A few minutes later, You He followed the boatman into a courtyard.
The courtyard looked like an old house, with walls built of red brick and in a state of extreme disrepair.
Being by the river, it was far too damp, and large patches of moss covered the walls.
Two racks made of wire stood in the courtyard. One was a clothesline covered in rough cloth garments, while the other was hung with dried salted fish.
This was You He's first time visiting such a destitute household, and the sight left him feeling rather melancholy.
In the Hive City, all he had seen were the grand, gleaming houses the T'au had built for them. He had never imagined that there were still such impoverished residents in the rural towns of Sweet Star.
Something suddenly felt wrong. Under the leadership of the Greater Good, the planet had already developed to an advanced level. The planet's total productivity should have been enough to give every person an affluent life.
That was what the T'au had advertised, and it could not have been false. So what was going on in this courtyard?
After hanging the fishing net on an empty clothes rack, the boatman said:
"My accommodations are humble, sir. I hope you do not mind."
After looking around, You He asked:
"Why are conditions here so much worse? That should not be the case. Under the leadership of the Greater Good, everyone on the planet should have entered the ranks of the prosperous and been enjoying happy lives, shouldn't they?"
The boatman gave a bitter laugh.
"Prosperous my ass. Happy my ass.
Since my grandfather's generation, our little town has been this damned way. It hasn't changed in over sixty years.
As for the Greater Good, they haven't even built an elementary