Chapter 471: Is Schiller Sick?

In the dead of winter, on the withered branches, little sparrows lined up to preen their feathers. One of them spread its wings, flew to the ground, and hopped about in the snow covering the ground, searching for possible food.

A hand scattered a patch of breadcrumbs. Many sparrows gathered around. The bakery owner, wearing a cotton hat and an apron, straightened his waist and patted off the remaining breadcrumbs on his hands.

With a "creak," the sound of bicycle brakes came. The paperboy, wrapped up tightly, took off his gloves and tapped his bicycle bell with his finger.

The bakery owner, wearing thick cotton boots, stepped across the snow on the ground, startling the sparrows that had just landed into flying away in flocks. He strode across the sidewalk, came to the street side, and took the newspaper from the paperboy's hand.

"It's you clever little brat again! You must know that the gentlemen around here are the easiest to talk to; every time, you manage to snatch the job here."

The paperboy delivering the papers was a little boy with a face full of freckles, just like most children in Cat Getan—lively, wild, and full of rebelliousness.

These children traveled through the streets and alleys of Cat Getan like this, unafraid of wind, frost, rain, or snow, forever full of vitality, just like the sparrows foraging through the streets in winter. They were the most vibrant scenery in this city of sin, Cat Getan.

The bakery owner stuffed a small piece of toasted black bread to the paperboy and asked, "Any gossip recently?"

The paperboy picked up the bread and took a bite, gasping from the heat. While gasping, he said intermittently, "The situation is not bad."

"I heard that the charity banquet in Metropolis was held very successfully. Those rich tycoons donated quite a bit of money to manage the traffic problems caused by the snow disaster."

"I heard that after our mayor took the donations, he bought several large snowplows. Now the central roundabout and the East End docks have been cleared out; otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible to restore traffic today."

The paperboy took another bite of the piping hot black bread. His nose was frozen red. He wiped his nose with his hand, took two more breaths of cold air, and said:

"Cat Getan University is resuming classes today. Just looking at that group of pampered teachers and professors being able to drive to work, you know that good days are coming soon."

"Thank God!" The bakery owner sneezed, also rubbed his nose, and said in a muffled voice:

"For the few days that traffic was paralyzed, my bread couldn't be sold. If it weren't for you little guys helping me deliver things to those old customers, I'm afraid I would have closed down long ago."

"Oh, right!" The bakery owner suddenly remembered something. He stretched out a hand, shook his finger, patted his forehead, turned around, and walked hurriedly back into the shop, startling many sparrows that were foraging again.

After a while, he came out with a brown paper bag and said, "Professor Rodriguez's butler called last night and ordered bread that just came out of the oven this morning. You help me deliver it. At noon today, I'll treat you to black rice cakes and sausages..." ===== CHAPTER 472 =====