The man probably thought Qin Sanniang looked familiar, and upon closer inspection, he realized she did! Good heavens, wasn't this the heroine who had given them a sound beating on Willow Street the other day?! The one who made them slink back from Willow Street in disgrace!
Guo Er reacted faster; Qin San Niang's voice had haunted him like a demonic melody, one he could never forget!
"Oh, it's you, Grandma! With your noble status, how could you condescend to come here? Don't get your clothes dirty."
Guo Er smiled broadly, but his heart was filled with a different story! He thought to himself that he hadn't checked the almanac before leaving home today, and had fallen into the hands of this female devil again. He was incredibly unlucky. He wondered how long she had been standing there. The protection money he had just collected was probably going to go down the drain again. He felt like crying.
Seeing his micro-expressions change countless times, Qin Sanniang inexplicably found it quite amusing, and asked him...
"You rascal! I was wondering why we hadn't seen you guys around these past few days. Had you reformed? Turns out you've developed new territory. Not bad! Young man! How's it going? How many coppers did you make today? Enough to buy some wine?"
"No way, this is our home! Our boss lives in Peach Blossom Lane up there! This has always been our territory!"
Besides, it's perfectly reasonable for us to charge money. Under my eldest son's protection, Yangshu Street, despite its diverse population, has never experienced any major incidents!
Before Guo Er could even speak, a chubby follower with fair skin and squinty eyes interjected. Although he was also afraid of Qin San Niang, everyone on Yangshu Street, young and old, was related to each other; why would they be afraid of an outsider like her?
Guo Er really wanted to beat this idiot to death! He hadn't even said a few words before revealing all his secrets; he was such a terrible teammate!
"Dog Egg!"
The young man called Gou Dan'er seemed to have been provoked. Seeing his boss looking at him strangely, he actually thought he was right and chuckled twice. If there weren't outsiders present, he probably would have asked for praise.
Hearing this, Qin Sanniang became interested and asked, "So, according to you, your unambitious work has become a great cause of saving the world and the people? I've never heard of such a thing!"
"Of course, ma'am, you don't know this, although we're practically part of the underworld, we have our principles. For stall owners over fifty, we only charge one or two coins, and the same goes for selling our own produce. But if it's a profitable business, then we'll have to pay more, after all, we're also taking risks! Right, boss?" Gou Dan looked at Guo Er with a boastful expression, completely ignoring the fact that the other person wanted to disappear into the ground.
"Oh, then tell me in detail what you usually do? How do you help people avert disasters and difficulties? If you tell me well, I'll reward you!"
Hearing about the reward, Gou Dan'er completely let loose, and when he got tired, he simply squatted down on a stone by the roadside. "Big sister, you also know that the market needs that... something else?"
"order?"
"Oh, right, that's the word. We're here to maintain market order! If any vendor tries to pull some tricks, or if any big merchant tries to bully us stallholders, that won't do. That's when we have to step in!"
Of course, those refugees and displaced people, some of whom even tried to rob us, that was definitely not acceptable! Seeing that Qin San Niang was listening very attentively and occasionally showed a hint of agreement, Gou Dan'er became even more smug.
“A few days ago, some refugees from the north tried to steal steamed buns from the Zhang family. We taught them a lesson, but our leader is kind-hearted and bought two steamed buns for her out of his own pocket. But that woman is wicked and glared at us with her eyes!”
"Zhang the Steamed Bun Maker has it tough too; he has a family to support! If that whole steamer of steamed buns is lost, he'll have worked for nothing all day! And his mother is sick!"
"Alright, Gou Dan'er. Don't delay this lady's business. You're still going on and on!" Guo Er finally spoke up, because if he hadn't, Gou Dan'er probably would have dragged out all three generations of his ancestors!
"Grandma! Madam! We won't dare to do it again! How about I give you all the money we collected today, is that alright?" Guo Er was very obedient, afraid of being beaten by Qin San Niang again.
As long as she doesn't hit anyone, everything is negotiable. This woman is really good at fighting. In his entire life, apart from his own mother, he has never been beaten like this by a woman. If he gets beaten up here on Yangshu Street, it won't be long before his mother hears about it, and she won't have to worry.
So at this moment, Guo Er only wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. It was just a matter of going hungry, nothing serious. He had gone hungry many times before.
Having seen and heard it all, Qin Sanniang suddenly realized that she might have gone too far before. Although Guo Er was a rogue, he still had some childlike innocence and wasn't entirely a bad person; he just had no way to survive. Since she was in need of manpower at the moment, she thought of giving them a chance. If they could seize it, it would be a blessing for them.
Clearing her throat, Qin Sanniang said leisurely, "No, this little bit of money is what you deserve, after all, you did voluntarily ensure market order."
"Oh, thank you, Grandma!" Hearing Qin San Niang's tone soften, Guo Er thought of making a run for it, but then he heard Qin San Niang say "but".
"However, it is indeed wrong for you to accept money privately. If the authorities find out, they will definitely come to arrest you. So it is morally wrong to do so, but it is not reasonable."
“Grandma, we have to make a living too, don’t we? You said it’s understandable that we can be exempted from this, but when will the government ever come to our aid? Yangshu Street is a place where poor people live. The officials are afraid of getting their shoes dirty, so they won’t even set foot there. How could they possibly care about us? For decades, everyone has just been minding their own business!” Guo Er sighed.
What he didn't say was that no matter how hard those from the slums tried, it seemed they could never reach the light of day. Some people lived their entire lives in this one street, the outside world vibrant and colorful, seemingly having nothing to do with the poor people here, burdened by their responsibilities and bent backs! Like his mother, a kind old woman, who had never left Yangshujie Street her whole life, and now with her eyesight failing, she had no hope left!
Thinking of this, Guo Er felt even more distressed! He knew that what Qin San Niang said was all true, but what good was it? He needed to make a living, and the poor people here also needed protection and someone to maintain order. What was wrong with what he had done?
To put it bluntly, if the Tartars really marched south, the common people might even need their protection! In short, he was very willing to go to the battlefield and fight the enemy! Who doesn't have a bit of a passionate heart?
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