The Youthful You Who Was So Beautiful

Six

The motorcycle turned into an abandoned steel rolling mill. The road was filled with numerous potholes, and the tree leaves were covered with a thick layer of dust and soot.

During the 70s and the 80s, the steel industry was booming. As a result, the employees who worked in the steel rolling mill were held in high esteem by the people surrounding them, and often had an easy time landing themselves a marriage partner. Indeed, regardless of which era one lived in, one would always be subject to societal hierarchies...

But fortune is fickle, and along with the various transformations in the New Century, people gradually began to perceive the processes of the steel rolling mill as being extremely inefficient, wasteful, and harmful to the environment. The decreased reliance on steel mills ultimately resulted in the steel rolling mill laying off its employees and declaring itself insolvent.

This plot of land was thus left abandoned for more than a decade. Presently, the steel rolling mill remained in a dilapidated state, and constantly seemed to be on the brink of collapse. Only the innermost staff dormitory remained upright, its walls greatly darkened by its prior constant exposure to the black fumes spewed by the steel mill.

The motorcycle came to a sudden halt, causing Eliza to bump into Sebastian's back. Eliza hurriedly grab hold of her helmet and readjusted her position. Holding Sebastian's shoulders for support, Eliza carefully climbed down from the motorcycle. An old-fashioned staff dormitory loomed ahead of her. In the late afternoon, wisps of cooking smoke drifted out from various doorways, causing the entire building to look like a huge honeycomb that was on fire.

Sebastian said, "This way."

Eliza turned back to look at him.

Behind the thick, lush trees, there was an old building that consisted of two storeys in total. The shutter doors of the building were shut, and didn't seem to be capable of inhabitation, but resembled a goods transfer station instead. There was a rusty iron staircase on the right side of the building, connecting the second storey to the first.

The tree leaves gave off an extremely pleasant and fresh smell; beneath the foliage, thin and delicate strings of white silk hung from the tree branches, akin to an astounding pearl curtain. Upon Eliza walking nearer, Eliza discovered that there were white, fat bugs hanging at the bottom of the white strings.

A cold shiver shot up Eliza's spine. She carefully avoided the white strings and began climbing the stairs.

On the second floor, the corridor was covered with a thin layer of coal ash. Various plastic bags, old bicycles and other waste objects lay strewn around the corridor.

Sebastian squat down, unlocked the shutters, and lifted the shutters in one fluid motion. The metallic shutters clanged noisily whilst dust motes swirled around in the evening light. Momentarily stunned, Eliza blinked a few times before a small smile formed on her lips. Turning back to look at Eliza, Sebastian asked, "Why so happy?"

Eliza lowered her head, "This door......is very......cool."

Sebastian looked at Eliza expressionlessly and didn't make a single sound.

Eliza continued, "Motorcycle......also."

"Also, what?"

"Also, very cool."

Sebastian remained expressionless. Lifting the shutters fully, he marched into his home quickly. Once his back was turned towards her, his lips curved into a quick smile before returning to a neutral expression. Turning towards her, he said, "Come in."

Eliza hesitated for a moment before following him into the house.

The interior of the house was extremely dim, and the hot and humid smell of his bed sheets filled the entire house.