Genshin Impact: I, the Winter's Executor, am forced to work.

"Of course I know." The old man gently patted the girl's soft hair with his withered palm.

“Our little Tatiana has truly inherited all of little Maria’s best features. Her long hair makes even an old person like me extremely envious. But thankfully, she didn’t inherit Maxim’s burly appearance.”

Tatiana suddenly waved her hand in protest: "But I want to be as tall as my father when I grow up!"

Anna chuckled and shook her head: "That's true, that's the only good quality he can pass on to you."

The old man looked at Maria beside him and said, "Speaking of which, I think I've heard some bad rumors circulating in town these past few days."

"Is it about my husband?"

"Well, I heard he..."

Before the words were even finished, another urgent knock on the door shattered the silence.

"Mrs. Maria, you must go to the office right now, it's in complete chaos!"

"what?!"

The woman's smiling face froze instantly.

-

"We resolutely oppose corruption!"

"Give us back fairness and justice in our town!"

A group of more than a dozen people raised their flags in front of the town government office, angrily repeating the same words.

"Don't talk nonsense! Why don't you say that this funding was approved only after Lord Maxim went through a lot of trouble and effort?!"

The opposing debaters joined the noisy environment, and the two sides were on the verge of exchanging barbs.

"Do you really think that all the effort he puts in will allow him to pocket it all?!"

"Produce me some evidence! What's the use of just shouting here? Why don't you go to the city and ask the chief executive officer to allocate funds to you?"

The leader of the affirmative side took out a piece of paper covered with writing, with the town mayor's seal stamped in the lower right corner.

The opposing side took the paper, read it carefully, and then tore it to shreds.

"Would you, an idiot, get your hands on the confidential documents in the mayor's possession? Besides, it's not like only the mayor can affix his seal."

"You tore up my stamp, huh?"

The two sides were instantly enraged and soon began to fight.

"Stop! Everyone, stop!" Yegor strode out of the office. "What are you all doing? This is not a place where you can make noise as you please!"

"Who do you think you are? We want to see the mayor!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down, calm down." Seeing the other party waving a fist the size of a sandbag, Yegor, who thought he was protected and wouldn't be in any trouble, still chickened out and took two steps back.

"The mayor has been working intensely for two days and has only recently gone to sleep. Please do not disturb him."

"Make him come out and explain things clearly."

"This..." The man looked conflicted.

"what happened?"

Maxim walked with unsteady steps, yawning, his dark circles under his eyes clearly indicating that he had been awakened by the noise outside.

After carefully inquiring about the details from the people below, he smiled.

"Everyone, I assure you that all the funds allocated from above have been invested in the construction of the town, including the establishment of schools and medical facilities and equipment, all of which have been arranged."

He explained his plans to the people below one by one, and it was clear that the anger among the people was beginning to subside.

Suddenly, a sharp shout rang out from the crowd: "If that's the case, why didn't we see anything?!"

As soon as the words were spoken, it was as if a signal was given. The opposing debater launched a powerful attack, hitting the affirmative debater squarely in the cheek. The tempers on both sides were reignited, and it was clear that this time, words could no longer suppress the opposing side.

"Everyone! Everyone, please calm down!"

Seeing the two sides wrestling, Maxim quickly jumped into the crowd to stop them.

In the distance, Maria, carrying Tatiana, was rapidly approaching.

The man stretched out his palm from a distance, trying to keep the two from getting closer.

In the crowd, a man wearing a black hood held a dagger, the blade flashing as he repeatedly stabbed Maxim in the back.

The words he was about to say were completely stuck in his throat.

The noise at the scene also stopped due to the sudden change.

"No... how could that be? We promised it was just a disturbance and wouldn't affect the mayor..."

The leaders of both sides kept muttering to themselves.

Maxim staggered a few steps, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. With his last bit of strength, he held out his hand and made a few grasping motions toward his wife and daughter.

He didn't know what to say at that moment: his longing for his wife and daughter, his worries about the town's future, his confusion about the incident... and...

In the end, all the words in my heart were uttered in the final three words: "I'm...sorry..."

The tall figure finally collapsed to the ground.

The man in black retreated into a distant alley and knelt on one knee before the old man stroking his beard: "Dean, mission accomplished."

"Hmph, let the man who sheltered the ignorant die amidst the condemnation of the foolish and lowly. Was his heart filled with hatred or resentment?"

At this point, he raised his hands: "How elegant I am, who can be deceived and fooled by a few hundred Mora! How can I be so elegant as to use all of these things so perfectly!"

Tatiana knelt beside Maxim, whose mouth seemed to be slowly opening and closing, but no sound came out.

He wanted to call out his daughter's name, to reassure her, and to show her his usual strength and resilience, but things didn't go as planned.

His gaze followed his daughter, who was swaying and crying uncontrollably, upwards. Standing there was his wife, who was heartbroken but had not shed a single tear.

Seeing such a resolute expression, the corners of his mouth slowly turned up, and his eyelids gradually closed.

I'm sorry... I know I'll never be able to repay the debt I owe you in this lifetime...

On this day, the girl who kept crying while holding the doll understood a truth.

So that's what it means when you say your father is gone...

As the temperature continues to drop, it will no longer talk to me, no longer hold me, and I may never see it again.

The noun for this concept is...death.

(If I didn't hogging Mr. Bear and let it stay by my father's side, could it protect my father, and would my father... not die?)

Chapter 109 Entering a Dead End

Less than a week after Maxim's funeral, Yegor had already taken over his position as mayor, a speed that was quite intriguing.

He was also surrounded by guards whom he had never seen before in the town; he said they were relatives from afar.

But only a fool would believe such an excuse.

The first thing these guards did upon taking office was to completely seal off the house where Tatiana and Maria were.

“We suspect that your home contains evidence of corruption by the former mayor. Starting today, it will be completely sealed off until the evidence is conclusive.”

Armored guards stood at the door, holding long spears, preventing the mother and son from returning home.

To prevent the "dangerous documents" from being hidden, they didn't even leave the two men a single piece of heavy clothing when they threw them out.

"Give Mr. Bear back to me!"

The little girl was not afraid of the weapon in the other person's hand, and bit down hard on the hand of the person who took her doll.

"Hiss... Where did this crazy girl come from... Let go... Let go now!"

"Give that broken doll back to her, it's useless anyway." The leader waved his hand casually.

The man threw the doll away, and the little girl immediately let go, picked up the doll lying in the snow, and brushed off the snow that was stuck to it.

"Let me in..."

“Let’s go, Tatiana.”

Maria gently held her daughter, who was still having an outburst, in her arms. She already knew that this farce was obviously premeditated, so she naturally wouldn't let her daughter get entangled with the other party for too long.

But to make such a fuss just for her husband? There's no money to be made in this town.

In other words, the other party's real target is... herself, or her daughter.

But to put it bluntly, she's just a country bumpkin. What could she possibly have that's worth coveting?

Her fingernails dug into her palm.

But if the goal is my daughter...

Whatever your plans are... I will definitely protect her.

But now...

Maria looked up at the sky, feeling somewhat lost and confused.

What should my daughter and I do now?

She sat on the side of the street with Tatiana in her arms. Because she had no down jacket, she could only hold Tatiana tightly in her arms, ignoring the cold wind that was biting at her body.

"Mother, here you go."

The little girl handed over the doll: "Hold Mr. Bear, he's very warm."

“No.” The woman’s gaze was gentle as she shook her head in refusal. “Mother isn’t cold at all. I’ll tell Tatiana when I get cold, and then Mr. Xiong can stay with Mother.”

"Good~"

Tatiana knew in her heart that they could not return to that warm little house now, so even though she was extremely impatient, she could not trouble her mother.

"Little Mary".

In her moment of despair, a withered hand came into the woman's view.

Grandma Anna stood in the snow, moving forward step by step with difficulty.

"Mother-in-law, what's wrong...?"

The old man gently shook his head: "Don't say anything more, I understand, and I know your current situation. Take little Tatiana to my house."