Reborn Action Star: Starting in Hollywood

Chapter 399 Living in the Slums

On the afternoon of the fifth day in India, Lin Yuan and Betty arrived in Mumbai.

This city is the Shanghai of India. It is India's largest port and a central city for finance, energy (imported oil) and textile industries.

The two headed straight for the city center of Mumbai and arrived at the gate of the Dharavi slum.

It's hard to imagine that there is such a slum in the central area of ​​Mumbai.

The Dharavi slum covers an area of ​​2 square kilometers, but is home to more than 100 million residents. On average, every 1300 people share one toilet here, and the living conditions are simply appalling.

Looking around, you can see an endless stretch of low self-built houses, with the tallest building only two or three stories high.

The walls of every building were dilapidated, some even made of wooden boards or paper. The roofs were covered with tiles, some of which were broken and leaked badly when it rained.

The dilapidated walls are covered with graffiti, some of the patterns are blurred and some of the colors have long faded.

The streets were littered with piles of uncollected garbage, which had grown to unimaginable heights and created an unbearable smell.

It rained this afternoon, and the mud and garbage were mixed together, making it difficult to tell whether the paste on the ground was mud or something more disgusting.

Lin Yuan also came from a poor family and had lived a hard life, but when he saw the scene before him, he couldn't help but frown and said:
"Are you sure you want to stay here for two days? You really don't have to force yourself."

"You said that only in the slums can you experience the real life of the lower class people in India," said Betty.

What Lin Yuan said was indeed correct. When they were staying in that small hotel in Delhi, Betty asked if this was the life of the lower class people in India?
Lin Yuan smiled and shook his head and said, "This is just the beginning. This represents the life of the urban middle class in the Indian capital."

If you want to experience the real life of the lower class, you have to go to remote rural areas or urban slums.

So this is the scene before our eyes.

Lin Yuan was very surprised that a young lady like Betty had the courage to live in the Dharavi slum.

Even if I am with you, you don’t have to worry about safety issues.

But this terrible environment, just going to the toilet, can make her collapse.

But she still insisted on coming, and Lin Yuan had no choice but to follow her to the entrance of the slums.

Before coming, Betty had contacted the agent through the phone number in the newspaper.

A young man in his early thirties, with dark skin and obviously of low caste, came up to us and said, "You guys want to rent a room, right? Follow me."

After saying that, he tiptoed skillfully in the mud, found a place to step, and led the two of them into the Dharavi slum.

The three of them walked through the narrow and dirty streets, and after turning a few corners, they came to the door of an extremely huge iron warehouse.

There was a tattered door curtain hanging at the door of the warehouse. The curtain had turned yellow and was swaying with the people coming in and out, as if waving to welcome their arrival.

"We're here, right here. I'll take you in to have a look," said the young man.

The scene before her once again exceeded Betty's imagination.

Isn't this just a large metal warehouse? Is it possible to live here?
As if sensing Betty's confusion, the young man smiled and said, "This used to be a large factory warehouse, covering an area of ​​more than 5000 square meters. Now it has been divided into small compartments for everyone to live in.

The warehouse was divided into more than 300 units, with more than 1000 people living in them.”

Betty was quite shocked by the young man's explanation.

But then I thought, this is India, and in one of India's most densely populated slums. Living in a renovated old warehouse is better than living on the streets.

The young man took the two of them into the warehouse.

When you walk through the door, the first thing you see is a straight, but narrow and messy corridor.

Shoe racks, pots, pans and other household items are placed on this aisle, making the already narrow aisle even more difficult to pass through.

On both sides of the corridor are small divided rooms, each of which is no more than twelve square meters. They are very cramped and narrow, making people feel breathless.

The entire warehouse was filled with voices that echoed throughout the room, rumbling as if one were in a bustling vegetable market.

Untidy uncles, shirtless and in shorts, wandered around, whistling and glancing at women breastfeeding at the doorways of stalls. The women being harassed were not embarrassed or offended, having long since become accustomed to it. Their faces were wooden and worried, as if they were worried about the cost of living.

Later on the Internet, Lin Yuan had seen apartments in first-tier cities in China divided into many small rooms, and had also seen the "ant tribe" and "rat tribe" living in the basement, but compared to the huge warehouse in front of him, they still pale in comparison.

I can only say that you will never be able to imagine the weird things in India. It is indeed a unique existence.

The young man brought the two of them to the door of a small compartment and took out his key to open it.

The two of them walked into the room, but he stood at the door and didn't come in - because it was too crowded for three people to stand in the room.

Betty looked around the room. Apart from a ventilation fan above her head and a light on the wall, there was almost nothing in the room.

"Not even a bed?" she asked.

"There's no place to put a bed in such a small space," the young man replied.

"How do you sleep then?"

The young man pointed to the corner and said, "There are sheets and quilts there. They've been washed. Spread them out and sleep on the floor."

"..." Lin Yuan looked at the ground covered with plastic sheeting and once again felt that it was beyond his imagination.

Betty and Lin Yuan exchanged glances. It seemed that there was no other choice, so let it be.

"How much is it for two nights?" This time it was Betty who took the initiative to talk.

"It's 1400 rupees a month, but if you only rent it for two days, the price per unit is a little higher, 140 rupees."

1400 rupees is about 300 RMB.

Staying in a place like this costs 15 yuan a night?

It’s really not cheap.

"This is the lowest price. I'm not like other agents who like to quote a high price and then bargain with the customers. You see, our prices are clearly marked." After saying that, the young man took out a price list that looked very formal.

Betty looked at Lin Yuan, as if asking for his opinion.

Lin Yuan nodded. He could tell that the young man was not lying.

So Betty took out the money and handed it to the agent.

"I hope you have a nice stay here." The young man received the money, said hello and turned to leave.

Betty and Lin Yuan sat on the floor in the house.

"Considering the conditions, the rent is not cheap." Betty sighed.

"Because there are too many people living here and the demand is too strong, the rent cannot be lowered," said Lin Yuan.

"Why do we have to squeeze in here? The conditions are so bad." Betty asked puzzled.

Lin Yuan explained: "There are more than 1.5 small and micro enterprises in Dharavi slum, providing ample jobs for the people living here."

"As long as you are willing to work, you can make money here. People say that Indians are lazy, but many civilians here work more than 16 hours a day just to earn more money and buy a house and settle down in Mumbai as soon as possible." Lin Yuan continued.

"Life is not easy!" Betty sighed.

She didn't know there's an old Chinese saying: "Living in Chang'an is not easy."

"How do I go to the toilet?" Betty asked the question she was most concerned about.

"Of course it can only be a public toilet. Let's go and find out where it is first, so that we don't get lost temporarily." The young man just pointed out the location.

"Knock knock knock!" There was a knock on the door.

Lin Yuan opened the door and saw a little girl about ten years old with dark skin but super beautiful features standing outside.

(End of this chapter)