Just as Aunt Rachel had just said, they came to Cleveland to pick up Dean and return to Youngstown. Because of Dean's abnormal behavior this week, the school professors believed that he had mental problems, so the Mental Health Center conducted a series of examinations on him. It turns out that Dean's performance is indeed not normal, at least for the time being he is not suitable to continue his studies. In addition, Aunt Rachel called the school two days ago to explain Dean's situation, which led to the conversation in Clark's office just now. However, Dean refused the suggestion of dropping out of school. How could he waste such precious time as eighteen years old by dropping out of school? Although he came from the later generations and received modern education, going to college is still very important. It is the best shortcut to achieve class leap in any era. Perhaps he could achieve financial freedom in ten years through the eyes of future generations, but that would be the worst that could come of it. The wealthy class is also divided into different levels. If you want to be in the 1% or even 0.1%, it is not enough to have some forward-looking vision. Besides, this is America, and he was not familiar with it in his previous life. Therefore, university is the best choice during the transition period. Knowledge, connections, and the laws governing how society works are all intangible wealth. Unfortunately, Cleveland State University is just average. After searching through his memory, Dean's ranking of it is only slightly better than that of a fake university. Among the more than 2,000 universities with degree accreditation in the United States, Cleveland State University can only barely rank in the top 200, a solid fourth-tier university. Compared with the top 30 universities such as Harvard and Yale, this is a far cry from that. It would be great if he could get into a better university. With his GPA of 3.8, it should be enough for him to apply to any of the top ten universities. Dean stared out the window at the speeding highway and pondered the possibility of this matter in his mind. After all, a better university can provide greater help to personal development, especially for a country boy like him. "Cleveland is becoming more and more decadent." Seeing Dean staring out the window, Aunt Rachel beside him couldn't help but sigh, thinking that he was reminiscing about the past. "Huh? Decline?" Dean looked back at Cleveland behind him. The towering skyscrapers there shine brightly in the afternoon sun, and the streets are filled with pedestrians and vehicles, covering most of the city. This seems pretty good, at least similar to the second-tier cities Dean had seen in his previous life. "More than a decade ago, Cleveland had a population of more than 900,000, ranking ninth in the United States, and was a famous metropolis in the Great Lakes region. But now..." Aunt Rachel sighed, "There are less than 600,000 people left in the entire city." The relocation of heavy industry has caused this metropolis on the shores of Lake Erie to lose its former glory. "Is this where your father works every day?" Dean asked casually as he watched Cleveland gradually go away behind him. Because of his previous memories, he certainly knew where his father worked. But Dean didn't know the details of his arrest. When the incident happened, this new visitor of the century was still in a daze trying to adapt to this body. And now his aunt's family was reluctant to explain the reason, so Dean had to take the initiative to speak up himself. Sure enough, when they heard Dean mention his father Pete, Rachel and Frank became silent. Seeing the two of them fall silent, Dean's heart skipped a beat, wondering if his cheap dad had committed some vicious crime. He was also thinking about applying to a better top university in the future, but if his family committed a serious crime with a serious impact, this plan might be ruined. Because those top universities attach great importance to students' family background, they may not explicitly reject you, but a bad family environment will definitely be a minus point. Seeing Dean's serious expression, Aunt Rachel quickly comforted him, "Dean, it's not as bad as you think. Although Pete did some wrong things, it's not irreparable." "Then please tell me, Aunt. It's important, and I'm eighteen." Eighteen, an adult under federal law, even though he was still a few weeks away from his birthday. "Okay," Frank, who was driving, responded first, "Dean, I believe you can handle these things. But before that, let's go home, take a hot bath, and enjoy a steaming hot dinner. Let's talk about this later, after all, now is not a good time." Frank gestured to the steering wheel in his hand. "Sorry Uncle Frank, I was impatient." Dean apologized for his impulsive tone. "It's okay, kid. We all know you're strong enough." Aunt Rachel, who was also sitting in the back row, hugged him again and comforted him softly. His mother just passed away, his father is in custody, and he has a jerk brother who was kicked out of the family. Dean is the only normal person left in the family. What else can you blame for this child who has suffered a series of blows? Because of the topic just now, the atmosphere in the car seemed a little dull for a moment, and Dean continued to immerse himself in his memories, looking for those past lights and shadows in order to better understand everything he is facing now. Cleveland is only about 70 miles away from Youngstown in the southeast, and they could see the latter's outline from a distance after driving for an hour. It was not until then that Dean could understand why Aunt Rachel had always lamented that everything was in decline along the way. On both sides of the Mahoning River Valley near Youngstown, dilapidated factory buildings can be seen everywhere, covered in rusty brown. Windows were broken, weeds covered the asphalt, and parking lots were empty. Looking from afar, there are factory graveyards like this on both sides of the road for twenty-five miles. Youngstown is located on the edge of this factory graveyard, and it is also where Dean was born and grew up. Yes, this brown area has another name, the Rust Belt. The Youngstown-Cleveland area where Dean is located is in the heart of the Rust Belt, Ohio. When the car entered the city, the bleakness was far from the prosperity of Cleveland. There were few pedestrians on the street, and there was a homeless man wearing a woolen hat lying drunk on the ground next to an inconspicuous trash can. "F*ck! What's the purpose of the community council? To canvass votes for the Republicans? Look at the actor president they elected, who advocates economic globalization, ah? That actor should bear more than half of the responsibility for the mess in Youngstown today!" Frank couldn't help cursing when he saw the ugly homeless man, maybe because he was upset by the previous topic. "Frank," Rachel gave him a reproachful look as he was still feeling indignant, and reminded him, "This is the north of the city." "Okay, the north of the city, a paradise for niggers and criminals!" Frank stepped on the accelerator and sped up, crossing the north of the city and heading towards the south. The south of the city is a community where white people like them gather. Although the apartheid law has been abolished for nearly 20 years and equal rights movements have come in waves in recent years, the barriers in people's hearts have not been eliminated. At least in Youngstown, it's still black and white. Although they are in the same city, the South City Community and the North City Community are two completely different concepts. At least when you walk in the south of the city, you don't have to worry about being pushed on the back by a black man and asked for $20. You don't have to worry about a homeless man approaching you mysteriously and asking if you want to fly leaves. Squeak! The friction between the brake pad and the wheel hub makes a teeth-grinding groan. When Dean came to his senses, Frank's car had already stopped in front of 1319 Charlotte Street in the south of the city. A two-story single-family house with a red triangular roof and a small porch under the white walls. Close to the roadside near the front door is a large lawn and garden, and there is another yard behind the house that is not visible. This is Dean's home, and the locked door reminds him that the house is empty at the moment. "Dean, pack your things first. Remember to go to Bruce Street before 6pm. You and Jerry will stay in the same room tonight." While Dean was staring at his house in a daze, Aunt Rachel had already arranged accommodation for him tonight. Bruce Street is very close to Charlotte Street where Dean's home is. Just walk to the end of the road in front of his house and then turn the corner about four or five hundred meters away. The third house from the left there is my aunt's house. They and Dean's family all live in the south of the city. "Aunt Rachel, maybe I can stay at my house tonight. After all, it's close to you." "No, Dean," Aunt Rachel looked at him sternly, "It's not safe for you to be alone at night. Youngstown today is no longer the Youngstown of five years ago. Some of the scum among the unemployed workers are trying to figure out ways to make money. If the news of your father's detention had not spread, I guarantee that you would not be away for more than two days, and when you return home, the carved wooden door might not even be there." Dean looked at the locked door of his house with wooden carvings and fell into deep thought for a moment. Well, the people of Youngstown are simple and honest. But since she said so, Dean nodded. "Okay, aunt, I will go to Bruce Street before six o'clock." After getting Dean's assurance, Aunt Rachel got into the car with peace of mind. In fact, there were some things she hadn't finished saying, especially when she saw Dean looking at the house in a trance, she couldn't say them out loud. If the only income earner in the family goes to jail, there will be a lot of trouble. But let's leave everything for tonight, at least let Dean take a hot bath and relax. Dean stood in front of his house and sighed as he watched the car go away. All signs showed that his life seemed to be in a mess. 拍了拍脸颊,他掏出钥匙打开雕着花纹的木门,第一次跨进了家门. 虽然新的生活可能一团糟,但貌似也值得期待呢.