Chapter 2572: Easy to Get Beaten Up
This time, before the painted woman could act, another diner in the same line grabbed the hand reaching for her things. The man raised his hand and slapped the half-grown boy, then pressed down on his head and made him apologize to the painted woman. He scolded, "You're old enough to have two good hands and feet, yet you're stealing? If you really can't afford a meal, go register at the Welfare Institute. You're making us look bad!"
After taking the beating, the boy mumbled an apology to the painted woman. Then the Enforcement Department officers arrived and took him away.
"Sorry about that, miss. I'll treat you to whatever you want to eat in a bit." The man who had caught the boy apologized to the painted woman.
The painted woman tapped on her Communicator. "Why did he steal? Was he really going hungry?"
The man looked a little awkward. In truth, the welfare in District 001 was quite good. Even though most people in the sub-district were blunt and believed in repaying kindness and grudges in kind, which meant it had more orphans than other sub-districts, children there certainly didn't go hungry. By their teens, they were already capable of doing a little work. If they grew up in a Welfare Institute, the staff would find them odd jobs so they could get used to their surroundings. But people came in all kinds, and there were always some children who were lazy and thought taking shortcuts was better than working honestly.
When such children were caught, the Enforcement Department didn't punish them too severely. Usually, they just lectured them and sent them back to the Welfare Institute. And it wasn't only children from Welfare Institutes who acted that way. Many children