"Look at Blake. When we were neighbors, he was very helpful. He was clever and could solve problems. Last time he came back, he came to see me with a gift. If you were half-hearted, you wouldn't act like this..."
The wife's chatter continued, constantly boasting about the good things about her neighbor.
Walter was lost in thought.
To be honest, asking friends for help is a bit embarrassing, especially if they are friends who are doing well.
But then I thought about it.
Although a friend's success is heartbreaking, the bitch's nagging makes people want to die even more.
After struggling for a long time, Walter said feebly: "I'll go find him tomorrow...Stop nagging, hurry up and cook."
...
The next day, in an inner city cafe.
Walter and Black sat next to each other.
Walter was still wearing his usual rags, and he looked particularly restrained sitting in the luxurious Jingbuck Cafe.
The people around him were all well-dressed and looking calm.
Elegant conversation came to my ears, and I could faintly hear that they were talking about something great.
Blake, his long-time friend, looked askance at him with a hint of a smile on his face.
After two cups of coffee were served, Blake said: "You are lucky today, you can find me while I'm at home. I'm usually busy outside with clients, so it's rare that I have time."
Walter smiled shyly: "You...are you doing so well now?"
"It's so so, it's a good time to catch up." Blake took a sip of the coffee and narrowed his eyes slightly as if to taste the strong aroma of the coffee. "We made some money when the Holy City was in turmoil, but then people in Dajing didn't Are you going to start work on the Holy City?"
"I took advantage of the little money I had and bought a lot of gravel and wood in one go. Now the business is okay. Others eat meat, but I can also drink soup."
There are projects everywhere in the city. How much wood will be needed and how much money will be earned?
Walter felt bitter in his heart, so he picked up the coffee and took a sip.
However, I was immediately choked at the entrance, and an extremely bitter, astringent and slightly sour taste spread in my mouth. Fortunately, I endured it and swallowed it.
This taste feels unusually inferior...
Blake saw this and joked: "Doesn't it taste good?"
Walter said in a muffled voice: "This is too bitter, it's so sore."
"You, you really have no taste, it's the fate of the poor! This is the coffee shipped from Da Jing, even the emperor drinks it. Now the upper class in the Holy City drink the most bitter coffee. If it's not bitter, don't drink it!" Blake said behind the counter. He waved and said, "Here are some milk and sugar."
A jar of milk and a jar of sugar were brought out immediately.
Blake picked up the sugar and milk jug and poured it into his coffee cup.
Walter said speechlessly: "You are not classy, why do you add sugar?"
"Fuck, I don't like drinking it if it's so bitter, but with my current worth, can't I hold it in a little bit?" Blake said and pushed the sugar bowl over. "I'm connected to Mr. Hope now. Everyone in the same circle drinks this bitter drink. Is it appropriate for me to add sugar?"
Walter was surprised and said: "You even know Hope. Isn't that an ordinary person?"
"That's right!" Black smiled proudly, "We now know a lot of experts and know a lot of things. If he has money, he is good and his horizons have broadened. Unlike before, there was no future in just lying there."
"But to be honest, it's pretty damn tiring. You said I'm running around doing projects every day, eating big meals and drinking heavily, looking for women in all kinds of ways. I'm so tired...I'm sick all over my body."
Faced with the invisible pretense of his old friend, Walter lowered his head deeply.
"Okay, let's talk about you. You usually don't like to talk. If you take the initiative to come to me this time, something must be wrong, right?"
Walter nodded: "Something happened... You know that new houses have been built in the slums, right? We are across the street from the opposite community. We can't get a house now. The main reason is that the family wants their children to go to a school opened by Dajing. Now that you are very capable, do you have any way to help me change my household registration in the yellow register?"
Blake was happy when he heard this.
"You have found the right person. I made all the materials for the houses in the community. This little thing is naturally easy to handle. But do you have money?"
"We are both friends, and you still want money, right?"
"Stop it!" Blake said with a straight face, "You boy, you deserve to be poor! Do you understand in business? And I don't want to charge you any money. This money is for you to take care of others."
"I'm here to help you, but you won't be happy to ask for money! If we hadn't known each other for more than 20 years and were neighbors, I would be too lazy to talk to you!"
Walter was ashamed: "I didn't mean that. Of course I am willing to spend money, but you know I don't have that much in my hands..."
"During the turmoil, I asked you to go and steal money with me, but you didn't do it! I relied on myself to read the points, but I pretended to do it, and now I can't even live in a house." Black taught him a lesson without hesitation, "You said you still had to What study should I study? Either study well, or become a gangster like me. If you are a gangster, you can get clean."
"You can't get anything if you're neither up nor down. I said you have to choose one of the two ends of the road to go! What do you mean by standing in the middle? It's like rotten wood that cannot be carved!"
"What kind of sculpture is rotten?" Walter asked.
Originally, he didn't dare to raise his head after being scolded by his friend, but the other party said something in a foreign language out of nowhere, which really confused him.
"This is the talk of the Great Scenery. The upper-class people now speak with mixed feelings! Do you understand? You have also studied."
Walter's face became hot and he said angrily: "Will you help me or not? I am here to listen to your lesson?"
"Okay, I won't say anything anymore. It will hurt my feelings if I say too much." Blake knocked on the table, "Just tell me how much money you can give?"
"About ten silver coins."
"Hey! I can't tell. You're pretty good at saving money. But you're a little short of ten silver coins..." Blake thought.
"Ten coins are not enough! Isn't it just a matter of changing the household registration?"
"Stop making trouble, it's not about changing your household registration. The house in my hand is going to be sold to you!"
"Isn't the house given away for free?"
"Yeah, I gave it to someone else, but I didn't give it to you! If someone gets it, it's like picking it up, so you have to spend money to buy it!" Blake explained, "And let me tell you, the person who gets the house also has a real estate certificate. , the address on your household registration must match the property certificate, so that the child can enroll in school, otherwise it won’t work.”
"Otherwise, you think you are a fool from Dajing. The school is so great and has many benefits. Too many people want to find loopholes to get in, and they are on guard."
Walter was dumbfounded. It originally meant simply changing the record in the yellow book, but he didn't expect it to be so complicated later.
"Then...what if the money is not enough?"
"Well... let me help you make up for it. Why don't you work part-time? Just pay me back in the future." Black said lightly, "But there is still a problem. When the pornography book was created in the Holy City, you Didn't you write it down together with your wife?"
"We are husband and wife, so we must have registered together. What's wrong?"
"Tsk! This doesn't work anymore! If others see it, there is a problem, and the child will definitely not be able to go to school. And if two people change it at the same time, you will have to spend double the money."
"Holy crap! Why is it so difficult?" Walter was going crazy.
Just because I live in the wrong place, just because I live across the street, there are so many obstacles in my life!
When the old pope was there, there was a wall that separated the poor from the rich, but now that the Dajing people came, they only used a piece of paper, and it was as if an invisible wall was erected in his life!
Even the fucking bricks are saved!
"Don't worry, I'll think about it." Blake pondered, his fingers constantly drawing circles on the edge of the coffee cup.
After a long time, he raised his eyebrows and said, "How about... you divorce your wife."
...
