Starting from scratch, Batman crushed my dream of getting rich

Chapter 56 Gotham in the Snow

When Ma Zhaodi woke up, he was already outside the hotel.

"That's the end of this matter. Next time you encounter something, you can call Gordon directly. Don't take any more risks. Gotham is dangerous enough as it is."

"Wait a minute, hold this."

Ma Zhaodi took out a small bottle from his pocket and threw it gently into the darkness.

"Specially made apple juice that can quickly heal wounds and can be used during battle. This is an exclusive secret recipe, don't ask. If you don't want to drink it, you can throw it away."

There was no response, but there was no sound of a bottle falling to the ground. Ma Zhaodi said nothing more and turned to walk into the hotel lobby.

Batman is always like this. After saying what he wants to say, he will just disappear on the spot.

The next day, the Wayne Charitable Foundation announced that it would provide free aid for the reconstruction and repair of the house that was destroyed by the fire last night. Of course, this had nothing to do with Ma Zhaodi, as it was not his house.

The landlord was not willing to return the rent to Ma Zhaodi. He promised to allow him to continue renting the house with the remaining money after the reconstruction work was completed. However, Ma Zhaodi did not want to live there anymore. It was really fun to rant about everyone that night, so he did not think too much about it at the time. But now he has come to his senses a little. He has rant about so many people and he definitely cannot live in that area anymore. If someone comes to seek revenge on him, his peaceful life will be basically ruined.

Another interesting point is that the Wayne Charitable Foundation also cut 30% of its funding for Gotham City's public fire department, and declared that if the fire truck cannot arrive at the scene within five to fifteen minutes of receiving a fire call, then it will not need so much funding.

This request is not too demanding. Thanks to the Wayne Group's donation of a large sum of US dollars to Gotham City's infrastructure, Gotham's subway, urban rail, airport and road conditions are all quite good. Everyone can see that this is purely an expression of dissatisfaction with the deliberate inaction of the Gotham Fire Department last night. It can't be regarded as a deliberate difficulty.

But what attracted Gotham City's most attention was not these two pieces of news, but a heavy snowfall.

That’s right, it was the twelfth lunar month, and the weather in Gotham City had finally completely entered winter. Of course, only Ma Zhaodi himself could understand the subtle term “twelfth lunar month”, while others still called it December.

It was the same sunless weather, but Gotham covered in ice and snow looked much cuter than its usual gloomy appearance. The houses and streets were covered in silver, and there were tall cedars and dry, dead trees completely covered in snow. In this white city street scene, children would occasionally run and play - they were the ones who loved playing in the snow the most.

The cold, fresh air filled Ma Zhaodi's lungs, and the breath he exhaled turned into a light white mist in the air. He walked on the street, looking at the occasional red-clad Santa Clauses flashing in the windows, the pale yellow lights gradually hung on the streets, and the sporadic people wearing Santa hats on the streets. He felt particularly fresh. In his past in Gotham, he had rarely seen so many people with smiles on their faces.

Although Christmas is still a long way off, people have already begun to look forward to this day. The atmosphere has a bit of the flavor of Chinese New Year, with lights and decorations, and every family celebrating. Of course, the atmosphere has become a little weaker in recent years. There are more work and less holidays, so there is no time to sweep the house and worship the kitchen god. Everything is kept simple when buying New Year's goods, relatives don't have much time to visit, and cleaning takes too much time and energy.

Ma Zhaodi was lost in thought. Although Christmas was approaching, there were a thousand Hamlets in the eyes of a thousand people. He found it difficult to control his memories and associations. "Don't be greedy, kid. After Laba, it's the New Year.

Laba porridge, drink it for a few days, it will be twenty-three;
Twenty-three, sticky melons; twenty-four, sweep the house;
On the 25th, make tofu; on the 26th, go buy meat;
On the twenty-seventh, slaughter the rooster; on the twenty-eighth, let the dough rise;
On the 29th, we steam buns; on the 30th, we stay up all night, and on the first day of the new year, we walk around the streets.”

He murmured to himself the nursery rhymes he had heard in his childhood, and walked step by step to the corner of the street. When he was a child, the New Year celebrations lasted for a whole month. He was really happy. Whether it was hanging up lights and decorations or being busy, the family would hang lanterns together, put up Spring Festival couplets, cook the New Year's Eve dinner for a few days, and do the general cleaning for a few days.

Now, he hasn't eaten sugar melon for a long time, and he doesn't have the mood to spend a few days sweeping the house; tofu and meat, rooster and noodles are not a reason to take leave; as for New Year's Eve, he doesn't spend it at home; the elders are getting fewer and fewer, and the contact is also cutting off bit by bit.

Was it because he had become impetuous and indifferent, or because his life had improved, resulting in fewer surprises during the New Year, or was it something else? Ma Zhaodi wasn't sure, but what he did know was that even if the New Year atmosphere was a little dull, he still missed it.

Only when you leave your hometown will you miss it. For him, the distance between him and his hometown is now out of reach.

Maybe I should take this opportunity to make some Laba porridge? Even though it's not Laba yet, I want to drink it anyway, so there's no reason not to drink it.

However, if he wanted to cook, he at least needed a stove, and the most urgent thing was to find a place to stay. He didn't plan to stay in a hotel in Burnley for a long time, as it was too expensive - not because his salary could not cover his accommodation expenses, but simply because he felt there was no need, and he was used to saving money, but not yet used to spending money.

"I'd better go get my car first. If that doesn't work, I can spend the night in the car." Thinking of this, he turned around and headed towards the East District.

When he passed by the newsstand, he bought a newspaper and flipped through it. There was nothing special about it. It was just gangs, gun battles, fights, Batman hanging people and other things - huh? No, wait, there is some useful new information.

"It's winter, and with heavy snow falling, the temperature in Gotham will quickly drop. Bruce Wayne has publicly stated that he will continue to increase funding for Gotham City's orphanage this year to help more children survive the winter."

"In addition, this wealthy young man has already set up relief centers in various areas of Gotham, built temporary shelters, and distributed food and clothing to help the homeless and orphans survive the cold winter. It's also worth noting that if homeless people are willing to help the relief centers with their public welfare work, they will also be compensated."

After seeing this message, Ma Zhaodi thought that his place to stay for the night was finally secure, and maybe he could even find an odd job.

"To be honest, at least 50% of Gotham City's public welfare is supported by Wayne. If you include the actual work he does, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say 90%."

At this moment, a system message happened to pop up. As Ma Zhaodi expected, this message helped him find his first winter part-time job in Gotham City.

(End of this chapter)