Darkstone Code
Chapter 203 - 0201 Home, family, family members

Chapter 203: 0201 Home, family, family members

In a dimly lit room, a family of three sat at the dining table, not far from the table, the radio on the mantelpiece crackled, and from the nearly broken speakers came a somewhat distorted female voice, recognizable as an opera.

Eating dinner that tasted like crap, sipping wine that cost dozens a bottle, this feeling... is hard to describe.

Shortly after Lynch lamented the dinner, Nell picked up a spoon and scooped a large bite into his mouth, eating as he asked, "So, why did you come here? To mock us for still living like we used to?"

Nell immediately showed his aggressiveness; this was his turf, his family, and no one could interfere with his control and domination over it.

In many culturally different countries, people find the social and family relationships of Federation people baffling, much like how Federation people view others.

Culture is the most crucial component of society.

When Lynch was younger, whenever Nell got angry, he felt immense pressure and fear akin to facing a landslide or tsunami; Nell in his fury was like a volcano ready to erupt.

Back then, he was younger, stronger, more dominant; looking again now, it all seems to have changed.

Nell is no longer so intimidating; for most children, this might mean they’ve grown up. But for Lynch, it’s something different.

"You’re old...", he shrugged, looking at Nell, "So let’s not get angry; let’s stay calm and sensible and talk things through. I’m not here to give you trouble or laugh at you; I’m just here to see you all."

Lynch hid Serra’s call; Nell wasn’t domestically abusive, but saying it would complicate Serra’s situation, so he concealed this fact.

"I just heard from Serra in the chat that you lost your job. Do you have any new plans?", he looked at Nell, who kept his head down, silently handling the food on his plate.

Lynch’s face lit up with a bit of a smile, "Come on, you can treat me as an acquaintance, a friend. Isn’t this what we always say?"

There’s a profound and meaningful saying in the Federation’s educational circles—parents are children’s best friends.

This saying is universally recognized and has played a critical role in the advancement of the current Federation’s educational事业 and family as well as societal relationships, if we overlook the crimes due to family issues.

Nell swiftly cleaned his food bowl, scraping with his fingers around the edges where the spoon couldn’t exert force, and shoved the rest along with his fingers into his mouth.

Then he picked up what might be the best wine he had ever drunk to date, gulped it down, even rinsed his mouth, swallowing with the food remnants together.

Lynch kept watching him, and only then did he lift his head to look at Lynch, "Yes, I’m unemployed. Do you want to give me a job, and should I also call you Boss like others do?"

This could be Nell’s last dignity as a father, still unable to resist mocking Lynch a bit.

Lynch didn’t show much expression, actually given his real age, these things still seemed a bit intriguing.

As someone skilled at persuading others, dealing with guys like Nell, he hardly needed to think to achieve it.

He didn’t refute or agree, instead directly changed the topic, "Recently, many people have been unemployed. Do you remember Catherine? Her father also lost his job."

This topic quickly allowed Nell to find a sense of camaraderie, and Serra timely joined the conversation, "I know, your girlfriend, her father also lost his job? That’s really awful!"

Lynch nodded, "After I learned about this, I discussed it with her and arranged a job for him. I’ve recently set up a transport company, you know, with those warehouses and trucks."

Warehouses and trucks have always been the most aspiring jobs for the lower social strata because getting into either means stable income, and this income wouldn’t be too low.

Upon hearing this, Nell couldn’t help but complain, "I know that guy, he’s too dumb to do anything but dirty work. What job did you give him?"

"Administrator, this job isn’t difficult, just keeping track of some stuff coming and going, and also watching those workers to prevent them from taking things not theirs," Lynch replied casually as if it were no big deal.

Serra looked at Nell, the couple completed a conversation in a way outsiders couldn’t understand in a very short time, then she said, "He definitely won’t do as well as your father. You know he has always been the best, whether at home or in the factory."

Lynch chuckled, with a smile seeming to carry a... roughly somewhat amused feel, he looked at Nell, "He now calls me Boss."

Nell immediately got a bit annoyed, "I won’t call you Boss!"

Lynch clapped his hands, "Then it’s settled, I’ll arrange a job for you, but you won’t call me Boss!"

Nell paused for a moment, the two locked eyes, his face suddenly flushed, then he suddenly stood up, leaving an excuse, "I’m full," and quickly returned to his room.

After closing the door, Nell walked to the bedside table and opened the drawer, inside was a photo frame with three smiling faces in the photo.

Outside the room, Serra’s face was already full of smiles. She held Lynch’s hand, not knowing what to say.

Lynch was her child, but she also wanted to thank Lynch. Lynch patted the back of her hand, "Don’t thank me, this is what I should do, we are family."

In the evening, Lynch did not leave. When it was completely dark outside, the streets had become very unsafe, but surprisingly, he felt quite at ease staying here.

This might be because the people on the street knew that those living here and their families had no assets, so they never considered risking a ten-year-plus prison term to rob a poor family’s home, and face the potential wrath that could cost them dearly—according to studies, wealthy people are more cooperative with intruders during a home invasion, whereas impoverished families often fiercely resist.

At around eleven at night, as he was drowsily about to fall asleep on his somewhat short bed, the bedroom door was knocked.

After knocking on the door, Nell stuck his head in directly, looking at Lynch lying in bed, shaking the half-bottle of wine in his hand. Lynch knew this was his way of trying to ease their relationship.

Soon the father and son were sitting in the living room, bathing in the night, watching the snowflake-filled television and the not-so-funny programs.

There wasn’t much deeper conversation between the father and son, just the simple act of raising the glass, putting it down, and pouring the remaining wine into their stomachs.

The next morning, Lynch got up, patting his head. Bail Federal’s liquor packaging standard ensures each bottle has at least six hundred and eighty milliliters, and no more than seven hundred and sixty milliliters. He wasn’t quite used to drinking so much all of a sudden.

Looking at the watch on the desk, it was already close to ten o’clock, and he slapped his face to wake himself up a bit more. When he came out of the room, Nell was already sitting on the worn-out sofa watching TV.

Compared to Lynch’s playfulness and hangover, the stuff Nell drank last night seemed like water, having no effect on him.

The father and son exchanged a glance, then swiftly shifted their gaze away, but Serra could keenly sense that their relationship had eased a lot, which made her very pleased.

In fact, not having seen each other for two years, where else could there be much conflict besides a bit of unfamiliarity?

Lynch is doing well now, but Nell is just unwilling to admit defeat verbally. Deep down, he is proud too, which is the truest sentiment of all parents.

On one hand, they strictly demand their children, on the other, they feel proud of them.

"Are you having lunch at home?", Serra asked, if they were having lunch at home, she would go buy some beef, yesterday’s dinner was a bit too simple, lunchtime would be more formal.

Lynch shook his head. He got up later than he expected, "No, I’m going to the company with Nell, also give me your bank account, I’m an adult now, I have a reason to take on part of the family’s expenses."

Yes, according to the Federation’s regulations, Lynch is twenty years old, he is finally an adult, some people at his age might already have children who can run, but that’s okay, it’s legally permissible.

Serra was still a bit hesitant, while Nell seemed impatient and said, "Give it to him. He ought to do something."

After receiving the bank account, Lynch bid farewell to Serra, he didn’t give her a check, in poverty-stricken areas, presenting a check isn’t a good thing.

Because a cashier’s check needs a deposit, a check for twenty dollars often requires a guarantee of hundreds or thousands of dollars, while a transfer check signifies the normalization of large transactions. These are tempting for those who feel pushed to the edge.

Lynch would directly transfer money to Serra’s account, so when she withdrew it, it wouldn’t draw much attention. Even the homeless on the streets have bank accounts; depositing and withdrawing is very normal.

Before long, an unremarkable car appeared by the roadside, then left inconspicuously, it was a community service company car.

Last time Lynch drove his own car to Catherine’s family, causing a lot of trouble, so this time he was smarter.

While seated in the car, Nell asked, "What kind of job are you planning to give me?"

"I have a piece of land on the outskirts of the city; I’m planning to start development soon. I also have a small construction company that currently lacks a manager," Lynch smiled, "Do you think the position of manager is satisfactory?"

=

①, The term "Boss" actually pays tribute to early translated films, as the mainland and Hong Kong-Macau-Taiwan initially transliterated "boss" directly into "Boss," and dubbing would say "Boss" instead of "boss." It’s a nod to an era.