Chapter 319
Dexter and I were taken aback when Zion brought us to the rented houses near Tranquil Garden.
This was Huma, where every inch of land was valuable. I never imagined that there would be a slumlike alley so close to the affluent district.
The alley was extremely narrow-it would be cramped even for two people to walk side by side. It was just a small walkway between the new buildings and the old ones in the neighborhood.
This alley seemed to separate the poor and the wealthy in Huma.
Standing at the end of the alley, I glanced at the towering high-rises on the right and then at the dilapidated buildings yet to be demolished on the left. Even though the wealthy and the poor were so physically near, yet they were miles apart.
"The rent here is cheap over a thousand dollars per month. But that’s the average wage in other cities. Nothing is left after paying rent," Zion mumbled before sighing.
"That was why such a huge conflict arose because of the disparity between the wealthy and the poor. The poor have never seen the joy of the wealthy, and the wealthy despise the effort and labor of the poor," he said.
"We’ve lodged complaints countless times. This is Tranquil Garden-a high-end neighborhood in Huma. Do you think it’s acceptable for the nearby dilapidated buildings to be occupied by migrant workers?" Many of the wealthy protested, "It smells awful having to pass by here daily. Do you know how much they’re affecting our property value?"
I watched while those wealthy pointed fingers and scolded others. They might not be the wealthiest in the area, yet compared to the true elites from the upper class, these middle-class people seemed to look down on the poor the most.
"Move out immediately!" A stern middle-aged woman had other people kicking the migrant workers out.
An old suitcase was thrown out, ending up damaged with its zipper torn. Clothes spilled out onto the ground, as well as a few plastic-wrapped cornbread and sandwiches.