All the evil beasts in the world, I feed on demons and monsters

Chapter 348 Unfinished Project

Da da da.

The low footsteps moved quickly through the dark neighborhood. Thick weeds had sprouted in the cracks between the bricks of the walkways, and piles of dead branches and weeds lay scattered in the surrounding greenbelts.

This unfinished building was once very popular, with features like Swan Lake, sky gardens, and a river surrounding the building. The developer even solemnly promised that all owner-occupiers could enjoy a series of conveniences such as a public gym, a sanatorium, and shopping card discounts.

This property is very close to the old town and not far from the central hospital, which many people regard as a paradise for investment and retirement.

No one expected that the community would collapse in just six months. Special funds were misappropriated, the building was left unfinished and there was no follow-up.

Now, five years have passed since the project was abandoned. The two unfinished buildings closest to the main street in the community house nearly a hundred families.

The cartoon backpack bounced in the light and shadow as it walked into the stairwell.

The entire residential complex was abandoned too quickly, so each floor is just a frame without walls, and there's no water or electricity. The only electricity is connected to an abandoned security guard room outside.

The faint streetlights shimmered through the long night, reflecting off the reflective strips of the cartoon backpacks. The drafty staircase had no railings, just a bare concrete structure.

A red and blue striped tarpaulin covered all four sides, tightly bound to the pillars with steel wire, barely blocking the cold night wind. No one lived on the ground floor, because during the day, people in uniforms would always throw clothes and blankets out.

They live on higher floors, and they feel it's dangerous to come up, so they don't bother to care anymore.

As I walked up to the sixth floor, I was finally greeted by a gentle yellow light.

This is a little girl carrying a schoolbag.

The girl looked to be about ten years old, wearing a clean school uniform and with her hair in a ponytail. In front of her, bright red Spring Festival couplets were pasted on the cement pillars at the top of the stairs, and several blocks made of hollow bricks were placed in the empty hall, next to which was the communal kitchen.

At that moment, the halo of light emitted by a light bulb illuminated the building's framework.

A group of about twenty people were busy working near the restaurant.

Some people were busy cooking, while others were chopping up salvaged planks to start a fire. Living in this unfinished building, it's impossible to survive without sticking together.

"Liu Yanyan!"

At that moment, a little boy peering out the window saw the girl who had just come upstairs and waved to her. Liu Yanyan ran over to her with quick, light steps.

Have you finished your winter break homework?

"not yet."

"Hehe, I'm done writing!"

The little boy looked to be no more than eight or nine years old. As he spoke, he leaned against the window, stood on tiptoe, and looked across the street.

As people leave work at night, car headlights illuminate the streets like a shimmering river. Across the street, below the apartment buildings, a dazzling array of shop and bar billboards line the street, while the buildings themselves are brightly lit, creating a vibrant nightscape.

The bustling night enveloped the deathly silent neighborhood, like a festering sore growing inside its internal organs.

"The Lunar New Year is almost here! Let's eat dumplings early today!"

The boy glanced behind him furtively and said, "Grandpa Wang is going to rent a house; he's moving out today."

"Sister Yanyan! Brother Ruirui!"

Da da da!
At that moment, a little girl, about six or seven years old, wearing a dirty pink down jacket, ran over carrying a ceramic bowl.

There were four steaming hot dumplings in the bowl.

"It's fresh out of the pot, you guys should try it!"

"Okay!"

"Hey, I'll take one!"

Three children leaned against the window, enjoying the cool breeze as they ate vegetarian dumplings with chives and eggs.

Liu Yanyan ate it in small bites.

She looked at the little girl, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons as she ate the steaming dumplings.

I remember when the little girl first arrived, her mother, Aunt Liu, set up a blue tent on the empty concrete floor and told her that it was her bed.

The little girl stood in the drafty cubicle converted from a toilet, wailing and asking, "Didn't you say you'd buy me a princess room? Why is our house like this?"

Aunt Liu, a burly woman standing at 1.8 meters tall, stood there helplessly. With tears in her eyes, she explained to her daughter: "Mom and Dad are still working hard, and we'll have a princess room too."

But Liu Yanyan knew that her aunt was lying.

She'd heard her mother say that Aunt Liu hadn't even finished paying off her down payment, and the old woman was ill. The family of five consisted only of her uncle, who was the sole breadwinner, and the bank was chasing them for 3500 yuan in mortgage payments every month. "Dinner's ready, Rui Rui, you kids come over here!"

In the dim light of the bulb, another pot of dumplings was served. The adults called to the children to eat.

After Liu Yanyan went over, Aunt Wang pulled her to her side and said, "Yanyan, why did you go out again? It's freezing cold, you should stay at home!"

"Ah."

Liu Yanyan nodded obediently, and Aunt Wang brought her a large plate of dumplings.

With red eyes, Grandpa Wang, who was about to move, opened a bottle of Nongfu Spring water, poured out some spicy Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), and clinked glasses with the uncles around him.

A plate of vinegar, a few cloves of garlic, and two plates of pickled vegetables—that's all the food for tonight.

In front of each person, on the broken hollow bricks, was a large plate of steaming dumplings, making their aged faces seem a few years younger.

slam-la-

Outside, it started snowing again, this time heavier than last night.

Snowflakes tapped against the red and blue tarpaulin, making a "pitter-patter" sound. Rui Rui was lightly kicked by his father. The little boy grabbed a dumpling, ate it, and ran over laughing to tie the tarpaulin securely.

Grandpa Wang and the uncles around him angrily cursed the developer, the State Administration of Civil Affairs, and finally cursed themselves for being blind.

Liu Yanyan understood.

Grandpa Wang moved out because his wife has Alzheimer's and needs his care. It's too cold here.

Grandpa Wang came from the countryside and had saved up his money all his life, hoping that his wife, who had worked hard with him all her life, could live in an apartment building with heating.

If you've endured nine parts hardship in your life, you should at least taste one part sweetness.

He sold his house in his hometown and made a down payment, only to find it was an abandoned project. Not wanting to burden his wife, he gave all the remaining cash to her, his wife of over forty years, and then they divorced.

After his wife returned home, she developed Alzheimer's disease. She only has an elderly mother in her eighties who is unable to care for her. Grandpa Wang plans to return to his hometown for the Chinese New Year tomorrow and then bring his wife over to take care of her.

Liu Yanyan ate silently, listening to Aunt Wang, who kept encouraging the homeowners, passionately recounting the progress of their rights protection efforts.

Next year, the developer said they could consider offering replacements.

Everyone is very happy.

The snowflakes flying in through the gaps in the tarpaulin were large, and the pungent smell of alcohol dispelled everyone's complaints.

Liu Yanyan ate quickly. She put the plate on the kitchen table and prepared to go back to her room.

Aunt Wang handed me a plastic box. It was full of dumplings.

With a look of concern on her face, she said, "Daughter, eat something by yourself tomorrow and don't run around."

"Thank you, Aunt Wang."

Liu Yanyan carefully took the box, thanked her, smiled at Aunt Wang, and walked into her room—a partitioned stairwell—with her schoolbag on her back.

The location is excellent; it only has a small window on one side, and my mother even installed glass on it. It's the only room in the entire unfinished building that isn't covered by red and blue tarpaulins.

boom!
Liu Yanyan walked in, blocking the door with a wooden board. Inside, there was only a small bed, a desk, a blanket on the floor, and a pillow. An empty mineral water bottle sat to one side, and two toiletries boxes were placed on the alcove.

Liu Yanyan opened her schoolbag and placed the empty bottles she had collected one by one in the corner. Finally, she picked up a composition book stained with dirty water and covered with writing, as if it were a treasure.

Da da da!
She ran to the window, and by the moonlight of the snowy night, took out her eraser and slowly wiped away the pencil writing from the composition book.

Liu Yanyan was very excited; she hadn't had a new notebook in a long time.

This notebook is so nice; the cover is thick and feels hard to the touch, and it even has several stickers on it. Even though it's Ultraman themed, she's still very happy.

She was even too excited to sleep. Liu Yanyan opened her winter vacation homework; she had completed three of the eight units of writing assignments for fourth grade.

Now it's Unit 4's turn.

She wrote down the title of her composition stroke by stroke: I spent a day with ( ).

The little girl looked up, gazing at the snowflakes dancing in the night sky, unsure what to fill in the blank.

Hey!
But at that moment, she saw a figure stepping onto her windowsill. A man was dragging a brown, still slightly trembling suitcase, walking vertically along the exterior wall.

The man, wearing a black sweater, stood on the edge of the glass, looking at me with a surprised expression.

(End of this chapter)