Darkstone Code
Chapter 125 - 0124 Destiny makes a grimace at you and pulls out a piece of poop from its crotch to throw at you.

Chapter 125: 0124 Destiny makes a grimace at you and pulls out a piece of poop from its crotch to throw at you.

Lynch once again became the subject of reports on the first three pages of the newspaper, an honor that is hard for an ordinary person to achieve. A few people might have the chance when they die, with an "obituary" on the local newspaper, but most people never get on the newspaper in their lifetime.

The value of life is sometimes heavy, but it never outweighs the weight of a newspaper. This is intriguing or perhaps this is the truth.

A policy cannot be passed just because everyone thinks it’s okay. It requires time and consideration for all aspects of society.

It starts with "communicating" and gradually letting the public learn about this matter, this policy, and then delving deeper step by step. With continuous coverage, the public moves from curiosity, to acceptance, to being accustomed, so that no one feels this policy is so bad.

Even if someone dislikes it, they just dislike it rather than expressing intense opposition as if they were violated—everyone is angry the first time they’re violated, emotions are intense, but after many times, it becomes indifferent.

So the newspapers are extensively covering Lynch’s second-hand goods trading auction, making it normal, allowing those who might not like it to gradually accept it.

The newspapers keep claiming that this is a policy that provides great help and benefits to the public, and local merchant Lynch is willing to take up this responsibility. He will not only sell second-hand goods at relatively reasonable prices but also recycle some idle goods in society, letting those without use transfer to the hands of those who need them.

Spending less money to do fewer things is what the newspapers are promoting, and some people are genuinely interested in this.

Not only are Sabin City’s newspapers saying this, but newspapers from other main cities in the state also started making efforts, and some advertisement spaces Lynch bought began publishing ads to recycle second-hand goods.

After a certain period, the Interstellar Trade Company will gradually establish branches throughout the state and start recycling goods.

This gave many families a sense of hope; some items, which they impulsively bought but found worthless afterward, will have the chance to turn back into money. In times of economic hardship, this money can help them hold out a bit longer, which makes them even more eager for the Interstellar Trade Company to successfully establish locally.

Many, many people saw this newspaper, so many that an "old woman" also saw it.

This "old woman" appeared to be in her fifties, but in fact, she was only in her forties.

A woman from an ordinary family background could never compare with those ladies in high society; they don’t have the money to care for their skin, their bodies, to make themselves look younger.

The burdens and trivialities of life had long numbed this woman, sometimes this numbness looks more like cold-blooded indifference in the eyes of others.

At this moment, she looked at the young, handsome, spirited Lynch in the photo, and for the first time felt regret in her heart. She had broken up the love between her daughter and this handsome young man. If she had waited a bit longer...

She looked up at her daughter on the other side of the table, also gradually becoming numb from being eroded by life, as if she saw herself twenty years ago, and then she silently put down the newspaper.

The mother and daughter both said nothing, but their gazes coincidentally stayed on the face of the handsome young man in the newspaper, they both knew him, Lynch.

A few minutes later, heavy footsteps sounded, and a burly middle-aged man came out yawning from the room. He scratched his tangled hair, muttering about going to cut it all off to a buzz, or else he would have no time to manage it every day.

In many ordinary families, there are people like this, they are busy every day, so busy that they might not even manage to care for themselves, but they are also idle enough to hold cheap food while lying motionlessly on the sofa for a few hours, mindlessly grinning at the flickering TV screen.

The old woman got up hurriedly to serve breakfast to the middle-aged man, a plate of shredded meat pieces with an egg slightly congealed on top.

Catherine inherited her mother’s cooking skills, but she is a bit better.

The middle-aged man nodded contentedly, and when he opened his mouth, the sour smell that had fermented overnight filled the dining table area.

But he was unaware of it himself and started happily enjoying the sumptuous breakfast.

Adding more meat and eggs to breakfast helps keep a person energetic and enhance their physical strength throughout the day.

In most ordinary families’ breakfast, there is such a breakfast piled with meat.

Those who can enjoy such a breakfast are often the backbone of a family, and most of their work involves heavy manual labor. They need this.

Sometimes people blindly follow the so-called "upper-class lifestyle," they say to eat more vegetables, and maintain healthier living habits.

But they always overlook the tremendous gap between the upper class and lower class, at least those saying these words won’t tell the public that upper-class people don’t need to engage in heavy manual work.

They also won’t tell people that upper-class individuals might work only two or three hours a day, with other times spent socializing and networking. They don’t need to eat that much or be full as they’re always able to get supplements whenever they need.

No one says these things, those people only tell everyone to eat less, eat more delicately, don’t eat meat...

The middle-aged man quickly devoured the meat and eggs on the plate, tore apart a dinner roll, soaked it in leftover egg yolk, meat juices, and animal fat on the plate, and stuffed it into his mouth.

When he finished eating, his plate was cleaner than if it had been washed, with no traces of food remaining on it.

After eating, the middle-aged man glanced disinterestedly at the newspaper, then patted his belly and went off to work, another day indistinguishable from all the others.

After the door was opened and then slammed shut heavily, the atmosphere in the room seemed to lighten a little.

"I...", the woman wanted to say something, but eventually nothing came out.

Such an event is unforeseeable, who could’ve guessed that a young man with no job, who loitered around the streets all day, could suddenly become the darling of newspaper headlines?

Before seeing this newspaper, she never thought she did anything wrong. She just wanted her daughter, full of illusions, to return to real life, to avoid paying the price for her immature fantasies due to lack of experience.

She even gave her some time to feel the weight of life, but reality, alongside her, pulled a prank on her.

Catherine stood up expressionlessly, cleaned up the dishes and cutlery her father used, brought them to the sink, and began washing them.

Her face showed neither regret, happiness, nor any other expression, just like it was an ordinary day, so ordinary she had no idea this was happening at all.

Looking at her daughter’s silent back, the woman felt some real regret, but there was nothing she could do, nor could she do anything.

At nine in the morning, Catherine arrived at her new workplace carrying a bag worth no more than five dollars, filled with personal belongings.

After her mother brought her back, she switched to another job nearby at a newly opened supermarket.

Since the economic downturn began, it seemed that people failed to notice that more and more supermarkets replaced some comprehensive small markets, making it harder for individual vendors scattered like loose troops to compete against these supermarkets, forcing them to switch industries.

Meanwhile, people also tend to shop at supermarkets because they offer cheaper goods and frequent promotions, which are unbelievably attractive to families that are not financially well-off.

Catherine had experience working in a supermarket, so she easily got a job here, a cashier job similar to her previous supermarket work.

The only difference was that she used to stand, now she can sit.

After changing clothes, she sat at her work station, a small isolated counter. There are many such counters, scattered all over the supermarket.

Since the supermarket opened, many people flooded in, and she entered into her work, continuously checking invoices, and giving change, and receipts...

During the noon break, a very ordinary young man with anticipation and enthusiasm approached Catherine. This young man, though called young, was not actually young anymore; he was twenty-eight, whom Catherine’s mother considered a suitable partner.

The young man’s conditions, in this era among ordinary people, were decent. He had his own house, and after marriage, they didn’t need to live with his parents.

He also worked in this supermarket as an accountant, earning a good salary.

He had yet to marry for several reasons. The first reason was his short stature, not even reaching five feet three inches, though he claimed he did.

Secondly, when he was nervous, especially in front of women, he would stutter, making it difficult for him to find a suitable partner despite having decent conditions.

This time, his target was Catherine. He didn’t mind Catherine’s past; who hasn’t had a past after all?

Moreover, for a pretty girl like Catherine, caring about their past might mean never hoping to marry a beautiful girl in this lifetime, the young man understood this well.

Besides, Catherine was only twenty, any past she had wouldn’t last long, it was merely part of growing up, not even an experience.

The young man held a rose, circling around Catherine. Catherine’s attitude towards him was somewhat cold, but he didn’t mind much.

He believed that someday, he could win over this girl, and he even had Catherine’s mother as a "co-conspirator," winning over this beautiful girl was just a matter of time.