A Cold Rainy Night on Halloween

Chapter 78 A Cold Rainy Night on Halloween (1/10 Paying Back Debts, Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Saturday night, 66th Street was unusually quiet.

Li Wei and Anya walked side by side toward Central Park to the west.

They walked to Madison Avenue and stopped at Dolores' boutique. Looking through the window, they saw that it was empty.

“I used to work part-time here every day,” Li Wei said. “Back then, I had just come to New York and was living in a basement with my uncle. His money was not enough to support the two of us. Luckily, I found a job here.”

"Then I'm not surprised you were at that charity gala," Anya looked up at him, "and you met Elizabeth here too, right?"

"Yes," Li Wei said, "but I'm coming less and less these days. On the one hand, I've been a bit busier lately, and on the other hand, spending an hour or two commuting every day to do this part-time job is a real hassle for me."

"Hmm..." Anya said, "It is indeed a bit far from Beiling Ridge from here."

They walked along Fifth Avenue, through Central Park, from 66th Street to 72nd Street, until it was almost dark, when Katya slowly followed in her car.

Li Wei had noticed her driving slowly behind him for a long time.

Except for the time Anya went to the bathroom, she disappeared for a while, probably to refuel.

Anya looked at Aunt Katya with some dissatisfaction. She had already imagined a whole series of scenarios: they would walk all the way to the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and then she would say that she was a little cold, and then Levi would naturally take off his coat and cover himself with it, and then she would naturally lean against Levi.

If the emotions are right, the environment is right, and everything is perfect, she might even give Li Wei her first kiss. She doesn't care at all whether Li Wei has money or not; as long as she has enough money, that's all that matters.

But now her beautiful fantasies have been shattered by Aunt Katya.

"I'll be going now," she said. "I heard Halloween is really lively in New York, but unfortunately it snowed for a month in Moscow by Halloween time."

The Mercedes honked its horn.

Anya stamped her foot and climbed into the car.

As Li Wei's figure disappeared into the distance in the rearview mirror, Anya glared at Katya, who was driving.

"Aunt Katya!" Her face puffed up again. "I don't think my dad said I couldn't date, did he?"

"Miss Anya, Mr. Sergei certainly hasn't placed any restrictions on you," Katya said calmly as she drove, "but as your butler, I must ensure your safety."

"What's so dangerous about me dating him?" she asked, her little tiger teeth practically grinding together in anger. "Don't you know his parents are both dead?"

"I can't guarantee that," Katya said. "It's just his side of the story, and don't you think it's all too coincidental?"

"Where did he learn Russian? Why did you suddenly meet him at the charity gala? Why did you suddenly become involved with him right when you came to New York for the first time and attended this kind of event?" she asked one question after another. "The Bell Ridge area where he lives was previously controlled by the Italians. Even though this car is bulletproof, I was still on edge when I drove there today."

"Could it be that he was sent by the Italians to deliberately seduce me?" Anya scoffed. "I don't believe it."

"Believe it or not," Katya glanced at her through the rearview mirror, "I will resolutely stop you two from dating until I have confirmed his innocence."

"Su—"

'

Anya was furious and was about to unleash a string of Russian profanities, but after Katya glanced at her, she swallowed her words back.

Although they are not related by blood, Anya considers Katya, who has taken care of her for more than ten years, to be almost like a second mother to her.

Anya felt a bit annoyed, thinking that Katya's reasons were completely far-fetched.

Li Wei stood there watching the departing vehicles, then glanced back at the road he had come from, and couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder they're called the fighting nation, they can walk so well even in high heels."

He glanced at his phone; there were less than three weeks until Halloween, which wasn't a long time, but it wasn't short either.

Three weeks later.

New York winters are never known for their gentleness. As Halloween approached, the streets, which should have been filled with the orange glow of jack-o'-lanterns, suddenly began to drizzle.

Don Quixote has taken on the Halloween decoration project for Bell Ridge. In order to earn his own $4 profit, he is leading Levi, Jose, and a group of other workers to set up half-person-high inflatable skulls and LED light strips on both sides of the road.

As he was threading a needle under the eaves on a ladder, a few drops of rain slid down his neck and into his hoodie.

"It's going to rain soon," he said, glancing up at the sky. "Hurry up and finish this so you can get some rest."

Li Wei and his team also noticed the dark clouds in the sky, so they sped up their work and finally completed the installation of all the lights and decorations in the entire community in two hours.

Night fell, but the rain continued to fall.

"What a waste of the decorations. This rain isn't going to stop anytime soon," Don Quixote said, standing in the doorway wrapped in an old wool sweater, holding a steaming cup of coffee. "In this kind of weather, I doubt many people will come out begging for candy."

Li Wei was shaking a protein shake in his hand when he heard Don Quixote's words and couldn't help but agree.

The outdoor temperature has already dropped below 10 degrees Celsius. Once it rains, the perceived temperature will likely drop to around 0 degrees Celsius.

He closed the door.

Back in her room, Anya sent a text message, saying with great regret that it was raining today and that Aunt Katya was keeping a close eye on things (accompanied by an emoji of a princess locked in a dungeon), so she probably couldn't go out today.

Although Li Wei felt a little regretful, he still told her to rest early so she wouldn't be taken away by the Halloween ghosts.

Anya: No, because I'm a cute little devil.

Just as Li Wei and Anya were texting each other, the doorbell suddenly rang.

"It's this late, and people are still asking for candy?" Li Wei was a little surprised as he walked downstairs, opened the door, and saw, "Good evening... children."

They were a few children, only six or seven years old, wearing the cheapest plastic Superman capes they had bought at the supermarket. The rain had made their masks semi-transparent, sticking to their little faces that were blue from the cold.

They carried chipped plastic buckets, their voices barely audible: "Trick or treat!"

Li Wei looked down at them.

These children didn't have the smiles of middle-class families in Beiling Ridge, and their shoes were tattered.

"Where are your parents?" Li Wei asked.

"Working/Sick/Don't know..."

"6

"Can we have two candies?" A little girl tugged at her clothes nervously. "One...one for my dad. He didn't eat today."

Li Wei took a deep breath.

"Come on in," he said. "It's a bit too cold outside."

In Li Wei's home, the natural gas boiler and radiators kept the house warm and cozy. The heat dried the mud off the children's shoes, leaving little footprints on the floor.

Seeing that they had dirtied Li Wei's place, the children huddled together awkwardly by the doorway.

"It's alright," Li Wei said. "Come in and warm up for a bit."

He first boiled a kettle of water, and then asked Don Quixote to help him carry up two boxes of whole milk and two tubs of protein powder from the basement. He had just gone to restock a batch of goods yesterday.

"Have some water and calm down first," Li Wei said. "Just eating sugar at night won't help you right now."

"Sir...sir," a little boy said timidly, "we have no money..."

"6

"Fuck..." Levi groaned, not even knowing what he was cursing. He turned to the children and said, "It's okay, I won't take your money."

He took out his shaker cup, poured in seven or eight scoops of protein powder, mixed it with milk, and then poured a full cup for each child.

"Have some, it's chocolate flavored," he said, handing the milkshake to the children. "Eat something else after you finish."

He picked up his phone and searched for nearby stores, choosing McDonald's cheapest value meal, McDouble, which cost only $5 and included a main dish, a small order of fries, and a small drink.

[You have received the quest: The Eight Virtues of a Knight]

The common people, suffering greatly, plead with the knights for help to escape hunger. Number of people rescued: 0/50

[Quest Reward: Spirit +0.1]

50? Li Wei was stunned.

It seems this task is impossible to complete, but it doesn't matter to Li Wei; it's just a dozen or so McDonald's meals.

After drinking their milkshakes and sitting in the room for a while, the children's faces gradually regained color and they became sleepy.

The order that Levi added $15 for delivery finally arrived.

"Here, take these, two for each person," he said, distributing the meals to the children. "Those who have family members back home, bring one for them."

"God will bless you, sir..."

"Thank you for your generosity!"

The children surrounded Li Wei, bowing and thanking him, before disappearing into the cold, rainy night. Li Wei's system panel immediately jumped from 0 to 9.

It seems that parents with three children will spend the night on this meal, Li Wei thought.

After closing the door, Li Wei continued texting Anya, recounting what had just happened.

Anya: Is it that pitiful...? I've never encountered anything like this before.

Li Wei: I gave each person two McDonald's meals, hoping to make their evening a little easier.

Anya: Give me your bank account, count me in too.

Although Li Wei didn't want her to spend money, the thought of her earning over 200 million US dollars a quarter made him immediately give Anya his bank account number.

Just a few seconds later, a full $1 was deposited into Levi's account.

Li Wei: ?

Li Wei: That's enough to treat the whole community to McDonald's.

Anya: It's okay. You've been working so hard, you can treat me to ice cream next time.

Looking at his account balance, Li Wei suddenly felt an urge to loudly refute Emma.

Russians don't split the bill; they always treat everyone.

Li Wei tidied up the table and went upstairs.

After a while, the doorbell rang again.

Li Wei went outside again and saw a dozen or so boys, slightly older than six or seven-year-olds, huddled under the eaves, shivering.

"Sir..." Seeing Levi open the door, the leading Latino boy said, "We just met some kids who said they give out food here, is that right?"

"Wait for me a moment," Li Wei said as he entered the house with his phone. "Come in and have some water."

He opened the McDonald's app again, but this time he didn't place an order. Instead, he called the McDonald's store directly and ordered 200 double cheeseburger meals with sugar and fries.

"You're really crazy, sir," the employee on the other end of the phone said. "We only have six employees right now."

"I'll give each person an extra $50 as a tip," Levi said. "I hope it can be delivered within 40 minutes."

""

"$100," the manager said. "You've asked for too much."

"It's only $50," said Levi, referring to the province. "There's a McDonald's a mile away."

Li Wei turned around and looked at the boys in the room.

"This is for today only," he said. "If you know anyone who is freezing or hungry today and can get here within an hour, I'll take care of them."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I'm not some saint or Jesus. This is all I can do to help. If too many people come with their friends and family, I won't be able to help them either."

"I understand, I understand, sir," a boy said. "You really are an angel."

Another boy quickly bowed to Li Wei and ran off.

The news spread faster than rain through the slums of Eighth Avenue and Sunset Park.

Besides young children, many older children, and even some young Black men and Latino immigrants dressed in tattered work clothes, were also under the eaves. Most of them, due to poverty and their undocumented immigrant status, received no social assistance during such a holiday.

The manager personally drove over with 200 set meals. After opening the trunk, the aroma of fried food made the eyes of the people waiting at the door light up.

The task panel is flashing rapidly:

[35/50]

【48/50】————

[Quest: The Eight Virtues of a Knight Have Been Completed.]

Finally, when no one else came to the door, the number stopped at [157/50].

It far exceeded the number stipulated by the system.

Li Wei took a deep breath, closed the door completely, and began cleaning.

[Task: Spirit +0.1 awarded]

Your compassion is known throughout the land; you have exceeded the task requirements, and are hereby awarded an additional 0.1 free attribute points.

"Actually, I even made a little profit," Li Wei muttered as he mopped the floor. "The package deal only cost less than $3000..."

""

It was getting close to midnight, and the rain was almost over.

Don Quixote had fallen into a deep sleep.

Unlike Don Quixote, Livy is now fully armed, wearing a Spider-Man mask.

The environment outside today looks like it could trigger a mission, and he won't miss this once-a-year opportunity.

Livy took one last deep look at Don Quixote's room, then pushed open the door and went out.

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