Chapter 37: A Favor From Fox

That morning, after exchanging another seven thousand dollars’ worth of small bills, William received a request from Mr. Fox during one of their phone calls. Mr. Fox wanted to meet and discuss what came next.

William considered it for a while before accepting the invitation.

Not long afterward, he met Mr. Fox at a somewhat secluded farm.

Today, Mr. Fox was not wearing any of his expensive clothes. Instead, he had on a blue-gray denim jacket and trousers, along with a pair of rubber overalls.

When William spotted him, he was carrying a huge bundle of hay into a stable. The weather was getting hotter by the day. Under the sun, the horse manure, cow manure, and whatever other animal droppings were scattered around gave off a lethal stench. Yet Mr. Fox showed not the slightest reaction.

After seven or eight minutes, Mr. Fox finally emerged from the stable, apologizing as he did.

The two men walked to a shaded shelter behind the stable. As Mr. Fox sprayed the dirt off his rubber overalls with a hose, he said with a hint of nostalgia, “Before I got into this line of work, my father and I both thought I’d become an excellent farmer.”

A look of remembrance appeared on his face.

More than twenty years ago, he had not been the widely respected Mr. Fox he was today. He had simply been young Fox from the countryside.

He had just gotten married back then. The economic gains Baler Federation had accumulated over many years were beginning to erupt into explosive growth. Every industry was booming. People everywhere talked about the advantages of city life, as though money covered the streets and all a person had to do was bend over to pick it up before becoming a big shot.

The entire society was steeped in that atmosphere.

Mr. Fox had wanted a better future for his wife and children. After discussing it with his family, he set out for the big city alongside a group of friends.

To this day, some of them had become successful, while others existed only in people’s memories.

Without question, Mr. Fox belonged to the fortunate group.

Human beings were like that. Once they achieved a measure of success, they started reminiscing about the past. Some did so because their present lives were miserable, making them long for simpler, carefree days.