[COD] Newbie's Rise to Power

'brake--'

The car suddenly came to an abrupt stop!

You snap out of your daze and look out the window at the front of the car. A little girl is sitting on the ground, trembling with fear!

Fortunately, your cars were far enough apart that the cars behind you avoided a rear-end collision.

You and Wang Zhiqiang quickly got out of the car, and the others in the car followed suit, but they all raised their guns and looked around.

You have encountered too many ambushes and sneak attacks during this period, some of which involve using the weak to attract attention, so you must be vigilant.

When the car behind you got closer, although we didn't understand why you suddenly stopped, we got out of our car to check the situation after seeing you all get out.

You approach the girl, squat down in front of her, and ask her slowly and softly.

"Where are your parents, child?"

Having stayed here for almost two months and frequently interacted with the locals, you've learned some basic Arabic.

The little girl opened her big eyes and answered you with a look of helplessness.

But she speaks too fast, and children's language logic is not clear enough, so you can't understand her very well.

Fortunately, the teammates from behind arrived.

Even Ghost and Koenig followed.

Will stepped forward and translated for the little girl: "She said, 'Sister, I can't find my way home.'"

At first, you were quite surprised that Will could speak Arabic, but thanks to his teaching, you were able to learn some simple communication phrases so quickly.

After a brief discussion, you decided to take the little girl home first.

In case of any unforeseen circumstances, you, Wang Zhiqiang, Will, Ghost, and Koenig should stay together, while the rest of you should stay where you are and wait.

Finding the little girl's home wasn't difficult; she lived nearby.

The girl is still young and is always taken out by adults. Recently, some buildings in this area have undergone renovations, which is why she doesn't recognize them.

Soon, after passing through several narrow and dilapidated streets, you finally arrived at the girl's house.

The girl's home was decent; although it was only two stories and not very big, it was a detached house with a flat, open space in front.

There were withered flowerpots, a few toys, and a box of chalk on the open space. There were also several portraits drawn by children on the open space, showing that the owner of this house used to put a lot of care into his life.

But the front door was locked, and it was obvious that no one was home.

So you had Will ask the girl, and he learned that only she and her father lived in the house, and that she had just had a fight with her father, which is why she got lost.

You frown. What should we do then? We can't just leave a child alone at the front door, can we?

But if we wait, we don't know how long it will take, and you still have to travel.

Just as you were about to ask the little girl if she knew her father's phone number, she suddenly ran to an open space and lay down on the ground.

You were a little confused by her behavior and worried that she might be feeling unwell, so you quickly went over to ask her what was wrong.

The girl lay curled up, her hair scattered casually on the dusty ground, but her expression was one of obedience and affection.

This time, you understood her whisper.

"Mommy, hug me..."

You look blank, but inside you're experiencing a huge shock!

Because the girl was lying in the lap of a simple line drawing of a woman, which was drawn on the ground.

That was the "mother" drawn by the girl herself.

ch.113: Funding

Everyone who witnessed this scene fell silent.

You deliberated for a long time, thinking of countless questions to ask, before finally choosing one that wouldn't upset the girl.

"Child, is this your mother?"

The girl preferred to lie there shaking her head rather than get up.

"No, this is a drawing of my mother. My mother is dead."

died...

So, unable to hug her anymore, she drew a picture of her mother and curled up in it just like she used to, to remember her mother's embrace.

You don't know what to say to comfort her; it seems that nothing you say can soothe her already broken heart.

"Nadine!"

A voice suddenly called out, and when you looked in that direction, you saw a man rushing over and picking up the girl from the ground.

The girl called out to him timidly.

"dad."

After speaking with the man, Will learned about the situation of the father and daughter.

The man's wife, who was also the girl's mother, fell seriously ill and, not wanting to be a burden on her family, chose to die, leaving the man alone to take care of the child.

The man had already spent all his savings on his wife's treatment, and recently the area has been plunged into war, leaving him unemployed.

His unstable income and the need to care for a child left him exhausted.

Nadine's private school is about to start, but the man doesn't have much money on hand. He's struggling to make ends meet, let alone afford a child's tuition.

Although education is free in this country, private schools charge fees for various items such as food, transportation, and textbooks. The relatively high prices actually include tuition fees in the calculation.

Moreover, going to a private school is not only better than going to a public school in many ways, but also because of the influence behind private schools, which can provide better protection for children.

Therefore, he hopes that Nadine can take a year off from school and continue her studies after he earns money, or transfer to a public school.

But Nadine disagreed. Children naturally become attached to familiar environments, and suddenly making her leave or take a break from school would undoubtedly make her feel uneasy. She would feel that her father no longer loves her and is not even letting her go to school!

The man, however, had the anxieties of an adult. In this turbulent time, everyone was short of money and no one wanted to lend any. He was afraid that if he did something dangerous to earn money, no one would take care of his daughter if something happened to him. He felt that his daughter was too young to understand his predicament.

As a result, the two had a conflict. In a fit of anger, Nadine ran away while the man was buying cakes, and the man has been searching for her until now before she returned.

You asked Will to ask Nadine if she could transfer to a public school if she wanted to continue her studies, but why didn't she agree?

Children don't understand the difference between public and private schools. If they don't know, they won't consider whether the school environment is good or bad, or whether the education is advanced or not.

Children's thoughts are usually simple and direct, so you just asked them directly.

Nadine looked at you, as if she understood that it was you who asked her the question.

"I don't want to move because I'll have to move to another school."

Will: "Why don't you want to move? Are you scared?"

Nadine looked at the cartoon "Mom" drawn on the ground and shook her head.

"I'm not scared, it's just that moving means leaving my mom."

Will was very patient: "Then you can draw another one."

Nadine's eyes remained resolute: "It's different! Only the mother in this house is my mother!"

Children have limited ability to express themselves, and perhaps she was trying to say that she could only feel her mother's "presence" in the home where her mother had lived.

The man seemed to understand his child's thoughts and hugged her, apologizing softly.

"I'm sorry, Nadine. It's all my fault. I couldn't protect Mom or take good care of you."

Looking at the pitiful state of the father and daughter in front of you, you sighed deeply in your heart.

How much is Nadine's tuition?

You ask a question aloud.

The man looked at you, his tone tentative:

"It costs about $2000 per semester, and can be paid monthly."

Actually, the moment you asked that question, you already implied a desire to provide financial assistance.

However, communication between adults carries a greater degree of reservation, so the man didn't directly ask for the exit price, but instead quoted a price and waited for your reaction.

After all, it adds up to $500 a month. After deducting taxes and living expenses, how many ordinary people can save $500 these days? And even if they could, how can you be sure the other party would be willing to give it to them?

After listening, you nodded: "I can sponsor Nadine with $500 a month for her tuition, but you need to provide me with the school's bills and account information, and I will transfer the money directly to the school's account."

Many children drop out of school and never have the chance to return. Many girls are married off at a young age, wasting their lives.

You may not be able to help everyone, but you can do what you can, such as helping this child who lost his mother to complete his studies in a stable manner.

The reason you didn't give the man $2000 directly, but instead gave him money monthly, wasn't because you were reluctant to part with it, but because you didn't want to gamble on his fatherly love and conscience.

If the man gets the money and still doesn't send Nadine to school after you leave, or worse, sells Nadine, then you'll be helpless.

So, by paying a man $500 a month, allowing him to raise the child with almost no burden, while not receiving any money, Nadine can ensure long-term stability.

Ghost and the others didn't comment after hearing what you said; whether or not to provide financial assistance is your prerogative. They didn't follow your lead and offer to contribute money either, as giving more money to men is pointless, and $500 is enough.

Gratitude immediately welled up in the man's eyes, and he hugged Nadine, bowing to thank her.

$500, not an exorbitant amount, can still make people bow down in despair.

After you added the man's contact information, you were about to leave when Nadine suddenly ran up to you.

You crouched down and asked her what was wrong, but she stretched out her small arms and hugged your neck, whispering something in your ear.

"Thank you, sister. I wish you peace."

In the current turbulent climate, people here have abandoned all kinds of elaborate blessings; only peace and stability remain their deepest desires.

Although Nadine was a little dirty and her clothes and hair were covered in dust, her hug and blessing were so pure.

You reached out and patted her thin back, responding with a smile:

Goodbye, Nadine, and may you be well.

Under the watchful eyes of the father and daughter, you walked into the narrow alley and left the old residential area.

"YN, if you don't have enough money, you can come to me, I'll help you!"

Koenig said to you.