Cyberpunk 2074: Shadows of the Past

Chapter 85 Dinner Party (Ⅱ)

"Pork, fish, mutton...can you buy some of each?" Gloria opened the freezer in front of her and carefully selected the neatly arranged pieces of frozen meat.

"I don't care..." David shrugged, pushed the shopping cart, and followed Gloria, looking around aimlessly.

He can neither cook nor taste the subtle differences between different meats.

The main reason is that the meat sold to ordinary people in supermarkets of all sizes in Night City are all products of chemical synthesis.

The raw materials are all taken from the meat worms cultivated in groups in the factory, and then prepared with chemical flavors to imitate the taste of different varieties of meat.

For example, the fishy smell of fish and the smell of mutton are all simulated products through technology.In essence, they are all a pile of highly concentrated bug meat.

In Night City, 60% of the residents have never tasted real meat. From birth to death, they are loyally accompanied by cheap and rich worm meat.

The remaining 39% of the residents are mostly unemployed, or poor people who have fallen into the streets for various reasons, and cannot even afford these cheap synthetic meats.

Only 1% of the upper class and the wealthy can enjoy the taste of real meat, even poultry meat, which is expressly prohibited by Night City law.

In short, there is no problem that money cannot solve.

"Do you want to buy cabbage? Although the price is a bit expensive..." Gloria stood in front of the beautifully decorated vegetable counter, hesitating between two packs of damaged cabbage leaves.

In Night City, the price of vegetables is much higher than synthetic meat.

Even the worst vegetable leaves are much more expensive than high-grade synthetic meat with carefully prepared flavors.

Only middle-class company employees would consider buying a little fresh vegetables during the holidays.

Even the upper class and the rich do not always have fresh vegetables to eat.

"Why don't you forget it...it's too expensive." David glanced at the price and quickly tried to dissuade Gloria.

"But eating vegetables is good for your health... Our David has to grow a little taller."

"Mom... said no..."

"Okay, but promise mom that next time you celebrate your birthday, you must eat a fresh vegetable leaf, okay?"

"We'll talk about it when the time comes." David shook his head and said perfunctorily.

He didn't want to waste his mother's hard-earned money on those few little green leaves.

"I also went out to buy vegetables with my brother-in-law before... My sister should have some fruits and vegetables at home."

"That's good..." Gloria reluctantly put the broken pieces of cabbage back in place, "Is there anything else you want to buy?"

"I told you it's for you to celebrate, mommy will buy whatever she likes..."

"Mom gave up all her hobbies because of you... now she suddenly said what she wanted... she scratched her head instead." Gloria scratched her head, she was an elderly person, but her smile was a little silly.

"So don't say such things suddenly..." David muttered in a low voice, and the tip of his nose couldn't help but rippling with sourness.

"Why did you start rubbing your eyes all of a sudden? Is it pain?" Gloria looked back at David who was constantly wiping his eye sockets, and asked subconsciously, her tone was full of concern as always.

"No..." David rubbed his reddened eyes, "It was windy just now, and some dust got in my eyes accidentally."

"So you're still a kid... I don't know when you'll grow up..."

"I don't want to grow up... I just want my mother to be like this... always be with me..." David said firmly to himself from the bottom of his heart.

It was his only New Year's resolution.

◎

"The Chinese New Year will be in less than two days...Yahweh."

"Chinese New Year? Hasn't Christmas passed long ago?" Yawei was sitting on the sofa flipping through magazines, when he heard this, he raised his head and asked a little strangely.

"I want to celebrate the New Year with you! We met after Christmas. In order to achieve this goal, let's celebrate the Chinese New Year together!"

"No wonder the streets of Night City have been decorated with lights and festoons recently..." Yawei nodded. It is always a good thing to be happy to be able to celebrate the New Year with your lover happily.

"There are quite a few cities in New America that celebrate the Chinese New Year..." Xi Tan stroked her long hair that had been dried a lot, but didn't go into the reason behind it.

"It's good to have more people during the Chinese New Year." Yawei said solemnly according to the data he had just inquired.

"I hope that when the time comes, it will be normal gorgeous fireworks blooming gorgeously in the night sky... instead of a certain explosion that soars into the sky..."

"Night City, it's hard to say."

"Crow mouth! Bah, bah, bah!" Xita rushed in front of Yawei, held his head, and viciously tapped his lips three times.

"Drink more water, your lips are wrinkled." Yawei pretended to be calm and said.

"Oh, you don't blush?" Xi Tan leaned over his face, looking like he was observing carefully.

"Of course, they are old couples..."

"Then why are the earlobes so red?" Xita seized the opening, and blew hot air on it viciously.

"Go and call Lucy, it's getting late!" Yawei covered his earlobes with his hands, and changed the subject abruptly.

"Hee hee..." Xi Tan secretly smiled, and after kissing him lightly on the cheek, she bounced out of the house.

◎

It is said that people will meet their nemesis at a certain stage of life.

Lucy originally scoffed at this kind of statement. She has always liked to be alone, and she would not have too much contact with others at all.

Until I met a girl with silver hair.

"Bang bang bang!"

The familiar rhythm of knocking on the door interrupted Lucy's action of unpacking the snack bag.

"Open the door! Lucy, I know you're home!" The girl's crisp voice came in through the crack of the door tenaciously, rushing straight into her ears.

Lucy sighed helplessly, put out the burning cigarette in her hand, and opened the window for ventilation.

Someone is still a child, not used to smelling smoke.

After rubbing her cheek lightly, Lucy walked to the door and opened the door.

"It's so slow, Lucy... If you don't respond, I'm going to break in!"

"Don't...do you want anything from me?" Lucy looked Xita up and down.

"Let's go to my house for dinner! Didn't I say it before, this time I just introduced the Martinez family to you..."

"Ah..." Lucy sighed and rubbed the sore brows, "Let me tell you first, I'm not good at dealing with strangers..."

Although a little ashamed to speak, there is nothing to hide from Xita.

"Don't worry, their family is fine..." Xi Tan patted his chest vigorously, looking confident.

"I really can't do anything about you...well..."

(End of this chapter)