beggars under neon lights

Even at midnight, Shanghai was still bustling with activity. The entrances to various dance halls were crowded with rickshaws coming and going, and the high-rise buildings on both sides of the street were constantly changing colors, blue, white, red, orange and green, which, when applied to the bean-like pedestrians, made them look as if they were coated with a layer of colorful frosting.

A few drawn-out honks startled pedestrians on the street, who scrambled to make way as a garbage truck slowly drove in. The stench of year-old salted fish made everyone cover their noses, as if trying to avoid it at all costs.

But there were exceptions. The few beggars, who were originally scrambling for the half-eaten cigarette butts on the ground, quieted down when they saw the garbage truck. Their eyes lit up with a faint, greenish light.

They stared intently at the direction the garbage truck was traveling until it turned into a narrow alley. The oldest child dashed into the alley with a whoosh, and without any command, all the children surged into the narrow and secluded alley.

The beggars, who also live in big cities, seem to have been expelled from the list of "humans." In the eyes of the police, they are cockroaches, rats, and malignant tumors that ruin the clean appearance of the concession.

Tragically, they themselves believed this. The continuous clean-up and pursuit by the concession police made them even more humble. They dared not appear during the day. Only under the cover of night could they blend into the crowd and beg for a scrap of food from kind-hearted people.

However, in order to further squeeze the living space of beggars, the police station in the concession ordered all restaurants to dispose of garbage every other day, and only when the garbage truck reached the back door could they take out the kitchen waste; otherwise, the restaurant owners would face huge road cleaning fees as fines.

Of course, where there's a policy, there's a countermeasure. The driver was too lazy to fight with those beast-like beggars for trash, and the foreigners wouldn't check so carefully. He would always park his car at the entrance of the alley and honk the horn a few times. The kitchen staff would naturally understand and throw out black garbage bags to the designated spot one after another.

The pile of garbage, accumulated over two days, grew ever higher. The beggars' eyes gradually shifted from numb to frenzied. The driver sneered as he turned off the headlights. Several workers silently lit cigarettes instead of returning to the kitchen. Watching an action movie while working had become an indispensable source of amusement for them.

The moment the car lights went out, dozens of figures swarmed toward the garbage mountain like locusts. The beggars used all four limbs to frantically tear open the bags, and once their filthy hands found offal or other meat products, they couldn't wait to stuff them into their mouths.

Among the stench and bloody smell of kitchen waste, there were always a few bags of unfinished cooked food from the ladies. One lucky person found a chicken leg that had been bitten once, and excitedly stuffed it into their mouth.

However, before he could swallow, he was knocked to the ground by another, stronger beggar, who forcibly pried the chicken leg out of his mouth and stuffed it into his own.

Perhaps the smell of chicken was too tempting, because the homeless people closest to the bag of cooked meat could no longer restrain themselves. They kicked and writhed like madmen, their scarlet eyes meeting in the darkness. One was wrenching, the other pulling, the other biting. They had no skill whatsoever. For them, life had only one goal: to live.

A black sedan was parked a few meters away from the garbage truck. Xiangxiang rubbed her sore eyes and turned the binoculars to Qingcheng, saying disappointedly, "Sister, we've been watching all night. Even if they come, they won't come forward. Aunt Li is so small and thin, how can she compete with young adult men?"

“Not necessarily, hey…” Kiyosumi let out a laugh. “The little guy is quite clever.”

Through the binoculars, Qingcheng saw Li's second son respectfully handing half a cigarette and a match to a strong beggar, seemingly paying his respects.

Wherever there are people, there are social classes. Even in the world of beggars, there are classes; whoever is the strongest is the king of beggars. The strongest group of male beggars had already eaten until their bellies were round. The light in their eyes, which had been red before, gradually dimmed and became cloudy, leaving only deep emptiness.

With the Beggar King's permission, Li's second son deftly picked out moldy steamed buns and leftover fruit peels from the garbage heap and stuffed them into his pocket. He didn't eat anything himself; he must be bringing food for his family. Seeing how sensible he was, Qingcheng couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

But the little guy was too lucky. He saw him several times, and every time he was about to catch up, something special would happen. Either a bicycle would suddenly appear, or multiple forks in the road would appear. It seemed like God was helping him.

Forget whether there's a guardian angel or not, we're going to find out where that brat's hideout is today! Qingcheng and Xiangxiang gave each other the password to call the thugs and how to deal with any emergencies, and then took out the tattered clothes they had prepared beforehand.

This outfit had been fumigated with a mixture of sulfur and valerian for several days, the stench was so strong it stung my eyes and made my stomach acid churn. Kiyosumi quickly closed her eyes, putting on the role of an old beggar as she dressed, feeling weak and numb...

After the hustle and bustle of the alleyway at night, it gradually returned to calm. The beggars who hadn't eaten their fill followed the garbage truck to another back alley.

Everyone waited for the garbage mountain to appear, but no one noticed that a hunched old beggar with white hair had also sneaked in. Qingcheng studied the actions of the other beggars and stared intently at the formation of the garbage mountain. In fact, she was looking for Li's second son out of the corner of her eye.

Despite it being late at night, Qingcheng easily found his target, as the streetlights happened to shine on Li's second son. He pursed his lips, swallowed, and looked eager to try, seemingly wanting to snatch the first batch of cooked food scraps.

Just as the opportunity presented itself, Li's second son charged up the garbage mountain with all his might. Qingcheng was not to be outdone and wrestled with three beggars. The homeless men went berserk and strangled her neck with their arms. The feeling of suffocation made her subconsciously bite down hard. The beggar behind her screamed and let go.

Perhaps the beggars had been starving or ill, but Kiyosumi, with her combat-ready agility and healthy body, quickly gained the upper hand.

To make the performance more realistic, Qingcheng grabbed the cooked food from the bag, smeared it haphazardly on her mouth, and pretended to swallow a few mouthfuls. The residue that fell into her sleeves stung her skin, and her hands were covered in a sticky layer of oil. But for the beggars, this grease meant a delicious meal.

More homeless people came looking for the car, and the area around the garbage mountain became lively again. It was time to call it a day. Qingcheng stuffed chicken legs and other meats into her pockets and quietly withdrew from the battle.

The stench of stinky shoes mixed with the smell of urine almost suffocated Qingcheng. She endured the discomfort and stayed in the shadows to search for the child. Finally, she saw the small figure in a corner of the garbage mountain. The child must have found a lot of good things, because he grinned happily, revealing his missing front teeth.

This is the kind of smile an eight-year-old should have!

However, before the child could take his spoils, a burly man suddenly lifted him up by the back of his neck, leaving his dangling legs kicking helplessly. Even so, he still desperately protected his pockets, fearing they would be snatched away.

Squinting, Qingcheng could barely recognize that this person was the former Beggar King. He was followed by two lackeys. Wasn't this guy full?

The beggar king forcefully threw the child to the ground. After the child shakily stood up, the man playfully kicked the child down again and again. He wasn't there to steal food; he just wanted to bully those weaker than himself, to enjoy the superiority of being a "superior," and to control and trample on those of lower social classes.

The people around were either silent or laughing wildly with the perpetrator. Qingcheng felt her fists harden. Suddenly, a bearded man stood up and shielded the child behind him. His fierce eyes swept over the burly man, who froze on the spot.

Before the two could turn and leave, the burly man threw a punch. The bearded man dodged it by tilting his head and reflexively kicked out with a whip kick. The kick swept past the burly man's chest, and the burly man screamed and fell several meters away.

Unexpectedly, the bearded man was a trained fighter, but he wasn't in good shape. He was clutching his abdomen, looking pained, and had a peculiar putrid smell. Qingcheng boldly guessed that he had a wound on his abdomen, and that it was festering.

In this dog-eat-dog world, it's either eat or be eaten. Beggar King Yigu got up and called to his men. The three of them pounced on him like madmen. In a moment of panic, the stubble-bearded man pushed the child aside and managed to block the blow with his elbow. Qingcheng rushed forward and held the child in her arms.

Even injured, a trained fighter could still easily handle a few beggars. The stubble-faced man didn't linger, continuously striking the vital points of his enemies' faces. In no time, one enemy after another collapsed, powerless. He stepped on the chest of one of his enemies, panting heavily.

With an almost overwhelming advantage, the battle is nearing its end...

Beep—

The siren sounded like a death knell, and everyone fell silent. Then, the beggars scrambled away on all fours, rolling and crawling. Qingcheng knew that if they didn't escape, they would be caught and taken to the police station, becoming human punching bags in prison. If they were lucky, they might be thrown out alive; if not, they would be reduced to ashes.

Qingcheng couldn't bear to see good people suffer, so she dragged the stubble-faced man and the second son of the Li family into the depths of the alley. The narrow alley was pitch black, but it was the best camouflage. Taking advantage of the fact that the police hadn't caught up, Qingcheng quickly climbed over the mottled wall, picked up the child, and the stubble-faced man also easily climbed over.

But as soon as the bearded man landed, he trembled even more violently, swaying like a drunkard. Qingcheng kindly helped him up, only to find that his hands were as cold as a corpse.

With a thud, the bearded man spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed weakly to the ground. The child seemed frightened and pushed the bearded man, trying to shake him awake.

Doing so would be useless and would only attract the police. Qingcheng lowered her voice to comfort the little boy, then casually lifted the stubble man's clothes and followed the smell of rotting flesh. Just as she had guessed, there was a wound on his abdomen, which looked to be round.

An injured hero, an opportunity delivered to our doorstep! Qingcheng asked the boy in a serious tone, "Little brother, do you know where it's safe? This brother is injured and needs to find a safe place to get treatment."

In the darkness, the boy stammered and refused to speak. Qingcheng couldn't see his expression, so she could only do the opposite: "Alright, I don't expect you to know. Life and death are determined by fate, and wealth and honor are determined by heaven. This brother saved you after all. Remember to kowtow to him and burn some paper money during Qingming Festival to repay his kindness. He definitely won't blame you for not saving him."

"I...I know a safe place. But I don't have money to call a doctor. Will he still die?" the child asked, his voice trembling with tears.

Hehe, the child is naive and easily deceived. Qingcheng was overjoyed and her tone became even gentler: "You guys are lucky. I travel all over the country and always carry emergency wound medicine and hemostatic pills with me. I can apply the medicine after washing your brother in a bit."

"Okay, my mom and sister are here, they can help." The child sniffed a few times, inadvertently revealing his secret.

Night had fallen, and the child led Qingcheng and the others to a secluded bridge archway. Half of the concrete base was covered in mud and moss, while the other half was occupied by makeshift cardboard houses. Qingcheng supported the heavy man as they laboriously descended the slope.

There were no lights under the bridge, only a pile of firewood crackling and popping as it burned. Swarms of small flying insects danced and fought against the flames, and cigarette butts and liquor bottles covered in mud were scattered among the weeds. Qingcheng couldn't help but worry about Sister Ying and the others; in such terrible conditions, they could easily contract malaria and cholera.

"Mom, Mom, come quick and help!" the child cried out to his family.

Huff~ Qingcheng exhaled a puff of white breath. The cold wind passing through the bridge arch made her feel as if it were the dead of winter, not the warm spring. The weight on her shoulders felt like a boulder pressing down on her, making it hard to breathe.

The sound of newspapers turning came from inside the cardboard house. A short-haired woman in a cotton-padded jacket lifted the curtain of the cardboard house. It really was Sister Ying. She shrank her neck and walked over quickly. Immediately afterward, Qingcheng felt a sense of relief. Sister Ying had helped her bear half of the man's weight.

The two worked together to move the bearded man into the clean cardboard house. Kiyosumi was so exhausted that she sat down on the ground, panting heavily.

"Grandpa, have some water." The eldest daughter of the Li family brought over a bowl of water, which Qingcheng drank in one gulp without even looking at it.

"Ying'er, go boil some water." After saying this to her daughter, Sister Ying turned to thank Qingcheng. Her second son had already explained the whole story, and she knew that both gentlemen were good people.

"It's alright, we should look after each other when we're out and about," Kiyosumi said politely. "Big sister, let's take off this brother's coat, his wound looks like it's festering."

Sister Ying dared not be careless and carefully unbuttoned the stubble-faced man's clothes. What first attracted Qingcheng was not the half-exposed wound on the man's abdomen, but the several crisscrossing old scars on the man's chest.

"Was this kid involved in the underworld before?" Qingcheng wondered as she untied the rope around his waist. The complete wound was exposed before her eyes: a three-finger-wide, round hole with a reddish tinge to the blackness, from which foul-smelling yellow pus oozed.

"Oh dear, the wound seems to be infected. We have to take him to the hospital immediately for antibiotics and anti-inflammatory treatment, otherwise this kid is doomed." Qingcheng glanced at Sister Ying, who also seemed to have noticed that the stubble-faced man was in bad shape.

If they acknowledged each other now, would Sister Ying accept her? Qingcheng wasn't sure. Her original plan was to build a good relationship with Sister Ying before acknowledging her, so that Sister Ying's resistance would be less. But if she didn't send the boy to the hospital, he really would die.

Inside the cardboard shack, the two men looked at each other in bewilderment. Sister Ying spoke first: "Grandpa, let's take him to the hospital."

"Oh, big sister, don't joke around. If I had money to treat people's illnesses, would I need to beg for food?" Qingcheng replied awkwardly.

“I have one.” Sister Ying said, taking a red string from her neck. A gold ring with a phoenix pattern was hanging from the string. “This is my wedding ring. You can take it for now.”

"Big sister, let's talk about it later. Let's clean it for him first, otherwise the hospital won't let us in." Qingcheng pushed the ring back, unable to bear looking at her older sister's earnest face. How could she accept someone else's wedding ring?

When the eldest daughter brought hot water, Sister Ying carefully cleaned the bearded man's body. Looking at his window, Qingcheng thought about how the boy had blocked the blow with his arm earlier. She hoped that his bones were okay. She tentatively pulled up the man's arm, pulled down the sleeve, and gently pressed it. Fortunately, it was just a bruise.

His arms, like his chest, were covered in old scars. When Kiyosumi pulled down the man's other sleeve, her eyes widened immediately. A long wound stretched from his wrist to his elbow, and judging by the color of the scar, it had healed in no more than a year.

The hot water touched the wound, and the intense pain woke the man up. With his eyes closed, he mumbled that he wanted water.

Considering there were other people around, Kiyosumi suppressed her murderous intent, picked up the bowl, and put it to the man's lips. With a gulp, she drank most of the bowl of water.

It seems today's task has changed. In a flash, Xiangxiang's face flashed through Qingcheng's mind. Right, Xiangxiang used to be Comrade Li and Comrade Qi's liaison. I was so focused on the children that I almost forgot the most important condition. Oh dear, my brain is getting worse every day.

If Sister Ying could take the children to see Xiangxiang, could they recognize each other quickly? As for this brother, she had other plans.

“Sister, the hospital definitely won’t let us in dressed like this, but I have a fellow villager who works as a cleaner there. I’ll go and beg her to give you a few sets of clean clothes. I’m too old to go in and get yelled at,” Qingcheng asked tentatively.

"Well... my child is asleep, and it's not convenient for a woman like me to take a man to the hospital at night. Could you please accompany him to the hospital, sir?" Sister Ying pointed to the sleeping third son in the corner and refused to leave.

“I understand, but I’m too old to carry him by myself. Please, sister, lend a hand.” Qingcheng stared at Sister Ying’s face, her words earnest.

“It’s not that I don’t want to help, but if this place is deserted, it will be taken over by someone else immediately. I’m just a woman with three children, and I don’t want to be homeless anymore.” Sister Ying immediately explained her predicament. “Why don’t you go after he wakes up?”

Qingcheng wanted to shout, "You're coming with me with the child, how can you be sleeping in the open like this!" She looked down at the man on the ground with his eyes half open, and an idea came to her.

The police will come to clean the bridge archway at any time, so we must take them away today, otherwise we don't know when we'll find them again.