Chapter 105: The twelfth month
The steward finally spent nine hundred taels to buy a house and arranged for people to renovate it according to Lin Hao's instructions.
Things didn't go smoothly for Axing at the beginning.
The little beggars who can survive on the streets are all very cunning. If a handsome young man dressed well suddenly appears and says he will provide them with a place to stay and food and drink, their first reaction will be that he has bad intentions and might be taken to some terrible place.
On the contrary, the old beggar, who was old and frail and seemed to be unable to hold on, followed Ah Xing without much hesitation.
These are old bones that are about to be buried. Even if you use them to make soup, you won’t be able to produce a few drops of oil. What are you afraid of?
Lin Hao quickly made arrangements for the twenty or thirty old beggars that Ah Xing brought back.
The newly bought house was still under renovation. Most of the chores such as sweeping and cooking could be done by the old beggars. The old beggars who were almost unable to move were arranged to receive medical treatment and recuperation.
These people are old and it is impossible for them to learn literacy and skills like the little beggars. Their main job in the future will be to take care of the house and take care of the young beggars.
What surprised Lin Hao was that one of the sick old beggars was actually a private school teacher. As long as he recovered from his illness, he would not have to hire another teacher.
Ah Xing saw that Lin Hao was not acting on a whim, so he gritted his teeth and changed back into the beggar's attire.
Lin Hao asked in surprise: "Axing, where did you find these clothes?"
Ah Xing looked a little embarrassed and said in a muffled voice, "I'll go find my old companions first. Once they've settled in and trust me, I'll let them find others."
"This is a good idea." Lin Hao gave Axing an appreciative look.
Ah Xing pursed her lips and asked worriedly, "Do you really have the money to support so many people?"
Lin Hao smiled and pushed him: "Go quickly, don't worry about the money. I still have a lot of gold and silver jewelry. If it doesn't work out, I can sell any one of them and get a lot of money--"
Ah Xing subconsciously said: "Are you stupid——"
The rest of the words were swallowed back by the girl's clear eyes.
He is where he is today because of her stupidity.
Ah Xing refused to wear such clothes from the bottom of his heart, as it would remind him of the helplessness and despair of living under the bridge and watching his sick brother.
But if such a fool doesn't do his best to complete what she wants to do, he will suffer even more.
"I'm going." Ah Xing said awkwardly and ran out.
Lin Hao looked at the young man's running back and raised the corners of his lips.
God gave her a chance to be reborn. Her goal should not be just hatred. She should do some good deeds within her ability to deserve this luck.
After changing back into beggar's clothes, Ah Xing indeed gained the trust of the beggars. When the house was renovated, there were more than a hundred little beggars living there.
Lin Hao did not hide what he did from his family. When Uncle Liu heard about it, he came over and picked out a dozen martial arts talents to bring back to the general's mansion.
The guards of the general's mansion had to be trained from a young age, either by selecting from children born in the family or by buying them through brokers. This not only provided some beggars with a way out, but also saved money, killing two birds with one stone.
Time soon entered the twelfth lunar month. The north wind was blowing fiercely and the snow was falling heavily. It was so cold that people felt like being tortured when going out.
The Ruyi troupe finally reached their most leisurely time of the year. Besides performing at the homes of wealthy families, they would hide away in the rented courtyards, warming themselves by the fire. Of course, the daily practice couldn't stop; if they didn't practice for a day and became rusty, they'd lose their jobs.
Among them, Xiao Feng practiced the hardest.
In two days, the Ruyi Troupe would go to the Wuning Marquis's mansion to entertain his wife at a birthday banquet. The Ruyi Troupe members were beaming with joy, knowing they could have a prosperous new year.
The troupe leader walked over with his hands behind his back, scolding the few people who were huddled around the stove to keep warm: "You just know how to be lazy. Don't you know you're going to the Marquis' Mansion soon? There will be so many nobles watching. If you mess up, you won't have anything to eat and will have to beg on the street!"
Several people were scolded so much that they dared not say a word.
"Where is Xiaofeng?" the class owner asked after looking around.
"Xiao Feng went to the back to practice dancing silk." Someone replied.
The class owner became even angrier: "Look at Xiao Feng, she practices from morning till night, and then look at you, you're not making any progress!"
After the class leader left, someone muttered, "Xiao Feng is practicing non-stop because she changed to dancing silk."
They went to the Wuning Marquis's mansion to entertain. Not only were all the guests present there nobles, but the Crown Prince was also rumored to be there, so naturally they couldn't perform sword dancing, which Xiaofeng excelled at. It just so happened that the silk dancer was ill, and since the Ruyi troupe had their own strengths, they practiced every skill to coordinate, so the troupe owner arranged for Xiaofeng to fill in.
Although the class leader praised Xiao Feng for his hard work in front of a few people, he was actually the one he was most worried about. After all, he was not the best at it, and it would be troublesome if he failed in such an important occasion.
He strolled to the open space behind the slum.
The red silk was swung into various arcs, flying around the clean and handsome boy. Even without any difficult movements, it was pleasing to the eye.
The class owner nodded with satisfaction.
He had seen Xiao Feng dancing with a sword on the street and had taken a liking to the kid at first sight.
The Ruyi Troupe often performs at wealthy homes, and they are much more likable because of their good looks.
Xiao Feng finished her set of moves, and the class owner waved her hand: "Xiao Feng, take a break."
In such a cold day, Xiao Feng's nose was sweating and he was breathing heavily. He smiled and showed his white and neat teeth: "Boss, you are looking for me."
"Why don't you practice in the yard? It's cold outside with no shelter."
Xiao Feng wiped the sweat off his face and said, "I'm still a little hot from practicing. I practice for a long time and it disturbs others to rest in the yard."
The class owner was very pleased: "You are such a worry-free kid. Don't practice for too long. Take a break when you need one."
"Got it, class leader. I'll practice for a while and then go back."
The boss nodded and walked away slowly.
Xiao Feng stared at the class owner's back for a long time without moving.
The sky became cloudy, and snowflakes fell on his hair and clothes.
Xiao Feng touched the cool tip of his nose and threw the silk ribbon in his hand away.
He was so focused on his practice that he didn't notice a man in gray wearing a conical hat approaching.
The green silk ribbon wrapped in sharp edges flew out, and one end was caught by the man in gray and the arc was straightened.
Xiao Feng asked cautiously: "Who are you?"
The man in gray let go of the silk belt and walked in front of Xiaofeng.
Xiao Feng stared at him closely, but couldn't see his face clearly because of the hat.
"What's the matter?" Xiao Feng tried to keep his voice calm.
The man in gray stretched out his hand, and a small throwing knife lay quietly in his palm.
It turned out that the sharp edge was a flying knife that Xiao Feng threw out with the green silk covering it.
Xiao Feng's face changed drastically.
The fear that surged like a tide made him want to turn around and run away, far away from the man in gray, but his remaining rationality told him that escape was useless.
"What do you want? Who are you?"
The man in gray was silent.
The snow gradually grew heavier, falling between the two of them, and the frozen atmosphere seemed to be frozen.
Xiao Feng's fingertips were shaking violently, and the white air he exhaled was so thick that it couldn't disperse.
Finally, the man in gray spoke.
"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is this flying knife. I'm afraid it can't kill anyone."
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