Chapter 952 Lamb (please vote for the big chapter)
This seems to be an old unmanned bus. At a glance, most of the smart devices on the bus have been removed, and even the closed windows have been replaced by several large sliding windows with cast iron edges.
When the bus came, there were not many people and there were still some empty seats, but now, there were already many people waiting on the bus stop.
The man standing next to He Ao was walking quickly forward, holding the bread and rushing to the car door. As he rushed, he said, "Old sir, be fast and be careful with your wallet and bracelet!"
While talking, the crowd around the stop sign also crowded towards the small door of the bus.
The man only felt the crowd pushing him, like compacted soil, squeezing towards the middle of the bus.
At this moment, he felt his wrist being grabbed by a strong hand and then pulled violently.
He was pulled out of the crowd like a carrot and landed in a corner at the back of the bus.
In a panic, he sat still and turned his head in confusion, looking to his side, where he happened to see the calm and gentle smile of the old man next to him.
But before he could speak, he saw the old man loosening his grip on his hand, reaching out and grabbing the palm of a group of people deep behind.
A thin figure was pulled out of the crowd again by the old man.
During the movement, the thin figure took out a small knife directly from his pocket, but before he could take action, the old palm directly carried his body forward. At the same time, the old man pushed the old man away with his other hand.
Window of an old bus.
The skinny figure barely paused. His body passed over the man's head, passed through the gap in the crowd, and was thrown out of the open back door of the bus. He fell to the ground, rolled around, and let out a cry of pain.
The man stared at all this with his mouth open. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the old man raised his hand again. Two folded 20 federal banknotes were sandwiched between the old man's fingertips.
He looked at the two familiar banknotes and was slightly startled. He quickly reached out and touched his pocket and found that his pocket was empty.
Only then did he realize that the thin figure just now was a thief who had stolen his money just now, but was caught by the old man.
He swallowed, reached out and took the banknotes between the old man's fingers, and said tremblingly, "Thank you."
Then he looked a little embarrassed and said, "Can you fight? You look very good at it."
He just told the old man to be careful with his wallet, but he didn't expect that his own money was stolen first, and the old man saved it.
"It happens to be a little bit."
He Ao nodded slightly and put the brass cane aside.
The driverless bus started slowly and passed by the little thief who rolled down on the ground.
He Ao looked up and looked around. They were now at the corner of the bus. At this time, many people had crowded into the bus and were standing in the corridor of the bus, surrounding them.
Most of these standing people hold the ring with one hand, then raise the other hand to control the bracelet through gestures.
Judging from their actions, some people are watching short videos, some are watching dramas, and some are watching live broadcasts.
They looked tired and had dull expressions, as if they would fall asleep at any time. They also didn't seem to hear the sound of the thin figure being thrown out just now, or they might have heard it, but they were used to it.
When He Ao's eyes swept across, some people lowered their heads and subconsciously turned aside a little.
They lowered their heads and did not look at He Ao. They seemed not to want to be looked at by He Ao, as if they were afraid that they would be the next one to be thrown down.
They seem to have long been accustomed to this kind of life, fearful of all disturbances, like tamed lambs in silence.
"This is the industrial area of Ives Space Systems,"
At this moment, the man sitting next to He Ao also came back to his senses slightly. He turned to look at the retreating factory buildings outside the window, and introduced slowly, "These industrial areas account for about one-third of the area in the southern block. Here
Young people either go out of the south gate to mine in the factory of Copes Mining, or go to the factory of Ives Space System to produce bullets."
"Is anyone going north?"
He Ao turned around and asked in a low voice.
"You mean leaving the South Block?"
The man paused, looked at the factory outside the window, thought for a moment, and slowly explained,
"Yes, but few,
"Jobs in the north require proof of residence, and renting a house requires paying high deposits and security deposits in advance. People living here either fled here incognito with debts, or are the children of these people, or are homeless people.
and orphans.
"People who are hiding from debts have no way to escape, and they have to avoid debt collection mercenaries sent by big banks like Norde. Most of the children born here cannot inherit anything from their parents. Some even go to school to relieve the pressure on their parents.
Help pay off parents’ debts.”
His tone paused slightly, as if he was recalling something,
“And most of the parents here are unable to pay their children’s school fees. Gangs will provide ‘primary school loans’ and ‘middle school loans’ to their children’s parents. The interest on these loans is usually high and they need to be repaid when the children grow up.
“After most children finish elementary school or become literate, they start working in factories or mines to pay off their student loans.
"A few smart children can go to college and have a chance to apply for student loans from big banks. Their lives will be better, but they will also be burdened with more and larger loans.
“For people who don’t have money, the loans will only keep growing. If you borrow one, you have to borrow another to repay the original. As you continue to borrow new and repay the old, the hole becomes bigger and bigger.
"If he happens to get sick several times during the trip, the situation will be even worse.
"Some people will even repay the loan until they are 70 years old, and the interest repaid is dozens of times the principal. Of course, most people here will not live to be 70 years old."
The man lowered his head and continued,
"So even a little money is very important to us. People in the southern neighborhoods basically cannot afford enough rent deposits. Even if they pay the deposit for a loan, find a place to live in the north, and can issue a residence certificate, but people in the north can't afford a rent deposit."
It's hard to find a job,
"People in the north, except for those gentlemen in Saint-Elan who were born with good food and clothing, don't have many jobs to choose from. Most people are like us. They can only go to the mines or factories, and their lives will not be better than
How much better are the southern neighborhoods.”
He turned back, glanced at the exhausted people on the bus around him, and sighed, "So except for some promising kids who can go to college in the north, few people will take the initiative to leave the southern neighborhoods."
"Um."
He Ao nodded slightly.
Linn has been to Wyke District, Sena District, central and northern Ninwis District.
Regions cannot change the background of the city. What really dominates the city, no matter where it is, dominates the city, and does not change because of changes in the region.
"Cough cough cough..."
At this moment, as if due to the strenuous exercise just now, the man next to him coughed slightly again.
"You used to work in the mines of Copez Mining?"
He Ao turned around, glanced at the man, and asked slowly.
"Um,"
The man gently covered his mouth, leaned back on the chair, took a breath, and then nodded slightly, "Copes has the most mines, where everyone goes."
"They claim to have a charitable foundation to help employees. Have you ever contacted it?"
He Ao asked slowly.
"charity organization?"
The man was slightly stunned, as if he was thinking about something. After a while, he seemed to remember something, and said hoarsely with a strange expression,
"You ask this, I really know one thing. Their charity foundation is by invitation only.
"Generally, only directors or managers who hold shares who have a particularly high status and a particularly high income will get invitations."
Then he coughed slightly in embarrassment and said with a smile, "I once went there with several colleagues who were also sick, and they were thrown out by security before we even entered."
"How are your sick colleagues doing now?"
He Ao followed his words and continued to ask.
"Almost dead,"
The man coughed lightly and recalled,
"In the mining industry, you earn money for your life. Very few people live past sixty. It is normal for those who have no money to buy medicine to die in their forties. I am the youngest among our batch of sick people. In fact, theoretically I
You should have to work for a few more years before obvious symptoms appear.
"But the air and dust conditions where I work seem to be worse than other places, so I developed symptoms early. However, my illness is actually not too severe compared to the colleagues around me.
"If I transfer to another position, I can actually work for a few more years.
"But in our group, many other colleagues were seriously ill. The boss of the mine dismissed me with a wave of his hand."
He paused, holding the bread paper bag in his arms, looking upward, as if he was remembering,
"At that time, I visited the mine several times, but I was locked out and couldn't get in. The mine would never hire someone like me who was laid off due to illness. We couldn't do heavy work, and we were prone to death.
In the mine, after being rejected several times, I gave up.
"It took me a few months to find my current job. Although I was often beaten and scolded, I could barely survive."
He glanced down at the bread in his arms and smiled, "Looking on the bright side, at least I'm not seriously ill and can still do some work and earn some money. My colleagues who came out of the mine basically have no companies to hire them.
I could only do odd jobs, and most of the money I earned was used to pay back the loan. I couldn't afford medicine, and died soon after."
He paused for a moment, as if he remembered something, and sighed, "It's really sad to have no income and have to repay loans, and even have to use credit cards to buy food and medicine.
"The noses of big banks like Nolde are sometimes scary. Once they realize that you are unemployed, they will immediately lower your credit limit and lock your credit card, so you can only borrow high-interest loans from gangs, which is even worse."
"Um."
He Ao nodded slightly and looked out the window at the factory building that was retreating.
A slight cool breeze blew in from the open windows, and the old unmanned bus bumped along the dilapidated road, shaking the muddy and silent people inside.
The man turned his head sideways and looked at the old man beside him who seemed to be lost in thought.
The young 'guard' from before stood beside the old man, reminding him of the old man's possible noble status all the time.
But after the guard left, and when he really had an in-depth chat with the old man, he unexpectedly found that the old man in front of him was much gentler and closer than he had imagined, and he was unconsciously willing to trust him.
The rickety bus stopped for two stops, and people kept getting on and off.
The scenery outside the window seems to be gradually becoming familiar.
When we intercepted the guided missile yesterday, it seemed to be very close to here.
He Ao turned around, his eyes passed through the gaps in the crowd and glanced at a young man sitting on the seat opposite him.
This young man was in the car before he got in, and he was one of the few people whose eyes were caught by the movement when He Ao threw the thief out of the car.
Then along the way, he kept scanning his eyes and stealing glances at He Ao.
But when He Ao looked at him, he didn't notice it.
There seemed to be a new platform ahead. The bus slowly stopped under the night sky, and He Ao withdrew his gaze.
"At this time of year, there are more people working night shifts in the factory,"
The man sitting next to He Ao glanced at the crowded crowd under the bus stop and stood up slowly, "Old sir, we have to prepare in advance, otherwise it will be difficult to squeeze in when the time comes."
"OK, all right."
He Ao nodded slightly and stood up slowly.
Then the car door opened, and the flow of people getting on and off the bus surged wildly.
The man only felt a hand grabbing his wrist, followed by a violent dizziness and surge. When his vision cleared again, the bus door in front of him had slowly closed.
He opened his mouth and looked at the old man holding the brass cane beside him. He now knew how the old man got into his seat so quickly when he got on the bus.
But with such intense squeezing and movement, the old gentleman didn't even mess up his hair.
At this time, he also saw the old man raising his head and looking ahead at the dilapidated low-rise area under the night cover.
"is it here?"
He Ao asked slowly.
"Yes, this is the largest residential area nearby. The Prisoners Gang has arranged for many people to be here."
The man nodded slightly, took a look around, and continued forward with He Ao. He found a broken railing under a 'hillside' formed by the collapse of a building, and got in first, "Old sir, let's go here.
, my house is in the building behind the railing, but it may be a bit rundown..."
"fine."
Howe took the brass cane and passed through the railing.
On the hillside behind him, under the dim night, a little boy who had just climbed onto a cement platform heard a slight movement, turned around and looked at the location of the broken railing.
Then his eyes stopped on the back of the old man walking towards the low building.
······
Enter the low building near the railing and walk along the building without handrails to the third floor.
A rusty red iron door appeared in front of He Ao.
"Old sir, please wait a moment,"
The man took out a key and opened the iron door.
"dad!"
I seemed to hear the door opening, and with two crisp sounds, two little girls appeared from behind the door and pounced on the man.
"well,"
The originally weak and tired man saw the two girls, and his eyes became a little more energetic. He bent down, took out the two cupcakes from the paper bag, and said with a smile, "Look what dad brought you."
"Cake!" "It's cake!"
The two little girls' eyes flashed a little, and they reached out and took one each.
At this time, the man also raised his head, looked at He Ao, smiled awkwardly and said, "My home is relatively simple."
He Ao glanced at the appearance behind the door. It seemed to be a small apartment with one bedroom and one living room.
A dim rechargeable hanging lamp, an old and faded sofa with some small toys on it constitute all the 'main furnishings' of the living room.
The window in the living room is embedded with a large irregular glass that does not match the size of the window, and the surrounding gaps are sealed with cement.
The bedroom connected to the living room has no door, only a curtain blocking it.
"Lovely."
He Ao said slowly.
"Husband, are there any guests?"
A weak female voice came from the bedroom, and then, accompanied by several metallic sounds, a pale-faced woman walked out from behind the door curtain.
She was wearing two metal crutches, her right foot was on the ground, and her left leg was only an empty trouser leg.
"This is my wife,"
The man looked at the woman and quickly introduced, "She used to work in the factory of Ivis Space System, and her leg was pinned down by a machine. Later, the underground doctor performed an arthroplasty on her. We were very lucky and saved her life, but her health
Relatively weak."
Then he looked at the woman and said slowly, "This is someone I met on the road, from Saint Yilan..."
"you are,"
Before he finished speaking, the woman with a cane looked at He Ao and said with a little surprise and confusion, "Doctor Linn...?"
