Castle of Black Iron

On the same evening Zhang Tie woke up, he gave a performance together with his elder brother.

In the evening, Zhang Tie put on his clothes and drove a military vehicle that was left by the Iron-Blood Camp out of the hospital. Because his left hand did not work well yet, Zhang Tie only used his right hand to control the steering wheel. Since he was fully-dressed, nobody could see his wounds.

This car, powered by a steam engine, was very easy to control. It only had a neutral position, a former block, an after stall, a brake, and an accelerator. Of course, accelerator was an old word

from before the Catastrophe. According to the present professional terms, it was a pressure-variable pedal connected to the car’s boiler. Through this pedal, the output power of the steam engine at the head of the car could be adjusted.

Steam-driven cars drove easily. They could reach above 100 km/h in the city. The only shortage of this car was that it would take at least half an hour to ignite every day. Only after the boiler had been heated and the pressure inside the boiler rose to a certain degree could the car be used. But the car needed ignition only once a day. After it was ignited, what the driver needed to do was to feed coal into the charging bin, add water in the water container, and clean the ashes out of the automatic ash discharging container every day.

Iron-Blood Camp was the most mechanized camp in No. 39 Division. There were five cars available in Third Platoon alone, in which Zhang Tie served. Three of the five cars were half-covered armored vehicles used to transport soldiers, while the other two were five-seat military convertible SUVs. As the head of Third Platoon, Zhang Tie had an SUV exclusively to himself. As he was recuperating in the hospital, the Iron-Blood Camp just left the vehicle there for the convenience of Zhang Tie’s travel.

With the pile of gold coins that he had gotten from Samira’s purse, Zhang Tie drove the car directly towards a rice store. After buying two bags of rice, he let the lad working there to put the rice onto his back seats. After that, he paid and drove his car towards his parents’ place.

On the way back home, Zhang Tie felt pretty cool sitting in the car. His vanity was satisfied once again.

Zhang Tie estimated that his family members were eating supper now. After pressing the horn twice, he didn’t get off the car, instead, he directly shouted loudly, ”Elder brother, open the door!”

As they’ve agreed on in the morning, the moment Zhang Yang heard Zhang Tie’s scream, he opened the door and walked outside. With a surprised expression on his face, he said, ”Aya, you’ve learned how to drive a car. Come on in, we’re eating supper now!”

”No, I’ve already finished supper. As I have something to deal with today, I brought you two bags of rice in case you need to buy them again. You can just take them out of the car. I won’t go inside today!”

”Fine!”

While the two brothers performed, they grimaced to each other. While Zhang Yang was taking out the two bags of rice off the car, Zhang Tie’s dad and mom walked out the door.

With a big smile on his face, Zhang Tie enthusiastically waved his right hand towards his parents. ”Dad, Mom, I’m here to bring your some rice! How about my car? Is your son great? I’ve learned how to drive a car!”

Seeing Zhang Tie outside the door of their home, as was expected, their parents revealed smiles, as if a heavy burden was taken off their shoulders.

”Hurry up, go home and eat supper!”

”No, dad, I’ll take you out for a ride one day. As I’ve just finished supper, I’m here to bring you two bags of rice by the way!”

”Guoguo, are you okay?” Saying this, his mom prepared to walk towards Zhang Tie. ”I heard that something happened to you during the duel!”

Placing his left hand on the steering wheel, Zhang Tie hammered his chest with great vigor using his right hand. ”I’m very good. As there were a lot of people at school that day, some chaos arose. Your son is fine, although having been almost eaten by a pile of girls. There was someone who had a conflict with soldiers sent there by the Military Administration to maintain order, but they were arrested. Mom, you just go back home. I have something urgent to deal with today, so I’ll go back to see you another day!”

After saying this, since he was afraid that his mom would notice something wrong if she drew close to him, Zhang Tie waved his hand towards her and stepped on the pressure-variable pedal, driving away.

Now certain that his son was okay, Zhang Tie’s mom finally let out a long breath. She stayed at home the past two days, so when Zhang Yang told her that Zhang Tie was okay, she believed it. But when she went out to buy vegetables today, she heard that Zhang Tie was assassinated. She was really startled by such news.

As few people had witnessed what had happened to Zhang Tie that day, there were many versions of the event spread around. Some said that the military officer of the Norman Empire picked a fight with the onlookers of the duel; some said that he was assassinated during the duel; others even said that the soldiers of No. 39 Division started a massacre in the Seventh National Male Middle School.

There was also a gossip that the Gregorian family schemed some plot, but it was found out, and so the fortress of Gregorian family was surrounded by the soldiers of No. 39 Division, which led to curfew across the whole Blackhot City.

Zhang Tie’s dad and mom had heard a lot of different versions the past two days, and they couldn’t judge which one was true at all. Therefore, they were really worried about Zhang Tie.

After seeing him drive over in a good condition, they finally became reassured.

Zhang Tie really didn’t want his dad and mom to worry about him.

After the performance, Zhang Tie prepared to go back to the hospital as he had to change fresh dressing for his wounds tonight.

...

Because it was supper time, there were only a few passers-by on the road, so Zhang Tie found it extremely pleasant to drive. The landscapes on two sides of the road kept moving backwards rapidly, and he seemed to have that feeling of running in the wind again. While driving with this great pleasure, Zhang Tie caught sight of Grandma Teresa, who was standing on the roadside in green nun’s clothing. Beside her were a group of kids. Zhang Tie’s car passed by them by 20 meters in a split second.

With a sound of ’Zhi’, Zhang Tie pushed on the brake, leaving a 7-8 m long tire mark on the cement ground. He drove back to the old woman.

’She’s really Grandma Teresa!’

More than ten kids were standing on the roadside. One was holding a box for donations in his hand, while another held high a paper board on which was written - ’We’re very hungry!’

The rest of the kids were holding pots of flowers and grasses.

Standing among them, Grandma Teresa collected donations together with these kids from kind-heart passers-by, who would get a pot of flowers or grasses as a payment.

It was late, and the lamplighters were about to come out; few people were still walking on the road. Therefore, those people who were collecting donations on the roadside looked pretty desolate.

Zhang Tie immediately jumped off the car and walked towards them. Although in a military uniform, all the kids could still recognize him.

It was the elder brother Rice Soup who would send yummy rice soup to the orphanage every week before.

”Elder brother Rice Soup...”

Zhang Tie was immediately surrounded by the kids. At the sight of the dejected faces of these kids between 4-9 years old and that board ’We are very hungry’, Zhang Tie felt like crying. After the price of grains had surged up across the entire Blackhot City, even his home’s rice brew business became depressed. Zhang Tie could definitely imagine how bad a situation Grandma Teresa’s orphanage was in now.

At the sight of Zhang Tie, Grandma Teresa smiled like before, however, after three months, she looked more haggard than before.

”Elder brother Rice Soup, will you send us rice soup like before? We’ve not drunk yummy rice soup for over a month!” asked a 6-7-year-old-girl in a timid way while pulling on the corner of Zhang Tie’s military coat.

Hearing the words ’rice soup’, all the other kids started to forcefully swallow their saliva at the same time, their shiny eyes fixed on Zhang Tie.

”Good girl, elder brother will send you yummy food after a while!”

Saying this, Zhang Tie slightly touched the little girl’s head.

Grandma Teresa then walked towards him. Being different from those kids, she clearly knew what it meant him wearing this military uniform. After three months, the coy youth who had sent rice soup to the orphanage had become a second lieutenant of the Norman Empire. Even Zhang Tie’s personality had greatly changed.

”Grandma Teresa!” Zhang Tie greeted the old woman who was walking towards him.

”It seems that the god’s willingness has been displayed on you!”

Grandma Teresa embraced Zhang Tie warmly after coming over.

”How many days have these kids been starved?”

”Over the past month, these kids could only eat till they were half-full at each meal. Additionally, three meals a day have been reduced to two meals a day. I had no other method but to take them out and collect donations on the road. If it continues like this, the kids will definitely have health problems. These kids I take out are healthier than those being left in the orphanage who don’t even have the strength to walk!” Grandma Teresa said dejectedly.

”What do you need most now?”

”Food, salt, it would be better if there was some sugar and alcohol!”

”Grandma, do you believe in me?”

Zhang Tie stared at Grandma Teresa with a serious expression.

”Of course, my son!”

”Then go back to the orphanage together with these kids, boil water and clean the warehouse, I’ll bring the items there soon!”

After deeply staring at Zhang Tie and then kissing his forehead once again, Grandma Teresa said nothing more. She felt tears filling her eyes. She knew that these kids of the orphanage would finally be saved...

Touching the hears of the kids surrounding him, Zhang Tie revealed a smile. ”You first go back to the orphanage together with grandma and tell your friends in the orphanage to prepare for the yummy food your elder brother will bring to you. How about that?”

”Fine!”

The small kids all nodded with shiny eyes fixed on Zhang Tie.

Without saying anything more, Zhang Tie waved his hands to those people as he immediately jumped into the car and sped away...

Not until Zhang Tie disappeared at the end of the road did grandma Teresa let those kids who had been standing outside for almost a day to return to the orphanage.