The Decaying Dream of America: I Assemble Corpses and Confront Madness

"A party?"

Lin Zheng repeated the word, his voice as soft as a sigh.

He looked at the woman before him, soaked by life and the icy rain, and then at the little faces behind him, brightened by the aroma of food. He felt that this word was so absurd and unreal.

He shook his head and then nodded.

"I guess you could call it a party."

"Come in, it's too cold outside."

He stepped aside, making way for the doorway once again.

The woman was stunned; she hadn't expected this answer.

She glanced at the still-warm paper bag in Lin Zheng's hand, then at her own trouser legs, which were soaked through by the rain and could be wrung out.

"No, no, I need to continue working..."

"Just for a little while."

Lin Zheng interrupted her, his tone carrying an undeniable insistence.

"Have something to eat before you leave."

He took the remaining two large paper bags from the woman, pulled out the box from one of the hamburgers, and handed it to her.

The aroma of the hamburger mingled with the steam, forming a small cloud of white mist that drifted in the air.

The woman's gaze fell on the hamburger, and her Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

The struggle in her eyes lasted only a few seconds before being overwhelmed by her body's most primal desires.

She walked silently into the cramped yet warm little apartment.

Lin Zheng closed the door and placed the food on the only small open space.

The children immediately crowded around, but unexpectedly, they didn't scramble for it. Instead, they looked on with longing eyes, waiting for Lin Zheng to distribute it.

He got to work, distributing hamburgers, chicken nuggets, and fries to the children closest to him.

The children expressed their gratitude in their innocent, childlike voices.

The woman held the hamburger, found a corner against the wall, and began to eat it in small bites.

She moved slowly, tearing off the hamburger patty piece by piece, chewing it thoroughly in her mouth before swallowing it slowly, cherishing this hard-won warm food.

Lin Zheng distributed the food while keeping an eye on her.

"My name is Lin Zheng, you can call me 'Lin'," he said, breaking the silence of the chewing sounds.

"Sarah Hopkins".

The woman answered, her voice muffled by food in her mouth.

"Thank you for the burger."

"Has something happened at home?"

Lin Zheng asked why she was delivering food despite the heavy rain and wind.

Sarah paused her chewing for a moment.

She looked up, a hint of bitterness in her tired eyes.

"I have no choice," she said. "I need to earn bail."

"Bail money?" Lin Zheng found the term strange.

"My son..."

Sarah's voice lowered.

"He...he stole a car and got caught. He's actually a good kid; he just wanted to make life easier for his family."

She paused for a long time, gathering the strength to continue.

"The amount is too high; I can't afford it right now. So, I have to work, regardless of the weather."

Lin Zheng fell silent.

He didn't know what to say.

He wanted to say, "Everything will be alright," but he knew it was just an empty lie.

In this city, in this country, for people like Sarah, they are striving for the best, but things are only getting worse.

He simply handed over another box of apple pie silently.

Sarah took it, but didn't eat it.

Her gaze softened as she looked at the children wolfing down their food in the room.

"You're a good kid," she said. "Very few people would be willing to do this for us...."

The food was almost all distributed quickly.

Sarah stood up and carefully put the unopened box of apple pie into her raincoat pocket.

"I have to go," she said. "I have another order to place."

"Be careful on the road." That was all Lin Zheng could say, his words sounding weak and ineffective.

Sarah walked to the door and turned around.

She suddenly stepped forward and gave Lin Zheng a hug.

It was a brief but intense hug, carrying the chill of the rain, the saltiness of sweat, and the warmth of our bodies.

"God bless you, my child."

The children, upon hearing this, unanimously expressed their gratitude to Lin Zheng: "God bless you, sir."

Did God bless these people?

After saying that, Aunt Sarah opened the door and disappeared into the endless icy rain without looking back.

Lin Zheng closed the door, leaned against it, and remained motionless for a long time.

The warmth Sarah left behind has now become a heavy mark, burning in his chest.

He felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness.

He could buy dozens of hamburgers to fill the children's stomachs, but he couldn't raise enough bail to save a mother's son.

His good deed is but a tiny speck of dust in the face of the city's systemic predicament.

How many people can he save, and how many times can he save them? Perhaps even he himself will die under this country's system, and everyone will die at the hands of those behind the scenes who reap the benefits.

Just then, heavy footsteps came from outside the door.

Immediately afterwards, the doorknob was turned from the outside, and then with a "bang," the door was pushed open by a tall figure.

A cold wind, even stronger than before, swept in, making all the children in the room shiver.

Lin Zheng snapped back to reality and looked warily toward the door.

The visitor was Arthur Morgan.

The old detective's hair was wet and stuck to his forehead, and the hem of his signature trench coat was dripping water.

His face remained as somber as ever, but he was carrying a large pile of things in his arms—

Several thick wool blankets and two large shopping bags with the convenience store logo, stuffed with bread, canned goods and boxed milk.

"Lin, I've come to see you."

Arthur's gaze swept over the children in the room and the food wrappers scattered on the floor, finally landing on Lin Zheng's face.

His eyes, which always seemed weary, now held a complex emotion.

He didn't ask "What are you doing?" because the answer was already obvious.

He simply shoved what he was carrying into Lin Zheng's hands, then squeezed in himself and closed the door.

"Hey kids, come help us with this!" Arthur called out heartily.

Several older children rushed over to help distribute the supplies, while the younger children cheered, shouted, and even danced with joy.

"You little brat, are you trying to attract all the stray cats in the neighborhood?" Arthur said in a low voice.

"I didn't know it would turn out like this," Lin Zheng answered honestly. "I never imagined I would become a male mother of so many children."

Arthur snorted in response, but then gave a sly smile, "Hehe, now the children's father has arrived."

He unfolded the blanket and, without saying a word, draped it over the two children closest to the door.

Then, he opened the shopping bag and began to check the emergency food inside.

His gaze swept across the children's faces, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

"Isn't this old John's youngest son?" he said, pointing to a blond boy gnawing on a chicken bone.

"His dad broke his leg at a construction site last month, and now the whole family relies on his mom's odd jobs."

He then looked at another corner, where a girl was hugging her knees and remaining silent.

"And you, you're... a girl from the Carlos family, aren't you?"

The girl nodded timidly.

"Your dad hasn't kicked his drug addiction yet?" Arthur asked.

The girl lowered her head even further.

Arthur sighed and didn't press the matter further.

He handed the girl a carton of milk and a loaf of bread.

He recognized at least a third of the children in the room, one by one, muttering about their families' plight.

"Those are the Smith twins. Their mother works shifts at three fast food restaurants and hasn't received a full salary for two months. They have to rely on lunch loans to eat at school."

"That white kid, his brother seems to be going to the same college as you, and he'll probably be paying off student loans for decades."

Lin Zheng looked over and saw that the white boy was the one who looked somewhat like his classmate, Josh Vick. He remembered his classmate's name. Could a family that could afford to send their children to college now not even have enough to eat?

If this were Lin Zheng's homeland, he wouldn't be struggling to even have enough food, let alone have to pay off decades of student loans.

"And that one..."

Arthur transformed this anonymous tragedy into a misfortune specific to each and every neighbor.

These are no longer abstract people, but concrete "hunger." They are John's son, Carlos's daughter, and the Smith twins.

Lin Zheng and Arthur distributed the remaining food and the emergency rations that Arthur had brought.

The initially chaotic scene became orderly under Arthur's calm command.

The children lined up, each receiving their share.

There was no fighting or crying.

They simply accepted the food quietly, then found a corner to eat it silently; this had become a routine in their lives.

But food is ultimately finite.

As the last hamburger was being delivered, Lin Zheng noticed that several more pairs of eyes had appeared at the door.

The children arrived late. They stood outside the door, too afraid to come in, just staring longingly at the empty food bags inside.

All the efforts seemed so inadequate at this moment.

The children in the house finished eating one by one.

They didn't stay long, and very considerately cleaned up all the packaging waste and piled it next to the trash can by the door.

Then, one by one, they walked up to Lin Zheng and Arthur, whispered "Thank you, sir," and pushed the door open again, disappearing into the wind and rain outside.

Soon, the entire apartment was empty again.

All that remained were water stains on the ground, the lingering smell of food in the air, and a vast, suffocating emptiness.

Arthur walked over and patted him hard on the shoulder.

"Remember that immense, all-consuming hunger we felt in the flesh and blood factory? I felt that hunger again outside on this freezing rainy night."

Lin Zheng had just felt the warmth emanating from Arthur when it instantly turned icy cold.

But he didn't want the warmth from before to fade away. "I'm so hungry I could eat a whole cow. How about I take some ingredients to Evelyn's and have a meal of our favorite Chinese dish—hot pot?"

"Great! Seeing and smelling the food the children are eating makes me hungry too. Evelyn is thinking of you too."

Arthur shook his trench coat and smiled as he prepared to leave with Lin Zheng.

An electronic notification tone suddenly pierced the air.

buzz-

Lin Zheng took out his phone.

On the screen, a newly received message is flashing with a cold, eerie blue light.

The message came from his "employer".

"The church in the west of the city, the temporary morgue, has seen a surge in 'raw materials.' Deal with it immediately."

"Raw materials".

This word sounds incredibly jarring at this moment.

Lin Zheng's gaze involuntarily fell upon the hamburger wrappers that the children had carefully folded in the trash can by the door.

He had just personally warmed the vibrant lives of those known as "John's Son" and "Carlos's Daughter".

These hands are about to touch the coldness of death again.