Chương 23: Don't Insult Dogs

The streets of Brooklyn are filled with the damp smell of rain.

Outside a hardware store, several workers were gathered together smoking, holding today's New York Daily.

"Look at this, an honest man is actually saying that the mayor is a good person."

A middle-aged man held up the newspaper.

"Yesterday they were calling the approach bridge a shoddy construction, and today they're saying it's made of 'specially treated high-grade building materials.' Isn't that just blatant lying?"

"They must have been bribed."

Another young worker spat.

"I knew it! These days, there aren't any honest people left. Everyone's after money."

"Not necessarily. I think the newspaper might have pressured him to write it. Think about it, he used to write those articles so freely, how could he suddenly change?"

An older worker shook his head.

"Then why didn't he resist?"

"Resist? What can he possibly resist with? The newspaper owner has decided to stand with the city hall, what can a mere writer do?"

"Then he can resign. It's better than writing this kind of nonsense," the young worker said.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man sneered repeatedly.

"Quit your job? What will you eat if you quit? Do you think everyone is as young as you and finds a job easily?"

"But you can't speak against your conscience."

"Conscience? Can conscience feed you?"

The group remained silent for a moment.

"Forget it, it's time to go to work. This mess has nothing to do with us."

The workers dispersed, but the middle-aged man still crumpled the newspaper into a ball and threw it into the trash can.

"Whatever. I'm not buying the New York Daily anymore."

The young worker chimed in, "Me too. I've switched to reading the Brooklyn Eagle."

"The Eagle is no better. They're all newspapers run by capitalists."

"Then what are you looking at?"

"What the hell am I watching? I'm not watching anymore."

……

A restaurant in Manhattan was packed with people during lunchtime.

The radio is playing the news.

"... The New York Times published an article today by 'Honest Man on Wall Street,' revising previous criticisms of City Hall. The article states that the materials used in the Brooklyn approach bridge were specially treated and meet safety standards..."

"Turn it off! Turn it off! Listening to this nonsense is worse than listening to some good guy on the radio!"

An old man sitting at the bar shouted loudly.

The restaurant owner came over and turned off the radio.

"What's wrong, Tom?"

"What's wrong? Didn't you read today's paper? That honest guy has turned into a simp!"

The old man was so angry that his face turned red.

"I was telling my son yesterday, 'Look how principled that person is, daring to speak the truth.' And today I've been proven wrong!"

"Perhaps they have their own difficulties."

"What a load of rubbish!"

The old man stood up, took out a few coins from his pocket, and slapped them on the table.

"Let me tell you, what we have in abundance these days is spineless people. I thought we'd finally found someone different, but it's the same as always."

He turned and walked out, but turned back at the door and said something.

"Don't show me the New York Daily News again. It's disgusting."

The boss watched him leave and sighed.

Another customer at the bar spoke up: "Boss, I think that honest guy might have been forced into it."

"Forced?"

"Yes. Think about it, the newspaper owner has such a good relationship with the city hall, what can a writer like him do?"

"Then he doesn't have to write it."

"Not writing? If you don't write, you're fired. How will you support your family if you're fired?"

"But you can't speak against your conscience."

The guest smiled:

"Conscience? When you ran your restaurant, did you ever use ingredients that weren't fresh?"

The boss was stunned, then became somewhat angry: "That's different!"

"How are they different? They're both compromises made for the sake of making a living."

"But I didn't harm anyone."

"He didn't either. He just said things he didn't mean."

The two began arguing, and their voices grew louder and louder.

Other guests also joined the discussion.

"I think he was bribed."

"No, he was threatened."

Does threatening someone justify lying?

"What would you do if you encountered a threat?"

"I will resist!"

"Resist? What will you use to resist?"

The restaurant was in complete chaos.

The boss had to shout, "Enough! Stop arguing!"

The crowd then quieted down.

"What's all the commotion about? Anyway, that honest guy is already up to no good. Let's think about what to have for lunch."

……

In a Brooklyn coffee shop.

Arthur sat by the window, a cup of coffee that had gone cold in front of him.

Two young women were sitting at the next table, talking quietly.

"Do you think this honest man was threatened?"

"Of course. Otherwise, why would they suddenly change their minds?"

"He's so spineless. Giving in just because he's threatened, what kind of person is that?"

"You can't say that. People need to eat too."

"Does eating a meal give you the right to lie? What's the difference between that and those politicians?"

The two women became more and more agitated as they talked, and finally one of them threw the newspaper on the table.

"Forget it, I'm not reading it anymore. I'll read the Brooklyn Eagle from now on."

"The Eagle isn't much better. Last time they were even siding with the property developers."

"Then what are you looking at?"

"I don't know. Anyway, I don't read the New York Daily News anymore."

Arthur listened to their conversation and a smile crept onto his lips.

He stood up and walked to the table where the two women were sitting.

"Ladies, I recommend you take a look at this newspaper; it features an old friend of yours."

After saying that, Arthur gently placed the newspaper he was holding on the table.

The two women glanced at the newspaper; it was the New York Herald.

The front page featured a short article titled "The Patron Saint of Moving Houses."

Signed: The Honest Man of Brooklyn.

The two women paused for a moment, and one of them picked up the newspaper and looked at it carefully.

"An honest guy from Brooklyn?"

She frowned.

"Who is this? Has the honest guy on Wall Street changed his name?"

"It doesn't seem like it. This isn't the New York Daily News either. And look at the writing style, it's completely different from the one in this morning's paper."

What is this article about?

"It seems to be a fable. It's about... wait, let me see..."

The woman began to read aloud in a low voice.

A municipal official sold off all the land, docks, parks, and even streets in the city, exchanging all the land for numbers in his bank account and documents in his warehouse.

When he left his post and returned to his hometown, he found the town's patron saint squatting on a chest in his living room.

The mayor was shocked: "You are the guardian deity of this city, what are you doing in my house?"

The saint sighed and pointed outside at the trucks loaded with sand and stones: "See that? You even brought back the last load of paving stones from the city. My church, my square, and even the soil beneath my idol's pedestal are all here now."

He stood up helplessly: "A guardian deity must stand on the land they protect. If I don't follow you, am I supposed to work from mid-air?"

The two women were silent for a few seconds, then burst into laughter.

"Who is this satirizing?"

"Who else could it be? It must be the mayor."

"But... who is this honest guy from Brooklyn?"

"Who cares who he is? He's way better than that Wall Street bootlicker."

"Hey, don't insult dogs."