Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed novel Chapter 875

“We’re looking for their son,” Roseanne clarified.

“Carlson Smith?”

“Yes! You know him?”

“I wouldn’t say I know him, but he’s the first kid from our village to get into a big-name university, so people remember him.”

“We’re Carlson’s classmates,” Mamie piped up. “Can you take us to the Smith family’s house?”

The driver gave them a strange look for a second before nodding. “Sure. It’s on my way. I can drop you off right at their gate.”

“Thank you!”

Scales suddenly spoke. “Could you tell us a bit more about his family? Why do people call his father… ‘Limp Smith’?”

“Because he’s got a limp,” the driver explained. “Walks with a shuffle. It’s just a nickname people gave him.”

During the rest of the ride, they learned that Carlson’s family was not well off. His mother had a chronic illness and needed constant medication. His father, the only one able to work, had injured his leg years ago on a construction site and had been forced to return home to farm. In recent years, he had started growing fruit trees, which sometimes yielded a good harvest. But it was never enough to cover the cost of his wife’s medicine and support a son studying far away in Lumina City, who was too distant to help with daily chores.

After hearing this, the three of them fell silent. They had known Carlson had been exploited by Edna and had guessed his family wasn’t wealthy, but they had never imagined things were this difficult.

Soon, the three-wheeler came to a stop.

They heard the sound of a bolt being drawn back, and the door creaked open. A little girl stood there, wearing a faded, washed-out cotton jacket. She was small, but her eyes were bright, and her features bore a slight resemblance to Carlson. She was no fool; instead of opening the door all the way, she left it cracked, peeking out at the strangers on her doorstep. She seemed a little flustered, but her eyes were filled more with caution than fear.

“Who are you looking for?”

Roseanne wasn't offended by the child’s wary gaze. She softened her voice and explained gently, “Hello there. We’re classmates of Carlson Smith from Kingswell University. We came to see him. Is he home right now?”

The little girl immediately turned and yelled back into the house, “Brother! Your classmates are here to see you!”

Her words were followed by a sharp, shattering crash from within. Someone had just dropped a bowl.