Darkstone Code-Chapter 937 - 935: Young People and Youth Culture
After several days, Lynch was once again standing in front of Catherine, which could also be said the other way around.
Catherine looked at Lynch and couldn’t help but complain, "Where’s your youthful vibe?"
A party meant for young people, definitely not one of those stiff and serious adult gatherings.
There would be scantily dressed beauties, explosive music, and all sorts of alcoholic drinks.
The "young people’s party" made it hard to tell if it was just a party for the young or a wild celebration for them, maybe both.
In such a setting, dressing too formally was not appropriate. Catherine was wearing jeans and a pink T-shirt with a cartoon girl printed on it.
Her hair was pulled up with a white silk handkerchief tied into a bow.
As for Lynch... he was actually wearing formal attire!
Catherine slapped her own face, mixing deep despair with a hint of embarrassment, "I don’t want to be the joke of the party, you know?"
Lynch also gave himself an up-and-down look; he had just finished conversing with a group of lawyers, everyone being "decent folk," where formal attire and ties were standard.
Especially since last year when indoor air conditioning technology had gradually matured, the temperature inside buildings could remain pleasant even in summer.
For the elites of Bupen’s various industries, this was truly a wonderful experience; they could maintain their poise in summer without worrying about the discomfort of overheating.
Lynch removed his tie, unbuttoned his shirt, took off his jacket, and rolled up his sleeves, "How about now?" He struck a pose with one hand on the back of his head and the other on his hip.
Catherine couldn’t help but laugh, "Terrible!"
She felt a bit hot.
Lynch unbuttoned two more buttons, revealing more of his chest, which didn’t have rock-like muscles but was still well-defined overall.
The suddenly "unrestrained" Lynch seemed like a walking hormone to the girls, his watch worth over twenty thousand shining in the last rays of the sun, marking a clear distinction between him and the failures on Bupen’s streets.
Catherine lightly licked her lips, "I... I don’t know."
It was getting increasingly hot.
"How about we go buy an outfit before the party starts?"
This proposal was quite good, and Catherine immediately nodded in agreement, sharing her ideas as well.
Following Catherine’s lead, the convoy arrived at a commercial district. The sudden arrival of a luxurious convoy surprised some people here, but it didn’t attract much attention.
As the economic, political, and cultural center of the Federation, Bupen constantly had wealthy people appearing here, which wasn’t surprising; people in Bupen had long gotten used to it.
Lynch and Catherine got out of the car, and with Catherine leading the way, they arrived at a very ordinary clothing store by the roadside.
"I’ve never heard of this brand..." Once inside the shop, Lynch looked around the hall, noticing there were no professional salespeople, no professional designers, not even anyone assigned to greet them.
This feeling... was a bit subtle.
He walked to a row of clothing racks and casually flipped through some clothes filled with elements of youth.
Some clothes even had various curse words or discriminatory phrases printed on them.
This youth culture was quietly breeding in society, under the sun, not entirely wonderful, as many were striving upwards while some young people were becoming decadent in this rapidly developing society.
Unable to keep up with the changes of the times, abandoned by it, yet stubbornly refusing to admit it was their failure that led to their abandonment, viewing their failure as rejection by the successful.
Thus, this decadent culture gradually started to become popular.
They would wear strange clothes and outfits, loudly curse, and some even incorporated gang gestures while speaking—
Initially, many did that, feeling cool with their mysterious gang gestures while talking, fitting their demeanor perfectly.
But ever since someone used the wrong gesture in the wrong place and got stabbed to death, the occurrence of such gestures while speaking has significantly decreased.
To prevent gang retaliation from wrong gestures, people started printing usable gestures on clothes.
In short, this blend of street culture with hidden decadence was spreading among young people, even school children embraced this trend.
For young children, gangs always represented "trendy" and "cool."
The more mainstream society disliked this culture, the faster it spread among teenagers, almost magically.
Catherine picked out for Lynch a T-shirt featuring a rather exaggerated cartoon middle finger and a curse word, along with a pair of jeans.
Looking at these items, Lynch was silent for a while, and eventually chose to try them on.
The man in the mirror seemed less mature and businesslike, more youthful and rebellious. He looked at himself in the mirror, shook his head with a smile, and then opened the door of the changing room.
"Amazing!" As soon as the door opened, Catherine greeted him with a fragrant kiss.
At this moment, Lynch truly overlapped with the most memorable young man in her memory, whereas at other times, Lynch seemed familiar yet unfamiliar.
"Does it look alright? Do I seem too childish?" Lynch asked.
Catherine had already decided on this outfit and was paying for it. "It’s great, darling, it suits you perfectly."
"Don’t forget, we’re still young..."
The cashier, who appeared to be in her forties, didn’t recognize Lynch. Not everyone could recognize him at first glance.
Moreover, in those promotional photos and TV shows, Lynch would more or less put on some makeup to make himself look more mature.
So the cashier lady didn’t recognize him, but that didn’t stop her from praising Lynch. "You better keep a close eye on your boyfriend, you know?"
Catherine looked at the cashier, slightly puzzled. The cashier lady spoke with the tone of someone who had been there. "Your boyfriend is too handsome. If I were a young girl, I’d do anything to climb all over him."
"Isn’t it exhausting to have such a boyfriend?" While skillfully operating the cash register, she took out two one-cent coins.
In their attempt to prevent employees from skimming their profits, capitalists have devised many ways to ensure their revenues aren’t compromised.
Take the nine-cent thing, for example. In the Federation, you can see many things related to nine cents, like forty-nine cents, ninety-nine cents.
Part of it is pricing considerations, and another part is the capitalists’ little tricks.
The one-cent coin isn’t really commonly used in the Federation. In today’s world, where the average income is nearly three hundred, no one intentionally uses a one-cent.
Among the currencies currently in circulation, the one-cent coin is also the least circulated.
Ordinary people don’t really use one-cent coins, but merchants do. In the morning, they prepare some one-cent coins, some processed and some not.
For every item sold, there’s one less one-cent coin. A daily tally is done, and during each accounting period, just by counting the remaining coins, they can figure out how much was sold within that period.
Whether something was stolen or if things tally up with the revenue can be seen almost at a glance.
For the customers, it’s also a very convenient experience. If someone gets tired of shopping and wants to know how much they’ve bought, they can just count the number of one-cent coins in their pockets to know how many times they’ve spent money that day.
The cash register lady looked at Catherine with a gaze anyone could understand. "If I were you, I’d make sure he couldn’t walk straight every day; only then would he be safe!"
After sharing her wisdom, the two one-cent coins also landed in Catherine’s hand.
She thanked the woman for her generous advice, then looped her arm around Lynch’s and left this ordinary store.
"A total of eighteen dollars..." Catherine put the two one-cent coins into her wallet. As she and Lynch walked back to the roadside, the shop’s cashier lady finally revealed a shocked expression.
Catherine asked him, "Do you think this outfit is bad?"
A normally intelligent person wouldn’t say the wrong thing at this moment. Lynch brushed back the hair by the girl’s temples. "As long as you bought it, I love it."
Catherine couldn’t help but laugh after hearing this. The laughter wasn’t small, but it wasn’t that big either.
"I’m not kidding!" Lynch said seriously. "You used to buy all my clothes..."
Catherine seemed to laugh even more, to the point of tears. She took out a handkerchief to wipe her eyes. "Truly a..."
Lynch looked at her, and she slightly adjusted her words, her heart as soft as her mouth. "...a good sign, glad you like it."
The convoy quickly disappeared in the city center and reappeared in the suburbs not long after.
There were many villas and estates here; the life of the wealthy is simple. With the convoy’s arrival, the host of the party came out to greet them personally.
When he truly saw Lynch, he inwardly applauded his own actions.
He gained not only Catherine’s friendship but also a connection with Lynch—a feat many desire but can’t achieve.
It was just...he was a little puzzled by Lynch’s attire, but he didn’t show it.
"Very glad you could come..." He shook hands with Lynch first, introduced himself, then shook hands with Catherine. "Everyone’s here, come with me!"
As they entered the backyard, the pulsating drumbeats and music sent a slight tingle down one’s scalp, a wave of youthful energy rushing over them like a tide!
