The host is red and black, and the system can only chirp

Benny was at a loss for what to do with the gift that was suddenly stuffed into his hands. The logo was eye-catching, and it was a brand that young people liked.

Benny is no exception.

But they are brands that Benny's family would never consume.

In the Vidigal slums, only the members of the Hilltop group are willing to pay for these things.

In the slums, the average weekly wage of an adult resident does not exceed $15; Benny once inquired about the income of the most ordinary members of the Hilltop Group, and it is now at least $700 per week.

The members of the group are the rich people in the Vidigal slums.

……

As a child, Benny was always envious.

I envy the freedom, happiness, willfulness and arrogance of the group members. They have enough money to buy boxes of wine, smoke expensive cigarettes and own many fancy things...

Benny grew up in envy, and he finally understood why his father tried so hard to prevent him from getting close to those people.

Those faces disappeared too quickly.

It was almost to the point that Benny rarely saw faces over thirty years old.

They always grow quickly and disappear even faster.

……

Benny lowered his head, staring blankly at the pair of green and black sneakers in his hands.

When he was a child, he saw his elder brother Carlo wearing this brand more than once.

Brother Carlo is the eldest son of the next-door neighbor. He did not listen to Uncle Ander and became a member of the Hilltop Group at the age of 15.

He patrols and stands guard every day with a very impressive assault rifle, rides motorcycles with his colleagues, earns a lot of money, and is more capable than his father.

That was Benny's most difficult time.

He always wore only a vest, a T-shirt and baggy shorts, and walked barefoot for a long time. But Carlo bought a lot of delicious food and beautiful clothes for his younger brothers and sisters.

Brother Carlo himself... was wearing expensive-looking shoes with particularly smooth lines.

Benny couldn't help staring at the shoes on Brother Carlo's feet.

I am very envious.

In particular, Brother Carlo had a pair of fluorescent green sneakers that appeared repeatedly in Benny's dreams when he was young.

At that time, Benny thought that if he wore such shoes, he would definitely be able to do parkour in the community.

Until one day, the body of Brother Carlo, who was shot seven times, was found by Uncle Ander, and the envy finally came to an abrupt end.

Brother Carlo never lived to see his 18th birthday.

……

My father...is very different from the uncles and aunts next door.

My father knows a lot of things, he listens to the news every day, he never smokes or drinks, he never beats his wife and children... my father is always right.

The older he gets, the more Benny admires his father.

After Carlo's death, Benny finally understood his father's painstaking efforts. He finally agreed with his father's view that studying was the only way out, even if the chances were slim.

Benny began to study hard.

However, due to the long-term absence of teachers and the lack of learning materials, it is difficult for Benny to make normal learning progress.

Until suddenly one day... Benny was arranged by his father to go to an international school that was out of reach for children from the slums.

After entering the international school, Benny thanked himself more than once for having his father taught him boxing and for having grown taller and stronger than his peers.

Because he is strong and has good skills, Benny is rarely beaten in the international school and only faces cold violence in the school.

Benny wanted to give up more than once.

Every time Benny put down his textbook, his eyes would flash back to his elder brother Carlo, who was curled up in a ball and whom Uncle Ander and his father could not straighten up even after trying together.

No matter how much cold violence there is in school, Benny feels he can still tolerate it.

He spent more time and energy than his classmates... If reciting once didn't work, he would recite it a hundred times. With this perseverance, Benny finally transformed himself and got a university offer.

……

The young man in front of me held on to his sneakers and was reluctant to let go.

"It seems that the gift I bought is very pleasing to the young man." Xi Mingming thought with relief, "Qin Jiaye is so reliable that he deserves praise from across the ocean."

"In China, friends' children who are admitted to universities usually receive gifts for further studies." Xi Mingming explained with a smile: "Only the sneakers were prepared by me. The others were gifts that an uncle named Guan asked me to bring to you."

Benny looked to his father for help.

The boy was moved, but also confused as he didn't know why the foreign reporter gave him a back-to-school gift.

……

Benny's family never really fit in in the Vidigal slums.

The father has only one son, Benny.

My father made it a strict rule that no one in the family was allowed to smoke, drink, or take drugs.

All of this is incompatible with the surrounding neighbors.

Today is special, very special.

Dad brought back a whole case of beer from the family store, so Mom, he, and Dad could all drink today.

Benny received an offer from a university and asked his family to have a drink together, but his father flatly refused.

Who is this foreign journalist?

……

Uncle Ada looked at his son and smiled: "Take it. The elders of China give gifts to the younger generation, and we cannot refuse them."

Xi Mingming smiled. She guessed that Director Guan’s original words to Uncle Ada were “I dare not refuse the gift given by the elders.”

When Director Guan left the City of God, the boy in front of him should have been 3 years old.

Benny was born when Director Guan was serving as the chief of the Latin American news bureau.

What did Director Guan give to the newly born Benny? Nutritional supplements? Looking at Benny's sturdy figure, yes, it is very likely.

……

Uncle Aga drank the rest of the beer in the bottle in one gulp and said with a smile, "I've never told you that you can go to the international middle school because of the recommendation of Uncle Guan."

Benny's mother smiled gently and looked at her husband and son with satisfaction. The pride in her eyes was not concealed at all. She was really proud of her husband and son.

In the country of colorful turtles, it is very rare for children from non-slums to attend international schools, let alone children from slums.

Benny's eyes widened. The neighbors asked his father more than once about whether he could go to an international school.

Every time, my father would just say lightly: "When I was young, I accidentally helped a big man. I didn't ask for money, but in exchange for Benny's opportunity to study."

My father never mentioned who it was or what happened.

Benny's eyes were deep and bright, and at this moment, he was looking at his father with sparkling eyes.

Uncle Aga did not say much about Director Guan, but instead solemnly introduced Xi Mingming: "Reporter Xi graduated from the best university in China. When reporter Xi participated in ENEM, the number of applicants in China exceeded 1100 million."

Benny turned his head and looked at Xi Mingming in awe. He stood out from 600 million candidates and had become the pride of the entire community.

Uncle Aga told his son: "You don't need to help at home these days. Accompany reporter Xi to get familiar with the Vidigal community."

People living in slums generally call the area where they live a community.

A name that implies the residents' expectations and the implicit wish not to be discriminated against.

……

Benny was not surprised by Xi Mingming's identity as a foreign journalist.

The slums of Caigui Country have always been viewed with curiosity by the outside world, with reporters stopping to take pictures from time to time.

Although very few reporters dare to barge in directly, the slum children are not unfamiliar with reporters.

1100 million candidates, the best universities... Benny is enthusiastic about his work.

What's more, Benny kicked up his brand new sneakers and stood at the door waiting for people to leave, while his father was explaining things to reporter Xi.

Benny squatted down, brushed off the fine dust on the edge of his shoes, and stomped his feet lightly, feeling really comfortable.

He owned three pairs of the same brand but different styles at one time.