Chapter 855: The Curtain Falls (Part 3)

After an autumn wind passed, another cold rain came. The next morning, the chill seeped in through the cracks in the window frames, but it dissipated in the warm air inside the house.

Jason crawled out from the soft and comfortable quilt, reached out to gather his messy, bird's nest-like hair, stood by the bed, stretched, and opened the window.

The moment the cold air came in, he shivered, then hurriedly closed the window gap a little smaller.

He shuffled in his slippers, opened the door, didn't turn back to close it, and walked toward the public water room at the end of the hallway.

The area of the water room was about the size of two bedrooms, with four rows of faucets in the middle, and faucets hanging all over the walls. At this time, the water room was crowded with children, some washing their faces, some wiping their faces after washing, and others holding water cups to catch hot water.

Jason yawned, saw a faucet that happened to be empty at hand, walked over, turned on the faucet, washed his face twice with cold water, and then walked to the cabinet at the end of the water room to take out his toothbrush cup and toothbrush to wash up.

The two children next to him were brushing their teeth with a mouthful of foam, laughing while spraying bubbles at each other. They were mostly very curious about brushing their teeth, especially since the toothpaste bought uniformly by the Everything Shop was very foamy. After brushing, they could almost pretend to be Santa Claus.

After washing up, Jason went back to the room to change clothes, then went to the office of the Everything Shop for a turn, and found that everything here was as usual.

The children were like one fish after another, passing through coral and seaweed. The strong wind outside the window didn't affect them at all. Some people were even sweating profusely from running and jumping back and forth.

At this time, the ruddiness on their faces and the hope in their eyes were something that had never appeared before.

After a while, Jason led the smaller children to the daycare center, handed them over to the older girls there, and then went to the school downstairs to urge other children to read.

After finishing the things in the building, he left the building again, rode a bicycle, and rushed toward the Bingshan Lounge.

"Ding-a-ling," the wind chime rang. The waiter hurriedly walked up and took Jason to the office upstairs in the restaurant.

Besides Cobblepot, there were several other kids there, who were exactly the little beggars Cobblepot had saved before.

They were still very thin, but their complexions and physical conditions had improved quite a bit. At this time, they were talking in low voices in groups of three or five.

Cobblepot and Jason led them out. Jason waved at them and said: "Follow me. We have two children there who paid extra to change to a better house in the second phase. Their rooms are empty, you can stay there first, and then come back after the renovation here is finished..."

Those kids were a bit scared, but Cobblepot got into the car first. They obviously trusted this leader very much, so they pushed and shoved each other into the car.

After sending the children to the Everything Shop where Jason was, Cobblepot didn't get into the car when he came out of the building, but intended to take a turn around the East District.

Going around the buildings of the first and second phases, behind them were the construction sites of the third and fourth phases. At this time, the buildings were already half built. And walking further forward, it was the fifth and sixth phase projects not far from the Bingshan Lounge.

One construction site after another sprang up from the ground like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. Ten thousand-foot buildings rose from the ground. Nothing was more shocking than this.

Cobblepot hadn't read many books, but he could still feel the magnificence of the changing times. The roar of huge machines was like the rolling wheels of history, and the bigger and taller buildings were like the branches of human society constantly climbing upward.

After returning to the Bingshan Lounge, he drove to the North District alone. Compared to the East District, which was full of construction sites, it appeared very quiet, or rather, a bit dead.

The car drove very slowly, so Cobblepot could see from the car window that in those manor windows, many heads of the Twelve Families were intently admiring the collections they had just obtained.

Beautiful oil paintings, exquisite sculptures, antiques full of historical atmosphere. But they stood on the bridge watching the scenery, and the people standing in the buildings also watched them.

Cobblepot felt that these heads of the Twelve Families were like antiques left over from the previous era, carrying the hazy and dim atmosphere of the last century, exquisite and fragile.

The sturdiest barriers that fought the wind and waves in the last century were vulnerable in the roar of the machines of the new era. If they could wake up early, perhaps they could still occupy a place in the new era, but if they were unwilling to do so, then the museum was their best destination.

The car stopped in front of the Falcone manor. When Cobblepot walked out of the car door, he subconsciously adjusted his tie, stomped his feet, then paused, shook his head, and walked into the manor with big strides.

He met Alberto in the reception room. Cobblepot walked up, shook hands with him, and said: "I heard you are engaged? Congratulations, but I don't know which family the bride is from..."

Alberto shook his head and said: "No, she is not from Cat Getan. She is a girl from Metropolis that Yin Wensi met when rehearsing a play. The two of them fell in love, and the Godfather didn't object."

Cobblepot raised an eyebrow, seemingly having some questions about the last sentence. Alberto said: "I know, rumors from the outside world say that the Godfather gained power by relying on his wife's family, but in fact, my mother is not a local from Cat Getan, nor does she come from any noble family. She was just the little daughter of a fisherman, from a small seaside town."

"You two brothers... I mean, this illness of yours... um, you won't have any objections, right?" Cobblepot asked relatively tactfully. What he was actually referring to was the dissociative identity disorder of Alberto and Yin Wensi.

Alberto shook his head and said: "I cannot understand love, nor do I intend to pursue any true love. I hope more that the Falcone family can stand in a broader world, can surpass the rules and laws of Cat Getan, and obtain true glory."

"When will the engagement ceremony be held?" Cobblepot asked again.

"A week later, how about choosing the Bingshan Lounge as the location? By then, all the celebrities in Cat Getan will gather there, which will be good for your business."

Who knew, Cobblepot shook his head and said: "I don't want to deal with people from the Twelve Families at all right now. They are full of Renaissance and Impressionism. My god, do they still remember they are a gang family?"

Alberto smiled and said: "People are all like this. After obtaining the wealth accumulated by violence and bloodshed, they desperately want to get rid of their origins and use all kinds of things to prove their nobility."

"You don't have to feel annoyed by them. Perhaps very soon, you won't see the vast majority of them anymore." Alberto shook his head: "Wayne won't wait too long."

Accompanied by his gaze looking out the window, pieces of red leaves drifted down, and golden ginkgo leaves covered the path. On the day of the engagement ceremony, the entire Bingshan Lounge was covered with colorful fallen leaves, as if celebrating for the newlyweds.

One pair of shiny leather shoes after another stepped onto the red carpet, and one gang leader after another in suits and leather shoes walked into the magnificent hall.

Laughter, blessings, and music sounded at the same time. The bright red poppies like blood, the golden chandeliers, the deep twilight curtains, all kinds of colors reflected each other.

"... My student, a sincere, upright, and energetic young man, and such a beautiful, dignified, and noble-character girl, will make a lifelong promise to each other today..."

"As Mr. Falcone's teacher, I feel very gratified. Such an excellent student, a junior worthy of love, a son loved by God, a faithful and righteous man, should obtain loyal and unswerving love..."

At the very front of the hall, Schiller glanced at Yin Wensi, then looked at the future Mrs. Falcone, and then turned his gaze to the Godfather standing behind Yin Wensi.

This was the first time the old Godfather stood behind someone, but he appeared very calm, and his expression even carried some nostalgia.

Then, Schiller began to pray. He said: "I came under the guidance of the merciful Heavenly Father, and will witness a pair of newlyweds make a promise here. Saint Peter once said..."

Accompanied by some obscure and difficult-to-understand prayers, Yin Wensi took his fiancée's hand and turned around, looking at the photographer's lens.

Cobblepot, Bruce, Dick, Jason, and many of Yin Wensi's classmates all walked up and stood in several rows.

With a "click," accompanied by applause and cheers, the photo flew out of the camera and landed on a brown table.

A hand wearing black leather gloves gently stroked the surface of the photo with its fingertips. He put down the violin case in his hand, took off the felt hat on his head, and sat in the seat of the train carriage.

The distant whistle sounded, white smoke rose, and the red carriage passed through the valley.

"Hello, sir, would you like a cigarette?" The cigarette boy on the train knocked on the door of the carriage. The door opened slowly, revealing an old face inside. Although his temples were gray, he was imposing without being angry.

The cigarette boy saw the cigar box by his hand, so he smiled apologetically at him and intended to leave, but the old man called him back, handed him a roll of money, and asked in Italian: "May I ask when we arrive at the station?"

"Sir, if you are talking about the next station, there are ten minutes left."

The cigarette boy left after speaking, and when the next station arrived, another person entered the carriage.

Seeing the old man's attire, his fingertips trembled slightly. He took off his hat and placed it on his chest, and said: "Sir, may I sit here?"

"Of course."

The person opposite heard that the old man's Italian always carried a sinking tail tone, just like people from the last era.

"Do you know when the next station arrives?" The Italian with a classical tone echoed in the carriage. The man opposite replied, "About twenty minutes later. If it's the terminal station, perhaps a few hours..."

"It doesn't matter, as long as we can get there."

The carriage fell silent. The person opposite glanced at the violin case placed under the table, and his fingers clenched tightly.

"Relax, child, God bless you."

The old man opposite lit a cigar, put it in his mouth, and said vaguely.

He turned his head to the window, watching the scenery, which was like an Impressionist oil painting, receding rapidly beside him.

The light sound of the carriage doors colliding, the noisy sounds coming from outside the door, the fragrance mixed with leather and cigars in the carriage, the bell ringing from time to time, the waiter's loud greetings... everything was just like when he was young.

He thought, the legend of these forty years has finally come to an end. And in the smoke of the cigar, he saw the calm and peaceful coast, the fishing boats in the sunset, the beautiful little town girl...

Before the window of the Falcone manor, Alberto saw that the lighthouse of Cat Getan lit up, emitting a hazy light, guiding the ships home in another cold and rainy night.

The young Godfather looked into the distance, across the blurry coastline in the rain line, and saw the protagonist of the legendary story, who had told him several times about the distant and beautiful Sicily. ===== CHAPTER 856 =====