Hardy and Taylor walked inside.
The streets were filled with garbage. The ground was covered in sewage. A foul smell permeated the air.
Taylor had never been to such a place before. She wrinkled her nose and was about to cover it when she saw Hardy looking at her, so she immediately dropped her hand.
"This place is very dirty and messy, a true slum. Matilda grew up in such an environment. She was often beaten, covered in scars, and frequently hungry. Her stomach illness came from being hungry too often," Hardy explained.
Taylor immediately understood.
She gritted her teeth.
Her face no longer had any pretense.
A few dirty children ran by on the roadside, their clothes looked like they hadn't been washed in a long time, and their hair was disheveled.
A few young men walked by carrying bundles, eyeing Taylor with surprise because they rarely saw such a refined girl in the slums.
The houses next to them were more decent, but in the distance, there were many makeshift shacks built with wooden planks. Several women in wrinkled clothes were doing manual labor there.
Occasionally, chickens and ducks would squawk.
It was all a mess.
Taylor couldn't imagine how these people lived in such conditions.
Beside a house, a child ran out with a piece of bread in hand, followed by an older child who snatched the bread away.
"Brother, I'm hungry."
The chasing boy quickly stuffed the bread into his mouth and walked away, leaving the other child sitting on the ground crying loudly.
Taylor was shocked to see this scene.
She had never imagined someone fighting over a piece of bread, at home, any slightly stale bread would be thrown away immediately.
At that moment, Hardy spoke:
"Not everyone is born into a life of luxury. Matilda lived in this kind of environment. She was often beaten, covered in scars, and hungry. Her stomach problems were caused by hunger."
"Mr. Hardy, the night before last at Mr. Meyer's mansion, you said I wasn't suitable for the role of Matilda, and I was quite upset at the time. You said my temperament didn't fit. I wondered then, What's wrong with acting? What doesn't fit?"
"I finally understand that there is such a big gap between me and the character. If I act according to my own habits, I really can't act like Matilda."
The two continued walking.
Sewage. Debris. Beggars. Stray cats and dogs. Laborers. Prostitutes.
Hungry children. Elderly beggars.
Taylor got a feel for what the slums really were.
If she hadn't come here, she couldn't imagine anyone living such a life.
When the two passed by a grocery store, there were several young men standing next to it. One of the guys saw Taylor and thought the girl was really beautiful.
He had never seen such a beautiful girl.
He looked at the young man next to the girl. Although he was only wearing a shirt, it was made of very delicate fabric. He guessed that he was the son of a rich family.
"Brothers, let's get some money to spend." This guy whispered to a few people next to him.
"Okay."
Several guys stood in front of Hardy and Taylor with lewd smiles on their faces.
They planned on teasing the pretty little girl and extorting dozens of dollars from the man.
"Hey man, hand over the money and this girl leave her with us for a while or you won't leave this downtown area alive hehe."
A thug pulled out a knife and started playing with it in his hand.
Taylor was frightened by the sudden appearance of several thugs. She quickly moved closer to Hardy.
Hardy, concerned that the girl might be harmed by these thugs, reached out and put his arm around her shoulder.
"Hand over all the money you've got."
"Bang!"
Before the thug with the knife could finish his sentence, a gunshot rang out from the side, and the thug fell to the ground with a bullet in his chest.
Blood gushed out of his chest.
"Ah~!"
Taylor was scared, screamed, and turned, burying her face in Hardy's chest.
Soon after, Ivan arrived with a few men.
Upon seeing this, the thugs were terrified they knew Ivan well. The Russian gang was the biggest force in this area, and no one dared to provoke them. The thugs all knelt on the ground and pleaded.
"Don't kill us, please, don't kill us."
Ivan didn't have time to deal with these guys. He nervously looked at Hardy and cautiously said, "Boss, I'm sorry for the scare, it's my oversight."
Hardy shook his head helplessly.
This was indeed unexpected.
He had wanted to show Taylor what life was like in the slums, but he hadn't expected a few thugs to emerge and try to rob them.
Looking down at Taylor in his arms, who was frightened like a quail, tightly clutching Hardy's waist with her eyes closed, pressed against his chest,.
"Ivan, handle things here, I'll take Taylor and leave." He then hugged Taylor and started walking back.
Ivan quickly sent two men to follow as escorts.
Once Hardy was out of sight, Ivan turned to the thugs, kneeling on the ground. His face turned grim.
"Damn it. The boss finally entrusted me with this task, and I was hoping to impress him. Now you idiots have messed it all up."
"Lift the body, and take them all with you," Ivan said coldly through gritted teeth.
Back in the car, Hardy settled the girl into the back seat.
He drove away from the slums. On the way, the girl curled up in her seat. Hardy knew Taylor was scared. She had been sheltered all her life and had never encountered anything so violent.
Seeing someone killed right in front of her had a tremendous impact.
He thought for a moment, he parked the car in a small parking lot near a park.
He got out and climbed into the back seat.
The girl cried, tears streaming down her face.
Hardy held her in his arms "Is this your first time seeing something like this?"
"Yeah." The girl nodded tearfully.
"Do you remember when I told you about Matilda coming home with groceries and seeing her entire family slaughtered through the door? Can you imagine how she felt at that moment?"
"Sorrow, fear. But to survive, she had to grit her teeth and go to the neighbor's door, knocking for Leon to open up. That was her only chance to survive in the face of death threats. Can you imagine how scared she was?"
"Matilda's strength. Can you understand it a bit now?"
"I guess I underestimated Matilda before, Mr. Hardy. Could you tell me more about that story? I'd like to understand it better." Taylor said.
"No problem."