No Substitutes for the Bigshots' Dream Girl Anymore!-Chapter 1763: Arnold Simmons Extra (129)

The internet café on Willow Lane was still open as usual, but its signboard and owner had changed.

The rundown northern district of the city seemed to have a new development plan. The old, unused railway tracks had been flattened and covered with gravel, and even the drainage ditch beneath the bridge had been filled in.

Gone were the reckless punks with dyed yellow hair speeding down the road; now, the most common sight was students with backpacks heading to school.

Bright yellow school uniforms paired with red scarves, accompanied by laughter and chatter along the way.

Perhaps noticing that Hannah was staring, the taxi driver took the initiative to explain to her, "The northern district has slowly started to develop over the past two years. The abandoned buildings on the old street have been demolished, a new school has been built, and the surrounding area has been zoned so kids in the neighborhood can conveniently attend."

The driver, a long-time resident of the northern district, spoke about the changes in the area with great familiarity.

The northern district used to be a byword for filth and disorder, as if forgotten by the entire city. The better the southern part of the city and the downtown developed, the more backward the northern side appeared.

Even buses heading this way were rare.

When they stepped out of the taxi, the ground beneath their feet was no longer the muddy, pothole-filled paths of the past; in their place was smooth cement pavement.

The surrounding single-story houses also seemed to have been torn down, and the roads had widened considerably.

Worried they might get lost, the taxi driver enthusiastically pointed them in the right direction, "Just keep walking straight down this road. When you reach the intersection, take a left and then a right, and you’ll get to the place you’re looking for."

Arnold Simmons thanked him.

Hannah was still curiously surveying the surrounding scenery.

With the small alleyways and single-story houses gone, the view had become much more open. From here, they could even see the river in the distance and the new bridge spanning it.

They heard that the bridge lights up at night and looks beautiful.

Arnold Simmons walked over and took Hannah’s hand. "Let’s go."

This place had truly changed a lot.

They walked down a wide road, and after turning left, they finally started to see something familiar.

For instance, the dark green trash bins stacked in the corner, or the small basketball court where kids used to set off fireworks during Spring Festival.

The outer walls of the old residential compound had already been torn down, separating it from the surrounding single-story housing area.

Most of the original residents had moved away, and this area was also set to be demolished soon.

Arnold Simmons led Hannah to a stop in front of the courtyard.

The lock on the door was already rusted, and when the door was pushed open, it made a harsh creaking sound.

The big banyan tree in the courtyard was still there, surrounded by overgrown weeds. The two large red lanterns hanging on the front door were also still there, but they were covered in a thick layer of dust.

Hannah ran over curiously. "Are these the ones I hung up before?"

"Yes," Arnold Simmons replied, opening the door and pulling her inside.

The furnishings inside the house were the same as they had been back then. Even the window paper cuttings were still there, though they had started to fade from years of sunlight, with the double-sided tape no longer holding them firmly in place, causing them to droop halfway down.

"Before I left Rivertown, I gave the keys to Francis Evans and asked him to check on the place whenever he had time," Arnold Simmons explained.

As a result, the house was still relatively clean, without any heavy damp or moldy smell. The sofa was as soft and plush as it had been back then.

Hannah couldn’t wait to sit down, resting her head on the armrest as she watched Arnold Simmons walk into the kitchen.

The surrounding area was undergoing demolition, but their section still had electricity and water as usual.

Arnold Simmons boiled some water and set it aside to cool.

The thin autumn sunlight filtered through the gaps in the tree leaves, enveloping the entire courtyard in its gentle glow.