Chapter 243 - 139: Old Shadow

Chapter 243: Chapter 139: Old Shadow

He pointed to himself. "I’ve been hanging around the trading market for a long time, so I know a few people and can peddle some small items. That, and the courtyard is in a decent spot, so I stayed behind to manage it. I also started a little rental business on the side. It’s a convenience for everyone, and it lets me earn some hard-earned cash to get by. I swear, I’m not involved in that kind of shady business anymore."

The man in the jacket had a look of lingering fear in his eyes, mixed with a desperate need to prove his innocence. He quickly added, "Sir, if you don’t believe me, you can come see our courtyard. It’s all cleaned up now. There are seven or eight guys living there, all honest workers who make a living with their own two hands. We’ve really turned over a new leaf!"

Xu Mo stared into his eyes. His keen perception allowed him to roughly gauge the authenticity of the man’s emotions. Although the man in the gray jacket was terrified, as he spoke, his desperation to explain himself—even a hint of feeling wronged—didn’t seem entirely fake. Moreover, when he mentioned his buddies working on the construction site, his tone carried a genuine, down-to-earth quality of weary acceptance.

"Lead on." Xu Mo fell silent for a few seconds before uttering the two words. He decided to see for himself. If the man had truly turned over a new leaf, he wouldn’t make things difficult. If it was a lie, it wouldn’t escape his notice.

The man in the gray jacket didn’t dare to delay. He immediately began bowing and scraping as he led the way, praying that everything in the courtyard was normal and wouldn’t further provoke this terrifying man.

After passing through two alleyways, the pair arrived at the entrance of the familiar little courtyard.

Unlike the dilapidated state he remembered from his last visit, the courtyard gate was wide open, revealing a relatively clean interior. A few sets of faded work clothes were hanging out to dry. In a corner, some bricks were stacked neatly, likely brought back from a construction site. With the midday sun shining down, the yard actually had the humble, lively air of an ordinary home.

The man in the gray jacket stood nervously to one side, watching Xu Mo and speaking cautiously, "Sir, you see, this is how it is now. There are a few empty beds in that room over there, rented out to people looking for temporary work. We live here too. It gets a bit more lively at night when everyone comes back from their shifts."

Xu Mo gave a slight nod. The scene before him was a world away from what he had seen last time. Though the environment was still crude, it was orderly, exuding the raw, authentic reality of working-class people struggling to survive. It seemed the lesson from last time, combined with the opportunities provided by Jiang City’s massive construction projects, had indeed set this group on a different path. While this "landlord" business might still be a bit shady, at least it was no longer built on violent fraud.

"Remember what you said." Xu Mo withdrew his gaze and looked at the man. "It’s a good thing you’re trying to walk the straight and narrow."

"I wouldn’t dare! I absolutely wouldn’t dare!" the man in the gray jacket hurriedly promised. "We really just want to make a steady living and stay out of trouble!"

"See that you do." Xu Mo said no more and turned to leave the courtyard.

As he walked back, Xu Mo’s feelings were mixed. ’On one hand, I’m glad to see this change. In this post-apocalyptic world, every person who gets back on the right track means one less source of potential chaos. The transformation of the man and his group, to some extent, reflects the influence Jiang City’s current environment has on its lower-class citizens. When people have a relatively stable way to earn a living through honest labor, many will choose to abandon high-risk, illegal activities.’

’But on the other hand,’ Xu Mo was also keenly aware, ’this kind of transformation is fragile. It depends on Jiang City’s continued need for construction and its relatively stable order.’

’If external pressures mount, or if internal turmoil erupts and resources become scarce again, there’s no guarantee these people won’t revert to their old ways—or become even worse.’

’Order still needs a more solid foundation and more effective constraints,’ Xu Mo sighed to himself. ’Personal force can only solve problems in the here and now. True, long-lasting peace and stability require systems, hope, and the possibility for people to see that through hard work, they can not only survive but even live better.’

’Jiang City is striving to build all of this, from the giant walls to the satellites, from the summer harvest to the residential towers. But the cracks and dark corners within it all still need time and more meticulous work to be filled.’

Xu Mo stopped thinking about the man in the gray jacket. Everyone had their own path to walk. He had given his warning and had seen the potential for change. The rest was up to their own choices.