Speaking of which, although Jessica was the oldest among the girls, she was far from being ready to become the mother of three children. The parents of these three children had chosen to sell them in order to ensure their survival. That’s why they chose Jessica, who might not seem reliable upon first glance, but who obviously possessed a kind heart—selling to a kind-hearted young lady like her was infinitely better than to those brutish-looking fellows.
At least, being a servant was far better than becoming a pickpocket.
And so, in the following days, the wolf girl played the role of both mother and father—the oldest of the three children, Bill, was seven years old, the eldest of the siblings. The middle child, Jack, was five and was the one Malin had lifted up previously. Their little sister, Rose, was only four years old, still at the stage of a cub.
Jessica took care of them with all her heart, which provided some consolation to Malin—if Jessica had only saved the children out of a moment’s compassion and ended up abandoning them because she found it tiring and was too busy, Malin would definitely have kicked her off the train.
What reassured Malin more was that the wolf girl hadn’t uttered a single complaint. Malin had been fully prepared for some grumbling from her, something he could tolerate and accept. After all, an eighteen-year-old girl was still partly a child, and although Jessica had siblings, Malin really respected the fact that she could take care of three little children without a single complaint.
This was because Malin had taken care of children himself. When he was older at the orphanage, he had also learned to care for the little ones when the aunts were too busy to manage on their own.
Therefore, when the train reached the city of Lelieni, Malin called for Jessica and the three children, took them into the city for a stroll, and bought new clothes for the kids—things were getting hotter as they moved further away from Carterburg. If they didn’t prepare some clothes for the children to change into, their body odor would soon overwhelm the entire train compartment, including both permanent residents and visiting guests.
As for bathing water, that was no problem, Malin himself was a caster. With a few spell formations for creating water each day, he could ensure an endless supply of bathing water for everyone.
Jessica stood silently behind Malin the whole time, until Malin was ready to lead her into a women’s clothing store. It was then that the girl grabbed hold of Malin’s arm.
"You’re starting to smell." Malin glanced at the wolf girl, puzzled as to why she was holding him back.
"Are you disgusted with me?" The wolf girl furrowed her brow, looking as pitiful as a husky.
"If I were disgusted with you, why would I bring you here? Wouldn’t it be easier to just kick you off the train?" Malin rolled his eyes at the wolf girl.
After holding her breath for a while, Jessica finally started crying—not wailing loudly, but pursing her lips as tears streamed down.
Watching the wolf girl, Malin only reached out to pat her on the back of her head after she sniffled a bit: "How can you be so silly? If I were really disgusted with you, would I still take you and the kids shopping for clothes?"
"I know you wouldn’t take it out on the kids," Jessica replied.
...I said you were like a husky, but you’re not that dumb, you silly girl.
"Listen, Jessica, I’m not mad at you. Although you didn’t discuss adopting the kids with me beforehand, you’re consistent in your actions, which is good for the children and good for yourself too. It makes me happy. The Jessica I like isn’t the kind of girl who is fickle, or who is afraid of hardship." Malin said all this in one breath and then looked at the wolf girl: "Now, go take a bath, try on a change of clothes, and let me see if they look good on you. I’ll pay for them."
"I have money." The wolf girl stated earnestly.
"As a husband, it’s only right for me to buy clothes for my wife. Now hurry up inside, don’t keep the children waiting." After speaking, Malin turned to glance at the three children. Perhaps because they had heard many of Malin’s stories, the three siblings immediately sat up straight upon seeing Malin observing them. The youngest sister’s head was slightly tilted, but her older brother quickly straightened it with his hand.
"But I..." "Be quiet and go inside, or I really will leave you behind." Malin felt the earlier sensation was just an illusion. This wolf girl had the appearance of a wolf with the heart of a husky. Why couldn’t she be more straightforward?
After finally stuffing Jessica into the store and whistling for the three little cubs to sit inside, Malin went to a nearby snack stand, took out some change, and bought snacks for the three little ones—these sweets were effective in keeping their curiosity and behavior in check.
Keeping them busy with snacks was an efficient way to control their abundant energy.
Once their hands and mouths were full of snacks, Malin sat down on the bench inside the store, waiting for a brand-new Jessica to emerge.
He also casually picked up a newspaper.
The Lelieni Freedom Times.
Do you guys really understand that word?
Seeing the name of the newspaper composed of three words, Malin inwardly scoffed. Regardless of who said it, the word wasn’t truly meant. Those who spoke it with true meaning were the ones like the Secretary of State of America, whose beauty lay in lies so convincing they could be seen as truth in broad daylight. Only such a person could claim this word, a word that pleased a certain unmentionable name.
Come to think of it, if Earth also had the Evil God, that Secretary of State gentleman would at least deserve the title of Eternal Chosen.