Nangong Jiu scratched his head and tried to think of a solution.
Xiao Chengzi beside him spoke.
"Don't worry, I'll take you back to the charity hall in the evening. There's food to eat there before dark, and a place to sleep."
Nangong Jiu nodded repeatedly and mumbled two words: "Guo Guo..."
Xiao Chengzi's love instantly burst out: "Well, don't be afraid, you have brothers here, just sit here, passers-by will think you are young and will give you copper coins and food.
From now on, we won’t take the copper coins and food you ask for, so you should save them well.
When you are older, you can go to the charity school to learn to read and write. Once you have learned a skill, you can work to support yourself and no longer have to beg."
Nangong Jiu nodded and grinned foolishly.
The beggars spread out to both ends of the street, asking for money and food.
Nangong Jiu hurriedly used his spiritual sense to instruct Xiaoxing: "Xiaoxing, quickly find a deserted place and transform yourself into a five or six-year-old beggar.
I can't speak yet, so I can't ask them some questions, so you have to ask them for me."
"good!"
Xiaoxing obeyed the order and flew away.
Xiao Wang excitedly said to Nangong Jiu, "Being a beggar isn't that hard. You'll get so much food and copper coins in a short while."
“That’s because I was young, which aroused the sympathy of the people. Those older children didn’t seem to gain much.
Look at how thin and frail they are, it must be the result of long-term hunger and lack of clothing."
"Didn't they say that the charity hall distributes food every morning and evening?"
"Food, probably just some steamed buns and porridge. Mom always says that only by eating meat and vegetables can we grow taller and stronger."
Xiao Wang fell silent.
Xiaoxing soon turned into a thin beggar and started begging not far from Nangong Jiu.
At noon.
There were fewer and fewer pedestrians on the road, the beggars returned to Nangong Jiu, and Xiaoxing also came closer.
Nangong Jiu held Xiao Chengzi with one hand and Xiao Xing with the other: "Guo Guo..."
Xiao Chengzi looked at Xiao Xing and said to Nangong Jiu, "Since he is your friend, he is also our brother. Let's make a living together from now on."
The beggars put all the food they had asked for together.
Xiao Chengzi picked out the best-looking food, half a bun, and handed it to Nangong Jiu: "Be good, eat it!"
Nangong Jiu was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes. She quietly reached under her loose clothes and took out the buns and a large bag of pastries that she had put in her small pocket that morning.
"Pot..."
Xiaoxing relayed Nangong Jiu's words: "This was given to her by a kind-hearted person some time ago. She couldn't bear to eat it, so she kept it to share with everyone."
Xiao Chengzi rubbed Nangong Jiu's head and distributed cakes and buns to everyone.
"What my sister ordered is so delicious!" The beggars ate with happiness on their faces.
"Thanks to my sister today, we had some good food and even got a lot of extra copper coins."
Xiao Chengzi also laughed and said, "It seems that we have to follow our sister from now on."
Xiaoxing asked with a smile: "Haven't you eaten these at the charity hall?"
The beggars nodded and said, “We’ve eaten this before during festivals, but it’s not as delicious as this.”
In the morning, the charity hall provides porridge, and in the evening, each person has two steamed buns, half a bowl of vegetables, and sometimes meat.
"Isn't there meat every day?"
The beggars smiled and shook their heads: "With so many people, it's good enough to have steamed buns and porridge to eat. How can we afford to feed them if they only have meat every day?"
"Are there many people living in the charity hall where you live? Can we get in?"
Xiao Chengzi nodded and said, "The charity hall we live in was built just over a year ago.
There are about two hundred children, and someone comes in every day. Everyone is welcome to come in.
So, are you guys together?"
"We just met, where do all these children come from in the charity hall?"
“Most of them are from other counties, including us.
We heard that the Gongxian Charity Hall provided shelter and food for the children, so we came here.”
Nangong Jiu frowned.
But don’t make it like the charity hall in the capital.
Xiao Xing then asked, "People keep coming into the charity hall. Can the charity hall accommodate so many people?"
"People come and go, so naturally they can find a place to stay."
Nangong Jiu's heart was twisted into a ball, and he quickly closed his eyes to control his emotions.
"It's over, what the servants say about all crows being black is true!
It seems that the charity hall in the fiefdom, like the charity hall in the capital, is a den of wolves that eat people without leaving any bones.
Magistrate Zhang, if this is proven true, I will grind you to dust and scatter your ashes, and exterminate your entire clan!"
Xiao Xing looked at Nangong Jiu, whose face was tense and fists were clenched, and asked, "Did anyone leave? Were they driven away?"
Xiao Chengzi smiled and shook his head: "I'm not driving them away! When children turn twelve, they have to work and support themselves."
Nangong Jiu suddenly opened his eyes, with a hint of joy and surprise in his eyes.
"Work, where to work?"
“It’s a workshop run by the government, and all the people there are children from the charity hall.
Those who are smart enough can be managers, while people like me who have no skills and whose heads are filled with nothing but glue can only be laborers and run errands.
By doing odd jobs, I can earn a net of 500 coins a month.
Once you earn enough money, you can start a family, do business, and the government will welcome you.
Brother, I will be twelve next year, and I have something to look forward to in the future."
Nangong Jiu's blood boiled when he heard this, his eyes sparkling, and he grabbed Xiao Chengzi's clothes: "Guoguo?"
Xiaoxing hurriedly explained: "She is asking you, is it true?"
Xiao Chengzi patted his chest proudly and said, "Really, there's no need for brother to lie to you!
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