Chapter 377 Caleb Wants to Sponsor the Young Lady
Caleb stepped forward and pulled Abby up, only to realize then that the back of her hand had been split open by the woman’s whippings, and there were streaks of blood where she was hit.
The open chilblain wounds also had fresh blood flowing out of them. Without waiting for Caleb to say another word, Abby retracted her hand as she turned around and ran into the house.
He continued to stand where he was, but he was gradually feeling embarrassed and redundant. After watching her enter the house, he shifted his gaze to glare at the woman instead. “Even though she is your family member, domestic violence is a crime. You can still get arrested! I won’t let this go if there is a next time.”
He only left Abby’s house after he threw out a warning. Matthew was still chopping wood when Caleb returned to Veronica’s house. The rest of them were nowhere to be seen.
The kitchen chimney in the front yard was billowing with smoke. It was obvious that Veronica’s mother was preparing lunch. Caleb pulled out a cigarette from the cigarette box and handed it to Matthew. “This is my first time finding out that this is what your muscles are intended for. Chopping wood, eh?” he joked.
Matthew lightly held the cigarette between his lips as Caleb helped him light the end up. Matthew then took a drag, and wisps of smoke came out with his breath as he spoke next, “That mute girl hasn’t even come of age.”
Caleb was lighting his own cigarette with his head lowered when he heard those words. He was stunned for a long second, but he soon continued to light it. “What are you telling me about this?” he asked slowly.
“You make it too obvious,” Matthew raised his eyebrows, and tilted his chin to gesture to Caleb’s pocket.
Caleb looked down again, only to find that the box of chilblain cream he bought was so big that the part with ‘chilblain’ written on it was showing from the top of the pocket.
His thoughts revealed, Caleb and Matthew looked at each other before they leaned against a tree at the side and quietly smoked.
Matthew flicked the cigarette ash and reminded, “She dropped out of high school, and she is mute on top of that. You have to think this through.”
“I want to sponsor her to keep in school.”
“Is this out of charity, or do you have other intentions?” Matthew asked. He knew Caleb too well.
Caleb had never shown interest in any woman. For someone who spent his days at work, he had no time for romances. He definitely didn’t have the time to meddle in the affairs of people who had nothing to do with him.
“I am not as nasty as you think I am.” Caleb snorted softly.
Matthew wordlessly smiled at that. “I will arrange for someone to send her to study in Collins, then.” He had intentionally mentioned ‘Collins’.
That was because Veronica lived in Collins.
“The standard in Collins cannot compare to that of the capital Bloomstead. Since you are offering to help, why not send her to Bloomstead?”
“Oh—Bloonstead…” Matthew repeated somewhat oddly.
The corners of Caleb’s mouth twitched slightly then. “You… I… It is just that she is a mute. Bloomstead is the capital, and schools in big places like that are more inclusive. It will be better for her.”
“Fine. We will proceed as you say.” Matthew naturally understood Caleb, so he didn’t say anything more.
Caleb was the one who warningly added, “Don’t let that chatterbox Skyler know. It is not like you don’t know how he will—”
“What can’t you let me know? You taciturn prick, you don’t think I am your bro, do you?!”
Skyler had popped out of nowhere when the duo were conversing.
When Caleb looked back, he saw Miguel and Skyler walking in their direction.
Skyler continued to question his friend, “You little piece of sh*t, what have you been sneakily doing all morning behind our backs that you can’t let us know?”
Matthew took another puff of his cigarette before he threw the butt on the ground and put it out by stepping on it with the front of his shoe. He then picked up the axe and continued to chop wood.
Skyler, whose curiosity had been piqued, rushed over and stood in front of Caleb. “What are you hiding from me?”
“Nothing.” Caleb held his cigarette in one hand and draped the other across his chest as he turned to look the other way.
It was fine when he didn’t move, but as soon as Caleb tilted his body, the content in his shirt pocket showed itself to Skylar.
Skyler snatched the box out of his pocket then. “Chilblain cream? Tsk! Now this is kind of interesting.”
“Give it back, Drew!”
Caleb stretched out his hand to grab it, but Skyler swiftly hid it behind his back. “I won’t give it to you. Hey, you taciturn prick. None of us, including Roni, have chilblain. Oh, I see. Matthew and Veronica were talking about a village chick called Wabby Wright, weren’t they? Is she the one with chilblain?”
“What Wabby Wright are you talking about? It is Abby Wright!” Caleb quickly explained.
But after he said that, his expression froze as he raised his eyebrows. He suddenly didn’t know what more he could say to get out of this.
What a slap in the face!
He had snitched on himself!
“Oh? Haha! Abby Wright. Wow, it looks like our taciturn friend has finally stepped out of his comfort zone. This is great.” Skyler was sincerely happy for Caleb, but he still punched him in the chest. “You heartless man! Why are you hiding something like this from me?”
“Stop talking nonsense. She’s a mute who isn’t even 18 yet. I only want to help her go to school.” Caleb grabbed the cream from Skyler and put it in his pocket, and he then swiftly walked away.
Miguel hadn’t said a word the whole time he watched them.
On the contrary, Skyler tilted his head to look at Matthew and asked, “What is this, Matt? A mute who isn’t even 18 yet? Wouldn’t… Wouldn’t this be a problem?”
The man didn’t seem to hear a word his friend said then. All he wanted to do was chop wood.
Knowing that he wasn’t going to get his fun from Matthew who was ignoring him, Skyler shook his head and grumbled, “Forget it. I will go find out more from Roni.”
…
Matthew finished chopping the firewood before the afternoon. As if he had some sort of obsessive compulsive disorder, he neatly arranged the firewood one by one.
He only started to head inside when he was done tidying everything up.
Veronica had come out right about then. Seeing him get done with his task, she couldn’t help feeling warm in her chest, and she trotted over. “It must have been hard on you. Here, let me take the axe.”
As she spoke, she took the axe from his hand.
However, at this moment, she noticed that three blisters had grown in the palm of his right hand.
She hurriedly put down the axe and grabbed his hand, only to get disheartened when she saw that there were three bumpy, translucent blisters there. “Just look at these blisters! Why didn’t you take a break?”
She then grabbed his left hand, where she also found three blisters there.
Veronica couldn’t help feeling guilty at the thought that a man like Matthew who had never done any manual labor had now chopped a pile of firewood by himself in the morning.
“Wait here.” She jogged back into the house with the axe. After a while, she came back out with his coat in her hand. She then went around and behind him. “Come on, put your coat on.”
She automatically helped him with it.
The man was fully indulging in the special treatment that was exclusively his.
He reached out his arms to put it on, and she started to take off the scarf around her neck. “Here, put on the scarf. You will easily catch a cold after sweating.”
Even though it was a red scarf, Matthew didn’t show any disdain as he looked at her thoughtfully wrapping the scarf on him.
The woman proceeded to hold his hand and walked toward the side of the road. “Let’s go. I will take you to town to get some medicine.”
He wanted to refuse because those blisters were merely caused by friction.
Still, Matthew wanted more alone time with Veronica. He finally followed her and walked over to the road. They then got into a car and headed straight to town.
Matthew kept his head tilted to gaze at Veronica from time to time as he sat in the passenger’s seat. At that point, he was in an impossibly good mood.
