Ups and downs
1701 Words
The next day.
Rael was already at the construction site， struggling to pull a trailer piled high with sand. Having forgotten to eat dinner the previous day， he was completely exhausted.
The supervisor at the construction site saw this and mistakenly thought Rael was deliberately slacking off. Without a word， he stepped forward， kicked him， and cursed him fiercely， "Don't try to be lazy! Get moving! Or I'll dock your pay."
Hearing his salary would be docked again， Rael， already emaciated， exerted all his might and finally managed to pull the trailer.
He desperately needed his $180 salary for the day. Even though it wasn't enough to cover his expenses， he couldn't afford to stop or face deductions.
He fought back his fatigue and continued working until finally noon! The signal construction site provided a free lunch， and while the food wasn't great， it was enough to restore his strength.
Ignoring the dust covering his body，Rael grabbed a large bowl of food and began to devour it. A few times， when he couldn't swallow， he patted his chest and continued eating. His behavior startled the workers nearby， who asked with concern.
"Rael， what's wrong with you?"
Rael didn't want them to know about his condition， so he feigned an explanation: "Nothing， just a little hungry!"
As he spoke, an older worker handed Rael a bottle of water. "Drink it! Don't swallow it."
Rael saw that the person coming was Uncle Iengai， the kind man who had introduced him to the construction site， and he quickly thanked him for the gift.
When Uncle Iengai sat down, he looked at Leier and asked， "You offended Rutbil last night and are now on the hook for compensation. What are you going to do about it?"
Rael was stunned. He hadn't expected Uncle Iengai to know about this.
Seeing his expression， Iengai explained， "Haha... I was at the bar last night. Sorry! I can't help you."
Rael shook his head， indicating he didn't mind. After all， everyone knew that offending Rootbil would end badly.
"What can I do? I'll just be forced to repay my debt! I can't handle the gangs on my own."
Uncle Iengai sighed deeply. He had watched Rael grow up， and now he had to pay for his mother's medical treatment while also shouldering a massive debt. He wanted to help， but he was powerless!
Engels City is a small， remote city in the Lantu Administrative Province， rife with violence and crime. Gangs are rampant， operating under the radar， with not only a black market but also thugs and even a drug trade.
Gunfights and death in the streets are commonplace.
As a result， everyone in this city needs to protect themselves. They rarely go out at night， fearing they'll run into gangs. If they're unlucky， they could lose their lives!
Rael's encounter with Rootbil was solely due to his misfortune.
In the afternoon， Rael ate a full meal， feeling energized， and temporarily put aside his worries to finish the work at hand.
When the day's work at the construction site was over， everyone walked out the door to collect their paychecks.
Rael looked at the $180 in his hand. It was still far from enough to cover his current medical expenses! As for working at Candy's Bar， it would definitely be for nothing.
Just as he was about to decide whether to continue， someone called Rael.
"Hey~ Isn't that our class genius， Rael?" The blonde Shelby appeared at the door in her coupe， accompanied by a sexy woman. Her curves were curvaceous， especially her deeply defined breasts， which made him salivate.
Rael saw Shelby， this wealthy second-generation classmate who was a bully at school. Besides her extravagant lifestyle， her academic performance was a mess， and Leier had to secretly send him answers for every test.
"Shelby， I'm leaving! Goodbye!" Rael didn't want to say more. He had just decided to return to the bar and was worried that Willuk would tell the gang about his mother's condition.
Shelby was displeased. He had come specifically to see Rael， so why was he so disrespectful?
"Wait! I do need you for something!"
Rael guessed his intention. He must be thinking about his graduation exam at the end of the month and wanted his help. He reminded him， "Sorry! I know what you're up to. I've been away from school for two months!"
Shelby sneered and arrogantly waved his hand， telling him， "Rael， Mr. Duolun hasn't expelled you. You can still go to school! So， you can definitely help me!"
Rael knew that Mr. Duolun had approached him several times， but he refused!
"And I've heard about your situation. How about this? If you help me this time, I'll give you $5，000. Enough to keep you employed for a while."
Rael was stunned. $5，000? It was rare to see Shelby so generous.
He asked curiously， "Are you sure? Is there something wrong here?"
Seeing that Rael had taken the bait, Shelby smiled and said， "No， brother. I wish you could just take the exam for me!"
Rael understood. So that was the point. It was a huge risk! If it was discovered, his student status would be completely revoked.
He'd even be blacklisted!
But the thought that the other party could offer $5，000 to help cover his mother's medical expenses eased his pressure.
What should Rael do?
Soon after， Rael compromised. After considering his current situation， he decided that his mother's treatment would take priority. As for the compensation， he could only continue working at Candy and repay it slowly.
He asked Shelby to pay half first， and she agreed! However， they needed to sign an agreement， otherwise they would be held legally responsible.
Rael couldn't understand why such a violation required an agreement. How could that gangster have dared to disregard the law last night?
He began to develop a strong interest in the nature of gangs.
After receiving $2，500，Rael went straight to the hospital to pay for two weeks of treatment， finally temporarily resolving his burning pain.
As night fell， he rushed to Candy's Bar， where he hadn't wanted to be. Upon entering， he found it packed with people， and was greeted by a barrage of insults.
"You damned debt-ridden bastard， change your clothes and pay your debt!"
Weluke's voice was so resounding that Rael resented it， clenching his fists tightly. If it weren't for his mother， he would have wanted to fight the damned boss to death!
Unexpectedly， his furious glare was caught by a nearby gang member. The man was none other than Rootbil's henchman， assigned to guard his territory.
"What's up， kid? You wanna fight?"
Rael looked at the towering gangster， feeling he might not be his match， so he sulked and went backstage to change his clothes.
After that， he toiled tirelessly， constantly being subjected to Willuke's insults， each one more vehement than the last! And that gangster would occasionally try to trip him as he passed.
Rael glared at him， but could only vent his anger and keep silent!
Tonight， he was supposed to leave work at 10 p.m.， but Wiluk had forced him to work overtime until the early morning， leaving him with another scar on his body， inflicted by the gangster.
On his way home， Rael saw the father and son he had seen before and asked， "Why did my father abandon me and my mother? Why?!"
He was furious. Was it wrong for his mother to have interfered with his father's previous relationship? Didn't his father have any responsibility?
Now his mother was seriously ill， and his father was still alive, but he didn't know where he was!
Confused， he wanted to go see his mother.
When he arrived at the familiar hospital room, he was surprised to see his mother answering the phone. Who else would call her so late at night?
When Rael entered， his mother， Eddie， looked panicked. Her hair， once brimming with blond hair， was now covered in gray.
"I can't lose my house... Please!"
Rael frowned. House? What happened to the house?
No matter how much his mother pleaded， she was mercilessly hung up on it. She burst into tears.
"Mom， who are you talking to? What happened to the house?"
But his mother honestly told him that she had bought the house at a low price， without any formalities with the homeowner. Now the area had been bought by the Grans gang， and they hadn't offered any compensation!
"What!?" Rael was shocked. The Grans gang again!
The mother burst into tears， leaning against Rael's arms， muttering， "My house， my house..."
Rael understood his mother's feelings. After all， he was heartbroken too. But after hearing the tragic news， mother and son had no way of fighting the gang!
If his father were here...
"Mom， can you tell me some information about my father?" Rael asked softly.
The mother was stunned. She didn't understand why her son was asking this question. Hadn't he asked it before?
"Rael， what's wrong? I can sense you're in a bad mood!"
Rael shook his head. "Mother， no， I just wanted to listen!"
What mother doesn't understand her son's thoughts? She could sense what Rael was thinking. The sadness of having her house cleared out and the uncertainty of how long she had left to live...
The mother finally told the truth.
"Rael， your father's name is Redy Conlantans. He's the biggest gang leader in the city of Delos， far away from us. We weren't in love back then. I was a waitress at a hotel. One night， I was r***d by your father， who was already married. This shameful act continued several times. When his lover found out， she ordered her men to kidnap him under cover of darkness. I was young and naive at the time， and I accidentally became pregnant with you. I decided to raise you alone and move far away."
Rael understood why her full name was Rael Conlantans， not her mother's.
Now that his mother had confessed， he knew his own past. He hated gangs, yet his blood ran through them. It was a bit comical.
That night， Rael， now homeless， slept with his mother in the hospital.
- Writer
