Chapter 152 Late Night, Two Homeless Kids
Before leaving, Luke washed all the dirty clothes he could see at home and cleaned the bedside table, windowsill, floor, and corners. He was fond of this place and wanted to thank Alexander, but he had nothing to offer in return. So, he could only do these small chores as a token of gratitude.
Alexander felt bad, too. He thought he might have been too harsh with his words yesterday. He also knew that the hardest thing in the world was to live under someone else's roof, especially when the person helping you wasn't even related by blood. Luke appeared lazy and unruly, like a little punk, but kids like him often had some insecurities. He couldn't face Alexander and say he wanted to leave, so he chose to leave on his own.
At the butcher shop, Alexander called Chloe over, and after a series of threats and bribes, he hurriedly left.
As night fell, the streets near the Pine City checkpoint were lit by scattered streetlights, and the soldiers on duty had begun to change shifts.
Trucks lined up in a long queue, inching forward near the checkpoint, preparing to leave the country.
On the roadside, the thin Luke squatted by the curb, staring blankly at the neon lights and crowds, his eyes vacant.
He had left Alexander's house, but where should he go next? Where should he head to?
In the past three months, although Luke hadn't interacted much with Alexander, who spent most of his time recovering in River State, living in Courtyard 88 gave Luke his first sense of home. Now, squatting in the freezing cold outside, recalling his experiences, he felt like waking up from a beautiful dream.
Looking around in confusion, he found himself still alone and destined to live a lonely life in this world.
Luke wasn't a sentimental kid, but at this moment, he shed tears. He cried quietly for a while, then slowly stood up and walked straight towards the checkpoint.
He planned to surrender himself, telling the soldiers in the guardhouse that he didn't have residency in District 9. Then he would be ruthlessly deported, thrown by a military truck into some unplanned area, left to fend for himself.
He walked against the cold wind, and the guardhouse was now within reach.
Luke took a deep breath, reluctantly about to push the door open.
On the roadside, a middle-aged man in his forties, leading two children, had just crossed the checkpoint into Pine City.
The boy on the left, about Luke's age, pointed to a roadside stall and said, "Dad, I'm hungry, I want some noodles."
"Wait," the middle-aged man scolded with a frown, "Wait a bit. We'll eat at the place where we're going to work. They provide meals."
"Dad, I'm really hungry, I want some food."
"Damn it." The middle-aged man glanced around, then scolded with a stern face, "Didn't I tell you not to ask for food in crowded places? I don't have money."
The boy lowered his head and obediently stopped making a fuss.
The middle-aged man was about to continue walking when the little girl on the right weakly murmured, "Dad, I'm hungry, too."
The middle-aged man turned back helplessly, looking at the two children.
After a brief silence, he turned and walked towards the vendor. "One serving of mac and cheese. No... make it two."
"Alright." the vendor nodded with a smile.
"Go, sit down and eat." the middle-aged man patted his son's head and gently urged.
The boy and girl immediately sat at the dirty little table.
"Dad, you eat, too."
"I'll eat at the place where we're going to work, you two hurry up." the middle-aged man kept his distance from the table, letting only his children sit while he stayed away, embarrassed to get closer.
Luke, standing by the guardhouse, couldn't hold back his tears again at this sight.
The indifference of fate and the cruelty of life wasn't about giving you a low starting point or stripping you of your dignity; it was about the comparisons and the deliberately presented details of life that truly broke you.
Luke looked enviously at the two children, then decisively turned around and raised his hand to knock on the wooden door of the guardhouse.
At that moment, a hand patted Luke's shoulder.
Luke instinctively turned around and saw Alexander, who was sweating on his forehead.
Under the dim light, the two stared at each other. Luke was dumbfounded, while Alexander frowned and scolded, "You did something wrong, and you don't want to be told?"
Luke blinked his bloodshot eyes. "Why are you here?"
"I was afraid you'd die out here," Alexander sighed, grabbing Luke by the collar, "Come on, I'll treat you to a meal."
Ten minutes later.
In a small roadside stall, Alexander wiped the unsanitized utensils with a napkin and handed them to Luke, asking, "What's the deal? You stayed at my place for over three months and left without a word?"
Luke lowered his head, his voice trembling, "I was afraid that you were tired of me. Instead of shamelessly staying at your place, I thought it was better to leave on my own. This way... when I can stand on my own, I can see you again."
"How are you going to improve yourself?" Alexander asked with a smile, "What does it mean to be capable? Becoming the highest executive officer?"
"Alexander, do you look down on me?" Luke asked, looking up.
"I see you as a little brother, I don't look at you that way." Alexander handed the plate to Luke and, after some thought, said, "Luke, we're both men, so I'll be straightforward. Look, I'm just starting out in Pine City, and I can barely take care of myself, so staying at my place isn't a long-term solution."
Luke looked up, his eyes filled with anxiety.
"Don't overthink it. I'm not saying this to kick you out or anything," Alexander poured Luke a glass of cheap wine and added softly, "I just think, you're not too young or too old, Staying at home all the time isn't a long-term solution."
"I can go out and work," Luke responded seriously.
"Luke, the lower your starting point, the higher you need to aim. Even if you don't reach it, you'll go further than others," Alexander said, tilting his head and pausing for a while, "You have some issues, and your personality has some issues. I don't want you to work for others, I want you to join the military."
Luke was stunned.
"If you want to go, drink this glass of wine, and from now on, I'll be your big brother." Alexander pointed at Luke, his expression serious. "I don't have any family, seeing you will be like seeing home."
Late at night.
Alexander, rarely drunk, was supported by Luke as he dialed Samuel's number and said, "Hey, what are you doing?"
Samuel, confused, replied, "I'm sleeping."
"I need you to do something for me."
"What did you say?" Samuel blinked. "You need me to do something? Are you drunk?"
"Cut the crap, my brother wants to join the military, get him into a unit, hurry up." Alexander was really drunk, probably not even aware of who he was calling.
Samuel scratched his head, looked at the phone again to confirm it was Alexander, then blinked and asked, "How much did you drink? Think about what you're saying before you talk to me!"
"Stop pretending, get it done, call me tomorrow," Alexander ordered before hanging up.
At home, Samuel, in his pajamas, stared at his phone in shock. "Damn it!"
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