chapter 6 The weak eat the strong ===

"Boohoo..."
"Dunstan, is it really you? Is it you?"
Mother's tears instantly soaked Dunstan's clothing. Feeling the trembling in her embrace, Dunstan couldn't help but feel his eyes well up with tears, "Mom, it's me."
At this moment, Mother lifted her head again to look at Dunstan's face, and in just a moment, she couldn't help but burst into tears again, "It's really my son, it's really my son."
"Let's go, let's go, come inside." The sudden joy left Fiona at a loss, and in her emotional turmoil, she desperately grabbed Dunstan's hands as if fearing that loosening her grip would cause her son to vanish again.
To her, all of this felt like a dream, almost unreal.
Upon entering the living room, Fiona pushed Dunstan onto a chair, gently caressing his face, tears streaming down.
"He's grown up, our Dunstan has grown up." She softly stroked Dunstan's head, her eyes tender yet filled with a hint of fear, "But this isn't a dream, right?"
And Dunstan, too, felt as if he was experiencing the illusion of seeing flowers in a dream.
He held his mother's hand tightly, merely glancing around the home.
The home was still the same, yet time had rendered it old, with many pieces of furniture remaining from when he left.
An enlarged but not very clear family photo hung on the wall behind the old television.
The old television was covered in dust, yet the photo frame looked brand new.
When Dunstan's gaze shifted to the corner of the living room, he was taken aback.
Piled up were mesh bags filled with drinks and beers of various colors, beside which lay countless discarded cardboard boxes.
"Mom, those things..." Dunstan pointed in astonishment.
Fiona seemed not to notice, her rough palms gently touching Dunstan's cheek, "Dunstan, where have you been these ten years? You must have suffered a lot, haven't you?"
Dunstan took a deep breath.
He knew his mother too well. He could clearly see the helplessness and bitterness in her eyes.
"Mom, first tell me, how have you and dad been these years? Weren't you working at the street office?"
Ten years ago, their family was relatively affluent, with his mother working at the street office and his father employed at a canning factory.
But now, the items piled in the corner spoke volumes.
Fiona sighed softly, though resigned, she had come to terms with their situation.
It turned out.
After Dunstan's disappearance, his parents had spent all their resources searching for him, traveling through several nearby provinces.
As a result, both parents quit their jobs.
They searched for four to five years, exhausting all their savings. Without financial security, they couldn't continue their search.
Later, as Fiona's health declined and finding work became difficult due to her age.
She became a street cleaner through the connections of her old colleagues from the street office. She would also collect recyclables to earn some money.
As for his father, the situation was similar. After working as a cleaner for two years, he managed to save enough to rent a small stall in the street market, making a living by selling fruits.
These past two years, the family's situation had improved.
Given the high-income white-collar workers around them, who pay attention to health and diet, his father's fruit business was thriving, allowing them to save a little.
Fiona had become accustomed to her job as a cleaner and had no immediate thoughts of changing jobs. The recyclables were just picked up opportunistically.
Hearing all this, Dunstan felt a deep sense of guilt. He had imagined his parents would search for him, but he never thought they would do so with such determination for a full five years.
Five years.
With no income, relying solely on their meager savings.
Dunstan could almost imagine how his parents had lived those years, a stark contrast to their previous lives.
And his mother, who once had a comfortable office job, had become a street cleaner.
"Mom, it's all my fault, I'm to blame."
However, Before Dunstan could finish, his mother covered his mouth, "Dunstan, my son, don't say such things. It's good that you're back, coming back is better than anything."
Subsequently, Fiona naturally asked about Dunstan's experiences over the past ten years.
But how could Dunstan tell the truth?
He lied, saying he had been working overseas and only managed to return home after saving enough for the journey.
Fiona didn't ask further, as she had said, she didn't care about other things. The only thing that mattered was having her son back now.
Just as Fiona was about to prepare dinner for Dunstan, her phone suddenly rang.
Seeing the number, she smiled slightly and said, "It's Aunt Ives, my old colleague from the street office. Without her recommendation, your mom wouldn't even have been able to get a job as a cleaner."
With a smile, Fiona answered the call, but as soon as the voice on the other end spoke, her smile froze on her face.
"Trouble, there's trouble!"
"Your husband's fruit stall has been smashed, you, you better come over quickly."
At that moment, Dunstan heard everything clearly, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
Why would his father, such an honest person, offend anyone to have his fruit stall smashed?
"Mom, what happened? Where is dad's fruit stall?"
After hanging up the phone, Fiona stamped her foot in frustration, "I, I don't know what happened."
"The business has been good for the past two years, and your dad had built up a good base of returning customers. But since last month, some thugs have been coming to cause trouble, overturning your dad's stall at the slightest disagreement, and calling the police was useless."
"They would just come back and cause trouble again after a couple of days."
Hearing this, Dunstan's anger seemed to erupt like a volcano, his clenched teeth making a grinding noise.
"Mom, where is dad's fruit stall?"
"It's, it's at the old street market."
Dunstan took a deep breath, trying not to show any signs of his intentions, merely saying, "Mom, you prepare dinner for me and dad at home. I'll go and check out the situation. Don't worry, I won't do anything rash."
"I've been out there for so many years, I understand the principle of harmony brings wealth."
Hearing this, a look of relief appeared on Fiona's face, and her anxiety settled slightly.
Her son had grown up, matured, and would now be the mainstay of the family.
"Alright, go bring your dad back, and don't get into fights. Just talk it out, even if our family has to suffer a bit, it's a blessing in disguise."
But before Fiona could finish speaking, Dunstan had already run out of the house.
Harmony brings wealth.
Suffering is a blessing.
These were just excuses Dunstan used to placate his mother.
The tragic changes in his family over the past ten years had deeply saddened Dunstan, and yet, at this moment, someone dared to provoke them.
As for the reason behind the bullying of his father.
Dunstan didn't care.
Having experienced the darkest and dirtiest corners of the world, Dunstan believed in only one principle.
The law of the jungle.
Those who bully others must be prepared for retaliation.
Just like the line from a movie Dunstan saw more than a decade ago,
You must own up to your mistakes, and stand tall when being punished.