Before the enormous tractor, the two youths looked incredibly small.
Clark and Bruce both tilted their heads back to admire the massive machine. Bruce covered the wound on his neck, lowered his head again, and turned to Clark. "Are we really driving this thing into town?"
"Yes, it's our only option." Clark did not seem bothered in the slightest. He walked around to the side of the vehicle and checked the fuel tank. Finding it low, he brought over a fuel can and began filling it.
"Don't you have a more normal family car?" Bruce asked as tactfully as he could. He looked around the garage, which was somewhat messy with stacks of hay bales piled inside.
But after his trip through the Slums, Bruce had gained a rough understanding of how ordinary people lived.
Clark's family was actually middle class, perhaps even steadier and wealthier than most middle-class families.
The Kent family's farm was enormous. It had cropland, pastureland, woodland, a protected area, a creek, and a jerky-processing line. It had been passed down through four generations, with a long history, stable output, and strong earning power. It was the leading farm in Smallville and among the best in all of Kansas.
His father, Jonathan Kent, was a famous farmer in Kansas and an opinion leader among the farmers of southern Kansas. He often went to the Kansas legislature to fight for farmers' rights, and his words sometimes carried more weight than those of many legislators.
Clark's mother, Martha, was also vice president of the Kansas Women's Association. She was mainly responsible for exchanging information on agricultural prices, seasonal weather, and the timing of secondary crop production. Everyone trusted her.
Using a slightly old-fashioned term, the Kent family could be called country gentry in Kansas: settled, wealthy, and influential.