A Hair's Breadth Apart

Helen, who had just returned from her job interview, stood outside her house for a while. After the people from the Second-hand Goods Recycling Company left, she sighed and asked her father, "What have we lost this time?"

The old man standing on the withered grass was her father; the withered grass beneath their feet hadn't been replaced for over half a year.

The community had specifically spoken with them, saying that if they couldn't afford to replace the yellowed lawns, the community company could lend them some money first.

In the Federal, apart from the low-end and substandard neighborhoods, the Middle and High-end Community have very strict requirements for residents. Just because you buy a house in Middle and High-end Community doesn't mean you are a member of that community. You must abide by the community rules to be considered a member. Otherwise, everyone will unite to kick you out.

The exterior of the house, the vegetation in the yard, and the lawn are the most basic requirements for residents. You may not buy a house here, but you must abide by the rules here.

Some of the terms are written in the purchase contract, while others are re-signed upon moving in; in any case, everyone must abide by them.

But soon the community company stopped mentioning it because they found that many residents did not have the funds to replace the lawn. If the Community Service Company paid for one household, others might also ask the community company to pay for them. They were almost bankrupt themselves, so where would they get so much money to take care of everyone?

Now, as you enter the main road from the main road into the community, both sides of the road are covered with yellowed and withered lawns, and the image of the entire community has plummeted. In addition, there are some "For Sale" signs stuck in the lawns, making this community, which used to be considered mid-range, look particularly desolate.

The old man standing on the withered lawn smiled. "We just lost our washing machine and lawnmower..." he said apologetically. "I'm sorry, the next bill is coming soon, and I have to pay those bills. Besides, we don't really need those things right now."

"I noticed that there's a laundry room and coin-operated washing machines at the Community Service Company. It's very close to here, so it won't be too much trouble for us to do laundry. As for the lawn..." The old man looked down and kicked the lawn, sending some clods of dirt flying. There was practically nothing green here.

This was originally a fairly well-off family, but the sudden economic recession dragged them down. Just when they were barely able to pay for Helen University's tuition, the economic recession left them without the ability to cope with family risks.

Successive unemployment and their youngest daughter's need for medical treatment have led them to switch from weekly physical therapy at the hospital, which was done by a specialist, to Helen's home care. However, their lives have not improved at all.

Constantly selling off assets has become almost the only way for families like this to survive. The TV always says that the economy has improved and factories have started operating again, but some people seem to have missed out on these good news.

When they can't find anything else to sell, they'll sell their house cheaply, perhaps for less than a third of the price they paid for it.

Then they would move to a less desirable neighborhood, or even to the Lower District, and try to find connections to rent a welfare house, where the whole family would huddle together in a small room waiting for the economic winter to end.

This sad, heartbreaking, and helpless situation is happening to countless people.

The old man was silent for a few seconds, then looked very guilty. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's not your fault," Helen, walking over and hugging the old woman. "Let's talk about something happy. Do you know Hundred Billion Mr.?"

As they walked towards the room, the old man said, "Of course, Mr. Lin Qi, the youngest Hundred Billion Mr., has been all over the news lately. What happened to him?"

"I went for an interview!" Helen decided to tell them. She had only told her family that she was going to an interview, but she hadn't said where it was. She felt the chances weren't very high and didn't want her family to be happy one minute and disappointed the next.

But at that moment she realized that she needed some good news to cheer up her family, so she chose to tell them. Nothing would motivate her family more than attending the interview for the Hundred Billion Mr., and even if it didn't work out, it wouldn't be a bad thing.

At least she participated, which is an experience in itself and can make her resume look better.

The old man suddenly became interested. "So what was the result? Did you get the job?"

Helen shook her head. "I don't know, but Mr. Lin Qi said my interview left a deep impression on him and he will give me serious consideration when making his selection!"

"This is wonderful news! I must tell your mother to bring us something nice tonight!" The old man seemed very excited. His guilt towards his family no longer affected him. Perhaps there would be no further news, but at least his family members would have a brief moment of relaxation and joy in this silent and dejected life.

At dinner, some beef appeared on the table. Helen's mother briefly introduced it, saying, "We bought this together, and I managed to snag the best piece!"

Helen's family wasn't the only one in the community facing this situation; in this financial disaster, Bu Peien was hit harder than other places!

It's important to understand that in other places, the main economic pillars are industry and a small amount of agriculture and animal husbandry, but in the city of Bu Peien, the most common industries are finance and services. Therefore, the financial disaster had a greater and more direct impact on the people of Bu Peien.

Therefore, a phenomenon similar to "group buying" has begun to emerge, where women in the community pool their money to buy large packages of ingredients. These large packages of unprocessed ingredients are cheaper and come in larger quantities.

If one person can't afford it, several people can. Of course, dividing these ingredients also requires a certain amount of physical strength and eyesight. Helen's mother was particularly satisfied with her spoils today; she had snatched the fattest piece of meat.

This made Helen's father feel even more guilty. He could only force a smile, his hands nervously rubbing together under the table. He was smiling, but it made him feel worse than if he were crying.

Everything at the dinner table seemed perfect, just like a few years ago. Helen's parents were still employed, they had enough income to support Helen's university education, and enough money to treat their youngest daughter's illness. They never worried about these things.

Everything will be resolved if we just wait until next month.

As dinner was drawing to a close, Helen's sister asked a question, "Will you get this job?"

Almost simultaneously, everyone's eyes were focused on Helen, and in an instant, a heaviness she had never felt before pressed down on her shoulders.

She looked at her father, whose eyes were filled with an indescribable color—despair, expectation, and a mixture of contradictions.

Helen nodded instinctively, then nodded again forcefully, as if promising herself with words she herself didn't believe, "I will, I will!"

The brief, suffocating silence at the dinner table was shattered in an instant by the Little Girl's laughter. She probably didn't know how difficult it was; she just naively believed that everything would be alright, just like they said on TV.①

After dinner, Helen's mother was clearing the table when her father called her aside, as if to say something, but in the end he just smiled and said, "Don't push yourself too hard. We can make it until we get better!"

That night, Helen felt a weight she had never felt before, a sense of responsibility, and a feeling of suffocation.

They have nothing left to sell, and maybe next time, this house will be the one they sell.

Early the next morning, Helen went to Lin Qi's house, which was a house on Inner Bay Hillside in Bu Peien, the best location in Bu Peien.

With a bustling metropolis on one side and the distant ocean on the other, there's no better location, though its price is also despairingly high.

Many locals pass by here occasionally or even frequently, but they never have the right to go in, not even as guests.

Money has drawn a line across the world; inside the line is heaven, and outside the line is hell.

Helen asked the doorman for help, hoping to see Mr. Lin Qi, but unfortunately, Mr. Lin Qi seemed unwilling to see her, which made her feel desperate.

What will she do if she doesn't get this job? What will her family do? What will her sister do? And what will she do? She's so confused. Sometimes people are like that; they might not feel this way until a crucial moment has passed.

But once this crucial moment passes, the whole world suddenly becomes unfamiliar, leaving people bewildered and unable to cope.

She didn't want to go home because she would have to face her family's disappointment. She continued to look for opportunities outside, but unfortunately, in the current environment, most companies had no plans to recruit new employees. It was already commendable that they didn't lay off some of their staff.

And so, Helen, having wasted a whole day, finally had to bite the bullet and go home to tell her family the disheartening news. She didn't even know how she got back to her door!

After a long period of mental preparation, she opened her door. The aroma wafting from the dining room only made her more anxious. It was supposed to be a celebration of her finding a good job, but instead, she brought back bad news.

She walked heavily into the Living Room, ready to tell everyone that she had disappointed them, but to her surprise, she saw Lin Qi there.

Lin Qi was eating Beef Ribs, which his mother was best at making. He sat at the table without any regard for his image, grabbing the bones with his hands and gnawing on them with great force, his mouth covered in grease.

Seemingly having spotted the girl, Lin Qi put down the bone and greeted her with a big smile, "Hi!"

The girl's eyes were glistening with tears. She paused for a second, then said, "Hi..."