Wendy's mother was also awakened by the knock on the door, and she saw Wendy standing in front of her window, holding the key in her hand.
The atmosphere was a little awkward for a while.
However, she couldn't care less about educating her daughter now. When she heard the knock on the door downstairs, she immediately put on her clothes, rushed down, and opened the door. She saw the figure she had been yearning for day and night outside the door.
Twenty-one days had passed since Matthew's disappearance, and she couldn't help but have some bad thoughts in her heart. Now that her husband had returned safely, tears instantly welled up in her eyes.
She flew into Matthew's arms.
But at this moment, a voice rang in her ear.
"Why don't you introduce us, Matthew?"
Wendy's mother looked up and saw a slightly hunchbacked old man and three burly, fierce-looking men standing behind Matthew. If the bar owner were here, he would probably recognize one of them as the coachman who delivered the wine to him yesterday afternoon.
The old man took off the hat on his head and bowed to her. "Don't worry, ma 'am. We are all Matthew's friends."
Wendy's mother looked at her husband.
The latter nodded. "Jane, this is Cook. Cook, this is Jane, my wife."
Jane breathed a sigh of relief and stretched out her hand with a smile. "Forgive me for being a little nervous these days. Cook has been away from home for a long time, and Wendy has been running around with an Oriental man who came out of nowhere. Then there was a message outside saying that a group of robbers was planning to rob the town. Wait … I remember the leader of that group of robbers seems to be called Cook."
"There are always a lot of coincidences in this world, ma 'am." The old man kissed the back of her hand. "I hope I didn't disturb you. Seeing you is like seeing my daughter. You are all so kind and pure. It's a pity that she doesn't have your blessing."
"You are too polite. Why do you say that?"
"Oh, something terrible happened to her, but it's all in the past. It's better not to mention it." The old man said to the three men behind him. "You stay here."
The three men nodded.
Then, the hunchbacked old man and Matthew walked into the house together. When he saw Wendy coming down the stairs, he smiled and said, "Look at this lovely little girl. She must be your daughter. Matthew has mentioned her to me many times. Your name is Wendy, right?" The old man touched his pocket and finally took out a gold bar. "Sorry, I was in a hurry and didn't have time to buy candy. I'll use this instead."
"How can I accept this? The gift is too expensive." Jane quickly declined.
"It's nothing. It's just a small token of my appreciation. Good people like you deserve such a gift. Just treat it as a gift from fate."
After Wendy took the gold bar from the hunchbacked old man, Matthew said, "Jane, go get something to eat. Cook and I haven't had dinner yet."
"Okay, I remember there are some cookies I baked this morning."
"Very good. Make two more cups of tea," Matthew said and looked at Wendy. "You go and help your mother."
Wendy glanced at her father, then looked at Cook suspiciously. In the end, she followed her mother.
After the two left, the hunchbacked old man said, "The child's eyes are quite like yours. When I first saw you, you looked the same. Vigilant and a little stubborn …"
"Don't beat around the bush, Cook. Didn't we say that we were just here to find out the truth about the town? Why did you come to my house?" Matthew interrupted him directly.
"Oh, you and I don't need to worry about finding out the truth. Morris has already inquired about everything that needs to be inquired about yesterday," the hunchbacked old man said leisurely. "I also asked him to inquire about your residence at that time."
"What exactly do you want?"
"Nothing. I'm just a little curious about your life all these years."
Cook put his feet on the table in front of him. "I have always regarded you as my son. I want to know how you have been after we separated."
"You can ask me directly," Matthew said with a straight face.
"Yes, but I prefer to see it with my own eyes." The hunchbacked old man smiled. "I'm sorry to disturb your life. Really, I hope we can take it one step at a time. We can start with the daily greetings. I will tell you what I have done all these years, and you tell me how your life has been …"
"I don't need you to tell me what you have done all these years. There has never been a lack of news about you in the newspapers."
"Well … I have to admit that I am indeed very popular with reporters and newspapers. As long as I am still around, they will never lose their jobs." The hunchbacked old man shrugged.
"What you have done is not funny. You and your men have burned, killed, and looted. Whether it is the rich or the poor, the old or the children, you will not let them go. You have set fire to the church and slaughtered babies who are still in their swaddling clothes …" Matthew said coldly.
"Fear is a kind of power. You must learn and get used to using it. I am a robber, not a priest. Do I have to do good deeds and listen to the suffering of the people? "
The hunchbacked old man paused, "Damn it, I thought you would have matured a little after experiencing that incident. It turns out that you are no different from the past. Well, that's enough of the gossip. Let's get down to business. I know you have heard a lot of news about me over the years, but what I am going to tell you next is not in the news. No, it should be said that even many people in the Cook Gang don't know about it."
"What else have you done to anger the heavens and the people?"
"It has nothing to do with that." The hunchbacked old man looked into Matthew's eyes. "I am going to die, Matthew."
"After all the bad things you have done, do you think you will die a good death?"
"No, I don't mean that." Cook waved his hand. "I said I am going to die because of my physical condition. I don't have much time left. I can feel it. This is the real reason I came back to find you."
Matthew was silent when he heard this. "How do you know you are going to die?"
"This is my body. Of course, I know when that day will come," the hunchbacked old man said. "I've seen the face of Grim Reaper. He has a pair of blue eyes, just like Mary. I'm not afraid of death, but I do have a few things to do before I die. One of the most important things is to find a new master for the Cook Gang."
"You want me to take over the Cook Gang and become the next you?"
"Why not? Believe me, you'll love this feeling of freedom. You're just trapped by the mundane trifles and those false blessings. Tonight, I came to your house to untie you and undo your tragic reincarnation, my child."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
