NABC Chapter 30 Heavy snow, a good omen
Chapter 30 Heavy snow, a good omen
Aizhe's car moved slowly along the streets of Seattle.
There were very few people standing on either side of the street, but many were lying down.
They lay scattered on the roadside, covered in a thick layer of snowflakes, looking like snowmen, with a few empty bottles of enhancement agents rolling around them.
Aizhe could see a strange smile on the faces of these people.
That wasn't a peaceful smile, but a smile that came from someone who had frozen to death, caused by the numbness of nerves and the contraction of skin and muscles due to the low temperature.
In recent days, the Gundam collection in Seattle has been overflowing, and Aizhe can see this "smile" on the Gundam's face every day.
Ai Zhe gripped the steering wheel tightly and silently arrived at the lamb offal shop.
After the door of the mutton offal shop was opened, many homeless people wrapped in tattered clothes lined up in an orderly fashion outside.
Some of the people here are familiar faces in the community, while others came out of curiosity after hearing from other streets that a kind-hearted man from the East was distributing relief soup.
During this time, some children or elderly people came over, and the people behind them made way for the children to be at the front of the line.
This is the rule of that Easterner.
The elderly and children should be given priority.
An hour later, a large iron barrel was pushed out.
Milky white waves churned in the large pot.
The fat from the mutton offal bubbled and spread across the soup noodles.
The rich aroma rose in a white mist, making every hungry person swallow hard.
But everyone consciously restrained themselves and lined up to receive it.
Soon, several children wearing ill-fitting old coats, with pale faces and so thin that their cheekbones were almost visible, came to Aizhe first.
They held up worn-out lunchboxes or tin cans bigger than their faces, their hands red with cold, and looked at Aizhe with timidity and longing in their eyes.
The boy in front of me, holding an old enamel mug with a dented edge, said softly, "Mr. Zhe... my dad's legs are frostbitten and he can't get out of bed... can I... can I take two?"
The boy didn't dare look Aizhe in the eye and could only lower his head.
Aizhe picked up the long-handled spoon and looked down at his face.
He paused in his movements, suddenly remembering his younger brother back in China.
These past few days, every time we video chat, my younger brother's face is always very rosy, and he laughs without a care in the world.
He either complained about having to go to school in the underground shelter and having too much homework, or he complained that he couldn't play games anymore and was very bored.
They are the same age, living on the same planet, but compared to their younger brothers back home, these children struggling to survive on the cold streets of America...
Aizhe sighed and could only nod forcefully.
He then scooped up a large spoonful of mutton offal, soup and all, and poured it steadily into the boy's enamel mug, almost overflowing.
Then he scooped out a second spoonful of the same amount and poured it into another old can that the boy handed him.
His abilities are limited, and he can't do much. At most, he can only try to give them a few more pieces of meat to eat right now.
Suddenly, the boy in front of me, holding a bowl of mutton soup, asked in a soft but curious voice:
"Mr. Zhe, I've recently seen a lot of people arguing online about the University of Tokyo."
Some people say that the University of Tokyo is hell, a terrible place, and that all the images of happiness shown to students at the University of Tokyo are lies to us.
But some say that's the real paradise, the beacon of God's favor on earth.
"Mr. Tetsuya, you're from the University of Tokyo. Could you tell me... what kind of place is the University of Tokyo?"
Upon hearing this, those people behind him, whose faces were red from the cold wind, also curiously looked up and looked over.
"My hometown..."
Upon hearing this, Ai Zhe pondered for a moment and looked eastward.
Finally, he looked down at the boy and said:
"First of all, the University of Tokyo did not deceive you. All the good things you see about the University of Tokyo are true."
But it's not a paradise under God's protection either.
"Because we never rely on God."
The construction of underground shelters relied on countless silent construction workers, and the relocation of the masses relied on all grassroots cadres and young volunteers.
"Today, containing the epidemic and ensuring public safety depends on all the doctors and nurses who are working tirelessly."
"The reason why Tokyo University can remain as stable as a rock despite the impact of the apocalypse is because of these ordinary but hardworking people."
The boy's eyes widened, as if he understood something, and finally he nodded and thanked Aizhe.
Ai Zhe smiled and began serving soup to the next person.
After half an hour.
Aizhe gave all two large pots of mutton offal soup to the homeless.
He started packing up and closing the shop.
Just then, the imam from the mosque came over.
"Zhe, from now on, you don't need to come personally to distribute the mutton soup."
"I will let the other brothers in the temple take over."
Aizhe keenly sensed the unusual solemnity in the imam's tone and had a vague guess in his mind.
"Iman, is it because of the recent outbreak that's been making headlines in the city?"
The imam nodded and sighed:
"After a great flood, filth often breeds, accompanied by plague."
"And our federal government did nothing, letting the plague spread."
The streets are now filled with infected patients who can't buy truly life-saving antibiotics and are left only to die on steroids.
"Zhe, you have done enough for the people of the United States Federation."
If you continue to distribute relief to disaster victims, you'll easily contract pneumonia, which is something I don't want to see.
I hope you can return safely in the end, back to that hopeful East, where the light of this era is, where your home is.
The imam held up both palms facing upwards and offered his blessings to Aja.
……
……
Peanut City, United States.
The snow fell heavily, layer upon layer, silencing the entire city.
Charles's black sedan slowly came to a stop in the snow.
He rolled down the car window, and a cold wind blew in, carrying snowflakes that landed on the collar of his expensive coat.
The street in front of me was unusually empty; the many homeless people I remembered huddled in the snow were nowhere to be seen.
"Where have all the beggars in the city gone?"
A White House official in a dark gray suit beside him turned slightly and said:
"Mr. Charles, the great president is soft-hearted and cannot bear to see poor people in the prosperous federal capital, so he allocated funds for us to relocate all the people in the city who do not have houses elsewhere."
"Appropriation funds, huh...?"
Charles chuckled softly, not pressing for details about where the "placement" had taken place. Instead, he opened the car door and stepped into the ankle-deep snow.
Despite the biting cold, he opened his arms wide, looked up to face the swirling snowflakes, and laughed loudly:
"This snow is so white, as white as silver!"
"Such heavy snow, a good omen!"
"Gentlemen, this one step in the snow is worth a hundred meters of knife!"
Charles turned to look at the several officials in suits and ties, waved, and smiled:
"Let's not drive, let's just walk through the snow to see the President!"