A dilapidated and dangerous building on Poseidon Street.
This is a gathering place for small and medium-sized animals.
Because their body type cannot bear heavy physical labor, and in Poseidon Street, the highest-paying occupation that Animal People can get is manual labor.
So the surrounding environment is actually very poor.
But even so, in this small home, there is not even room for a bed.
You can still feel the warm atmosphere.
A board with warm yellow cartoon sunflowers bisects the room.
Divided into kitchen and home.
The mother groundhog is busy in the kitchen.
This is a simple breakfast burrito made with vegetables and meat.
Mother Woodchuck, wearing an apron around her waist, shouted:
"Breakfast is ready,"
Right next to it, located in the home's bathroom.
The groundhog father, who was less than one meter away, wiped the water stains on his face.
With a chubby and round figure, he walked out of the small bathroom and hugged his wife, who smelled of oil smoke:
"Wife Kangna, I love you."
The home was cramped and poor.
Decent furniture was almost impossible to find.
But even so, when the sun shines through the bright glass into this room.
I can still feel the warmth of home.
A family of three is sitting at the dining table, and the mother and father are separated.
She placed the only omelette for breakfast on the little prairie dog's plate, and then kissed her husband on the cheek:
"I love you too. Let's eat. I'm going to work after breakfast."
The Marmot family's breakfast was not a hearty one.
The burritos were leftovers from yesterday, as was the barbecue.
After being roasted for a long time, the meat has become dry and woody.
There are 365 days in a year, and their family eats tacos for 400 days.
The only variable is that the mother prairie dog fry an egg for her son every day.
I just looked at the breakfast in front of me, and my mother's clean but washed-out yellow-white apron, which my father had worn for three or four years.
The little groundhog was silent for a long time, then suddenly summoned up the courage, raised his head and said:
"Dad, Mom, I don't want to go to school."
As soon as the words fell, the warm atmosphere at home was broken at this moment.
Instead, there was deathly silence.
The father prairie dog, holding a table knife in his hand, bit his lower lip.
Looking at the sensible son in front of him, the groundhog father felt very guilty.
He tried to keep his tone calm and forced a smile on his face:
"Is it because of tuition fees? Don't worry, dad will definitely save enough tuition before school starts."
The same goes for washed clothes that have faded.
The high temperature of the iron barrel stove and the splashing grease left old burns and new burns on Dad's arms.
tuition fee?
Although the little groundhog is young, he is not a fool.
He knew that last semester, in order to pay for the tuition, his mother sold the jewelry that his grandmother had given him.
And what else is there at home now?
The little marmot subconsciously looked at the closet not far away.
This is the only furniture left by my parents after their marriage. My mother cherishes this wardrobe very much. Even though it has been polished to a high shine, she still cleans the dust on it every day.
This is the testimony of parents falling in love and getting married.
The little prairie dog shook his head.
He likes to study, likes his friends at school, and likes the feeling of constantly enriching himself with knowledge.
He also believes that one day, he can change his destiny with knowledge.
But right now?
The little groundhog shook his head and said calmly:
"No, I just feel like school is boring."
Life is always faced with various choices.
Although he knew it was difficult, and although he was very reluctant to give up, the smart and sensible little prairie dog understood.
The burden of tuition makes this family breathless, and it's time to make a change.
"bump!"
A heavy punch hit the only table in the house.
The groundhog father stood up and looked at his son in front of him angrily:
"That's enough, stop talking. You have to go to school. I don't want you to be like me, pushing a cart on the street selling Mexican tacos every day!"
The little prairie dog opened his mouth, his eyes a little frightened.
He had never seen his father look so angry:
"I……"
The groundhog mother next to her stood up. The mother winked at her son, and then comforted her husband:
"Phil, you eat first, and I will talk to my son."
The prairie dog's father's expression flashed.
Until a certain moment, he suddenly sighed, stood up and rubbed his son's head.
The father who looked angry just now said apologetically:
"Son, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been angry at you."
A family dispute was resolved because of the appearance of the groundhog mother.
The mother pretended to be impatient and said to her husband:
"Okay, stop talking and go to work. There is a box at the door. You can make some barbecue rolls and go to the pier to see. I heard there seems to be a rally there."
The groundhog father opened his mouth, and finally left the house with his head lowered.
Poseidon Street in the early morning.
The groundhog father came to his outdoor stall carrying a large box on his back.
Skillfully, he lifted up the white cloth covering the stove and took out a cutting board that had been used for many years.
Mix the noodles, fire up the stove, take out the barbecue that has been marinated overnight, and the various vegetables and toppings for the tacos.
This job has been going on for four or five years.
This was a long time, and it even made him forget who he once was.
He is a high-end restaurant chef who is proficient in Mexican cuisine.
Once this kind of memory is opened, it will be like a flood and get out of control.
And emotional breakdown often occurs in an instant.
Daddy Woodchuck feels so tired.
He thought of the day he proposed to his wife seven or eight years ago.
I thought of the moment I saw my son, and vowed to give him the best future.
Clean kitchen, bright knives.
At that time, I was a skilled restaurant chef.
There is a home that is not very big, but enough for a family to live and even run around.
He was very confident at that time.
I have a beautiful wife, a lovely son, a friendly boss, colleagues who are like friends, and parents who are proud of themselves.
He believed he could put down roots in the city.
And I believe that with my own efforts, I will definitely get a better future!
But Daddy Woodchuck didn’t know.
This city is nice, but it is not your home after all. As an outsider, you do not have the risk-resistance capabilities of locals.
What is the scariest thing in this world?
It’s not that you don’t know anything, it’s that you already have it!
The emergence of humans has impacted the lives of animal humans.
The boss couldn't bear it anymore and chose to commit suicide by jumping off the building. Many of Marmot's friends chose to leave the city.
The groundhog father still remembers a friend patting him on the shoulder -
Phil, leave, this city does not belong to us, and it does not welcome us.
The groundhog father chose to persevere, believing that his efforts would be rewarded.
But what about the facts?
His craftsmanship was excellent, but no human being would want to eat a meal prepared by a woodchuck.
The restaurant owner fired himself.
Because I lost my job, I have no money to pay this year’s property taxes.
At the urging of the bank, the Marmot family had no choice but to move out of their former home.
The father of the groundhog still remembers that he held his wife’s hand and made a promise to her——
Conna, trust me, it won't be long before we're back and in a better house!
Then the house changed from a single-family house to an apartment.
From an apartment to a single apartment, it finally turned into the cheap and dangerous building it is now.
Daddy Woodchuck doesn’t know what’s wrong with the world.
Doesn’t it mean that as long as you work hard in life, your life will become sweeter and sweeter?
But why the harder I work, the more miserable my life becomes.
Why is the world different from what my parents taught me?
Daddy Woodchuck doesn’t know.
He had no books and no one to answer his questions.
The only thing that can be done is to work as hard as possible so that the living conditions of the family can be better.
But people are not machines, and Dad Woodchuck also breaks down sometimes.
When he chose to give up his dream of being a celebrity chef and become a street vendor.
Daddy Woodchuck didn't cry.
When he had to pawn furniture and jewelry in order to raise money for his children's school fees.
Daddy Woodchuck chooses to be strong.
But the moment his son told him he didn't want to go to school?
Daddy Woodchuck couldn't stand it any longer.
He knew that his son didn't want to go to school.
He said this because he realized that his family had no money and he didn't want his parents to live too hard for him.
This is a smart and sensible child.
But he was sensible, but it became the straw that broke the camel's back.
Tears flowed uncontrollably from the corners of his eyes. The middle-aged prairie dog father was as helpless as a child.
He wanted a home for his family, but it ended up being a storage unit.
He wanted his wife to live a better life, but in the end it was her who pawned the dowry jewelry.
He wants his children to receive a better education so that they will not be as incompetent as himself in the future.
But he had no money and could not support his children in education.
He is an incompetent father.
He was ashamed and blamed himself, thinking that he had brought down his family.
Until a certain moment, the porcupine selling fruit next to him noticed the prairie dog's cry and asked with concern:
"Phil, what's wrong with you?"
Subconsciously wiping the tears on his face, the groundhog father waved his hand:
"It's nothing, the chili pepper stung my eyes."
The porcupine was silent, and the prairie dog didn't look like he was being burned by chili pepper.
But Porcupine is unwilling to expose this.
We are all men, and Porcupine wants to preserve the last bit of dignity for each other.
So he chose to pretend that nothing had happened and directly changed the topic:
"I thought you were crying. Are you going to the pier when you prepare so many barbecue rolls?"
Dad Woodchuck nodded, and now his mood had returned to normal:
"I heard there was a rally there."
The porcupine patted the car not far away. There were many fruits on it. He smiled and invited:
"It seems you also know. Do you want to come together? I still have some space in the car. The reward is a lunch."
Looking at the big box on the ground, I thought about the distance from here to the dock.
Knowing that the other party was helping him, the groundhog father said gratefully:
"Thanks, man."
The porcupine waved his hand and took out an apple from the cart basket.
He wiped the dust on it with his hand and raised the corners of his mouth.
The porcupine stuffed the apple into the groundhog's hand, with a simple and bright smile on his face:
"Although life is hard, you can try this apple, it's very sweet."
