Chapter 74 A Good Deed a Day
It was around three in the morning on the highway.
Andrew, rubbing his sleepy eyes after a nap, glanced outside the car. "Where are we now?"
"We've been out of River State for a while," Alexander replied with a yawn, "But it's still early."
"Pull over ahead. I need to take a leak and grab a bite. Then you rest, and I'll drive," Andrew said, rubbing his face.
"Alright."
Alexander drove for about another mile before pulling into an open space.
Andrew grabbed some rations from the back of the car and covered the already sleeping Eric with a thick military coat before starting to eat.
Alexander got out of the car and took a couple of puffs from his cigarette. He then reached back into the car for some toilet paper. "You go ahead and eat; I'm going to take a dump."
"Do you have any manners? I'm eating here!"
"I'll do my business, and you do yours. No big deal." Alexander chuckled, taking the toilet paper and heading into the nearby field. Finding a suitable spot, he squatted down.
Inside the car, Andrew ate a sandwich with some smoked meat and drank two bottles of water before stepping out to relieve himself.
In the field, Alexander shouted, "You finished eating already? I'm not even done yet! You eat faster than a pig!"
"Idiot," Andrew cursed while fastening his belt, "Hurry up, or I'll drive off without you."
"Wait a second. I'm almost done." Alexander wiped his nearly frozen butt, stood up, fastened his belt, and started walking back.
Andrew sat in the driver's seat, warming up the car.
Alexander trudged through the snow for about twenty feet before feeling something trip him. "What the hell is this?"
Though it was pitch dark, the faint moonlight outlined the ground. Alexander kicked at the object and bent down to see a purplish-blue face staring back at him.
"Fuck!"
Even Alexander, as fearless as he was, got startled. He stepped back and took a closer look, realizing it was a boy of about fifteen or sixteen lying in the snow. He was dressed warmly but had his eyes closed, and his hair was covered in frost and snow.
In the unincorporated areas, this was common. Every year, quite a few people with nowhere to go would freeze to death in the snow. So, after a moment of hesitation, Alexander turned to leave.
"Help... help me... please help me..."
Alexander had only walked about ten feet when a weak voice called out from behind him. He hesitated, then turned back to the snow.
The boy lay motionless, weakly repeating, "Help... help me..."
Alexander stood there, silent for a long time before asking, "How long have you been lying here?"
"Help me... help me..." the boy only repeated the same words.
"Who knows what you're up to? Besides, you're barely alive. If you die in the car, you'll be a hassle for everyone." Alexander said and decisively turned to leave.
The boy's weak cries continued, but Alexander walked further and further away until he could no longer hear them.
In the car, Andrew saw Alexander approaching and immediately sneered, "Took you long enough just to wipe your ass."
Alexander looked back at Andrew. "Let's go."
Andrew shifted gears and slowly drove away.
Inside the car, Alexander frowned, his face no longer showing any sign of humor.
"Are you alright? Did you see a ghost or something?" Andrew sensed something was off with Alexander and asked curiously.
Alexander silently recalled the boy in the snow and suddenly felt his heart soften. If this had been back in the unincorporated areas, he would never have cared about such a matter and wouldn't have felt any guilt. Because, firstly, such unknown kids could easily bring trouble; and secondly, back then, he had no stable place to live and was struggling to survive, so he had no capacity to help anyone.
However, things were different now. His life had somewhat improved, and the boy was still breathing and able to speak. If he pretended not to see him, that young life would surely end in the freezing snow.
As his thoughts raced, Alexander saw in the boy a reflection of his own lonely childhood.
They were so alike: the thick coat, the worn-out boots, the endless snow, and a child with no one to care for him.
Alexander closed his eyes and, after a few seconds of silence, suddenly said, "Turn the car around."
"What for?" Andrew was confused.
"Just turn the car around," Alexander urged.
Andrew, puzzled, reversed the car and cursed, "Are you crazy? What are we going back for? Did you forget something?"
"Shut up and just drive back."
Ten minutes later, the car stopped again in the open space.
Alexander grabbed a military coat from the trunk and rushed into the snow, wrapping the boy in it and picking him up.
Andrew, standing by the roadside, asked in surprise, "Where did you find a person?"
"Ran into him while taking a dump." Alexander panted. "He's still breathing."
"This child appears quite young. Has he reached the age of majority?" Andrew cast a glance at the child. "His visage has taken on a purplish hue."
Holding the boy, Alexander immediately instructed, "Get the heating lamp from the car and light it up."
"Got it." Andrew, always the helpful one, hurriedly fetched the heating lamp from the trunk.
Alexander laid the boy on the ground and asked, "Is there any alcohol in the car?"
"Not much left; we need it for the lamp," Andrew replied, holding the lamp.
Alexander glanced around and said, "Take his clothes off, but do it slowly. His body is frozen stiff, and you might hurt him if you're too rough."
"In this weather? Take his clothes off?"
"Just do it." Alexander snapped, then gathered several handfuls of snow and returned.
Andrew lit the lamp and carefully removed the boy's clothes.
Using the snow, Alexander began rubbing the boy's back, chest, and other areas with all his might.
At first, the snow didn't even melt on the boy's body. After about ten minutes of rubbing, Alexander's hands were wet with melting snow.
After half an hour of hard work, Alexander, sweating profusely, pushed the boy's chest and shouted, "Can you hear me? If you can, open your eyes, or I'll leave you here."
After shouting six or seven times, the boy suddenly murmured, "Help... help me..."
"He's responding," said Eric, who had just gotten out of the car.
Alexander sighed in relief. "Whether he can survive or not, it's up to him."
"Are we taking him with us?" Andrew asked.
"He's probably an abandoned kid. If we save him, we have to take him with us." Alexander nodded. "Let's get him in the car."
After rescuing the boy, the trio hurriedly continued their journey to Pine City.
A day later, Eric got off midway to go home while Alexander and Andrew drove for several more hours before finally returning to Pine City.
In the back seat, the boy, who had been lying there for two days, gradually regained some color in his face and began to weakly ask, "Is there any food? Please give me some."
Andrew was taken aback by this. "What a temper this kid has. We saved him out of kindness, but he acts like a little lord making demands."
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