The old beggar hurried forward and lifted the tattered cloth curtain hanging at the door, and saw a thin child struggling to stretch out his fingers to reach a pottery bowl on a broken table not far away.
The door curtain was opened, and the dazzling sunlight shone in. The child quickly covered his eyes with his hands, and through his fingers he saw a tall figure pressing down. He couldn't help but shudder, and leaned back habitually, but his right hand tightly grasped the dagger in the quilt. Hearing the familiar hoarse sound, his tense nerves finally relaxed.
"We are lucky today. We met a good employer who gave us five steamed buns. Eat them quickly. We will move soon!"
Xu Sinian took the ceramic bowl and paused, his young face full of maturity that did not match his age: "Moving, where to? Is it suitable?"
"We can't hide in this cave forever, your body can't take it. The new place we're going to is called Laohu Town. It was a deserted town half a year ago. Now it's full of outsiders. We won't be noticeable there. Besides, the family we're going to is the most famous family in Laohu Town. They can at least give us some shelter."
The old beggar was not old, he was in his thirties. He just had to bury himself in a mess because he was fleeing with his nephew Xu Sinian.
Because of this, they fled to Weizhou Prefecture and avoided being pursued by one group of people after another.
No one would have thought that the fourth master of the Jiang family, who used to live a life of luxury, is now a stinky beggar that everyone avoids.
He did not spend the past six months in Weizhou Prefecture in vain.
He knew all the big and small forces, aristocratic families, and rising stars here clearly.
He kept in mind the changes in Laohu Town, the sudden rise of the Qiao family, the Qiao family's employment situation and subsequent treatment, development, etc.
Ever since he found out that everyone hired by Qiao Xin last time was living a comfortable life and no one was fired without reason, he became particularly concerned about everything the Qiao family did.
This time, while Qiao Xin was recruiting again, he came prepared.
Xu Sinian was puzzled, "Why would they want us?"
His uncle is now a beggar. Apart from his life, what else can the Qiao family want from him!
"Well, the Qiao family is looking for a craftsman, and I told them that I can castrate pigs!"
Xu Sinian was so shocked that the steamed bun in his hand fell off: "Uncle, how come I didn't know that? When have you ever done such a lowly job?"
"Si Nian, you've passed. We are beggars now. Isn't that worse than the lowest class?"
Xu Sinian also realized that he had said the wrong thing, his face turned red and he quickly explained, "I, I didn't mean that, I meant, do you really know how to do it?"
"Yes, before our family got rich, your great-grandfather was just a pig butcher. Your grandpa taught me to do this for a few years, but this craft was not worth it no matter where we went. People looked down on us, so your grandfather got angry and moved away to do another craft. After we got rich, no one wanted to talk about these things. Of course, you don't know."
Xu Sinian lost his appetite and was quite worried: "Since the Qiao family has been able to rise to prominence in such a short period of time, they must have something extraordinary. In fact, we were deceived by your few words. We'd better be careful!"
"Humph, our enemies are nothing more than businessmen. But the Qiao family is different. The old lady Qiao was conferred the title of Sixth Rank An Ren by the emperor a few days ago. Everyone in Weizhou Prefecture knows this.
Moreover, some of their sons passed the imperial examinations, and some became generals. But the Qiao family has never been reported to bully others by taking advantage of their power. The old lady works in the fields every day. Have you ever seen such a rich official family?"
"You mean they won't take human life lightly and be unkind to their wealth!"
"Yes, that's what I see! If we are really useful to the Qiao family, it is possible to ask the old lady to do justice in the future!"
Xu Sinian rolled his eyes and thought to himself that Jiang Dahai was naive, "Uncle, it's broad daylight, stop dreaming!"
Even though her uncle has been through so much, Mo Nan still believes that there are good people in this world, but Xu Sinian no longer dares to trust anyone easily.
The Qiao family can be used temporarily, but we will have to wait and see how it turns out. Without knowing family affairs, how can we understand the complexity of human nature?
......
Cao Lao San came back from the stall early, which shocked Cao's mother. She kept asking what happened and why he came back empty-handed so early. There was no food for the day. His daughter-in-law and grandchildren were already skinny from hunger!
As soon as Cao Laosan entered the room, he started to pack things. Actually, there was not much to pack. A few torn clothes, a patched quilt, and some broken farm tools and bowls and chopsticks were all his belongings. The only valuable thing was the set of calligraphy in his backpack.
"Mom. Where's Shu Niang? Let's move! My son has found a good place. We won't have to worry about food and drink anymore!"
Cao's mother touched her son's forehead and said, "He doesn't have a fever. What nonsense is he talking about in broad daylight?" He goes out to fool people every day, but how come he gets fooled by others? How can such a good thing as pie in the sky fall on a family like them? Don't dream!
"Oh, mother, why would I lie to you? Look, they've given us all the steamed buns." Cao Laosan then remembered that he was so happy that he didn't even have time to give the food to his mother. "There's no salary for this job, but you can bring your family, and food and accommodation are provided."
"What? Free food and lodging, and you can bring your family. How can there be such a good thing in the world?"
"It's true. At the Qiao family in Laohu Town, the ten taels of silver my son brought back last time to pay for your medical treatment was all thanks to her.
You know Mr. Fang Ya from our front street, right? I asked him about it, and the Qiao family has bought almost half of the houses and properties in Laohu Town. They really need a lot of manpower. My son didn’t make it last time, so he really can’t miss it this time.”
"Old Lake Town, are you talking about the deserted town that people used to avoid?"
Shu Niang came back from the backyard carrying a hoe on her back, and happened to see her husband and mother-in-law talking about Lao Hu Town, so she couldn't help but ask!
"Why, you've been there? What's the problem?"
"Mom, do you still remember Fusheng's mother who escaped with us?"
"Aren't the men in that family hunters?"
"Yes, they settled in Laohu Town. The other day, my daughter-in-law ran into her on the street with her child getting medicine for her mother-in-law. I heard that she is now at home with her mother-in-law, not far from the Qiao family. From what she said, the Qiao family has helped them a lot."
"So you support going too!"
Shu Niang hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and nodded, saying, "If you don't move a tree, it will die, but if you move a person, he will live. Anyway, our family is almost broke, so why not take a gamble? At worst, we can come back later."
Mother Cao sighed and said, "Then let's move. If God really doesn't want us to live, then I will accept it!"
The Cao family is not the only family that Qiao Xin hires. After discussing the situation, most of them are willing to give it a try. As a master, there are always some stubborn and overbearing elders who are unwilling to change. They think that Qiao Xin must have a bigger plan by providing such good conditions, and naturally will not support their family to take risks.
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