The most shameless alchemist in history

“My flowers…” The little girl knelt down and held up the flowers with shoe prints still on them, as if trying to hold on to something. But the wind blew, and even the last petals in her palm were blown away. They were so hard to pick, yet they left so easily.

"Hahaha, did you see her ridiculous face? A bastard is a bastard, go to hell with your unclean mother!" Amidst laughter and curses, the boys kicked the ball away. They hadn't meant any harm, but the adults taught them this way, and they learned it too.

The things the adults taught them were different from what the little girl's mother taught her. So even so, apart from a feeling of unease in her heart, she wasn't angry. She didn't even know what anger was, because her mother wanted her to be happy!

"Is this feeling... sadness? My flowers are gone, I wonder if my mom will be angry..." The little girl was a little disappointed. She stood up, hung her head, and walked along the way home. Her house was very close, so all the neighbors knew them.

In just a few minutes, she stopped in front of a dilapidated house. It was more like a makeshift awning that could barely keep out the rain than a house. A few wooden planks covered the roof, barely enough to shield against the wind and rain, and the wooden planks on the windows had been removed.

This was a prank by the neighborhood kids. Of course, such pranks were only allowed on this mother and daughter. If they went and took down someone else's window, they would be chased and beaten. The kids knew this very well. Without the wooden planks, the window was just covered with a layer of newspaper.

"Mommy, I'm home!" The little girl took a few breaths at the door, forced a smile, and then excitedly pushed the door open and went inside.

She knew that no matter how much she suffered outside, she should leave all her unhappiness outside the door when she got home. This was what her mother taught her, and she had always been an obedient child, so her sadness vanished as soon as she entered her room.

"Cough cough, Yuffie, where did you go? Mom woke up and didn't see you... I was very worried... Are you hungry? Mom will make you breakfast right away..." The room was simply furnished. The pale-faced young woman on the bed tried to get up, thinking of going to the kitchen next door to cook.

But she was too weak. She tried several times but failed. Her body was limp and powerless, and she didn't even have the strength to get out of bed.

“Mommy, you’re sick, so just sit still. You don’t need to get up. The doctor said you need to rest more. Yufei isn’t hungry. By the way, Mommy, are you hungry? Yufei can make breakfast for you. I secretly learned how to make it when I was helping in the kitchen before.” The little girl came closer.

She moved a small stool to the side and sat down. She held the young woman's hand and spoke earnestly.

"Mom isn't hungry, cough cough, silly child, even if you can cook, there's no food left in the kitchen. Mom has to go out to work to buy good food for Yuffie, but Mom looks like this... cough cough." The young woman looked at her daughter, who bore a resemblance to her in some features, and her eyes welled up with tears.

"Work? When Yuffie passed by the grocery store, she asked the owner if she could work there, but he said a lot of things Yuffie didn't understand and even kicked her out. But it's okay, Yuffie will go look around somewhere else later and she'll definitely find a job," the girl continued.

“Work? Yuffie, you’re so young, you can’t even take care of yourself, how can you work…” The young woman’s hands trembled slightly.

“Before, Mom would work to buy delicious food for Yuffie. Now that Mom is sick, Yuffie wants to try to do something too. Today I went to pick the irises that Mom likes…” The little girl suddenly remembered the flowers and stopped talking.

“Euphrates, you don’t need to do those things. As long as you’re alive and well, Mom is already very happy… What happened to your hand?” The young woman’s voice was a little choked up. She wiped her eyes and noticed a bruise on the little girl’s wrist. She immediately became anxious.

"My hand...it's fine, it's perfectly normal." The little girl withdrew her hand, her eyes darting around timidly.

“Tell your mother what happened. Yuffie is a good girl and never lies.” The young woman pulled up her sleeve and found bruises all over her body.

“It was Euphemia… Euphemia accidentally blocked an adult’s way, so… so…” Euphemia had originally decided not to tell her mother about this, but her mother had warned her not to lie, so now that she was asked, she had no choice but to tell her.

"Was this from a whip? She's such a small child... Waaah, Yuffie, it's all my fault for being useless. I couldn't take good care of you, I couldn't give you a warm home, and now I'm like this... Cough cough." The young woman wiped her eyes several times, trying to make herself strong.

For the past few years, she has been forcing herself to stay strong with a smile, but now she knows very well that she has reached the end of her life. She has made many foolish choices in her life. She could have lived a better life, but she chose a path full of thorns.

People say she's foolish, but she knows it's what she truly feels. Even if she's been deceived by her own feelings, she has no regrets. But her daughter, her only daughter, is something she can't bear to part with. She hates herself for not being able to hold on a little longer, even just a little bit!

"Mom, if you're not feeling well, lie down quickly and don't sit up. Yuffie is doing very well. She's happy every day. She's happy as long as she can see Mom and talk to her. Oh, by the way, Uncle Kent, who sells fruit on the next street, gave Yuffie an orange. Yuffie, peel it for Mom."

Yufei excitedly reached into her pocket for the oranges. She was very careful because the apples she had brought home before had been stolen, so she had hidden them secretly this time. Touching the warm oranges in her pocket, she smiled even more broadly.

"Cough cough, God, please give me a little more time. Yuffie is still so young, she can't be left unattended... God, merciful and almighty God, hear my plea! I know I have committed a sin, and I will accept whatever punishment you give me, but... but..."

The young woman began to gasp for breath, her chest heaving violently. Her breathing grew weaker and weaker. Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating her thin, pale hands. The little girl panicked at the sight.

"Mommy, Mommy, what's wrong? Mommy, are you okay? I'll go find a doctor right now..." The little girl had a premonition, and she grabbed the young woman's arm with a sob in her voice.

“God… Merciful God, I have seen your radiance and felt your blessings… Euphemia, Mom is alright. Mom is just going to a very far place, a place with many beautiful flowers where Euphemia can be seen.” The young woman’s face suddenly flushed.

She, who had seemed to be in a terrible state just moments before, became calm. She held the little girl's slender hand, and her palm could still transmit a bit of warmth!

"Can Euphemia see her mother?" the little girl asked, tilting her head, not understanding what she meant.

"Yes, you can. Just look up at the sky and you'll see Mommy. Oh, right, Yuffie, Mommy remembered there's a pink butterfly hair clip in the box in the attic. Didn't you always want to wear it? Go get it and Mommy will put it on for you," the young woman said with a smile.

"Really? Then Yuffie will go now!" The little girl excitedly headed towards the attic; she had wanted to get that hair clip back for a long time.

"Did you find it? Yuffie, come here, sit here, Mommy will put it on for you." Seeing the little girl return with a pink butterfly hair clip in her hand, the young woman gestured for Yuffie to sit next to her.

"Euphrates, sit still and promise not to move around." The little girl was very obedient; she had her back to her mother.

"My Yuffie looks so pretty with the hair clip on. She'll be even prettier when she grows up. I really want to see that day..." The young woman looked at her daughter, her vision blurring, and she could no longer see clearly.

“Then Yuffie shouldn’t show it to Mom anymore, she’ll definitely be able to see it!” the little girl said confidently.

"Euphrates, is it dark? Why can't Mom see?" The young woman's voice sounded tired.

"It's dark? No, Mom, what's wrong?" The little girl looked outside, but it was clearly a beautiful, sunny day; it wasn't dark at all.

Even Mom is confused!

"It's nothing, Mom is just very tired and wants to take a nap."

"Euphrates."

"sorry."

"Mommy loves you..."

The hand that held the butterfly hair clip eventually fell limp.

.

341 Who are you?

The little girl, who hadn't yet been given a surname and whose name was simply Euphemia, would never forget that day. The originally clear sky suddenly started to rain. In the past, the woman who always had a gentle smile would have held an umbrella for her when it rained.

She would remind herself of all sorts of things, such as not to play by the river on rainy days, not to sleep in wet clothes, and so on. And whenever it rained, she would make herself her favorite cookies. But now it's raining again, and the reminders are gone, and the cookies are gone too.

All she saw were people dressed in black in the cemetery, slowly lowering black coffins into the graves. Nearby were many people holding umbrellas, many of whom she recognized, though they had mostly looked at her with disdain before.

At that time, she didn't know what those gazes meant, nor did she know why those people always talked about her and her mother. She also didn't know why these people, who clearly hated her so much, would come to her mother's funeral, or why their eyes were filled with fear when they saw her.

“Your mother is a very gentle person, always understanding, easy to talk to, never refusing anyone’s request, always helping others… It’s as if all the best qualities in the world are concentrated in your mother alone,” a man said beside her.

She had never seen this man before. He was dignified and solemn, and his every move exuded an irresistible aura. She didn't know who he was, but he knew her name and her mother. Perhaps he was a good person? the little girl thought.

“I don’t understand any of what you’re saying. All I know is that she’s the best mom in the world and the most important person to me…” The little girl squatted on the ground with her legs tucked in. A few little boys not far away were looking at her with strange eyes because she always wore old clothes and never tidied up.

Among the children, they called her a little bastard, a little beggar. No one ever looked up to her, and no one ever wanted to play with her.

But now she was wearing an exquisite and expensive dress, a gift from that man. She didn't want to wear it, but the man commanded her to put it on. She wanted to refuse, but she was terrified of him, so she had no choice but to comply.

"Look, isn't that cute girl the same little beggar? I must be seeing things," a boy whispered.

"There's no mistake, it's definitely her. I never thought the ugly duckling would turn into a swan." Someone answered confidently.

"You little brats, shut your mouths! Do you see that gentleman next to her? Even the mayor treats him with utmost respect. He's a distinguished person from the capital. You all better behave yourselves!" The gentleman next to her sternly reprimanded the boys.

The little girl couldn't hear what they were saying, nor was she interested in what they were saying. She stared blankly at the coffin that had already been lowered to the bottom.

"You and your mother have suffered a lot these past few years, and I will make it up to you," the man said after a long silence, looking at the little girl.

"I don't know what suffering is. As long as I'm with my mom and eat the delicious food she makes... No, even if I never get to eat delicious food or candy again, I still want to see my mom..." The little girl curled up into a ball, getting tighter and tighter.

"She's gone. You'll never see her again." The man shook his head.

"You're lying! Mom said that when I miss her, I just need to look at the sky and I can see her!" the little girl said loudly. As she spoke, she looked up at the sky. It was raining, and the raindrops fell into the puddles on the ground, making a "ding-dong" sound.

“She’s dead, you’ll never see her again.” The man corrected himself. He was a rational person, always maintaining a high level of rationality. If he hadn’t been so rational, perhaps things would have turned out differently.

He would occasionally think like that, but such thoughts were fleeting, because he wouldn't let himself think about unnecessary things, as that would affect his judgment and interfere with his thinking. He had many things to do, and that didn't include thinking about things that couldn't be changed.

"What...is death?" The little girl looked up at the man and asked hesitantly.

“Death…maybe it’s liberation, or maybe it’s redemption.” The man didn’t have a definite answer, even though he was a smart man. At this moment, a man in black not far away asked him if he should start burying the coffin. He nodded, and the man began shoveling soil onto the coffin.

"Did Mommy get redeemed?" the little girl continued to ask.

"Only she knows the answer." The man stood with his hands behind his back. He rushed over as soon as he received the news, but he never expected to be greeted with such a result. From the moment he heard the news until he saw her and her, he maintained the same expression: calm and silent.

"I have to go back. Mom said I can't stay outside on rainy days because the house will leak. I need to go back and find something to patch up the leaks, otherwise the house will be all wet." The little girl stood up and prepared to leave.

But because she had been squatting for too long, her legs went numb and tingled, and she almost lost her balance and fell to the ground.

"No need to go back." The man helped her up and shook his head.

"Not going back? But if I don't go home, where can I go?" the little girl asked the man, tilting her head.

"Of course you want to go home, but not to that home that can't even shelter you from the wind and rain," the man said softly.

"You keep saying you want to go home, then you say you don't. I'm so confused about whether I'm going home or not." The little girl was baffled.

“Miss, you are returning to the Reinhardt family mansion, not the cottage you used to live in,” an old man said respectfully beside the man.

“Reinhardt? What’s that?” This was a word the little girl had never heard of before.

“That’s a family name, and it’s also your surname.” The man looked at her seriously.

"Surname? What is a surname?" The little girl still didn't understand.

“Your surname is your bloodline, your honor, something you are born with and cannot give up,” the man explained.

"But I still don't understand." The little girl shook her head.

“You’ll understand once you come back with me,” the man said patiently.

"But I don't know you at all, I don't know who you are." The little girl was still a little scared.

“You not only have a mother, but also a father, and I am your father.” The man took her hand and glanced around.

Everyone who met his gaze instinctively took a step back and immediately lowered their heads, not daring to look him in the eye.

Yes, if there is a mother, there is a father. She is not an illegitimate child; she also has a father.

Even an incompetent father.

.

342 Disappointing

Even though many years have passed, those scenes still vividly appear before Yuffie's eyes. She rummaged in her pocket and found a pink butterfly hair clip. She had always carried this hair clip with her all these years, but she had never taken it off again.

The sun was still shining brightly outside the window, and it was truly a scene of birdsong and fragrant flowers. Perhaps she felt a bit stuffy after staying in the room for so long, so she went out and squatted on the ground, looking at the big cat sleeping soundly not far away. The big cat had its belly turned up and looked very comfortable and content.

She picked up a twig from the ground, intending to tease the fat cat, but at that moment she suddenly heard footsteps behind her. These footsteps were not those of the butler or servant she was familiar with, which immediately alerted her, and she instinctively turned her head into a defensive stance.

"Don't be nervous. If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn't be alive now." Behind Yuffie, a young man wearing a hood slowly walked over. When he wore the hood, he seemed to be shrouded in shadow, very gloomy, like a ghost in the night.

But when he walked up to Euphemia, took off his hood, and revealed his handsome face, he seemed to blend into the spring breeze and sunshine. Just one look at him was very comforting. He was a man with a unique personal charm and affability.

"It's you? Solo, what are you doing here?" Euphemia recognized the young man's identity. Her initial wariness instantly turned into intense hostility. She had a special relationship with the man in front of her, but she harbored a strong hatred for him.

"If I told you I came here to visit my dear sister, would you believe me?" The man named Solo smiled gently. His gentle smile, coupled with his handsome appearance and unique temperament, was enough to make countless beautiful girls flock to him.

"Do you think I'd believe your nonsense? Let's be honest, you've never treated me like a sister, and I've never treated you like a brother. Don't forget, we're competitors!" Yuffie shouted.