“Emma’s right. Even a little kid knows you can’t lie about a promise. Just because we’re adults, does that mean we can lie? This is about taking responsibility for ourselves—we record whether we drank or not, and we answer to ourselves!” said the older woman.
Everyone lowered their heads, mostly feeling a bit guilty and ashamed after being called out by the little girl’s words.
Indeed—as soon as they heard everyone was chipping in for a prize, the adults immediately started suspecting that others might cheat and lie. But right in front of them, a child was saying they could pinky-swear and keep their word.
In that moment, maybe the child’s innocence snapped everyone back to their senses. One by one, they all promised to keep their records honestly and share their progress at next week’s meeting.
After the support group session ended, everyone went their separate ways.
Jolene took Emma on the bus back home.
She hadn’t picked up Ben today, and she was a little curious to see whether Ben and Mr. Raymond had managed to get along.
When she got home, Jolene spotted Raymond and Ben taking a walk on the lawn.
This was something Jolene did with Emma every day after meals—she didn’t expect Ben to have picked it up.
Jolene couldn’t help but chuckle. Ben was usually so tsundere, always sitting at the door watching them take their walks. But apparently, he had gone behind her back and dragged his brother out for one.
That said, Mr. Raymond clearly wasn’t used to being that close to his brother. One wanted to hold his hand, while the other kept a mile’s distance.
So after walking for a bit, Ben got fed up and stormed back inside.
When he reached the living room, Ben spotted Jolene and Emma right away—and looked a little embarrassed, probably because they’d caught him sneaking off for a walk.
Jolene kept a straight face, pretending she hadn’t seen them, and took the initiative to ask Giovanni about dinner.
The two brothers had already eaten, so Jolene and Emma sat down at the dining table to have their meal.
Raymond noticed the mother and daughter as well and let out a small sigh of relief. As he passed the dining room, he casually asked, “I promised Ben I’d take him to the museum on Saturday. Maybe you and Emma would like to come along?”
Emma’s eyes lit up.
Jolene naturally nodded. “Of course—that’d be a great chance to take some photos of them.”
Raymond didn’t seem to mind one way or the other. He was about to head out when Ben’s voice stopped him from behind.
“Hugh, where are you going?” Ben asked with a pout.
“Since Jolene is back, make sure you finish your homework tonight. I need to go take care of some things,” Raymond explained, pressing his lips together.
Jolene picked up her fork and speared some salad, watching the brothers interact like she was watching a good show.
“Oh, I forgot to ask you for that $100 startup fund last time,” Ben suddenly remembered the money-making thing Jolene had mentioned earlier.
“What $100 startup fund?” Raymond had no choice but to turn around, lowering his head slightly to meet his brother’s gaze, and asked seriously.
Ben pointed at Jolene, then patted his chest with his right hand. “Jolene said I should ask you for $100 in startup money so I can earn some cash. I’ve already figured it out—I can set up a stall outside to make money.”
The man’s gaze shifted to Jolene.
In that instant, Jolene felt like Ben’s words might have come across the wrong way. Was Mr. Raymond suspecting her of encouraging a kid to swindle money?
Jolene immediately set down her fork, stood up, and explained, “Here’s the thing—Ben actually wants to earn money for you. Since you’re busy with work all day and don’t have time to spend with him, he thought that if he could make his own money, you wouldn’t have to work so hard and would have time to play with him. So I suggested a few ways he could earn money, but no matter which one, he’d need some startup capital. That’s why I told him he could ask you for the funds—and once he makes a profit, he can pay you back…”
How could she let her employer wrongly accuse her of trying to scam a child? Seeing that he was still looking at her thoughtfully, she quickly added, “Why don’t you write up an IOU with him? Give him a month to pay back the principal.”
Raymond: “…”
A faint smile tugged at the corner of the man’s mouth. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and took out five $20 bills—but instead of handing them to Ben, he passed them to Jolene. “He’s only five years old. Any agreement he signs has no legal standing. And I’m worried he’d lose the money and come crying to me.”
Ben looked up, watching his brother pull out the cash—only to hand it to Jolene instead of him. He was a little upset, but he also had to admit his brother had a point. What if he lost the startup money? Then he’d have nothing. Still, he couldn’t help feeling a bit defiant.
“But I don’t need to earn money, and I don’t need to borrow any. My job is being a live-in nanny. The one who actually needs to earn money is Ben, and Ben is the one who asked you for the loan. Can’t you just give the money directly to him? Even if he loses it, it’s his loss—his own responsibility. You can’t distrust him just because he’s only five,” Jolene shook her head, refusing to take the money, and turned back toward the dining table.
Of course, Jolene didn’t have much experience with child-rearing. She just instinctively felt Ben wouldn’t be happy if she took the money. And if Ben were her own child—it was only $100. If he lost it, he lost it. At least he’d learn not to make promises lightly and to take responsibility for his word.
Uh, Jolene wasn’t sure if she was being a little idealistic, but there was no way she was taking that money. What if it got lost? She’d have to pay it back…
Raymond had no choice but to hand the money directly to Ben. “Alright. Your brother is looking forward to seeing how much you make.”
Ben took the startup money solemnly, a big smile spreading across his face. “Okay, I’ve already figured it out. I’ll have Giovanni teach me how to bake pastries. I’m going to sell lemonade and chocolate chip cookies at the swimming school.”
“Oh? Why there?” Raymond rarely showed interest in what his little brother had to say, but this time he did.
The mother and daughter ate at the dining table while the two brothers settled onto the living room sofa.
Ben vividly recounted the money-making methods Jolene had suggested, then puffed out his chest with a hint of pride. “Jolene said I should decide for myself which method to use. So I thought—every time we’re halfway through swimming practice and the coach lets us take a break, I always get really hungry and thirsty. A lot of the other kids don’t bring snacks either, so they buy from the vending machine. But they don’t have fresh chocolate chip cookies there. So I think some people will definitely want to buy the cookies I make…”
Even Jolene, listening from the dining table, was impressed by Ben’s business instincts. Was this what they called natural talent?
Sure enough, Raymond was clearly surprised too. He reached out and ruffled Ben’s short, light-blond hair. “That actually sounds like a pretty good idea. Maybe you’ll earn back your startup money in no time.”
Being patted on the head and praised by his brother—Ben had never experienced this before. He lifted his little face, pressed his lips together, and two small dimples appeared on his cheeks. “Mm! I’m going to learn baking really well. I want to show you that I can make money for the family too!”
Raymond chuckled. He glanced back and caught sight of the mother and daughter eating side by side, their heads close together. He gave Ben’s short hair another pat—actually, it felt pretty nice.
Who knew that when his little brother wasn’t throwing tantrums, he was actually quite adorable—and easy to talk to?
Raymond was now especially grateful to his colleague for recommending that rehab center.
Ben was over the moon about the money, but then he remembered what the adults had said earlier and suddenly got nervous—what if he lost it because he was so little?
So, just as Raymond had thought to hand the money to Jolene, Ben also instinctively turned his gaze toward her.
“What?” Jolene finally noticed Ben staring at her.
“Jolene, can I leave the money with you for safekeeping?” Ben’s face flushed with a little embarrassment. He remembered how Jolene had turned down his brother earlier, and he wasn’t sure if she’d be willing to hold onto it for him.
“Sure,” Jolene agreed without hesitation.
Ben’s head shot up—and not just Ben, but even Raymond, who hadn’t left yet, turned back to look at her.
Jolene shrugged. “You’re trusting me with your money. That means a lot. After school tomorrow, we can go buy flour, chocolate chips, and lemons together. I’ll keep a ledger for you—every ingredient we buy, how much it costs, I’ll write it all down in a notebook.”
Hearing that, Ben’s face lit up with joy. His two little dimples popped out, and his eyes sparkled. “Great! Let’s go buy the ingredients tomorrow.”
Raymond just shrugged, opened the door, and left to take care of his work. He didn’t understand—when he asked her to hold the money, she refused. But when Ben asked, she agreed right away.
If Jolene had known what he was thinking, she would have asked him: “Is that the same thing? The effect of something a child decides on his own versus something you force on him—are they really the same?”
If she had accepted the money back then, it would’ve been a betrayal of her little employer, Ben. That kid wouldn’t be so agreeable now. But this time, Ben came to her for help—that was mutual aid between friends. The meaning was completely different…
That night, after finishing homework and reading picture books, everyone went to bed.
Jolene, once again, waited until the kids were asleep, then sat in the living room to write the second chapter.
The hardest part was always the beginning. With the tone and writing style established in the first chapter, the second chapter came much more smoothly—she even managed to finish the third chapter as well.
It had been years since she’d handwritten anything, and on top of that, it wasn’t even in Chinese—it was in English. For someone who used to crank out 10,000 words a day, this amount was nothing. If only she had a computer, she could type it out in no time.
But now? Hah—she could only slave away with pen and paper. Write a draft, revise it several times, then copy it clean.
By the time she finished the third chapter and recopied it, it was already past midnight.
For someone who used to lose sleep over plot ideas in her past life, staying up late had become a habit.
But she’d lost clumps of hair from all-nighters back then—she shouldn’t stay up this late in this life either.
She stood up and headed upstairs.
“Click—” The door opened.
She hadn’t expected Raymond to come home this late.
Their eyes met, and Jolene couldn’t help asking, “You work so hard—still pulling late-night overtime?”
Raymond paused, then explained, “There was a major shooting recently. We need to help the victims, provide psychological counseling to their families, and organize volunteers, so I’ve been coming home late.”
Jolene’s eyes widened: “…” What major shooting? And what exactly does Raymond do for a living?
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