Director Parker promised to be deposited into his account.

And Eric Bennett felt he deserved that money.

Chapter 5: Twenty Thousand

(Note: Since the characters for “death”–“note” are considered illegal bytes, for the sake of neatness, from now on, 《DEATH-NOTE》 will be used instead.)

……

Night falls.

A faint chill drifted from the old window air conditioner. Under the covers, Eric Bennett listened to his parents’ low conversation, feeling a bit uneasy.

“In a few days, the house will be demolished. How much do you think we’ll get?”

“Judging by the square footage, I think at most not even three hundred thousand.”

Julia Warren sighed softly with her eyes closed, her brows full of worry. “We don’t have any savings at home. Do you think with just this little money, we can buy an apartment?” She paused, then turned over and nudged her husband. “How about I go borrow some from his uncle, and we’ll pay it back when things get better?”