As the weather gradually warms up, the people in the southern district have successfully weathered a cold winter.
Compared to the hardships and misery of previous years, this year is the happiest year for them in many years.
They don't need to suffer from the cold wind, nor do they need to scavenge for leftover food on the streets to fill their stomachs.
Thanks to the help of the poet, the group that had suffered the most hardship were able to move into warm rooms and have delicious meals.
Even before spring arrives, many people are already spending their days asking around, inquiring about when work will resume.
Now that everyone has a place to live and food to eat, and if they also have daily wages, they might be able to save up a sum of money in a short time.
Perhaps I could start a small business and break free from the past.
This is what many poor people in the southern district are thinking; they've had enough of this impoverished life.
Especially after a winter of rest, everyone was no longer as sickly as usual, and many people had a lot of energy that they couldn't release.
"Xiaoqi, is there any news about when work will start?"
The little beggar of yesteryear is now unrecognizable.
After changing into clean clothes and washing himself frequently every day, he regained his youthful appearance and became full of energy.
Because of his connection with Tang Huan, the poor people in the southern district respected him more, and the bullying they used to experience by beggars never happened again.
Xiao Qi shook her head. "I don't know either. The master has returned to Qihuai County and we don't know when he will come back. Lord Tang Liu from Qihuai County hasn't said when to start work these past few days either."
When the person in charge who shares the same surname as Tang Huan was mentioned, everyone's expressions were different.
Although Tang Liu's attitude towards the common people was not bad, it was still somewhat inferior to that of the Poet Immortal.
Moreover, this Lord Tang Liu is somewhat frivolous. He spends his days drinking and having fun, and often entices everyone to go to the brothels in the city to listen to music.
According to many people, Tang Liu had stayed out all night more than ten times during the winter.
"Why don't you go ask Lord Tang Liu again? Two taels of silver a month is quite a lot of money. The sooner you start working, the sooner you'll earn money!"
Someone suggested this to Xiaoqi.
Xiaoqi thought about it and felt that it was indeed necessary to ask.
He got up and left the room, heading towards where Lord Tang Liu was staying.
This adult also lived in the relief housing in the South District, but unlike others, he was not crammed together with so many people. There were several other people from Qihuai County in the same room.
Xiao Qi searched all the way here and called out, "Sir, are you inside?"
Laughter came from inside the house. "Is that Xiao Qi? Come in and talk to me."
Xiao Qi went inside upon hearing the sound and found several mercenaries sitting on their respective beds.
One of them joked, "What kind of big shot is Tang Liu? You're giving him too much credit. Back in Qihuai County, that kid was just a nobody."
Xiao Qi smiled and said, "After all, Lord Tang Liu is the project manager appointed by the Poet Immortal, so we dare not be presumptuous."
Someone else asked, "It's so late, Tang Liu is probably off having fun somewhere again. What do you need him for?"
"It's nothing important, I just wanted to ask when we're going to start construction. A lot of people want to know."
"It's hard to say. We'll have to wait for the adults to come back. We'll let you know when we have any news. Just rest easy."
After seeing Xiao Qi off, the mercenaries started talking amongst themselves.
Even the people from Qihuai County themselves didn't know when construction would start, nor did they know that Tang Huan had already gone to Beijing.
Unlike the people in the southern district, the mercenaries who came to Beijing to participate in the project before winter were paid even if they lived in the capital, though it was a bit meager compared to when they had work.
Their task was simple: to wander around the capital city every day and find a middle-aged man who was overweight and had a mole on his face.
All mercenaries work in three shifts a day, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The mercenaries knew nothing about the man they were looking for; they only knew that Tang Liu had instructed them not to inquire too aggressively and to simply keep a close watch.
The mercenaries didn't know, but Tang Liu knew that it was the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on Tang Huan.
Moreover, this person seems to have other powerful backers.
For a while at first, Tang Liu searched carefully, but after nearly two months without any news, he began to give up.
After all, the adults only mentioned it briefly and didn't seem to be in a hurry to find the other person.
Just as others had guessed, Tang Liu was out having a good time with several mercenaries tonight.
They couldn't bear to spend the money, so they didn't go to Chunfeng Tower, but instead found a place that was well-known but not too expensive.
Several men sat in the hall, each with a woman in their lap.
Tang Liu had drunk quite a bit and was already tipsy.
But his hands were anything but well-behaved, roaming freely over the girl's body, causing her to laugh in surprise from time to time.
"Tang Liu, if the adults find out we're out having such a good time, won't we be in trouble?" someone asked.
Tang Liu waved his hand, "What could possibly happen? We're just sitting here anyway, and we're not causing any trouble. Once the South District project starts, who will have time to come and have fun?"
Once the project starts, they won't have much time to rest.
Having said that, everyone stopped worrying.
Tang Liu picked up the wine glass beside him, and the girl in his arms immediately smiled and took the glass, offering it to Tang Liu's lips.
Their behavior was intimate, and their expression was gentle.
Tang Liu smiled with satisfaction, his eyes almost squinting together.
Just as the wine glass was brought to his lips, Tang Liu suddenly pushed it away.
Caught off guard, the girl lost her grip, and the wine glass shattered on the ground.
The crisp sound did not attract any attention in the bustling store.
"What's wrong, Tang Liu?"
When asked, Tang Liu did not answer.
Everyone looked in the direction Tang Liu was looking and saw several men walking towards them, weaving through the crowd and heading upstairs.
The men were well-off and dressed in luxurious clothes, clearly not ordinary people like them.
"Does Lord Tang know them?" a girl asked.
Tang Liu struggled to open his eyes and slapped himself twice on the face to try and clear his head.
"You're right, I actually know him!"
After saying that, Tang Liu gave a wink to the mercenaries.
Without needing further instructions, the group immediately stood up, ignoring the reactions of the girls around them, and followed Tang Liu forward.
Walking through the noisy crowd, Tang Liu lowered his voice and said:
"Short and overweight, of extraordinary status, with a prominent mole on his face, does he look like him?"
Upon hearing this, the mercenaries exchanged glances and immediately knew who Tang Liu was referring to.
Tang Liu grinned and said, "Finally! We've been looking for this guy for ages! If we catch him, we're all going to be rich! The boss definitely won't be stingy!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
