"Maybe my parents had foresight. They didn’t choose you back then. Now, who knows, perhaps they’d have sold the house and ended up destitute."
"You’re worthless. My son is already thirteen, and he’s one of the best in school. Look at yourself. You’re not even married yet. Maybe no woman wants you. I’m tired of saying these things. Regardless of how many times I say it, you won’t listen. I came here today to remind you not to forget to double the allowance you give to your parents, starting from now on."
The middle-aged man, with an air of superiority, stood tall and spoke arrogantly, drawing the disgust from the passersby.
"Why should I double the monthly allowance I give to my parents? If you want it doubled, ask them to come here themselves," the thin stall owner said with a unpleasant face.
When he catching sight of Amalia standing nearby, his expression even more unpleasant. What he didn’t want others to know had been seen, making his face suddenly turn very ugly.
"Why? Just because I’m the eldest in the family and have more talent and potential than you," the middle-aged man said self-righteously.
The thin stall owner sneered, "If you have so much potential, how come you can’t even support your own parents and have to ask me for their living expenses? Moreover, how much of that allowance actually goes to my parents? Do you think I’m unaware?"
"What do you know? Anyway, mark my words here. If I don’t see the doubled living expenses, I won’t let it go easily," the middle-aged man’s bullying demeanor angered the thin stall owner.
With a forceful swing, the thin stall owner flung the cloth in his hand and coldly smirked, "I compromised before, doesn’t mean I’m easy to bully. From now on, I won’t give a single penny as living expenses. Since my parents never cared about me, what I’ve given is already too much. Without the allowance from me, let’s see how your family will manage to survive."
"You!" The middle-aged man was infuriated. Pointing at the suddenly assertive thin stall owner, he didn’t understand why the latter had suddenly become so aggressive.
Without the living expenses from him, how could their family survive?
In fact, he was lying. Even though Lysandre was setting up a stall there, the amount he earned every month was considerable.
Lysandre was also very filial and often sent money to his parents. In reality, almost all of these people had been using the money for their eldest son and grandson.
The middle-aged man had always thought that Lysandre wasn’t aware of this. Their family was enjoying Lysandre’s sacrifices without any guilt, but with his son’s need to enter the best university, and the required funds were also increasing.
The living expenses Lysandre had sent previously were no longer sufficient. This visit was to inform him of this situation.
"If you stop giving your parents living expenses, aren’t you afraid I’ll take legal action?" The middle-aged man thought for a while, realizing this was the only thing that could threaten Lysandre, although his momentum had weakened significantly.
"You can go ahead. The living expenses I’ve sent previously have exceeded what should be paid. If we truly calculate, I’ve paid everything I needed to. You know exactly what’s right or wrong in your heart. Even if you take it to court, the judge will rule that I don’t need to pay any more living expenses," the thin stall owner no longer cared about anything.
The middle-aged man became truly panicked upon hearing this, "Lysandre, you can’t do this! What about Mom and Dad? What about us? You must provide the living expenses!"
"You always said I have no talent. But who really lacks talent here? Look at yourself now. Make something of yourself, don’t make me look down on you, just like how you always looked down on me," the thin stall owner said, while lighting a cigarette.
Finally, the middle-aged man realized that Lysandre was different now. His heart had suddenly hardened. "Aren’t you afraid Mom and Dad will come to you?"
"Why should they? In their eyes, you are their only relative," the thin stall owner blew smoke.
He found that after saying these words, his mindset had opened up a lot, and he felt as refreshed as when he advanced.
This wasn’t just an illusion; his realm had genuinely improved. Others might not notice, but Amalia did.
The middle-aged man stormed off, with angry face he threatening to have his parents come to Lysandre., and then he left.
"Congratulations. But smoking isn’t good for your body," Amalia said as she passed by him.
The thin stall owner was momentarily stunned, "Congratulations for what? Also, I’ve quit smoking. It just different today, i suddenly want to smoke one." He didn’t know why he need to explain it to her.
"Congratulations on your spiritual advancement. Don’t you realize it?" Amalia looked at him oddly.
The thin stall owner checked within himself and was astonished; his spiritual state had indeed improved.
Seeing his puzzled expression, Amalia kindly explained, "On the path of cultivation, one’s state of mind is crucial. Your talent is actually good, but due to heavy psychological burdens, you’ve been stagnated for years. Do you know why many cultivators sever their worldly desires? It’s for this reason—without attachments, the spiritual path is clear. No one is inherently inferior; it’s all about one’s determination."
The thin stall owner struggled to speak for a while, as if his throat was blocked, and finally managed to say, "Thank you."
Because it was an uncommon phrase for him to utter, the pronunciation of the two words sounded peculiar.
"No need to thank me. I haven’t done anything," Amalia said before returning to her own stall.
The chubby stall owner came over to congratulate him with smile, and even the old stall owner exchanged a few words with him.
At their age, wanting to advance further was already difficult, even impossible.