Early July in London is clearly not a pleasant time.
The sky is mostly overcast, the entire view like an old film from the last century. When Lilian, disheveled, emerged from under the bridge, a gaunt young man was already lying there.
There's no choice, even as a homeless person, there are oppressions and rebellions. At least now, Lilian is a successful rebel.
In her pocket, she carried an old wristwatch she had just taken from him, showing it was half past three in the afternoon.
The watch was a Rolex, obviously not obtained legitimately, considering it was taken from a homeless person's wrist. But that doesn't matter. In the face of survival, etiquette and shame can be temporarily set aside.
Just like her clothes now smelling a bit foul, her hair unwashed for over a week. As a wandering girl, the dirtier, the safer.
In 1991 London, life in a welfare home was barely manageable, but for someone like Lilian, who appeared to be a young girl but with the mentality of an experienced adult, she couldn't imagine living in an orphanage.
She spent a whole month getting familiar with this world and another month saving up her first living expenses.
She now had nearly twenty pounds.
Short-term sustenance was at least assured.
Now, she had to figure out how to earn money with her barely teenage body while ensuring safety.
She had seen herself clean once — her delicate fair skin and soft contours, combined with deep eye sockets and a high nose bridge... Her beauty was so striking that she had to bury herself in the garbage heaps.
But this unkempt appearance made it impossible for her to fend for herself.
Life had never been so hard.
At that moment, the tinkling sound of a bicycle bell came from afar —
A bicycle!
Lilian perked up and stood by the roadside.
Time had passed so long, that she considered being in a book or movie adaptation, but two months were enough to erode all fantasies.
The current wait was just for the young postman.
The bell sound grew closer, and at the end of the path, a young figure appeared on a bicycle. He had messy brown curls, his features quite handsome —
"Hey! Lilian!"
"Hey, Hank!"
Hank propped the bike with one foot, expertly pulling out a thick educational magazine from the back mailbag:
"I got this at the post office," he winked at Lilian, obviously no stranger to such pilfering: "If there are any riddles, writing contests, or math problems, you've got yourself another income."
Lilian took it, pretending not to see the black mud in her fingernails — if one is disguised, then disguise thoroughly. Unless she could ensure her safety, she would never clean up.
Even if facing familiar Hank.
Hank obviously sighed a bit, "Lilian, your eyes are so beautiful, I don't understand why you don't want to bathe?"
A dignified worker couldn't understand the plight of a homeless girl.
Lilian just smiled, silently flipping through the old magazine.
And at that moment, Hank suddenly remembered:
"Right! There's a reply for you!"
YOU ARE READING
Joyful Magical Days
FantasyOn Dudley's birthday, Harry Potter, who was doing chores at home, received a letter from a stranger, who addressed him as: 'The Boy Who Lived Through Great Hardship'.
