Chapter Six

Ennie and Aunt Vena walked ahead while Celius stayed with the four kids in the back. The two women couldn't help but glance back every few minutes.

"Celius is such a wonderful and mature boy." Aunt Vena suddenly said to Ennie. The latter nodded her head with a smile.

"He is nice. Luna likes him so much already, it's surprising." Ennie kept nodding in approval. Seeing this, Aunt Vena couldn't help but smirk.

She also did the same and nodded her head. "I sometimes wonder who would be lucky enough to marry such a person. Not only is Celius kind and good with kids, but he is also very handsome and hardworking. I heard he was cutting trees and even started fieldwork recently. His body is probably very muscular as well." Aunt Vena had no interest in such a boy, but she spoke in a very teasing voice. "If only he was a little older, I might have just set the two of you up."

When she heard her mother's words, Ennie couldn't help but heat up and become a little embarrassed. "What are you saying, mom? I'm three years older than him. He is basically a kid beside me."

"Well, that isn't completely true. Other than his age, he is already a man. If anything, he is more mature than you, lassie. Now that I think about it, he should be turning into an adult next year. Maybe I should talk to his grandpa about setting you two up." Although she was mostly joking, there was some seriousness in her tone. She really found Celius to be a perfect son-in-law type person. Not only was he handsome and tall, but he also was good with children, could cook, could support a family, and was very mature. She didn't see age as a problem. There were many girls she knew who married men younger than them, and they all turned out fine. The only pity was his status in the clan and the fact that he was supposedly not talented in cultivation, unlike his dad and uncle.

"Mom! Stop talking about something so dumb. I don't like him like that, plus he probably doesn't even care about getting married." Her face turned red but then somewhat dejected.

Aunt Vena showed surprise at such a reaction. "Don't tell me that you feel disappointed?"

This time, Ennie didn't act embarrassed, she just spoke plainly. "I would be lying if I said I don't feel disappointed. I don't like him like that or anything, but mom, he is such a good guy. He works so hard just to care for his siblings, not caring about his feelings. Did you know that when he was at the Jobs' Building…" She began to explain the whole situation to her mom, emphasizing how he was given a cold shoulder by the old man, and then how his siblings wouldn't let him go to work, and lastly what he said to her while they walked. She even included her conversation with Grandpa Amlenor.

Listening to her daughter describe the whole situation, Aunt Vena sighed heavily before turning her head and looking at Celius who was occupied by the four kids.

"He is suffering. Plus, from what your father told me, his grandpa isn't doing so well in the clan either. In the end, everything will fall on Celius. If there was someone to help him carry his burden, if his siblings were older, or his grandpa was a bit younger, then they could maybe help him with work." Ennie listened to her mom silently. To her, Celius' life was very different and tragic.

Soon, they reached Ennie's house. The house was much bigger than Celius' and also was near other houses, making it a much better place to live.

"Wow, what a big place. Brother, isn't the house big?" Elrith was the first to yell out as he looked at the house. Celius wryly smiled as he flicked his brother's forehead.

"It is nice, now thank Aunty for letting us come for dinner. You two as well." Aunt Vena stopped and stared at Celius with astonishment.

'Did he just call me Aunty?' Although it wasn't direct, it was still a start. She saw Celius looking at her with a smile that was less plain and more genuine. It was very pleasant to see, and she couldn't help but smile back even more.

"Thank you for letting us visit, Aunty Vena." The three said it in unison.

"You're welcome, you three." She rubbed their heads before opening the front door and entering the house. Luna and Rislia were the first to run in, followed by Alura and Elrith. Celius hesitated a little. Aunt Vena looked at him suspiciously before calling out warmly. "Are you coming in Celius?"

Celius took a step forward but hesitated a little as his forehead became a little bit sweaty. His thoughts began to recall all the hate and humiliation he faced. He couldn't even visit his friends' family as they would shoo him away just when they saw him. Some people went as far as to curse and beat him.

"A-aunty Vena, are you sure this is alright? I don't want to intrude or make your husband upset. Will he truly be ok with me coming here? It is a little late as well, maybe I should come next time, probably at a better time. It is a little inappropriate to come so late…" His face showed a bit of panic and fear, as he took a few steps back.

Ennie walked forward and pulled his sleeve. "Just come in Celius, my dad won't say a word. If anything, he will be happy to meet someone like you. My dad likes hardworking people." Noticing his fright, Ennie couldn't help but console him.

Taking a deep gulp, Celius calmed his nerves as he slowly made his way into the house. Aunt Vena sighed seeing him panic. It was unexpected to her to see him so scared from entering her house. 'What did people do to make him so scared of entering my house?'

Celius entered the house, but he couldn't relax one bit. He saw his siblings playing with Luna in the corner happily, and he felt his tense body become a little lighter, however, he also felt more fear in his heart. 'I can take all the heat, but what if they say something to Alura, Elrith, or worse yet, Rislia? These three aren't old enough to understand such things, they won't be able to handle it.' His mind went wild as he looked at his siblings playing in the corner.

Pat

He suddenly felt a small hand touch his shoulder. Celius turned his head and saw aunt Vena looking at him with a gentle smile. "Relax Celius, nothing is going to happen. You're here to eat dinner, not fight a battle. Just sit down and calm down."

"Ah, would you like some help with preparing the food? I am pretty good at cooking, maybe I could lighten your burden. I am intruding, so it is the least I can do." Aunt Vena thought for a moment before nodding her head.

"If it helps you calm down, you can help." Celius calmed down a little seeing her approve.

"Me too, I want to help brother make food." Alura quickly got up from the ground and ran over.

"Sure, you can come as well. Why don't we all go into the kitchen and make the food together?" She looked at the rest and asked.

"Alright." The kids nodded their head and followed. Even Ennie followed them.

Everyone walked into the kitchen. Rislia and Luna just sat in one corner and played while Elrith just stood by the two girls like a guard. It was quite funny and cute at the same time. Ennie sat in a chair and watched as her mother, Celius, and even Alura worked.

"For dinner, why don't you make that potato and spinach dish and I will make one of my own?" She looked at Celius and asked.

He smiled at her weakly before saying, "Whatever you feel is best. I will help in any way."

"Then it is settled. You make your dish and I will make mine. With so many people, it will be fun to have some variety." He nodded his head, however, he kept turning his head and looking at the front door.

"Brother come on. Let's start or Aunty is going to beat us." Alura tugged his sleeve before saying with a slight pout.

He rubbed her head before nodding his head. "This is not a race, but let's begin. I will be using your supplies then, aunty." She nodded her head and pointed at where he could find what he was looking for.

Celius quickly washed his hands in a basin and began. He grabbed some spinach from the cupboard and soaked it in some water. He started a small fire in the corner and placed a metal plate on top before adding garlic and spices. He added a cup of water before placing the spinach into it. He covered the metal plate and let cook for a while. He went back and sat on the table with a plate filled with potatoes. He looked at Alura and passed her a small, dull knife.

"Help me cut these into small pieces, ok?" She nodded her head and concentrated as she slowly cut the potatoes. Celius smiled gently as he watched from the side.

Ennie who was also sitting on the table looked at Celius with come astonishment. 'He can cook well. He is almost as good as mom.' She couldn't help but stare at Celius who was happily watching his sister.

Aunt Vena was also making her dish. She turned her head and smiled at Celius and Alura who were working at a pretty fast pace. As she watched them, she saw her daughter staring at Celius in an almost entranced way. "Ennie." She couldn't help but call out.

Being called out so suddenly, Ennie was flustered and quickly got up. "Ouch!" She accidentally slit her finger on the knife she was holding.

"Ennie, Are you alright?" Aunt Vena quickly stopped what she was doing and checked on Ennie. Celius also got up and walked to check on her. He saw that the cut wasn't too deep, but it was bleeding a lot.

He took a small cloth and placed it on her finger squeezed a little bit. "Ouch!" She couldn't help but exclaim.

"Just hold it like this for a bit to stop the bleeding. It's a small cut, it should heal soon, especially since you are quite strong." He wasn't joking when he said this. She was already at Physique Purge - Heaven, a higher realm than even him.

She nodded her head before holding the cloth and squeezing it a little tightly. Seeing that everything was fine, Aunt Vena went back to doing her work. Celius also went back to supervising Alura.

"Ennie, come here." Aunt Vena called out. Ennie got up, but this time a lot slower, and went to her mom.

"Yeah?" She looked at her mom questionably.

"What do you say? Should I talk to his grandpa?" She teased her daughter once again.

"Mom, why are you still saying that? We already talked about this." Ennie became a little red, but still maintained her stance.

"Too bad, he is good at what he does. I could use a hand with cooking and other stuff since you're useless to me." Aunt Vena mocked her daughter endlessly. "Also, if you don't want me talking about it, then stop staring at him like that. Hehe."

"I'm not staring at him; I was looking at Alura. She is just so cute to watch." Ennie rebutted right away.

"Whatever you say. Can you go and get some plates ready? Also, find your father and tell him beforehand so that he doesn't get all surprised and make a scene." She whispered the last part so Celius wouldn't overhear them.

Ennie nodded her head and grabbed a few plates and placed them onto the table in an orderly fashion. She saw Celius put the cut potatoes into the metal plate which had the spinach.

She then left the kitchen to find her dad. She left from the back and found that he was happily cleaning his pickaxe. He was a miner and made quite a bit of income, a bit more than what Celius would make once he made his first harvest.

"Daddy, the food is almost ready." The man was middle-aged but looked a little older. His hair was slightly grey, but his body was muscular. He exuded a manly and brawny charm.

Turning his head, he looked at his pretty daughter with his bark like eyes. They were somewhat like Celius'. "Alright, I will be in soon."

"Umm, dad…" The man turned around once again and looked at his daughter curiously.

"What's the problem?" His eyebrows were raised as he saw his daughter play with the rag in her hand.

"Well, you know Celius?" When she said his name, she saw his previous smiling face lessen a little as he nodded. "Umm, we invited him to dinner, and he is inside right now with his three siblings. Don't get mad, please." She quickly walked over to her dad and held his rough hands.

His face turned into a frown as he looked at her. "Why did you guys call him over? Did he ask you guys to…"

"No, no, we just thought it would be nice. He has been doing so much alone and we walked into him at the market, so we thought of having him join us." Ennie quickly explained and saw her dad's face return to normal.

"It's good to be kind to others, but that kid is not someone you should be too close with, especially not so close that you're bringing him home. He isn't the problem, but his status is tricky. I will let it go for today since he's already here, but make sure it doesn't happen again." The man snorted before getting up and walking into the house.

Ennie was a little worried as she followed behind.

As they entered, her dad quickly found his seat and sat down. Aunt Vena served the food quickly. The kids also sat down. "Where is Celius? Ennie, can you go and call him please?" She smiled slightly before signaling to her daughter.

After Ennie left, Aunt Vena looked at her husband and sighed. "Act normal, please. I don't want to cause any problems, so you better not do anything dumb, or you can go and sleep alone today." She threatened her husband silently. He looked at her and grunted before putting on a plain look.

Celius soon walked in with his siblings and Ennie. He was still very frightened on the inside but kept a strong front because of his siblings. He looked at the man sitting on the other side of the table before quickly thanking him. "Thank you for inviting me and my siblings over for dinner."

The man nodded his head, and only after that did Celius sit down. He made sure to sit closer to the man and put up a barrier between him and his siblings. Starting from the man and going counterclockwise, it was the man, Ennie, Celius, Rislia, Elrith, Alura, Luna, and then Aunt Vena.

After the food was served, Celius waited for the two grown-ups to get some first, before getting some out for the rest. He didn't feel super hungry, mostly because of the anxiety he was feeling, so he got enough of the spinach out for his sister Rislia to eat. He also got a little bit of Aunt Vena's dish out for her. He quietly fed her one spoon at a time.

"This dish is new. It is quite good; did you make this Vena?" The man commented pleasantly as he ate Celius' spinach and potato dish.

Aunt Vena smiled before shaking her head. "It wasn't me who made it. Celius put together this dish, and I must say, although it is simple, it tastes very good." Ennie and Luna both nodded their heads as well as they ate his dish.

Celius only smiled faintly before thanking them. He kept mum, not wanting to get on anyone's nerves.

"My brother always makes the best food. Even Aunty Esadora says so." Elrith lifted his spoon and spoke out heroically, but Celius only felt his heart turned to stone. He couldn't help but glare at his loud-mouthed brother, before glancing back at the man sitting beside him.

"It's nothing. Aunty Vena's cooking skills are much better. I still have lots to learn." Ennie silently watched as Celius panicked and she couldn't help but pout. She looked at her dad with dagger-like eyes.

The man couldn't help but feel flustered and dejected. 'Why the heck is everyone glaring at me, even little Luna is looking at me angrily. I only said one sentence, and it was a compliment.' He nodded at Celius before continuing with eating. 'I'll just silently eat. If I say nothing, then at least I won't be yelled at for that.'

Little did he know that that just made things worse. "Husband, why don't you ask Celius about what he is doing lately? Maybe you both have some common interests." He saw his wife looking at him with a bland smile. He felt shivers down his spine as he cursed Celius' whole family.

'You caused this little kid. I don't even breath and they stare at me like I'm a thief.' He quickly cleared his throat and looked at Celius. "So Celius, what have you been doing lately? I heard you have been cutting trees for a while, how is that going?"

Celius pulled himself together before smiling wryly. "It was going alright, but I had to switch from cutting trees to fielding. I got one of the new fields to work on."

This news came as a shock to the man. His eyes widened as he looked at Celius, "Fieldwork? And even more, a new plot? What realm are you?"

"Sadly, it's still in Physique Purge, sir." Celius shook his head and lamented. He wasn't lying, but also wasn't the complete truth.

The dad was even more shocked. He looked at Celius' face and didn't see many changes on it. While his skin looked tough, it didn't seem super strong. 'He is probably at Physique Purge Earth or Sky; with such a realm, fieldwork is basically suicide.'

"Why did you switch? I don't mean to ask about such private affairs, but with such a low realm, fieldwork is ... incredibly taxing and difficult. Even I, who is in Essence Engulfing, would find it very difficult." Unlike Ennie, who had only heard about fieldwork and could base her assumptions on that, he had done it in the past. He knew the difficulty and mental strain. One needed to be on the fields day and night and make sure that everything was properly planted, watered, and ensure nothing was destroyed. It was an extremely difficult job.

Celius shrugged his shoulders slightly before smiling a little. "One must work hard to get three meals a day, especially with many mouths to feed."

"So true." The man couldn't help but subconsciously reply. When he processed what he just said, he felt even more shock. He looked at Celius once more and noticed that he looked extremely mature for his age and his eyes showed fatigue similar to his own, maybe even worse off. 'This kid really is working hard to feed his family.' He couldn't help but sigh deeply as he felt his dislike towards the kid in front of him lower substantially. 'What do his dad's misdeeds have to do with him? He is working hard and honestly for his siblings. If that doesn't deserve respect, I don't know what does.'

Celius looked at the man curiously before he continued to feed his sister quietly. He was much calmer after having a very small talk with the man. The table became silent once more. Everyone tried each dish at least once at least, except for the tense Celius. He didn't even want to touch the food.

Ennie noticed this and so did her parents. "Celius, aren't you going to eat?" Surprisingly, the person who asked was neither Ennie, nor Aunt Vena, rather it was the man.

He looked at the quiet Celius and asked.

"Ah, no thank you, sir. I caught some fish yesterday from a pond and was planning on eating that before it goes bad. My siblings eating is enough for me." Celius smiled back as well. The man looked at Celius before sighing a little.

"Celius, you don't have to worry about me saying anything or be scared of me. Just eat freely." After saying that, the man got up slowly before walking away from the table "I'm going to go and rest now. Celius, you can come to me if you ever need help, don't be shy. Alright?"

He felt a little bad for treating Celius somewhat coldly and even ignoring him completely in the past. Although he still had his misgivings, it was mostly towards his deceased parents, not Celius. Plus, he could tell that Celius was working harder than even him. He could be considered one of the most hardworking people in the whole village, yet he never got credit, only cold stares and disrespect.

Being a father, he couldn't help but want to support Celius a little now. 'Who cares what others say? This kid is not a bad person. If anything, he is better than most kids, if not all.' Thinking about this, he smiled slightly towards Celius before walking away.

Seeing him go, Celius felt relief wash his heart. He looked at Aunty Vena and her two daughters and felt somewhat emotional. 'They are the first to finally talk to me, to accept me. Finally.' He felt relieved but didn't say anything further.

Rislia continued to eat from Celius' hands. The latter still didn't eat, it was half because of the remaining anxiety, and also because he did have fish leftovers. He didn't want that to go to waste so he would eat it when he got home.

No one said anything to him about not eating since he was persistent. Aunt Vena then suddenly spoke up. "Celius, you are going to turn eighteen soon, correct?"

Celius nodded his head. He had plans for when the coming of age ceremony would end. He was going to leave the clan and start anew with his siblings and his grandpa.

"What do you plan to do after becoming an adult? You're already working and all, but do you have other plans for now?" She was asking out of concern because when people turn eighteen, they would hold more responsibilities in the clan. Of course, there were a few like Ennie who, even after turning into an adult, focused everything on cultivation and nothing else. Celius was also in a special situation because he already began to adult work.

"I have nothing big planned. Just going to continue doing what I have been doing since the beginning. I may do something else later, but I'm still planning." He didn't mention the leaving plan since it was not something he wanted to expose just yet.

Hearing his words, aunt Vena didn't find anything suspicious and just nodded her head. She then glanced at Ennie for before smiling a little. "Do you plan on settling down anytime soon?"

"What do you mean? I have a house… am I not settled?" Confusion appeared on his face as he raised an eyebrow and asked.

"What I mean is, do you plan on getting a wife after becoming an adult? Taking care of these three alone should be quite difficult, having some support from a female can do great things. Plus, it will be helpful for your siblings to have a girl around to help." She said this mostly to test the grounds, but also because it was true.

Other than a father, children mostly needed mothers to care for them. Rislia, Alura, and Elrith were being taken care of by two men, which wasn't anything bad per se, but having a girl around was very beneficial to the growth of children.

Those words came as a surprise to Celius before he began to ponder deeply. "I never gave such idea's a thought. Marriage may be out of the picture, plus I have my Aunt Esadora who visits sometimes to help with these three. In the future, if things go well, I may hire a maid or something. You are right about the whole having a girl around." Celius agreed about the idea of having a girl around.

When he was growing up, his mother was his dependence, more than even his father. To him, having his mother around was even more important than his dad. This wasn't because he loved his mom more than his dad, he loved them all the same, but his mother was more emotionally tied to him as she was the one who taught him everything he knew and protected him from his dad's scolding.

'Maybe if I can make a good amount in the town next year, I could hire a maid or something. This will be good for these three.' He nodded his head and noted this in his mind.

"So, you don't plan on getting married anytime soon? Most boys get married when they're eighteen to twenty." Celius just shook his head.

"I don't plan on doing that, at least not anytime soon. It may be a good idea, but I'm not one to marry just to use my partner for benefits, such as caring for my siblings. That wouldn't be fair for my partner. Plus, I'm just too busy to even think about such things." Celius didn't feel embarrassed talking about such matters. If anything, he was used to it.

Whenever Aunt Esadora visited, she would always talk about his future wife and how she would treat her like a queen. He never made such plans before and always just declined it. For now, at least, he couldn't think about things like marriage. He had other plans in life, although not good plans, they were what he wanted.

"Such a pity. With your looks and personality, girls would be lining up to marry you." She laughed a little as she glanced at her daughter. Although the latter wasn't in love or didn't hold any romantic feelings towards Celius, it was still more positive then how she acted around other boys.

Celius smiled faintly as he cleaned his sister's mouth. Rislia had droopy eyes as she got off her seat and stood with her arms in the air. "I'm sleepy, let's go home." She spoke silently as her eyes continued to close and then open.

"Well, these three are tired and should sleep. Thank you again for letting us come for dinner, I am extremely grateful." He thanked her profusely as he picked up the sleepy Rislia. Alura was also tired so he picked her up as well. Elrith was still able to walk and stay awake, so Celius made him walk.

Aunt Vena and Ennie got up as well. Ennie picked up all the plates and took them to the kitchen while Aunt Vena picked up Luna, who was also getting tired.

"No problem, Celius. You're welcome to come whenever you'd like." She smiled as she looked at the kitchen and yelled, "Ennie, can you walk Celius out while I take Luna to bed?"

Ennie walked out and led Celius to the front door. Both walked silently, Ennie, however, felt a little awkward because of her mother's constant mention of marriage.

"Sorry about my mom. She likes to talk about those things." A wry look appeared on her face as she explained.

"It's alright. This is normal to talk about. Nothing to apologize for. Also, thank you for letting me come. My siblings enjoyed themselves a lot." He thanked her once again.

"What about you? Did you have fun?" She couldn't help but ask this all of a sudden.

Celius was a little taken aback before nodding his head. "I had fun as well." Ennie smiled sweetly when she heard this.

They got to the front door and both of them waved at each other. Celius departed with his siblings into the night, while Ennie watched silently.