CHAPTER 581: CHAPTER 309: BEGGAR (PART 2)

"It will be different once winter comes. Let’s not talk about us for now; Little Ten is only 4 years old, and she’s a girl. With just a single piece of clothing and some straw, she definitely won’t survive this winter. I know Shanghai’s winters aren’t as harsh as Beiping’s, but I also know that in Beiping, people won’t dare leave their homes in winter without a cotton-padded jacket, and even a whole family sharing one quilt might freeze to death at home."

"If a beggar doesn’t go out to beg for one day, they might starve to death the next day. If we are still living in this place by winter, the only outcomes for us are either to starve or freeze to death."

An Youyou frowned, "Why is it so expensive to raise people?"

"Last time, Little Three and Little Two had their legs broken; it cost me a lot of money, and in the end, Little Two still died. I could only pick up a new Little Two to replace him."

"The Thirteen before you, I told him not to eat spoiled and rotten things, that missing a meal or two wouldn’t kill him, but he didn’t listen, ate secretly, and got diarrhea until he died."

"The previous Little Ten didn’t know how to speak when begging, and after being kicked in the chest, he vomited blood and died on the spot."

"And the ones I picked up initially, like Little One, Little Three, Little Four, Little Seven, Little Eight, Little Ten, Little Eleven, Little Twelve, either died of illness or were beaten to death, and some froze in the winter you mentioned. Actually, winter isn’t that cold; you can survive by starting a fire."

"Really, if you tally it up, it seems like only Little Ninth has survived since the beginning."

Jiang Weiguo listened expressionlessly, silently stirring the hodgepodge in the pot.

"I have also thought about whether to rent a house. This broken temple is really uncomfortable to sleep in; who would prefer the floor to a bed? But renting a house is too expensive. Even these houses in the suburbs, which could accommodate so many people—one room for me, and you all squeezing to sleep together—would cost at least one silver coin in rent every month!"

"One silver coin!"

"Do you know how much salted fish and rice that can buy?"

"Those rickshaw pullers only earn one or two silver coins per month. With that money, instead of renting a place, you might as well eat something good."

"The porridge is ready," said Jiang Weiguo.

An Youyou was overjoyed and took out a bowl from her chest, signaling a little brother to go to the river and wash it clean. Then she took out the cornbread she hadn’t finished and dipped it in the hot porridge to continue eating.

Once the little brother finished washing the bowl, An Youyou handed it to Jiang Weiguo. He served her a full bowl of salted fish porridge, with almost all the available salted fish in her bowl, highlighting An Youyou’s leader status.

With the remaining half pot of porridge, Jiang Weiguo took out his own broken bowl to serve himself a small half bowl. He then gestured for the other little brothers to come forward; everyone lined up in an orderly manner to get their meals, each receiving a spoonful of hodgepodge and then sharing some salted fish porridge.

No one feared the heat and they all slurped voraciously.

An Youyou swiftly finished her food but restrained herself from licking the bowl because she was the leader. She instructed the little brother to wash the bowl, while the other little brothers started tidying the straw in the broken temple. The softest straw and the best spot sheltered from the wind were left for An Youyou.

An Youyou sat by the still unextinguished fire, watching the busy figures of the little brothers and the 4-year-old Little Ten trying hard to pat the straw to make it softer so that An Youyou would be more comfortable sleeping at night.

"Is renting a house really more cost-effective than directly buying a quilt?" An Youyou asked. "A quilt bought in winter can still be used in spring and doesn’t cost much."

"There’s a bed in the house," Jiang Weiguo stated a reason that An Youyou couldn’t refuse, "and if you’re willing to spend a little more, you can rent a place with a kitchen. There’s a stove there, so you don’t have to eat just boiled mush or salted fish porridge every day; you can have stir-fried dishes."

"The boss of Fu Ji is indeed stingy, preferring to throw away leftovers rather than give them to beggars or allow his employees to secretly take them home. But this is actually a tactic. Although criticized, this approach made Fu Ji famous in a short time, and many dignitaries love dining there."

"So even though the boss of Fu Ji seems stingy and strict, his strictness is only towards the wait staff. For the chefs and kitchen workers, he usually turns a blind eye. Master Ding, the head chef of Fu Ji, is a very honest person. As long as I can meet his standards, I believe I can soon become a prep cook."

"By then, not only will I have a salary of three silver coins per month, but I’ll also get two meals and will likely be able to bring home the leftover ingredients from the kitchen. Then you can have stir-fried dishes every day."

An Youyou looked at Jiang Weiguo very irritably, "I clearly didn’t want to rent a place, so why did you have to say that? Now I actually want to rent."

"Spending money again, after I’ve finally saved up some."

"I beg seriously every day, and every time I manage to save a bit, there’s always something to spend it on, whether it’s treating illness or treating illness, always treating illnesses. Why is it so hard to keep people alive, and why do we need a place to live?" An Youyou complained loudly in extreme annoyance.

"If I’d known, I wouldn’t have picked up so many; six would have been enough."

Jiang Weiguo said, "When do you plan to look for a place?"

"Tomorrow," An Youyou said grumpily, "I’ll first go to the lousy black market to exchange the silver coin, beg for half a day, and then go look for a place."

"This stir-fried dish you’re talking about, is it like what they serve in the restaurants?"

"Yes," Jiang Weiguo nodded.

"And the dishes you stir-fry are like those in the restaurants?"

"Unless it’s a big restaurant like Fu Ji, I’m confident I can do better than them," Jiang Weiguo said.

An Youyou rolled her eyes, "You’re just boasting. With such good eloquence, why are you set on working in a restaurant? Wouldn’t it be great to beg with me?"

"Look, you’re the same as me: you can read, do arithmetic, fight, and have skills. Even though you don’t talk much, you speak up when necessary. Most importantly, you know how to observe prominent people so that you don’t easily get beaten to death."

"You’re better than me; I can’t write, but you can."

"With such good conditions, you should be begging with me!"

Jiang Weiguo: ...

Qin Huai could see the deep speechlessness on Jiang Weiguo’s face.

"Actually, I don’t get it either," Jiang Weiguo said. "Why is it that you can read, do arithmetic, speak well, and fight, yet you’re so fixated on being a beggar?"

"Even if you’re a woman, making a living outside is tough, but the way you are every day, outsiders can’t even tell your gender. You should be able to find a lot of work better than begging. Even if it’s just working as an accountant at a shop, it’s more respectable than begging now."

An Youyou widened her eyes and said angrily, "How can accounting compare with begging?"

"An accountant earns a fixed salary, sitting in a shop day and night, facing an abacus until their eyes go blind. Even then, they only earn two or three silver coins a month."

"Don’t look down on begging, alright? Without begging, how could I support you all? Look, besides you, who else can bring in anything while begging?"

"Go out and ask around; among so many beggar leaders, who has a better reputation than me? I’ve raised this many little brothers; I don’t force you to pay tribute, nor push you to swindle, cheat, or steal. I don’t steal money, rob, or kidnap women, nor do I join a gang as a thug. How many can support so many brothers like this?"

"Only me!"

"Although the brothers switch out a bit too often, their deaths aren’t my fault. Is there a day in Shanghai when a few beggars or refugees don’t die? If I were an accountant, could I support these dozen people?"

"Then why do you support us?" Jiang Weiguo asked.

"Because I’m the boss!" An Youyou proudly raised her head, "You have no idea, but before, I had even more little brothers!"

"I’m the boss; if I don’t have a dozen or so little brothers, how can I live up to my name? Of course, I have to support my brothers. You think I started out as a beggar? I considered robbery too."

"It’s just that I couldn’t win, so how could I fight when they had guns on the other side?"

"And having little brothers has its uses. Now, although apart from you, the others aren’t good, but what if begging improves over the years? Then if each little brother gives me a silver coin each month, I could earn 13 silver coins a month doing nothing."

"I could casually beg for a bit more, and I’d be rich."

Jiang Weiguo: ...

Qin Huai: ...

Sister, what kind of ethnic group do you belong to with such wild ideas?

Jiang Weiguo remained silent, simply considering An Youyou to have a screw loose.

After all, in these times, people with a screw loose aren’t few, so one more An Youyou doesn’t make a difference.

"Still have to go to Fu Ji tomorrow, I’m going to rest first," Jiang Weiguo said.

"Don’t sleep yet; tell me exactly where the black market is so I can exchange the money tomorrow."

"I’ll go with you."

"Aren’t you going to Fu Ji?"

"The black market opens early."

"I’m afraid if you see the money in the black market... that’s Qing Gang’s territory, causing trouble there would mean even 13 lives wouldn’t be enough to pay."

"Am I that fond of money?"

"You are."

"Fine, I am."