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【Black Fairy Tale Adaptation】 Poverty Simulator
墨書 Inktalez
The working people have the spirit of hard work, even buying a grave makes their heart ache.
The shattered dream of a double weekend and flexible work hours, the 996 schedule is killing people.
No one to marry, no way to buy a house.
Just a few coins in the pocket, a kick with both legs, hey, brother, oh, go away!
"Well, classmates read it well. This satirical poem is about the internet workers in 2023, who are the typical poor people we default to now. Why do I say that? Can any student answer this?"
"Teacher! Me!"
"Okay. Wang Huo Yan Yan Yi classmate."
"At that time, the internet workers were said to work very hard every day. If they didn't do well, they would be scolded by their boss. They often worked overtime until eleven or twelve at night, and in the end, they only earned one or two thousand yuan."
"Oh? Only 10 to 20 thousand? Teacher, is what Wang Huo Yan Yan Yi said true?"
"Li You Shuang Duo Duo, what Wang Huo Yan Yan Yi said is true! At that time, many people couldn't even earn 100,000 in a year. Those who could earn tens of thousands or even millions in a year were considered wealthy."
"Several million is considered wealthy? It seems that people in the past were really poor. My family has more than enough money for a flying car."
"So, classmates, who can tell the teacher what kind of person is considered poor?"
"I know! I know! Poor people are the ones who are eliminated by society!"
"Teacher, what do poor people actually look like? I've never seen one."
"I haven't seen any either!"
"Teacher, are there still poor people now? The textbook says that our ultra-modern society has completely solved the problem of poverty, so there shouldn't be any poor people in the world, right?"
"Well, classmate Zhao Shuizhimiao said it very well. We have indeed completely eliminated poverty, and in real life, we can't find any poor people. So for today's class, we specially invited experts to create a Poverty Simulator for everyone to see what kind of negative impact poverty will have on people!"
02
The principal led a group of eight or nine-year-old children to a transparent glass cover, but there was nothing inside, just a hazy gray.
"Teacher, there's nothing here at all?"
"Don't worry, we need to first choose a simulated scenario. Look, right here. The theme of the scenario we're going to experience today is - The Little Match Girl."
The button was pressed, and the green light came on. The thick fog inside the glass cover gradually dispersed, revealing the true face. Sparse and dim stars were embedded in the dark blue night sky. Looking down, there were buildings of varying heights and narrow streets and alleys. The simulated people in clothes were walking on the preset track. Upon closer inspection, in a corner enclosed by a low wall, there was a sleeping little girl curled up.
"Oh, is she the The Little Match Girl?"
"Yes! Li You Shuang Duo Duo is really smart! She is the protagonist of this simulated scenario."
"Teacher, is she also a simulated person? She seems different from other pedestrians, hmm, she looks very similar to us."
The principal's expression showed a moment of unnaturalness, but quickly returned to a normal smile: "Zhao Shuizhimiao is also a simulated person! It's just that, because she is the protagonist of the scenario, her craftsmanship is better than other simulated people."
"Ah! Just like my Super Advanced Mech Warrior!"
"Wang Huo Yan Yan Yi The classmate is right! Okay, everyone keep quiet now, the scene is about to begin! Everyone observe carefully, just how poor is The Little Match Girl? We have a total of three warm-up opportunities, which are the three buttons with the burning matchstick pattern. If anyone feels that she is too pitiful, they can press this button, and the simulator will fulfill one of her wishes!"
In the simulator, the little girl slowly opened her eyes. She hadn't fallen asleep, but had fainted from hunger. She knocked her head with her frozen little hand, and shakily stood up. However, because it was so cold, her body couldn't stand straight, and she could only hunch over. Her tattered old coat with holes couldn't cover her back completely. Thin layers of frost covered the cracks on her face, and you could still faintly see the blood vessels underneath when she passed under the streetlight. She took a few breaths and with a trembling voice, she shouted, "Matches for sale!" However, her voice was too soft, and before it could travel two steps, it was lost in the falling snowflakes, melting into the snow.
No, I can't go on like this. I have to sell these matches in order to have something to eat! The little girl shook with all her might, then struggled to take a few steps in place, seeming to be able to move a little. She took a few slightly larger steps and walked towards the passing pedestrians: "Brother, do you need matches? Sister, buy a box of matches!" But no matter what the little girl said, the passing men and women all ignored her, indifferent. She didn't understand why none of these brothers and sisters paid any attention to her. Was it because she was too ugly? Two hours passed, and the little girl didn't sell a single box of matches.
She returned to the original corner surrounded by a low wall and curled up again, as if it wasn't so cold that way. But she was even hungrier than when she first woke up: "If only I could have a roasted chicken now!" When Wang Huo Yan Yan Yi heard this, he immediately pressed the first matchstick button. He really couldn't bear it. This little girl looked two years younger than him and was really pitiful.
The simulator suddenly made a movement. A red electric wave appeared above the little girl's head, and a moment later, a circle of light screen opened instantly, revealing a just-cooked roast chicken! The strange red light caught the little girl's attention, and she was mesmerized by the roast chicken in the light screen, subconsciously swallowing and saying, "It looks so delicious." However, just as the little girl reached out to grab the roast chicken, the light screen disappeared.
Perhaps the little girl's disappointment was too obvious and too distressing, so classmate Zhao Shuizhimiao immediately pressed the second matchstick button. The red electric wave reappeared, and this time, the light screen showed a Christmas tree standing next to the fireplace, with many beautifully wrapped gifts underneath. The little girl looked at the reappeared light screen and immediately smiled, ignoring the cold wind that would slip into her collar, and stretched her neck to gaze at it. The Christmas tree and the pile of gifts were her wishes for every Christmas Eve, which she had only seen in magazines before.
The good times didn't last long, and this time the light show only lasted for a few seconds. The consecutive disappointments made the little girl hold her breath, and tears were about to fall from her eyes. Fortunately, she realized she was about to cry, quickly wiped her eyes, and held back the tears. She couldn't cry, as her tears would freeze upon falling, causing too much pain. Her eyes would freeze shut and she wouldn't be able to open or close them.
The little girl stood still for a moment, her gaze unfocused, and she huddled against the low wall, tightening her neck.
"She's so pitiful! Can't her wish be fulfilled? Hurry up and make her wish come true!" Li You Shuang Duo Duo classmate angrily punched the last burning match button, and this time the red waves that appeared were brighter than the previous two times, and the opened screen was also larger.
The little girl heard the sound, and although she was afraid of disappointment once again, she couldn't help but look over: "Grandma... Grandma!" The deceased relative appeared before her eyes, and the little girl's joy was evident. She excitedly stood up, dragging her frozen legs little by little towards the screen, murmuring "Grandma" under her breath.
Magical things happened! The grandmother inside the light curtain actually walked out and hugged the little girl who had fallen forward due to exhaustion. The grandmother and granddaughter held each other tightly. At that moment, the night and cold quickly faded away, and the simulator was bathed in bright sunshine. The scene in the simulator froze on the smiles of the grandmother and granddaughter. The thick fog returned, covering the entire scene, and everything returned to the hazy state it was in at the beginning.
"Ah! That's great! The Little Match Girl has finally realized her wish!"
"Mmm! Her grandmother must love her very much, look how happy she is!"
"Yeah, but she's so pitiful, having to come out to sell matches in such cold weather."
"Alright, students, now who can tell the teacher what negative effects poverty has on people? Zhao Shuizhimiao, you go first."
"Poverty can make people unable to eat enough and dress warmly, which can affect their physical health."
"Well, that's right. That's one point. What about Wang Huo Yan Yan Yi?"
"Poverty can make people lose their dignity, and they can only humbly ask others for help."
"Li You Shuang Duo Duo classmate?"
"I think poverty can make it impossible for people to survive. When life is almost gone, what's the point of talking about dignity? My dad once said, the most important thing for a person is to survive."
"You all did a great job! These all indeed belong to the bad impact of poverty on people. This class also hopes to use the Poverty Simulator to let everyone know that poverty should not exist in the world, poverty is backward and terrible. Although we have completely eliminated the problem of poverty, everyone still needs to be vigilant and prevent future poverty crises. Okay, that's it for this class, class dismissed!"
03
After school, the principal sent the students onto the school bus, then turned back to the simulator, followed by a janitor.
"You, go handle the inside, we'll need it for the next class."
The janitor skillfully operated the equipment, and the glass cover of the simulator rose steadily. A bone-chilling cold air mass spread out with the dispersing mist, revealing the figure of the Little Match Girl from earlier. However, she was not with her grandmother, but lay straight on the ground. Her old coat had somehow been removed, exposing her thin and sunken chest and abdomen, with clearly visible ribs. Her eyes were wide open and bulging, a thin layer of frost spreading from her face to her entire body. The only similarity to before was the happy smile on her face.
"Ah, poor child!"
"You still have the mood to pity someone else's child. Can your own children eat their fill? Huh? Her family can't even afford to put food on the table. Her parents sold her to the wealthy district to be used as an educational experiment, just so they could have enough food for a year and her little brother wouldn't starve. Hmph, poor people have to accept their fate, serving the wealthy is worth dying for. Remember, you are also poor, and you've finally seized an opportunity. If you don't want to starve, get to work quickly. In the world of the wealthy, there's no place for you poor people to complain! Be careful, there are still students who haven't gone home, don't let anyone see you."
The principal finished speaking and left in a hurry to attend a meeting at the city government to reinforce the isolation wall in the poor area. He didn't even have time to leave a dashing figure, afraid of being infected by the bad luck of the poor by the janitor. The janitor also remained silent, thinking of his wife and children at home, with a pained expression as he carried his daughter's body and walked towards the crematorium.
So, what exactly are the poor?
It's a visible high wall, an invisible influence, a transparent glass cover, an unchangeable fate.
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