One or two taels of silver? That's a considerable sum. With that kind of money, why would they stay in this dilapidated temple? They could easily find a place to shelter from the wind and rain and live like normal people!
The boy lowered his head in thought, his thick eyelashes concealing the undercurrents in his eyes. He had a total of seventy or eighty children under his care. Four or five thatched houses only cost three or four taels of silver, and the daily food expenses were very small, only a few dozen coins. With the silver in his hand, it was enough for them to live well.
Knowing he would find it hard not to be tempted, Qin Sanniang pressed on, "This job is gone once it's done; it's just to deliver a message for me. If you don't take it, I'll have to find someone else. The reason I chose you is because you are kind-hearted and well-informed."
At first, Qin San Niang also thought the boy was only after money. But after thinking it over carefully, she realized that even without the incentive of money, the boy would definitely have saved Wang Erlang and his son. Moreover, he had hesitated for a long time in the shop, wanting to buy wine for some old man. Although the boy looked awkward, he wasn't bad at heart. He just needed someone to guide him onto the right path, and she was willing to be that guide.
The boy looked at her with deep eyes, as if he had made up his mind, and nodded, saying, "I agree, but it's only about passing on messages; nothing else is included!"
"Of course, you don't have to do anything else besides delivering messages." The two nodded in tacit agreement, which was considered to be a consensus.
Qin San Niang didn't bring up the matter of drawing up a contract anymore. These children probably couldn't write, and besides, even if a contract was signed, what difference would it make? Whether the information was useful or not depended on the boy's character, and as for the integrity of paying, that was on her side. Both parties had to be given a gradual process of trust and understanding.
Qin San Niang took out a string of copper coins and handed them over, saying, "This is five hundred coins as a deposit. You can pay the remaining half in a month."
How could they get half the money without doing anything? The boy's expression softened considerably. After hesitating for a moment, he reached out and took the money, then led them inside.
The temple was dilapidated on the outside, and the inside was just as dilapidated and filthy.
Seemingly at the mother and son's behest, a hint of embarrassment finally appeared on the boy's face. Qin San Niang thought to herself, "Thank goodness, at least he's starting to look like a young man! He's always so fierce and menacing; he'll definitely turn into a mafia boss someday."
To the boy's surprise, the mother and son showed no disgust or discomfort whatsoever. Instead, they asked with concern how they planned to get through the winter. The conditions were truly appalling; they were drafty from every angle. He wondered if they could survive the harsh winter. They really had to tough it out!
"We can get through winter, but we need to gather a lot of firewood. It gets very cold outside the temple, and we can't even beg for food," said the young beggar who had helped Qin San Niang find the boy. He knew the mother and son and knew that their leader had made a fortune from them today! They wouldn't have to worry about money for winter, nor about the boys in the gang not having money for medical care when they fell ill. Winter was extremely difficult for them; one wrong move and their lives were in danger. With this money, if they were frugal, perhaps the boys could grow up safely. Then, their little beggar gang would become a real beggar gang, able to work and earn money!
"My family also fled from the north last year. Life was even harder than this before!" The eldest son didn't know what the little beggar was thinking; he was just expressing his opinion.
Previously, because of the boy's attitude, Da Wa had harbored some hostility towards the beggars, but now it had completely vanished. They were pitiful people without parents, and compared to them, how fortunate he was!
Upon hearing this, the young man glanced at the eldest child in surprise, then his suspicious gaze shifted to Qin Sanniang. Receiving his questioning look, she smiled faintly and said...
“That’s right, we also came from the north to make a living. We’ve faced countless dangers on our journey and have only just managed to settle down in He County. The father and son you rescued before looked like relatives of mine, but we were too far apart and they were disheveled, so I couldn’t see them clearly. Would you be willing to let me see them?”
"I see," the boy suddenly understood; that made things clear...
When Wang Erlang saw Qin Sanniang and Da Wa, he was completely stunned. Da Bao didn't recognize them and thought they were important guests who were going to take them back, so he hid behind his father and didn't dare to come out.
"Da Bao, come out and see who I am!" Da Wa shouted. Back in Wangjia Village, Da Bao was still a little boy, and he had taken care of him quite a bit.
It wasn't that Da Wa liked the boy that much; in fact, given the circumstances, he didn't like him at all. It was just that all the adults had gone to work, and his kind second aunt was always saying she was busy with embroidery, so the task of looking after the child fell to him.
That voice sounds familiar. Da Bao cautiously peeked out and exclaimed, "I don't know you! How do you know my name?"
Hey, Da Wa'er was furious. This kid was just like his mother, an ingrate! "Wang Da Bao, I'm your older brother Da Wa! Who played with you when you were little?"
"You're lying! Big Brother is dark and skinny like a monkey, not like you at all! Besides, Big Brother has been abandoned by Grandpa and Grandma! Grandma said he's dead and will never come back!"
"Oh my, Bao'er, this really is your eldest brother! He and your aunt are both here!" Wang Erlang quickly stopped his son from making any wild remarks, lest he offend his sister-in-law and the others.
Da Bao finally emerged from behind, half-believing and half-doubting. After carefully examining them for a while, he grinned and exclaimed, "It really is Brother Da Wa and Auntie Da Wa!"
Qin San Niang smiled. This kid was quite a simpleton. She wondered whose genes he inherited from. Wang Erlang or Chen Xiaoyun. She just hoped it wasn't too late to correct him.
Upon seeing that these people were indeed relatives, and that the scene resembled a proper family reunion, the young man no longer doubted Qin Sanniang's words. Besides, although their small beggar gang was young, they had a significant advantage in gathering information.
He said nothing more and had Qin San Niang take the two away. Da Bao was reluctant to leave, seemingly hoping to stay in the dilapidated temple, but Wang Er Lang was overjoyed and pulled him away.
“My family lives in the countryside, so it might be a bit inconvenient if you still want to find Qin Shi and Chen Xiaoyun. I’ll arrange for you to stay at the charity hall, which I also run. They won’t make things difficult for you! Also, they have literacy classes there, and Da Bao should start learning soon. Er Lang, you can’t just wander around like this, so go work at the bottling workshop.”
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