After putting away his things, Cheng Ye went upstairs to check on the situation. As expected, he didn't need to worry about the renovation work. Huang Sheng was leading the construction team with full authority, bustling about energetically.
He could only grab a set of clean clothes and leisurely stroll toward the public bathhouse in the buffer zone.
It was a typical northern-style communal bathhouse, divided into shower and soaking areas. A single wash cost only 2 Happiness Coins, extremely cost-effective.
Perhaps because it was a holiday today, as soon as he pushed open the main door, he heard a cacophony of noise inside. Hot steam mixed with laughter and conversation hit him in the face, and there were quite a lot of people.
Cheng Ye picked a corner shower stall. As soon as he took off his jacket, several men who were drying themselves nearby immediately looked over, their eyes filled with amazement.
"Young man, you've got quite the physique!" A middle-aged man with his shirt off came over, reaching out as if to touch but embarrassedly pulling his hand back. "This build, you can tell it's from real martial arts training, not just dead muscle."
"You're just a bit too lean. If you were a bit bulkier, you'd definitely qualify as a real man like an eagle!" Another man wearing glasses nodded along, his tone full of appreciation.
"Are you here alone? Want me to scrub your back? I'm skilled at it, guaranteed to get you squeaky clean!" Someone else actively started conversation, extremely enthusiastic.
"..."
Indeed, excessive exercise only attracted the same gender.However, Cheng Ye wasn't prudish. He smiled and replied, "Sure, thanks, big brother!"
Having grown up in an orphanage, he was used to scrubbing each other's backs with peers his age and had long been accustomed to this lively atmosphere.
Hot water poured over his body, instantly dispelling most of his fatigue.
The man scrubbing his back had skilled technique. While scrubbing, he chatted with him, and the conversation naturally turned to recent changes in the buffer zone.
"I heard construction on the outer city starts tomorrow, and they're building many satellite cities too!" The man's hands didn't stop moving, his tone full of anticipation. "I'm planning to apply for work in the satellite cities once things stabilize. I want to make good money in autumn and add some winter supplies for the family."
"How could it be that easy? I heard from a friend at the Civil Affairs Department that you need to transfer your household registration first to go out, and the satellite cities are just starting up, so they're quite dangerous." Someone nearby threw cold water on the idea, though without a pessimistic tone. "But if they really get built properly, life will definitely get better."
"Absolutely! Little Sun broadcasts every day, saying Happiness City will return to its glory days. I think it's not far off!"
"Hehe, right now my family of six is crammed into just over thirty square meters, which is really inconvenient. My son needs to get married, so if I work hard now, I can get him a proper wedding house by then."
"..."
Cheng Ye leaned against the pool edge soaking, listening to everyone chatting back and forth, feeling touched in his heart.
This was the power of public opinion.
Under Little Sun's relentless daily propaganda, amidst the good news of satellite city construction and migration wave settlement, no one sighed and complained like before. Instead, they all carried an energy that suggested life had something to look forward to.
Occasionally, a few people would shake their heads with regret, but they were only talking about how Shi Province's soil was no good for farming.
After bathing, Cheng Ye handed his dirty clothes to the bathhouse staff. They provided laundry service, washing and delivering to your address for only 3 Happiness Coins, cheap and convenient.
All told, a comfortable bath only cost 5 Happiness Coins. When it came to basic living facilities, Happiness City truly had nothing to complain about.
After changing into clean clothes, Cheng Ye didn't delay and headed toward Tianyuan Community.
It was around four in the afternoon by now. The sky was gradually darkening, and the wind carried a post-snow chill that suggested it might snow again tonight but before even reaching the edge of B-7 District, he could hear lively sounds coming from inside.
The sounds of gongs and drums mixed with crowd cheers could be felt two streets away, radiating an energetic bustle.
Cheng Ye quickened his pace. Turning the corner, he was instantly stunned by the scene before him.
Thousands of people surrounded both sides of the street, holding colored paper, small flags, and red cloth and red rope that someone had found somewhere, wrapped around roadside utility poles. Even the entrance passage to B7 had red silk tied above it, as lively as a modern wedding celebration.
Security officers in uniform maintained order around the crowd's perimeter, but couldn't help that it was a holiday today. Everyone was idle and curiously pushing inward, blocking the intersection completely.
Cheng Ye followed the crowd inward. Just as he reached the security line, a young officer stopped him.
"Sir, sorry, but it's already full inside. If you push forward, it could be dangerous. Please watch from the outer perimeter!"
Just as he was about to pull out his badge, a surprised shout suddenly came from nearby, "Sir! You're here!"
It was someone from the community who recognized him at once.
The crowd automatically parted, creating a path. Under everyone's curious gazes, Cheng Ye walked leisurely into B-7 District.
Clearly when he'd left the Sunrise Electronics Factory, there hadn't been this many people on the road. But after just an hour-long bath, so many people had gathered. The appeal of this demolition ceremony was greater than he'd imagined.
However, this also gave Cheng Ye more confidence. Looking at the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd before him, he felt more assured.
If he could make this pedestrian street one of the buffer zone's centers, it would definitely be a goldmine.
After walking just a few steps, he saw Wang Kang wearing a brand-new brown jacket, following a group of people beating gongs, his face beaming with joy.
Seeing Cheng Ye approach, he immediately dropped his drumstick and ran over, "Brother Cheng, you're finally here! The fish have arrived, and I had people bury them in snow. Look how lively this is! It's even more festive than the anniversary ceremonies we had in the inner city!"
"It's certainly festive enough."
Cheng Ye nodded with a smile, his gaze sweeping the surroundings.
On both sides of what had been a chaotic pedestrian street, all the shacks had been demolished clean, revealing flat concrete ground.
The sudden spaciousness was still somewhat unsettling.
Near Tianyuan Mall, a simple wooden platform had been erected with a red banner with yellow characters reading "Tianyuan Pedestrian Street Demolition Celebration" hanging above. When the wind blew, the banner rustled loudly.
Elder Song and two other district elders had changed back into those red robes embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns, sitting in chairs at the center of the platform.
Compared to their seriousness during the community meeting last time, the three elders clearly showed more nervousness on their faces today, yet couldn't hide the joy in their eyes.
After all, demolishing the pedestrian street symbolized removing the old to welcome the new, a new beginning.
From its establishment to today, Tianyuan Community had been nearly ten years, finally welcoming its next development phase!
"Big Dragon said you don't like being in the spotlight, so he didn't arrange a speech segment for you."
Wang Kang scratched his head, his tone clearly carrying some regret.
Cheng Ye was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help teasing, "What? You wanted us to go up and sing a duet?"
"Exactly!" Wang Kang's eyes lit up, his voice rising several notches. "At the ceremonies in the inner city before, though there were many people below, they all sat quietly. How could it be this lively? Now with so many people gathered, if we went up and sang a song, we'd definitely get lots of cheers! Isn't this what we've always dreamed of?"
"Dreams..." Cheng Ye's heart stirred gently, memories rapidly churning.
It seemed when his predecessor had first learned to sing with Wang Kang, they had secretly agreed that someday they would definitely perform on stage under everyone's gaze.
Unfortunately, the inner city ceremonies had many rules and everyone was very reserved, never providing that feeling of "being surrounded by cheers."
Unlike now, with the stage packed densely with people below, community residents, migrants joining the excitement, and residents from nearby complexes, everyone's face carrying vivid smiles.
If they really went up and sang a song, even if they sang averagely, it would definitely bring thunderous cheers.
Cheng Ye thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled, "Alright then, let's go up and sing. After we get promoted officially, these kinds of opportunities might become rarer and rarer."
"Really?!" Wang Kang's eyes widened like saucers, unable to believe his ears.
"Of course it's real." Cheng Ye nodded, then added, "But I need to wear a mask so all these people don't remember me, to avoid trouble later."
"Then I'll wear one too!" Wang Kang immediately agreed, grinning to show his teeth. "I'm a trainee inspector now, can't bring shame to the inspection station!"
Whether they sang well or what song they sang didn't really matter.
As the two walked toward the stage, Cheng Ye felt an inexplicable excitement rising in his heart.
After all, he was just a young man in his early twenties with some playfulness still hidden in his heart.
It was only the oppressive wasteland environment and repeated life-and-death crises that forced him to make himself calm and mature.
Now, with this rare moment of relaxation, consider it a "milestone" for his recent efforts.
After all, once he went to Dapo Town and started comprehensive work, Inspector Cheng would need to become increasingly steady, no longer suitable for playfully showing off in front of crowds like now.
Finding Big Dragon, when they heard the two wanted to go on stage and sing, everyone from the community was dumbfounded.
Immediately after, cheers erupted in waves. Even the outer crowd heard the commotion and started pushing inward again, thinking there was more excitement to witness.
Big Dragon efficiently had people find two simple masks.
One was a black eagle mask, the other a brown bear head mask, which he handed to Cheng Ye and Wang Kang.
Cheng Ye took the eagle mask and put it on, covering most of his face, leaving only his clearly defined jawline exposed.
Wang Kang put the bear head mask over his head, his eyes peering through the small holes in the mask, looking silly yet cute.
Fire Sprout poked its head out from his shoulder, looking at Cheng Ye. Its head tilted questioningly, finding it strange how Big Friend was becoming more and more like the companion it had seen in its dreams. In excitement, it chirped and fluttered, jumping from Cheng Ye's shoulder to the top of the mask, then sliding down the mask's edge to the other shoulder, like a mischievous little fur ball.
"Brother Cheng, should I still accompany you while you sing first?"
Wang Kang retrieved his wooden guitar. When leaving the inner city, he could leave other things behind, but this instrument absolutely had to stay with him, treasuring it dearly.
"Let's switch it up. You go first, I'll accompany you."
Cheng Ye took the guitar from his hands, slinging it over his shoulder. His fingertips lightly plucked the strings. Initially his movements were somewhat rusty, the metal strings producing slightly crude sounds but as the memories in his brain further integrated, his fingers became increasingly agile, dancing across the strings, and a melodious prelude slowly flowed out.
"Excellent!"
Wang Kang's eyes lit up, so excited his neck turned red, and he quickly took the microphone Cheng Ye handed him, testing it at his lips.
Soon, the three district elders on stage began speaking.
Elder Song gripped the microphone, his voice somewhat hoarse but particularly powerful, talking about the pedestrian street's past and anticipating the future after the new buildings were completed.
The people below listened attentively, applause erupting from time to time.
After the speech, several young people from the community stepped forward, carefully lifting the chairs with the three elders and carrying them to one side of the stage, letting them sit and rest.
Big Dragon quickly walked on stage, taking the microphone with a voice as loud as beating gongs, "Friends who came to witness the ceremony, the elders have painted us a good prospect. Next, let's have some excitement!"
"Please welcome Eagle Sir and Big Bear Sir to sing us a song celebrating the successful demolition of Tianyuan Pedestrian Street!"
"Eagle Sir! Big Bear Sir!"
"Sing! Sing!"
Community personnel arranged by Big Dragon led the shouting, quickly energizing the entire venue.
The watching crowd also joined in the excitement, shouts and applause mixing together, rumbling like real star treatment.
Wang Kang gripped the microphone tighter, so nervous his palms were sweating, instinctively turning to look at Cheng Ye.
Cheng Ye nodded slightly at him, his fingertips plucking another cheerful tune.
Wang Kang took a deep breath, the panic in his heart instantly dissipating. Yes, this had been their childhood dream, and it was finally coming true. What was there to fear?
"This is the first step in realizing our dreams. In the future, there will be even more dreams."
"Mm!" Wang Kang took the microphone, "Hello everyone, I'm Big Bear. Next, I'll sing 'Happiness Walks In' for everyone!"
As soon as these words came out, cheers immediately erupted below. "Happiness Walks In" was Happiness City's municipal anthem, the opening song for every major ceremony, and almost everyone could hum a few bars.
The atmosphere below became even more lively, and Big Dragon knelt on one knee in front of Cheng Ye, bringing the microphone close to the guitar.
Thump.
The familiar prelude sounded again, but Wang Kang was too excited. Just hearing the first note, he couldn't help but start singing, half a beat ahead of the rhythm but it wasn't a big problem. Who would care at a time like this?
"Morning light kisses awake your and my face..." The high-pitched voice came through the microphone, slightly off-key but extraordinarily sincere.
Cheng Ye reacted extremely quickly, his fingertips gently adjusting to follow his tune and adjust the rhythm, without any sense of discord.
"Children chase the wind, letting paper kites fly free!"
"The elderly smile and say spring has come again."
"Happiness, quietly walks in!"
"Filling every inch of this city with splendor, our home forever warm in our hearts!"
"..."
Wang Kang's voice wasn't particularly melodious, and in some places he even cracked, but he sang with extraordinary investment.
The people below were gradually drawn in, beginning to hum along. At first it was just community residents around the stage, then the B7 District masses, and finally even the outer spectators couldn't help opening their mouths, gently humming along with the melody.
"The wind is light, clouds are white!"
"Happiness City, spring is always here!"
"Every heart is filled with anticipation, happiness keeps walking in!"
The singing spread like a tide, wrapped in post-snow coolness yet radiating scalding warmth.
Newborn emotions were transmitted between melodies. Several migrants who had just entered the city couldn't help but pause in the distance, complex yet expectant emotions flashing in their eyes.
Here, happiness truly existed.
Even if just for a moment, a fragment, even if danger and hardship awaited in the future, this moment's liveliness, this moment's singing, was all real and tangible.
Elder Song, sitting at the side of the stage, listening to these rising and falling voices, suddenly felt his eyes grow hot and couldn't help raising his hand to wipe his eyes.
Having seen so much wasteland cruelty in his lifetime, he never imagined he'd witness such scenes before dying.
What was happiness?
For Tianyuan Community, it was the hope of demolishing old shacks and building new houses!
For this old soldier, it was seeing the community develop, seeing smile after smile.
And in this moment, all of this existed.
Cheng Ye's fingers never stopped, his gaze sweeping across the flushed faces below. There were elderly laughter, children's noise, young people's cheers, and the glimmers in even more eyes.
He suddenly felt that the decision to stand here at this moment was absolutely right.
Not just to fulfill his predecessor's and Wang Kang's dreams, but to remember this human warmth.
Just as Jiang Chuan had said, he needed to ensure he had enough humanity in him to resist the erosion of wilderness loneliness.
He seemed to have completely taken root.
Wasteland breath began flowing in his blood, and even his thoughts were no longer filled entirely with modern memories.
As the song ended, Wang Kang gripped the microphone, his chest heaving violently, gasping for breath, his legs nearly giving way.
In fact, the later verses had been shouted out at the top of his lungs, yet shouted with extraordinary satisfaction.
"Eagle Sir, your turn!"
He handed the microphone to Cheng Ye, reaching out to take the guitar, but saw Cheng Ye sitting steadily on the stool without moving, only raising his chin slightly, indicating he should bring the microphone to his mouth.
"Playing and singing simultaneously?"
Wang Kang was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help grinning. Indeed, Brother Cheng was still that show-off Brother Cheng.
He still wanted to perform more than him, just usually suppressed it.
In that instant, the last trace of unfamiliarity between them completely disappeared, replaced by deeper familiarity than before, and deeper affection.
"Hello everyone, I'm Eagle. I'll bring you a song called 'Old Boys.'"
Cheng Ye strummed the strings and chuckled.
An unfamiliar melody flowed from the speakers, lacking the brightness of "Happiness Walks In" but carrying a delicate tenderness that suddenly quieted the surrounding clamor.
Big Dragon still bowed slightly, steadily holding the microphone near the guitar. Wang Kang held another microphone, instinctively holding his breath, afraid of disturbing this melody.
Cheng Ye pressed his lips together slightly, his eyelids drooping slightly, his voice slowly rising, "That is the person I think of day and night, deeply love..."
"How should I express myself? Will she accept me?"
"Perhaps I'll never say those words to her, destined to wander the world, how can I have attachments?"
The gentle tune seemed like soft confession, and like narrating unknown longing.
Mu Shuang, sitting on the edge of a nearby residential building's rooftop, raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at the man beside her, "Well well, this Inspector Cheng is quite the romantic. Didn't see that coming."
"Hmm, is that so?" Jiang Chuan touched his nose, somewhat surprised.
But thinking of how Cheng Ye had urged him to marry, he couldn't help laughing, "Maybe he's more sentimental. Inspector Cheng is indeed an emotionally rich person. Such people naturally have charisma."
But before his words finished, the melody on stage suddenly shifted, and Cheng Ye's voice rose high with it, carrying an irrepressible force, "Dreams are always so unreachable, should I give up?"
"Flowers bloom and wither, another season, spring, where are you?"
"Youth flows like a rushing river, never to return, no time for goodbye, leaving only numb me without the passion of yesteryear!"
Whoosh.
Sincere emotions often suddenly ignite the entire venue in a single moment.
The three district elders who had been sitting to the side of the stage had unknowingly stood up, and the spectators below had somehow lost their smiles, replaced by a complex trembling.
When the song returned to the main melody, Cheng Ye's voice carried more hoarseness, yet burned even hotter.
"Life is like a merciless carving knife, changing our appearance"
"Must we wither before blooming? I once had dreams!"
At this moment, the audience fell completely silent, the voice carrying far, far away.
Reaching the edge of B-7 District, reaching the crowds still pushing inward.
"Recording, did you record it?" At the crowd's outer edge, several people in gray uniforms held equipment, one of them speaking in urgent, hushed tones.
They were staff from the broadcast center, originally just coming to the demolition ceremony for excitement, wanting to film some community celebration material to add human warmth to the evening news broadcast, and as powerful material for quarterly propaganda of Happiness City's development.
They never expected to accidentally capture such moving singing!
"Got it, got it!" The young staff member nearby quickly raised his equipment, the recording interface running steadily on screen.
At this moment the audience was completely silent, with no excess noise, making the recording quality exceptionally clear.
Every line Cheng Ye sang, every guitar string vibration, was completely captured.
Several people were excited. These lyrics were so good, they could perfectly serve as the closing theme for evening broadcasts.
Dreams, wasn't this exactly what Happiness City currently lacked most!
Unknowingly, the song had reached its end.
Cheng Ye stopped strumming the strings. He removed the microphone, surveyed the audience in a circle, said no extra words, just slightly raised his chin and suddenly sang a cappella:
"If there's a tomorrow, bless you, my dear!"
Whoosh.
A simple closing line, without accompaniment, yet like a stone thrown into a calm lake, rippling through everyone's heart.
Below the stage came first a brief silence, as if everyone was still immersed in the song's lingering echoes.
The next second, thunderous applause suddenly erupted, wave after wave, mixed with cheers and whistles.
Of course, there were inevitably people shouting excitedly, "Eagle Sir! One more song!"
Click.
The young broadcast center staff member could no longer contain himself and quickly pressed the camera shutter.
In the lens, the man with the eagle mask held a guitar, his figure upright, slightly bowing in thanks, behind him the cheering crowd and fluttering red banners.
Though somewhat blurry due to hand shake and distance, it radiated an indescribable infectious power.
When he wanted to adjust the angle for a clearer photo, he saw the figure on stage had already turned around, quickly walking off stage with the young man in the bear head mask, leaving only the empty wooden platform and still-echoing applause.
"What a pity, didn't get a clearer shot." The young staff member looked at the photo in his camera, clicking his tongue with some regret, his finger repeatedly zooming in on the screen, trying to see the contours under the mask clearly.
"Not a pity." The team leader leaned over, his gaze falling on that blurry photo, unable to suppress a smile. "Sometimes these fleeting moments are most precious. As long as you capture them, they become classics!"
"Believe it or not, this song will definitely be popular tomorrow. Not only will it spread throughout the buffer zone, even the outer migrant camps will have people humming it."
"Absolutely." The young staff member immediately smiled, "With this complete recording and this photo, tonight's broadcast will definitely make everyone remember! The leadership might even give us bonuses!"
But the team leader didn't respond further. Instead, he pulled out his personal notebook and pen from his pocket, quickly writing a line: "B-7 District demolition ceremony unexpected harvest, conveying dreams and hope, can serve as core propaganda material for key promotion."
In this wasteland era that needed "faith" for support, a song that could awaken hearts was far more powerful than a hundred empty slogans.
And Cheng Ye, who had already walked to the crowd's outer edge, still didn't know his singing was about to spread throughout the buffer zone.
He removed the eagle mask, feeling the residual coolness on his face, taking a deep breath but the burning sensation in his chest from singing still hadn't dissipated, still scalding.
"Brother Cheng, we've completed our dream!" Wang Kang caught up, "So this is what it feels like. It's so wonderful, I'll never forget it my whole life!"
"Forgot again? This is just the beginning, the beginning of the next dream."
"Right! It's the beginning of the next dream!" Wang Kang immediately caught on, nodding vigorously.
The two looked at each other and smiled.
"So Brother Cheng, what exactly is our next dream?"
"Hmm..." Cheng Ye paused, his gaze unconsciously looking toward Dapo Town's direction. "No rush, I'll tell you when we get home!"