The old lady laughed: "More than 60 years ago in Praia, our life was not so difficult... My old man was a cultured person of the older generation. At that time, he could talk about literature, history, and the customs and practices of Praia. Even if he was a lobbyist for people and wrote some tabloids, he could still make a living...
"He loves to show off, and his favorite thing to do is to help search for clues at night. I have advised him not to do it, but he still does it without telling us. He is too stubborn and won't give in no matter how much I persuade him...
"Later, when his daughter Jiajia fell ill, he went to Yunshang City, saying he was going to look for medicine.
"Our whole family is waiting. Waiting for him to come down, waiting for him to bring back the medicine.
“… He didn’t come back until his granddaughter Lele was born and little Hull died.
"I still remember how he looked when he left. What a brilliant man he was. He would send us letters every year, asking us to wait, and we were waiting too.
“When my hair turns grey, my eyes become blurry, and I can barely sew anymore.
“He finally has news.
“…He told me not to wait for him.
"But my hair has turned gray waiting."
Perhaps because she had someone to talk to, the old lady became a little nagging.
She really seemed to be unable to see clearly, and there was a faint white circle in her pupils. The needle was pinched in her fingertips, and she couldn't thread it into the thread after trying for a long time.
"You don't have to worry too much." Su Ming'an said, "I've read the regulations at the Soul Hunting Department. The relatives of sacrificed soul hunters should receive financial assistance and care. From my perspective, your situation may be that the Soul Hunting Department didn't pay attention. I will report to the Soul Hunting Department tomorrow and ask them to send the assistance. Your living conditions will be much better."
Listening to his words, the old lady was silent for a while.
She put down the needle and covered his hand.
The hand she covered was a little cold, much colder than that of an ordinary person, like ice. After a moment's silence, she continued to smile.
"Thank you." She said softly, "This way, Jiajia and Lele will have a better life."
Then, the old lady took his hand and talked to him a lot.
She said that the situation in the East District was not very good. The taxes in the Royal City were increased and the residents could not survive. They could only choose to join some taverns that cheated outsiders and kidnapped slaves to get money to support the whole family.
Some people even deliberately seduce outsiders and use their bodies to survive.
There are also people who will take the initiative to take on the dirty work of cleaning up the battlefield and tidying up the streets, risking the remnants of the Soul Clan to move the corpses and get paid.
Some of them do it out of desire, some do it involuntarily, and some do it out of family considerations. But all of them do it to survive in this damn world.
That was the chaos just now. The woman whose jade bracelet was robbed was forced to join that kind of tavern and do those unscrupulous things of kidnapping for the sake of her child.
Through the old lady's words, Su Mingan gradually recalled the chaos he encountered when he first arrived in Praia.
The slave tavern that cheated outsiders, the overly enthusiastic women, the clean and tidy streets, the corpse covered with white cloth...
All the unreasonable phenomena gradually seemed reasonable in the old lady's low and hoarse voice.
This is a world where people have to hurt each other in order to survive.
Humans and soul clan, soul clan and soul clan, humans and humans.
In this morbid way of life, people deviate from their original nature and gradually coexist with pain.
Endure humiliation and live a miserable life.
...Is this really just a fictional copy of the game?
…
The old lady chatted with him for a long time.
She told him that being weak was not shameful. Life did not necessarily require pursuit of certain things, as long as one could look back on this life with a clear conscience.
She told him not to go against the basic rules and not to stand out for anyone, as people at different levels would see things differently.
She told him that people should not focus on gaining happiness or avoiding pain, but on seeing the meaning of life. People will get answers to their own questions in this life.
She told him to cherish those years that now seemed extremely free.
She told him that wisdom can also represent a kind of power, and that humans inherently have infinite possibilities.
She told him to live well.
"...In short, don't be afraid. You are still young and have a long way to go in the future. Even if you will see a lot of darkness and injustice along the way, you must prioritize protecting yourself...Soul Hunter is not a place where people are eaten. The Royal City also has their own considerations. Don't be blinded by one thing and rashly stand up for the injustice...Only when you stand up, stand high, and see far, can you understand that some things are not that simple." The old lady held his hand and said hoarsely: "Su Lin, Su Lin's child...You are a good boy. If you become a Soul Hunter, you will realize your dream."
Su Mingan nodded.
He grew up in an unhappy family, and apart from his father, no one from the older generation would tell him these truths.
Now listening to the old lady's chattering, he felt inexplicably close to her.
She would tell him about the past, about family matters, the common sense of the world, her life experiences, her life stories, and her son, little Hull, and how cute he was when he was little.
Her voice was gentle and her tone was soft, like a flowing stream. As he listened, his originally tense mood relaxed a lot, and his somewhat numb emotions began to soften.
After the world game started, he felt for the first time the feeling of being cared for by his elders.
He sat here for a long time, about two or three hours. When the setting sun slowly fell on the windowsill like a band of light, the door rang.
The old lady let go of her hand, stood up and opened the door.
A man with a handsome face, who looked like a knight of light bathing in the sunset, was standing in front of the house.
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