The early spring in Gotham is far from as gentle as in the wilderness. In this season when all things are growing, the cold wind still howls here every night.
However, the sound of wind coming from the window could not cover up the sound of the blazing fireplace flames. Merkel, with a chill on her body, refilled the fireplace with the firewood she had just brought from the warehouse.
The flames made his shadow grow very long. In the hall where the lights were not turned on, the outline of every piece of furniture was looming in the light and shadow of the flames.
The sound of footsteps came from the stairs. Merkel stood up and turned around. He quickly walked towards Schiller who had just come downstairs and took his coat from the hanger next to him. After Schiller put on his coat, he picked up a black coat from the umbrella stand.
Umbrella.
Merkel glanced down at her watch and said: "Sir, the opera starts at nine o'clock tonight. Do you have an appointment with someone else?"
"Yes, someone invited me to have dinner at the restaurant next to the Grand Theater. He called me directly at the school, so you don't know." Schiller straightened his tie in the mirror, and Merkel picked it up.
He dusted off the dust from his clothes and said, "It seems that this is a modern gentleman who asked you to have dinner and actually called the school directly."
"Yes, after all, this year is 1990. With the new year and new atmosphere, many old orders should be withdrawn."
After saying that, Schiller walked out of the gate and got into the car he had arranged in advance. Through the car window, he could see the extremely prosperous road along the road. The once declining West End Manor District was once again brightly lit.
After Gotham's logistics industry develops better and better, the corresponding supporting service facilities are also constantly developing. The catering industry in the East District is extremely popular, especially those local restaurants that are small, even slightly poor and shabby, have become
A favorite among longshoremen and truck drivers.
Every restaurant near a logistics gathering area will have the following characteristics. The ingredients may not be the best, but the quantity must be large enough. If it has its own flavor and characteristics, it can be used by drivers, porters, construction workers, etc.
If word of mouth spreads among the group, there is absolutely no need to worry about business.
Just as Schiller was sitting in the car heading to a restaurant near the Grand Theater for an appointment, Cobot was also sitting in the car heading from the North District to the East District to prepare for the opening of the Iceberg Restaurant.
Before deciding to open a restaurant, he did a long period of research, so he chose the location in the East End.
Most of the restaurants here comply with the criteria mentioned before. Sitting in the car and looking out the window, the roads here are still a bit shabby. Compared with the re-prosperous West End, there are no luxurious Gothic restaurants here.
There are no curly fonts on the front door, no restaurant sign written in French, and no waiters in suits and leather shoes whose reflections are brighter than the lights.
Cobot saw that all the restaurants here did not have any decent facades. Most of them were renovated on the first floor of residential houses. They had a small round window for delivering food and a wooden door with an awning above it.
, there is a sign hanging next to the awning, which says what is sold here.
French lamb chops and Italian desserts are not popular here at all. As the vehicles slowly move forward, they enter the commercial street with the most traffic. The most popular restaurant there is called "Anderson Old Street Steakhouse".
The steaks here are not the kind of high-end steaks that are placed on delicate porcelain plates. After being cut, there will be a slight red color and juice will flow out. Coppert, who has investigated the purchasers and purchase channels, knows best. That old bastard Anderson
He is reluctant to buy good beef, he will only buy the cheapest kind.
The steaks here are not authentic. The most famous dish here is called Lao Cai's secret steak, which is a large bowl of chili sauce poured on the steak. The secret chili sauce is Anderson's capital to settle down here.
The small steakhouse has less than ten tables, and they are all full at the moment, with many people squatting outside the door to enjoy their meal.
Gotham is always wet and cold, and the spicy food here is very popular. Copot took advantage of this and hired a Mexican to make hot sauce for him. At the same time, people engaged in manual labor will always crave a lot of meat and
For carbohydrates, the bigger and thicker the steak, the better. It would be better if you can add some juice to dip it in the bread.
Cobblet recalled the menu of his restaurant, and he certainly did not forget to put a large thick-cut steak with bread as the first main course.
As the car whizzed by, the bell rang. Cobot looked out the right window and saw a dozen children gathered outside a bakery. Some were moving boxes and others were packing them.
Bread, and someone is counting milk.
Cobot also did this kind of work for a period of time, when his mother had just entered a mental hospital. Of course, he went to deliver bread and milk not only to make money, but more importantly, to find out the secrets of these vendors.
Movement tracking.
He had huge ambitions in his heart, and he hoped that these children could be used for him, and in the end he did, and now he is the veritable king of children in Gotham.
It doesn't sound like a very powerful title, but the locals in Gotham know that those with this title will definitely have a place in the upper echelons of Gotham, and their foundation will be stronger than anyone else's.
In the process of development of the logistics industry, it is not that it has not experienced setbacks. The previous snow disaster dealt a head-on blow to Gotham's newly developed industry, but this made Gotham's children's gang develop better and better.
The heavy snow has closed the door, the weather is freezing, and the roads are congested, so we can't go out to work. Everyone stays at home. What about food, drink and firewood?
Most people don't choose to buy it themselves. On the one hand, they don't know which store has the goods. If they go through all the effort in the cold wind, only to be told that the goods are sold out, it's not a trip in vain.
?
On the other hand, in a city full of gangs, a strong adult who wanders freely through other people's territory is likely to be shot.
But the children don’t have this worry. They are already doing this. They know which bakery has the stock, where to get the freshest and warmest milk, seasoned beer, and where to buy daily necessities.
The gangsters will not care about these children, nor will they regard their intrusion into the territory as a provocation. Moreover, they know too many small roads, especially underground passages. As long as they pay a little errand fee, they will get newspapers, bread, milk, beer, everything.
have.
It took Cobot a short time to figure out their connections, and because the previous child king was involved in Constantine's matter, he has now been sacrificed to the devil.
After that, several kid gangs fought fiercely in order to compete for the throne of kid king. At first, Cobot, who came out halfway, was questioned by many people.
However, there is no doubt about Penguin's ambition and wisdom. He can successfully sit on the throne of the children's king not only by violence, but more importantly, he can bring everyone together to make money.
No other kid has the ability to coordinate all the kids in Gotham, rearrange them into suitable positions and the most efficient routes, double the money they earn every day, and avoid conflicts over grabbing customers.
.
The bakery in the East District will sell milk part-time. Every morning, fresh milk will be delivered to the bakery from the pasture outside the city. Children can buy bread and milk directly here. Depending on the customer group, they may also go to the tobacco shop.
Go to the bar to buy cigarettes and beer, and then go to the newsstand to buy a newspaper.
Cobot set these items into different packages. If someone only buys bread and milk, the vendors will recommend adding a newspaper to them. If someone often buys cigarettes and beer, the vendors will recommend breakfast to them.
combo.
During previous snowstorms, when they were trapped at home, they had no choice but to force these children to go shopping. But later, after they developed a habit, they found this to be very convenient.
Every morning before you get up, hot milk and steaming bread are already waiting outside the door. When you want to drink every evening, you can have a drink without going to a bar.
After a few months of this, the vast majority of Gotham citizens had purchased the entire package.
An average family of three in the East District would order a pound of ordinary white bread and a bottle of milk for breakfast. Those with better family conditions would also add two slices of bacon, ham, and a newspaper.
As for those who like to buy cigarettes and alcohol, they usually order it the day before and have it delivered the next day. The same goes for daily necessities.
Although the East District is a slum, because Gotham's overall economic level is good and materials are relatively abundant, the people here are not so poor that they go hungry for nine meals in three days. The biggest problem in the Gotham slums is that the living conditions are very poor, and water and electricity are often cut off.
In addition, diseases caused by poor hygiene.
The slum renovation work in the Living Hell is proceeding very smoothly. It has now reached the third phase. The entire periphery of the Living Hell has been renovated. However, when it was implemented further away, it encountered great resistance.
The living conditions and sanitary conditions in the living hell have reached the point of being intolerable, but in other places it is not so serious, and because people have not starved to death, many people are not so urgent about improving the living environment, and many even think that the status quo should be maintained
Just fine.
A local who has lived here since childhood, has never read a book, and has almost no contact with other places, has no urgent need to improve his life. After all, life is not impossible.
They envied those gentlemen who lived in the manor and went to theaters and high-end restaurants every day. They occasionally had such dreams, but this did not mean that they were willing to have their houses messed up.
The living habits of this generation have been formed. They have no higher pursuits. As long as they have enough food to eat and the house is not leaking, in the end, the problem circled around and returned to education.
If you want them to accept change from the bottom of their hearts, they must improve their education level and make them realize that this kind of living environment and sanitary conditions are abnormal. However, the possibility of starting education from scratch for this generation is very low, so in the end
, we still have to start with the children.
This is also the reason why the godfather allowed Cobot to change the original luxurious mansion into an ordinary restaurant. This will allow the children here to see another society that is different from the environment they live in. They must have the desire to move up.
Only with the motivation to climb can you have the motivation to receive education.
Cobot took a car and arrived at the Iceberg Restaurant. At this time, the children who had changed into waiter uniforms were standing in a row and were listening to a waiter explaining the work requirements to them.
"First of all, I want to teach you how to clean. I don't know if you have ever done such a job, but it is actually very simple. Everyone is divided into three groups. One group is responsible for dry cleaning, one group is responsible for wet cleaning, and the remaining group is responsible for cleaning.
Water, what you have to do is to wipe the floor, tables and chairs here..."
"Those who are stronger will go to the water changing team, and those who are weakest will go to the cleaning team. You, yes, that's you. Have your fever gone?" The waiter called out the thinnest little boy among them, and he stretched out his hand to touch it.
He touched the little boy's head and said, "No, your fever has not gone away. Go back and take another medicine, and then go and lie down."
But who knows, the little boy trembled and said: "I can work... I'm not sick, I can wipe the floor, I have done it before..."
"Yes, if you take a rag and put it in cold water to wash, you will die tonight. Do you expect me to get up in the middle of the night and throw your body into the trash can?" Cobot walked forward quickly.
While saying: "If you all die like this, who will do the work?"
The waiter urged the little boy and said, "Go quickly. If you are well tomorrow, we will call you."
The little boy sniffed, and the fear on his face weakened slightly. He nodded and walked away.
After the remaining children started working, Cobot discovered that they actually didn't know how to work at all, and couldn't even do the simplest task of mopping the floor.
The oldest of these children is only seven or eight years old, and they are extremely thin due to long-term malnutrition. They can hardly do any physical work, but in fact, the area to be eradicated is not large. With the cooperation of nine children, it should be completed quickly.
.
But they wiped the floor in a haphazard manner. Instead of mopping backwards, they wiped forward. As soon as they finished wiping, they were soiled by footprints again. Two people worked together to wipe a chair, and the surface of the chair was so reflective that it became reflective.
The legs were not brushed at all.
Cobot stood there and watched for a while. He was not angry. Instead, he turned to the waiter and said, "Is Mrs. George here? Ask her to come over and teach them how to work. In addition to mopping the floor, they
You also have to learn to boil water, serve dishes, shine shoes, carry luggage, close umbrellas and other tasks that waiters do..."
The waiter shook his head and said: "Mopping the floor and serving dishes are okay, but other tasks require a lot of strength. Maybe we should try to see if they can do it..."
"It's not like I haven't hired professional waiters like you. Tomorrow, they will come to report. One person will take care of two children and let them help first. If they really can't do this job, let them deliver newspapers.
"
After Cobot finished speaking, he turned around and went upstairs without making any more arrangements. His attention never completely fell on these children, as if he didn't care about them at all, but when those children saw his behavior
attitude, but they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Because they know that if Cobot puts all his energy into them like his original parents, it means that he will definitely want to get back ten or a hundred times the reward from them.
If Cobot doesn't care much about them, how well they work, or how much money they make, it means that he is actually very rich and does not need to squeeze them to make money.
After arriving upstairs, Cobot stood on the balcony of the mansion building. From here, he could see the lights of the dock. Although it had started to rain lightly, the dock was still busy with traffic. Countless goods were moved from cargo ships to trucks.
Stored in cold storage.
It won't take long for these goods to be taken out of the cold storage, put on other vehicles, and sent to various parts of the East Coast.
Gotham has now become the largest cold chain transportation distribution center on the East Coast. The natural cold storage underground covering the entire Gotham has become the trump card for this megacity's sustainable industry turnaround.
The cold chain industry can serve as the economic pillar of a city. Generally speaking, the cold chain industry in coastal cities does not exist in isolation. Most of them will also cooperate with fishery, light processing industry and tourism.
Such supporting industries may not necessarily make this city a first-tier city, but they can indeed become the basis for economic development.
The problem is that Gotham has no way to develop fisheries, light processing industries and tourism, and the cold chain industry alone cannot replace those unsustainable gray or even black industries.
"It is indeed much better now." Gordon put down the fork in his hand and wiped his mouth and said: "For the security of a city, the most terrifying thing is that there are homeless people everywhere, but on the contrary, if everyone has
If you work hard, the chance of committing a crime will be much smaller.”
"Working consumes physical strength, and gangster gangs consume physical strength, but also have to bleed and get injured. Working can make money, and gangsters may be able to expand their territory, but the benefits may not be as much as working, so why not work?
What?" Schiller said while cutting the steak on the plate.
"Yes, that's it. The gang bosses I often deal with say this. The people below are too busy to hold guns. He said that if I drove a police car along the entire street and patrolled it, I might not be able to touch it.
The last person who would shoot at me was unimaginable before." Gordon said with great emotion.
He held the wine glass, leaned back on his chair and said, "But the most important issue now is the education of the children."
"There are 23 community elementary schools in the entire Gotham. It may sound like a lot, but for a large city on the East Coast, this number is pitifully small. Even if it is not compared with the metropolitan area, it is only compared with Bludhaven. Bruder
Haven is only one-fifth the size of Gotham, but they have 16 elementary schools."
"This is actually against the law, but because the mayor had no force before, no changes were made at all."
"There are even fewer middle schools, and there is only one university. Such educational conditions, even in the west, can be said to be pitifully weak."
Schiller tapped the table lightly with his fingertips and asked: "Do you think it is because the people in Gotham are unwilling to receive education that there are few schools, or because there are few schools, the people in Gotham are unwilling to receive education?
Gordon was stunned for a moment and said: "I think it's the former, because I saw in the file that there were originally more than forty schools in Gotham City, but later, many schools were closed due to various reasons, including public security
The reasons account for the overwhelming majority.”
Schiller shook his head and said, "I think it's the latter."
"I'd like to hear the details," Gordon said.
"Some time ago, I read the book "The History of Urban Construction on the East Coast". The book mentioned the situation in Gotham. Initially, all the schools in Gotham were established by churches or privately invested by wealthy families. Almost all municipal elementary schools
No."
"The church and private primary schools have a monopoly on education here, which has resulted in the vast majority of citizens losing the opportunity to receive education. Church primary schools only allow a very small number of citizens to enroll, and privately invested private primary schools are only for the children of the rich.
open."
"Later, the security of Gotham City began to get worse and worse. Some wealthy people left here, investment was interrupted, and the schools were abandoned. Later, the church began to no longer pay attention to this sinful place. Now, it is still open
The primary school is either invested by the Twelve Family or the Wayne Family."
"No matter the quantity or quality, it is impossible to support the educational requirements of such a large city. Over time, the vast majority of Gotham citizens will be limited by their educational level and unable to engage in technical jobs."
Gordon fell into deep thought and said: "I really haven't paid attention to this issue, but why were there no public elementary schools when Gotham was built? Didn't the state Legislature care?"
Schiller shook his head. Lucifer had previously erased the existence of the Court of Owls, but Gotham has not changed for the better. This means that the setting of Gotham as a city of sin may be the basic rule of the DC universe. The Court of Owls
If it is wiped out, there may be other forces.
In short, someone must have artificially interfered with the educational development of Gotham. Otherwise, there would not be a city in the United States at the end of the 20th century where the vast majority of people had never even attended elementary school.
“If you want to improve the education level of citizens, you have to open primary schools. If you want to open primary schools, you have to have money. If you want to have money, you have to develop new industries. If you want to develop new industries, you have to improve the education level of citizens. It’s a dead cycle.
." Gordon covered his forehead with his hands and said, "But if companies and gangs are involved in school construction, it won't work."
"The gangs have spontaneously started to set up schools." Schiller put a piece of shrimp steak into his mouth and said: "But they are destined not to develop systematic education. If they lack electricians, they will pull people to learn electricians. If they lack security guards, they will pull people.
In security training, no one wants to teach grammar, calculation, art and thinking logic at the same time.”
"That's the problem." Schiller shook his head and said: "They have no way of understanding what systematic education is teaching. They think it is very correct to just learn whatever they don't know."
"Actually, I was thinking about this problem before." Gordon touched his cheek and said, "I used to think, I don't plan to be a musician, so why should I take music classes? The work I do now doesn't require calculations, then
Why should I learn arithmetic?”
"Again, the process of learning these things is actually helping people establish their way of thinking, but it is difficult for you to explain these things to the gangs. They hope to see the results tomorrow."
Schiller tapped the plate lightly with his fork and said: "I have discussed this matter with Victor and Anna. We think we can open a vocational middle school so that people who want to learn technology can go there."
“After learning technology, they can improve their living standards, broaden their horizons, understand the outside world, and realize the significance of systematic education. Then, they may let their children receive systematic education like people in other cities.
, this is a relatively conservative method.”
Gordon nodded in agreement, but Schiller said: "The problem is that this technical school must maintain its purity, and we cannot let this turn into a gang war."
"Some gangs hope that their men will have more electricians, and some gangs manage tap water. Naturally, they need talents in this field. Even the Twelve Families have their own priorities. They want the school to only teach this subject, so
So that they can cram in more students, but you know, that's not possible."
Gordon sighed with regret and said: "In a city where no amount of force can suppress the gangs, it is very difficult to confront them. The Gotham Police Department may be able to carry out some security work, but we certainly can't deal with ten
The second family.”
"What if the Wayne family comes in?" Schiller asked.
"But there is absolutely no need for him to do this." Gordon shook his head and said, "Everyone knows that this must be a troublesome matter. Which department recruits more people, which department recruits fewer people, and how many people each family can recruit.
How to distribute the big gangs and small gangs... This will cause a lot of conflicts."
And Gordon hesitated and said: "I always feel that Bruce has not turned a corner. I don't know what he thinks. He seems to just want to save this city and save everyone here."
Schiller showed a smile and asked: "Why do you ask such a question? Don't you think so?"
Gordon shook his head helplessly and said: "No, we are different. Batman wants to send all patients to hospitals, send all criminals to prisons, and send all children to schools. He wants to keep everyone in
We should stay in the right place to create a perfect society.”
"I'm not saying this is wrong, but we all know that this is unrealistic. Maybe he knows it too, or maybe he thinks that if he can practice with such a high goal and save one person, it is at least a good thing."
Schiller looked at Gordon and asked: "Who do you think, Batman or Bruce, can save Gotham?"
"If it was Batman who asked me this question, I would definitely say it was him." Gordon pursed his lips and said, "I hope to give every good person the answer they want to hear, but because it is you who asked this question, a
Psychology professor, so I can only say that I am more optimistic about Bruce."
"We all know that Bruce Wayne is a rich man. Rich people in this world do things much more simply. The same is true when it comes to saving people."
"Then do you know why he is unwilling to do this?" Schiller lowered his head to eat, and then asked: "Do you know why, he would rather spend a lot of money to maintain that ridiculously expensive armor, and then go and fight with criminals?
Fist, saving people one by one, are you not willing to save the city as Bruce?"
Gordon shook his head and said: "This is what I can't figure out the most. It's just money, why not spend it on something more useful?"
"Have you ever thought that someone may have done this, but it was unsuccessful and paid a huge price, which led to him resisting doing this all the time." Schiller said.
"But I don't think Batman is so easily swayed. Even if others fail, he will feel that he may not fail. He is a very enterprising person who will not be swayed by others." Gordon spread his hands and said.
.
"What if this person is his parents?"
Gordon was silent.
"A wealthy businessman, a generous philanthropist, and a kind-hearted rich man. These identities did not bring a good ending for his parents. The Waynes tried to save the city, but in the end, they died, and Bruce
Witnessed it all with my own eyes.”
"If it were you, would you take this road again?" Schiller looked at Gordon and asked.
Gordon was silent for a long time, and Schiller continued: "We regard Bruce Wayne's soul as the identity of a third person. He has two options, either becoming Bruce Wayne or becoming Batman."
"His reason will definitely tell him that the road to becoming Bruce Wayne is much simpler. There are too many resources at his disposal. If combined with his wisdom, he may really be able to save this city.
City."
"His reason will also tell him that the road to becoming Batman is too difficult. Saving a sinful city by fighting crime sounds like a joke."
"People seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. If someone violates this innate instinct, it means that there must be a reason driving him to do so. Most of the time, this driving force comes from the heart."
"At least in my observation..." Schiller paused and said, "He hates the identity of Bruce Wayne. He doesn't want to be Bruce Wayne."
"He became Batman not because he wanted to be Batman, but because he didn't want to be Bruce Wayne and didn't want to make the same mistakes his parents made, and he was afraid of it."
Schiller sighed softly and said: "When he was Bruce Wayne, he also kept doing charity. He spent a lot of money, but his purpose was not to save people, just to spend money. He
I feel like Bruce Wayne can't save anyone, just like he couldn't save his parents."
"He doesn't have any hope for Bruce Wayne, because if Bruce Wayne can't save his parents, he can't save anyone."
Gordon looked at his plate and said: "I feel very sorry for his tragic childhood, but if this continues, he may go to the other extreme."
"His parents chose a happy family and a peaceful life, and did not use violent means to deal with the city, but they fell under violence. Batman is the opposite. If he chose violence, he might not
No more having a family.”
Gordon showed a sad expression and said: "...I am the same way. I really hope that he can realize this early and maybe there is a chance to redeem himself."
"He will."
After Schiller finished speaking, he turned to look out the window of the restaurant. The night was getting darker, the rain was getting heavier, and the manor buildings were looming in the rising rain and fog.
When the wind blows over the roofs of the manor area, everyone will feel frightened by those sharp Gothic spiers. When it blows into Wayne Manor through the warm windows, it does not become warm.
"Now, you go to sleep, go to sleep, understand? Don't stand here, don't look at me like this, lie on the bed, and then fall asleep, is this difficult?" Bruce pressed his hands on the shoulders of an extremely thin little girl.
said to her.
This little girl was one of the children he brought to the hospital before. The other children were already lying on the hospital bed for treatment, but she was the only one. No matter how much Batman tried to persuade her, she would just cry and cry.
If it barks, it will only run away and bite.
The little girl kept looking up at him, her big eyes full of fear, but she didn't move at all. Bruce wanted to hug her, but she ran away and forced her into a corner. She bit, couldn't speak, couldn't communicate.
, like a crazy wild cat.
Bruce squatted on the spot and covered his eyes with his hands. He said, "Then can you tell me what you want to do?"
The little girl turned to look at the window. Bruce closed his eyes hard and said, "It's raining outside, and you have a high fever now. If you go out, you will die immediately. Why don't you understand?"
Bruce felt that what he said was very clear. Even Aisha could completely understand what he said, but this little girl seemed to understand nothing.
Bruce even had the illusion that she was deliberately going against him, but when he calmed down, he felt that this was impossible. He was not abusing her. Why on earth would she do this?
"Dick, Dick! You come here and look at her while I look for a book." Bruce called Dick over and asked him to look at the little girl. He went to his study and got a book on child psychology.
This is his textbook. He didn't read it carefully in the past, but now he must read it carefully.
After watching for a long time, Bruce discovered that this little girl should have stress-trauma disorder, which is a disease that often occurs in abused children. The treatment suggestions given are to establish a sense of security for her, especially to establish a sense of security for her.
A safe environment.
Bruce raised his head and looked at Wayne Manor. He felt that there was no safer place in the world than here.
The hall is paved with warm-colored floors, and all the furniture is made of solid wood. The flame burning in the fireplace is very strong, bringing a cozy warmth. The windows and doors are sealed tightly, so that no cold wind can blow in.
If it's not safe here, isn't it safer in those dark, cramped alleys?
Bruce felt that the comfort he had done was much more than what was written in the book. He kept asking, caring, and taking care of her, but it had no effect at all. Not only did she not respond, she also refused to give injections, take medicine, or eat.
He drank water and showed aggressive behavior.
After struggling until midnight, Bruce felt that he was very tired. Fortunately, the little girl was also tired. Her physical strength could not support it for so long, so she just passed out. Fortunately, Alfred checked him and fed him.
After taking some medicine, the fever gradually subsided, and now I just need to rest.
Bruce leaned on the sofa and wiped his face. He felt sleepy coming, and at this time, he heard the "ta-ta-ta-ta" footsteps. Dick, who had already changed into pajamas, came down the stairs, holding in his hand
He was also holding a pillow.
In the dark hall, only the fire in the fireplace was lit, and the outlines of the furniture were clearly visible. Bruce had the illusion that the scene he had lived in for so many years was unfamiliar.
"What's wrong, Dick?" Bruce asked, raising his spirits.
"I just... I just want to ask that little girl... what happened to her?"
"...She's sick." Bruce replied: "This may make her a little irritable, but she will be fine soon. Don't worry, just go back to sleep."
Dick sighed, walked to Bruce and sat down. He was next to Bruce, and Bruce could even feel his body temperature. Dick turned his head, looked up at Bruce and said, "I have something to tell you."
"Go ahead." Bruce didn't look at him.
The firelight of the fireplace shines on the two people, and the light and shadow pass over the body. When the two figures, one large and one small, sit side by side on the sofa, there is always a sense of warmth, like the scene of a father-son conversation engraved in human genes.
.
"I think... that little girl may not want to stay here." Dick hesitated and said, "She may not like us very much."
Dick rubbed the pillow in his hand and said, "In other words, she is in pain. Staying here makes her suffer. We shouldn't let her suffer, right?"
"Why does staying here cause her pain?" Bruce asked, "There are medicines and food here, there is a safe room, and there is a soft bed. Why does this make him suffer?"
"If it makes her suffer here, do I have to send her back to the place where she originally stayed? That shabby shed with a piece of iron sheet casually erected between two alleys as a roof?"
"I don't know." Dick leaned to the other side and said, "I just think that if she feels uncomfortable, we should think about why she feels uncomfortable and try to make her life as good as possible.
"
"I'm trying to do that." Bruce said in a higher voice: "He has taken the medicine now and is asleep, which means there is progress."
"But she fainted from exhaustion..." Dick whispered: "I just saw that she was frowning while sleeping..."
Suddenly, a "bang" sound came, which startled Dick. He saw Bruce banging the table with his hand. He immediately stood up, stood one meter away from the coffee table, and then looked at Bruce.
.
Suddenly, Bruce lowered his head, took a deep breath, and said, "Go back to sleep, Dick...go back to sleep."
Dick faced him and took two steps back until he was out of the range of the light source, then turned and ran upstairs. Bruce leaned on the sofa alone, listening to the sound of rain outside the window, and then fell asleep.
Early the next morning, there was no Dick at the dinner table. Alfred explained: "Master Dick left very early today. He went to school."
Bruce nodded and said nothing. However, Dick did not come back until the evening. Bruce asked Alfred: "Can't you go home on Monday and Tuesday? Why didn't he come back?"
"Master Dick just asked the newsboy to send back a letter. The content is probably that he is too busy with studies and has to stay overnight for a few days."
Bruce took the letter from Alfred's hand. He saw the handwriting on it, but he couldn't recognize it. He remembered that he had seen Dick's exercise book last time, and the handwriting on it was still very immature.
.
But now, the English on this letter had some cursive style, and it looked like a letter written by an adult. Bruce found that he had never paid attention to these changes.
And when it started to rain again in Gotham, he was still sitting alone on the sofa, with only the dim and heavy bells in the manor to accompany him.
Before he fell asleep, he clenched his fists, seemingly making a decision, but as he fell asleep, he relaxed his arms, and his fingertips trembled slightly with his breathing, as if playing with the fire of a fireplace.
.
On this cold night in Gotham in 1990, all that could be seen was the fleeting lightning on the horizon and the shadows of clouds hidden in the rain and fog in the distance under the bright light.
