"I must have misread it..." Gu Zhixing shook his head with a wry smile and blew out the oil lamp.
In the darkness, he gently held Shen Jintang's hand. "Jintang, I carried sixty-two bags of grain today. The foreman said I've made great progress."
He spoke softly of the day's events, sharing everyday moments as they used to when they were together: "A new ship arrived at the dock, loaded with fruit from Jiaozhou. It smells wonderful. When you wake up, I'll take you to try some..."
Rain began to fall outside the window, and raindrops seeped in through the leaks in the roof. Gu Zhixing quickly got up and used a wooden basin to catch the leaking water.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and more and more places were leaking. Soon, there were four or five places in the hut dripping water.
Gu Zhixing set out all the usable containers, and in the end, he even used his own rice bowl to collect water.
He sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Shen Jintang's peaceful face, and gently wiped her face.
Day after day, as the sun sets again, Gu Zhixing drags his weary steps out of the pharmacy, clutching the medicine packet he just prepared for Shen Jintang tightly in his hand.
He habitually touched his money pouch, and the three copper coins clinked together with a crisp sound.
I need to buy steamed buns before work tomorrow. They cost one copper coin for two. If I eat two a day, I'll still have two copper coins left. I can buy a piece of candy for Shen Jintang...
"Big brother..."
Gu Zhixing felt a slight tug at the corner of his clothes. He looked down and saw a pair of small, dusty figures.
The older boy, about eleven or twelve years old, was using his body to partially shield a smaller girl.
The girl's straw sandals were worn through and had several bloody cracks.
"Could you give me some money?" The boy's voice was barely audible, but his eyes were fixed on the steaming bun stall outside the pharmacy. "My sister hasn't eaten for two days..."
Gu Zhixing's fingers unconsciously tightened around the three copper coins in his purse.
That was all the money he had for food tomorrow. One copper coin for two steamed buns; he had originally planned to eat two and save one for emergencies.
But the brother and sister in front of me...
He crouched down, bringing his line of sight to the boy's.
The boy's lips were chapped and peeling, and his cheeks were severely sunken.
The little girl hid behind her brother, her little hands tightly gripping the hem of his clothes, her knuckles turning white.
"Take it." Gu Zhixing took a deep breath and gently placed the two copper coins into the boy's palm.
The coin made a slight clinking sound when it touched the boy's palm.
The boy was stunned, his dirty little face filled with disbelief.
He carefully closed his palms, as if afraid the coin would fly away, then suddenly pulled his sister and bowed deeply: "Thank you, big brother! Thank you!"
Gu Zhixing watched their retreating figures as they ran towards the steamed bun stall. The boy kept turning back to look at him as he ran, his eyes shining.
His stomach protested at just the right moment, but strangely, the hunger didn't seem so unbearable anymore.
"Tomorrow..." he murmured to himself, "I can get by with just one steamed bun tomorrow."
He touched his empty purse, and the only copper coin inside made a lonely sound.
A little girl's happy laughter drifted from afar, and Gu Zhixing's lips unconsciously curled into a smile as he turned and disappeared into the bustling crowd.
The next morning, as soon as Gu Zhixing pushed open the creaking door, two small figures jumped out from the base of the wall.
"Big brother!" the boy waved his hand excitedly, "Yesterday we bought four steamed buns! My little sister ate two of them!"
Gu Zhixing ruffled the boy's messy hair and was about to leave when the little girl tugged at his sleeve: "Today... can we still..."
He sighed and took out two copper coins—that was all the money he had for his meal that day.
But seeing the little girl's chapped lips and expectant eyes, he still placed the money in her small hand.
"Is Brother Gu playing the good guy again?" Old Li, a dockworker who lived with him, teased, puffing on his pipe. "He can't even feed himself, yet he's meddling in other people's business."
Gu Zhixing just smiled and exchanged the last copper coin for two hard steamed buns, stuffing them into his pocket.
Three ships need to be unloaded at the dock today; we'll be working until dark.
For five consecutive days, the brother and sister would appear at the alley entrance on time.
Gu Zhixing gradually got used to spending two copper coins every day, got used to his coworkers' teasing, and got used to the burning pain in his stomach when he worked on an empty stomach.
On the evening of the sixth day, Gu Zhixing was counting the last batch of goods when a commotion suddenly broke out at the dock.
"Stop them! That's Boss Chen's silk!"
Foreman Zhao's shouts were particularly jarring amidst the noise.
Gu Zhixing looked up and saw five or six thugs wielding sticks robbing the goods.
Two workers who tried to stop them had already fallen to the ground groaning, while the others cowered and dared not step forward.
"What are you all standing there for?" Old Zhao stamped his feet anxiously. "If the goods are lost, our wages for this month will all be gone!"
Wages...
Upon hearing this, Gu Zhixing stood up abruptly and shouted, "Stop!"
The dockworkers were paid the most, and they were paid daily.
Without this payment, Shen Jintang would have nowhere to get her medicine.
Gu Zhixing's shout made the thugs stop what they were doing.
The leader of the thugs turned around, saw a thin young man, and grinned: "Hey, where did this greenhorn come from? You're tired of living?"
He weighed the stick in his hand and walked towards Gu Zhixing, followed by two thugs who surrounded him.
The workers all took a few steps back, and no one dared to step forward to help.
"Kid, if you know what's good for you, get out of here, or else—"
Before the thug could finish speaking, Gu Zhixing suddenly moved.
He grabbed the carrying pole beside him and charged forward, the pole slamming hard into the leader of the thugs' knees.
With a crisp "crack," the thug screamed and fell to his knees.
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