A Second Chance to Save My Daughter

Chapter 008

When the villagers saw Frank Lane, a trace of disdain flashed through their eyes.

The man who had dug up the bamboo roots frowned, pushed his handcart toward Frank, and said, "If you want them, take them. Just bring the cart back to my house afterward."

With that, he turned and walked away.

The other villagers glanced at Frank, shook their heads dismissively, and soon dispersed as well.

Frank sighed helplessly and pushed the cart toward home.

The man from earlier was actually Uncle Lane, a distant relative on Frank's father's side. Back when Frank was still in school, Uncle Lane had helped him and his family quite a bit.

But after watching Frank waste his life year after year, even Uncle Lane had eventually become deeply disappointed in him.

Frank pushed the cart to a secluded spot before putting everything into the Pocket Dimension.

Then he stopped by the small village store to buy a couple packs of cigarettes.

"If you don't have money, don't bother asking. No more credit."

The shopkeeper frowned the moment he saw Frank.

"You only paid off your old tab two days ago. Don't even think about running up another one."

Frank could only sigh inwardly at the kind of reputation his past self had built.

He took out ten dollars.

"Two packs of cigarettes, four bottles of soda, and a pound of pastries."

The shopkeeper's eyes widened when he actually saw Frank produce cash.

He quickly took the money, checked it carefully, then packed up the items for him.

Frank carried everything back to Uncle Lane's house with the handcart and knocked on the door.

When Uncle Lane saw him, helplessness flashed across his face, but he still let Frank inside.

"Uncle, I brought your cart back."

Frank smiled and pushed the cart into the yard. Then he handed over the things he'd bought.

"I can make good use of that bamboo. I didn't feel right taking it for free."

Uncle Lane immediately frowned when he saw the cigarettes, soda, and pastries.

"What did you buy all this for?"

"Your family barely has enough as it is. Take it home and let Sophie and Lily have it."

Frank felt a surge of warmth in his chest.

"I've been going out to work these past few days. I'm making a little money now. We have enough food at home."

"Just keep it, Uncle."

Uncle Lane sighed, finally accepting the bag.

Then he looked at Frank seriously.

"You're already in your twenties. You have a wife and a daughter. Start living like a responsible man."

"Stop going out every day drinking and gambling with those useless friends of yours."

After saying that, Uncle Lane practically pushed Frank toward the door.

"It's getting dark. Sophie and Lily are home alone. Get back before it gets too late."

Frank gave a bitter smile and headed home.

Every word Uncle Lane had said came from genuine concern.

The old Frank probably wouldn't have listened.

But now, Frank understood exactly how much care lay behind those harsh words.

After years of wasting his life, nearly everyone in the village had learned to avoid him.

Even Sophie's heart had gradually gone cold.

Only Uncle Lane, despite being furious and disappointed with everything Frank had done, would still stop him whenever they met and try to talk some sense into him.

Frank sighed as he returned home.

He stopped outside Sophie's room and gently knocked.

After years of growing apart, husband and wife had become almost like strangers.

Sophie was sitting on the bed beneath the dim light, knitting a small sky-blue sweater.

Lily was already asleep beside her, a faint smile still lingering on her face.

Frank walked over and gently touched Lily's cheek.

"I bought some white yarn too. Maybe you could knit a little rabbit onto the sweater for her."

Sophie hesitated.

The yarn Frank had bought was pure wool, and it was incredibly expensive.

She had originally planned to save whatever was left and use it to make Lily a hat.

Seeing her hesitation, Frank said, "Don't worry about wasting the yarn. I'll go out and work again tomorrow."

"Things are going to get better for us."

As he said this, Frank looked directly into Sophie's eyes.

Sophie hadn't said anything about leaving yet, but Frank knew the thought had already taken root in her heart.

He couldn't confront her about it directly.

All he could do was let her understand, little by little, that he wanted things to change.

Words alone meant nothing.

What mattered was what he did from now on.

Looking at the determination in Frank's eyes, Sophie fell into a daze.

They had been married for years.

Lily was already more than two years old.

Frank had spent all that time drifting through life without responsibility.

Could she really trust him now?

After a long moment, Sophie slowly nodded.

Frank's heart surged with excitement.

He knew Sophie's feelings couldn't be changed overnight.

Two days of good behavior weren't enough to prove anything.

But he still had time.

As long as he kept doing the right thing, Sophie might choose to stay.

Frank returned to his own room in high spirits and entered the Pocket Dimension.

He first checked the seeds he'd planted earlier, then placed the bamboo roots beside the Healing Spring to soak.

Meanwhile, Sophie continued knitting for a while before suddenly turning toward her sleeping daughter.

She pulled Lily into her arms, complicated emotions flickering through her eyes.

"Lily..."

Sophie whispered softly.

The coldness in her expression gradually faded.

"You don't want Mommy to leave either, do you?"

"Daddy has changed..."

"But how long can he keep it up?"

"Maybe..."

Her voice slowly faded away.

Before long, mother and daughter fell asleep in each other's arms.

...

Early the next morning, Frank got out of bed before sunrise.

After gathering every empty sack in the house, he entered the Pocket Dimension and began harvesting.

The moment he saw what had happened inside, however, he froze in shock.

The bamboo roots he had planted yesterday had already taken root and sprouted.

In a single night, they had grown into a lush little bamboo grove.

Even more astonishingly, dozens of bamboo shoots were already poking through the soil.

Frank was overjoyed.

He immediately grabbed his tools and started harvesting.

Half an hour later, he left the Pocket Dimension with a satisfied smile.

...

At the entrance to the Riverside County market, Frank set up his stall in the same spot as yesterday.

Since it was still dark and there weren't many people around, he took out the fresh bamboo shoots and tomatoes he had harvested from the Pocket Dimension and arranged them neatly on the stall.

"Well, look who's here."

The vendor beside him had just arrived. When he spotted Frank, he smiled.

"You're pretty early again today."

Frank smiled back and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, handing it over.

"I was in such a rush yesterday that I didn't even get a chance to properly introduce myself."

Frank was naturally good-looking, and now that he had cleaned himself up, he looked approachable enough.

The vendor waved it off with a laugh.

"You're being too polite. Did you remember to bring a scale and bags today?"

"Looks like you're selling vegetables by the pound this time."

Frank nodded.

After finishing his shopping yesterday, he had bought a scale along with a stack of plastic bags specifically for today.

"Take the cigarettes."

Frank pressed the pack into the man's hand.

"I'm still new here, and I don't know how long I'll be selling at this market. I'll probably need your advice from time to time."

The vendor had accepted the gift, so he naturally felt obligated to help.

He lowered his voice.

"You know Riverside County is in a unique location. We're poor, sure, but this place is an important stop for anyone heading into the city."

"If you can get larger quantities of specialty vegetables from the South and send them to the wholesale market, there's real money to be made."

"We do get some off-season vegetables around here, but they're mostly the usual stuff. Even I rarely see some of those southern varieties."

The vendor chuckled.

"You see what I'm getting at?"

Frank's eyes immediately lit up.