After killing the masthead, the paperboys who stopped Lynch realized that their days of suffering would not change just because the person who oppressed and exploited them had disappeared.
Many people always said that the pain of life was like a rock above their heads. As long as the rock was removed, their days would become better. They even deliberately used a bewitching tone to tell everyone that the people who exploited them were the people who paid them so that they could support their families.
Perhaps that was the case, but not completely.
The masthead was dead, but the children's situation did not become better. Because the one who really oppressed and exploited them was not the masthead, but this profit-oriented society.
It was even possible that the disappearance of the masthead made the children's lives more difficult. Without the masthead's social connections, without his deterrence to outsiders, the children could not enjoy the resources that the masthead used to be able to get. In the eyes of the children, there was nothing special, and it was even the source of their suffering.
They could not buy newspapers. In this era where print media still firmly occupied the main media channels, newspapers did not have to worry about the sales of newspapers. The printed newspapers could be sold out every day, which meant that there would be a gap in the market.
When the masthead disappeared, other mastheads would want to take this share. They would use the masthead's share to occupy the masthead's territory and market. Under the collusion of interests that the children did not understand, the newspapers were sold to other mastheads.
Some newspaper boys that they had never seen before also began to appear in the vicinity. They waved the freshly printed newspapers that had a strong smell of ink and took payment after payment from people's pockets. The payment that should have belonged to them.
Not only that, but the waste recycling station had a good relationship with the masthead for various reasons. Now that the masthead was gone, they began to unscrupulously lower the recycling price to obtain more profits for themselves.
In any case, these children had no way to fight against them. They could enjoy the money that they had squeezed out of them with a clear conscience. They didn't need to worry about the consequences.
The children always felt that the masthead was the source of their nightmares, but at this moment, they realized that their understanding of this society was really too shallow.
The money left by the masthead was enough for them to continue living for a while, but if they could not find new income, this money would quickly be used up.
A few older children felt that this could not go on. Once they could not pay their parents and the welfare institute, they would be taken away, separated, and sent to other places to continue being oppressed and exploited.
Therefore, they had to stand up. They needed to have income. They had already defied fate and successfully overturned a rock. They had to continue fighting. One day, they would be able to part the thick dark clouds and see the blue sky.
They found Lynch. Perhaps this was the simplest method they could think of at the moment.
Lynch looked at the two children and shook his head slightly. "Sorry, I'm no longer in this business …"
As a large number of finance companies and laundries were closed down, more and more people realized that someone might have tampered with the coins. The coin exchange business, which had just reached its peak, fell to the bottom.
Moreover, Mr. Fox didn't need to use such a backward method to make his money look more legitimate with the bank's large cash withdrawal certificate.
Although the two children wanted to appear … nonchalant, they could not suppress the disappointment on their faces.
One of the older children could not help but ask, "Mr. Lynch, you're a good man. Is there anything we can do for you?"
He was afraid that Lynch would say no, so he quickly added, "We can ask for a lower salary than ordinary workers. As long as we have food to eat and some pocket money to spend, we don't have too many requests."
Look, reality was so ironic. After they moved the rock away, they recognized the reality. Now, they were looking for another rock that seemed more suitable for them, intending to crush it with their own hands.
The corner of Lynch's mouth twitched slightly. Every time he smiled, he was at his kindest. A smile was a language that transcended race, gender, age, education, and understanding. It could ease anxiety and become a bridge between strangers.
"I do have some jobs that I'm looking for people to do, but …" His smile became even more benevolent. "… I know your boss. He's the masthead. If you need a job, you can ask him to talk to me. That would be better."
"I know you're hired by him. If we talk about this without him, he might not be polite to you. I don't want to see anyone get hurt in this matter!"
Hear that, hear that!
The kind and benevolent Lynch was really a kind-hearted person. Everyone thought of him as a malicious person only because they did not know him well. His serious expression made the older children's expressions a little stiff.
Everyone knew, including Lynch, that the masthead was dead. On that night, he was stabbed to death by these older children on the road out of the city. But now, he was still emphasizing this fact. His goal was quite simple, and that was to make these children realize that before they could have equal contact with adults, they had to have a bridge.
In the past, this bridge was the masthead. Now that they were missing it, they had to find one, unless they could take on this role themselves or pay something.
The younger child saw the "big brother" beside him and did not react. Even though he was mature enough to be called a "little adult" in the eyes of most people, he was still a child.
A child's mind that was accelerated at an early age could never be compared to an adult who was good at thinking and summarizing, so the child said something that he should not have said.
"Masthead?
He's no longer here! "
The older child suddenly looked shocked. He pulled the younger child and bowed to Lynch while pressing down on his hat to bid farewell. "Mr. Lynch, we're very sorry for taking up your precious time …"
As he said that, he was about to leave with the younger child who had realized that he had said something wrong. The masthead's death was a secret that only the older children knew. Even the children in the dormitory did not know about it.
It was a secret that only belonged to the older children!
The Federation did have the Protection of Minors Act, but these laws protected the legal rights of innocent, normal, and ordinary minors.
For minors who committed crimes, especially those who committed vicious crimes like murder, the law never advocated protecting them. In fact, there were even more considerations in sentencing.
If the sentence was too light, it would give these children the wrong idea that there were no serious consequences even if they took someone else's life. If the sentence was too heavy, it would make them hate the whole society with a twisted mentality. Therefore, the sentence for minor criminals was often very complicated, and they had to be assisted by a psychiatrist. Instead of jail, it was more like … a process.
People often praised the juvenile delinquents who numbly answered the standard answers that people needed, as if they were demented. The great Federation had once again won a victory in the humanitarian war.
Well, they digressed. Just as the two children were about to leave, Lynch pulled them back.
"He's not here?"
He raised his eyebrows. "Did he run away? Michael has already been sentenced. He shouldn't have run away."
This sudden excuse stunned the two children. Lynch even helped them find a way and an excuse to cover up. The two children who knew the secret but thought that Lynch didn't know the secret suddenly had a thought — was this person a fool?
But just as they were about to walk away from this excuse, the younger child, who knew that he had made a mistake, shut his mouth. The older child nodded and said, "Yes, Mr. Lynch, our Bosch ran away …"
Ran away was a street slang, which was very much in line with the environment that the child came into contact with. Lynch nodded with satisfaction. "It seems that your life is not very good now?"
The older child nodded repeatedly. "Yes, sir, our life is not good!"
The kind and amiable Master Lynch breathed a sigh of relief. "I like children, and I also have a kind heart. I have a job here. Maybe you will like it."
He seemed to have forgotten that he was only 20 years old.
However, he was dressed more maturely now. It was not an exaggeration to say that he was 24 or 25 years old. A 24- or 25-year-old looking at these children, weren't they just children?
"Your kindness shines on people like the sun!"