Chapter 49: Mom, Rose Loves You So Much!

Hayden Hanson escorted Sev Steele and Rusty all the way home. Once there, he tipped his backpack upside down, dumping everything out. The soft sheen of new clothes instantly filled the room.

Sev stood with her hands on her hips, a smile completely unable to be hidden in her voice. "Come here and try on your new clothes, you little rascals!"

The children peeked out from the corners, their eyes wide and round.

Rose stood on her tiptoes, rubbing her eyes with her tiny hands, and murmured in her sweet, milky voice, "Mom, am I dreaming? These clothes are so beautiful!"

"Yeah, and they look so High Level, too," Zephyr agreed, also rubbing his eyes as if terrified the sight before him would vanish.

Fifteen minutes later, the four children changed into their new clothes, looking completely reborn.

Rusty pulled on a pair of dark olive-green overalls. He looked a good inch taller, a proper and handsome young lad. His usual overly serious expression was gone, the gloomy aura entirely swept away, replaced by the bright and energetic sunshine typical of a child his age.

Firestone excitedly jumped up and down in his new outfit. The orange hat perfectly complemented his wheat-toned skin, making him look exceptionally healthy. He resembled a leaping flame, bursting with vigorous Life Force.

Zephyr’s silver-gray set instantly elevated his already good looks. He looked like a futuristic little warrior straight out of a comic book, so handsome it was almost unreal.

But the one who truly stole the show was Rose. The luxurious, burgundy cloak instantly transformed her from a pitiful little waif into a true princess.

Rose was so happy she wanted to jump, but didn’t dare, terrified she might accidentally trip and get her new clothes dirty. "Mom, does it look good?" she asked, her face full of apprehension.

With sparkling eyes, she carefully twirled around. The hem of her cloak spun out into a beautiful arc, making her look like a little fairy dancing in a flowerbed.

Sev suppressed the urge to pull every single one of the kids into a tight hug and ruffle their hair. She cleared her throat and said gruffly, "Of course it looks good! Could my taste ever be bad? Next time we go collect our subsidies, you’re all going to dress sharply like this!"

In the past, whenever the original owner took the children to the Civil Affairs Bureau in the safe zone to collect their child support subsidies, she had to rack her brains just to ensure they didn’t look too ragged. But she had little savings to begin with, so naturally, she couldn’t bear to spend money on new clothes. The kids always wore cheap rags scavenged from the scrap yard. Every time they went, the staff would look at them with disgust and lecture her about mistreating the orphans.

Now that they had these new clothes, if her children went to collect the subsidies again, they would undoubtedly be the most dazzling presence among all the orphans.

Before taking off his new clothes, Firestone ran over to the faucet and filled a basin with water. The three boys took turns looking at their reflections in the water over and over again, completely unable to believe that the handsome boys staring back at them were real.

"Mom, I love you so much!" Rose choked out with a sob as she threw herself straight into Sev’s arms, her tiny hands tightly wrapping around her waist.

As the hot, damp tears fell onto the back of her hands, Sev’s eyes grew red, and she couldn’t help but hug the little girl back tightly. It was the first time since losing her grandfather that she felt such a strong bond of family.

Watching this scene from a short distance away, Hayden also felt his eyes sting. It was a pity he didn’t have long to live. Otherwise, he would have done everything in his power to protect this family, letting the children grow up carefree and ensuring their adoptive mother no longer had to work so hard.

Having spent half the day shopping at the supermarket, it was already time to eat. Sev turned to Hayden. "Hanson, stay and have lunch with us."

"No thanks, I still have leftovers from this morning," Hayden immediately declined. He had already mooched a meal here last night and even took the leftover egg custard with him when he left. He didn’t have the face to freeload again.

Sev saw right through him but didn’t push it. Instead, she took one of the newly purchased bowls, rinsed it clean, and filled it with a small portion—about two hundred milliliters—of fresh cheese.

"I made this myself. Take it back with you and give it a try. We’re friends now, right? If you keep acting so politely with me, I won’t dare ask you for help next time."

Sev looked at him with sincere eyes. The words of refusal on Hayden’s lips were finally swallowed back down. He accepted the bowl, thanked her, and turned to leave.

Lunch today was once again mushroom soup paired with the leftover dried yam, plus a hundred milliliters of fresh cheese for everyone. Rose got a double portion. Silvy, naturally, obediently drank fresh milk; Sev had saved a sufficient amount for it.

The cheese was made from Mutant Beast milk, so it contained a relatively high amount of Energy. Aside from being generally beneficial, eating more of it was especially good for Rose since she had awakened an Ability.

Even though several customers who bought the dried yam at the trading hall had sent her private messages wanting to purchase more, Sev was no longer planning to sell it. Such a rare, serendipitous treasure was something she intended to save for her children.

As Rusty ate, he whispered, "Mom, doesn’t this dried yam sell for a really high price? We’d actually be fine just eating Nutrition Blocks."

In the past, he wouldn’t even dare to eat Nutrition Blocks casually, but now the family had money. Still, compared to eating such precious dried yam, he felt that eating Nutrition Blocks would be much more cost-effective.

"What do you know? Nutrition Blocks only fill your stomach; they have no real nutritional value at all.

"Now that Rose has awakened an Ability, she definitely needs to supplement her nutrition. And you’ll be turning eight in a few months, meaning you can go out scavenging. How will you manage that without a strong body? If you run into a Mutant Beast and get swallowed whole, wouldn’t all the time I’ve spent raising you be for nothing?"

Sev tried her best to sound vicious, but her words lacked any real bite. Instead, they only warmed the hearts of the four children. Their adoptive mother had mistreated them in the past, but it was really just because poverty had driven her to it. Now that she had money, she was truly treating them well. Precious food, new clothes—among all the orphans in Area D, whose adoptive parents were as generous as hers?

After lunch, Sev called the children out to sit in the courtyard. She sent Rusty to fetch the vines that Goldie had given her and began teaching them how to weave cushions.

"Keep your eyes peeled, all of you! No blinking! Now for the first step—fixing the warp threads."

Sev picked up a few of the thicker vines, her fingers flying nimbly. In just a few swift moves, she secured a cross-shaped base on the ground. Her movements were fluid and smooth, the rough vines seemingly coming to life in her hands. The work looked simple, but it was a real test of finger dexterity.

Rusty learned the fastest, quickly finishing his base.

Firestone, on the other hand, was too impatient. The vines were like slithering snakes in his hands, constantly twisting and turning. They were either too loose or too tight, resulting in a lumpy, uneven cushion.

Zephyr had the most dexterous hands; his fingers darted through the vines like two little butterflies. The patterns he wove were tight and uniform, even neater than the example Sev had demonstrated.

Sev leaned over to take a look and couldn’t help but praise him. "Oh, I didn’t expect our Zephyr to have such a talent for this!"

Seeing her third brother getting praised by their mom, Rose grew anxious. She was small and her hands were clumsy. Unable to even grip an entire vine properly, she had to use both hands, straining like a little hamster to drag the vine and stuff it into the gaps. Her weaving was crooked and lopsided, even uglier than Firestone’s.

In the end, Sev concluded, "It seems this kind of work is only suited for Rusty and Zephyr."

"Mom, am I too useless?" Firestone asked in dismay, while Rose also looked at her with teary eyes.

"Remember, everyone in this world is useful. You just have to find the right thing that suits you.

"For example, Mr. Hanson is incredibly fierce when he fights Mutant Beasts, but if you asked him to cook, there’s no way his food would smell as delicious as Mom’s. Firestone and Rose, don’t rush yourselves. Mom will find the right tasks for you sooner or later."

Sev’s tone was both firm and gentle. Firestone and Rose felt completely comforted, the gloomy expressions on their faces instantly swept away.