AGN -Chapter 437 Shengsheng (Part 3)

Zhao Cheng’an swaggered into the city together with Xia Sheng and Chen Qiusheng. It was obvious he rarely came into town. After squatting outside the city for two whole months, he looked just like Xia Sheng upon entering — everything felt fresh and exciting. He practically wished he had two more eyes growing on the back of his head so he could look around in every direction at once.

By the time the three entered Beiping, the sky was almost completely dark. Nighttime Beiping had nothing to do with bustle or liveliness. There were no night markets, nor brightly lit streets. Even the homes of ordinary residents were dark.

Lighting lamps at night was a luxury; people saved whenever they could.

Of course, places that were brightly lit were also places the three of them could never wander into.

Chen Qiusheng led Zhao Cheng’an and Xia Sheng to the entrance of a bathhouse. Many rickshaw pullers were sitting beside their rickshaws resting there. When they saw people arrive, their first reaction was business — but the moment they saw Zhao Cheng’an, every single one of them stared in shock.

How should one put it… There were beggars everywhere in the city, along with plenty of common folk. Sometimes it was hard to tell the difference between an extremely poor civilian and an ordinary beggar. Everyone was filthy and ragged anyway; nobody had the right to look down on anyone else.

But someone like Zhao Cheng’an, who had practically wrapped himself into a human mud statue, was genuinely rare.

Rare as he was, the bathhouse attendant was clearly experienced and had seen every type of customer before. He greeted them warmly. Chen Qiusheng obviously knew the prices well and directly handed over the money, asking the attendant to take the two boys to the cheapest communal bath pool.

The attendant carefully looked Zhao Cheng’an up and down, then revealed a troubled expression. He explained to Chen Qiusheng that this one was simply too dirty. If he used the ordinary pool, nobody else would be able to bathe there afterward. He could only use the more expensive private pool, where each guest got a separate bath and the water was changed every time.

Chen Qiusheng felt reluctant to spend the extra money, but when he met Zhao Cheng’an’s hopeful eyes, he sighed and gritted his teeth as he paid.

“Master Chen, are you really not planning to buy me? I don’t even want wages!” Zhao Cheng’an’s eyes practically sparkled when he saw Chen Qiusheng paying for him, looking as though he had found the perfect employer of his dreams.

Chen Qiusheng waved his hands in panic, repeatedly saying he couldn’t afford such a thing, then left to buy clothes for the two boys.

“Xia Sheng, your new master is really nice. I’m so jealous of you,” Zhao Cheng’an said as he cheerfully moved closer to him.

Xia Sheng wasn’t exactly socially anxious, but he clearly wasn’t used to someone as naturally outgoing as Zhao Cheng’an either. He silently took two steps back to keep some distance and quietly observed the situation without speaking.

Zhao Cheng’an didn’t care about Xia Sheng’s attitude at all. His whole body radiated joy at the thought of soaking in a private bath, and he happily followed the attendant inside.

Sure enough, paying several times more really did mean better treatment. Zhao Cheng’an even got complimentary peanuts with the private bath.

Quite loyally, Zhao Cheng’an only ate half the plate and pocketed the remaining half — not for Xia Sheng, but for Chen Qiusheng, who had gone out to buy them each a cheap, slightly worn set of linen clothes.

Although the clothes Chen Qiusheng bought had several patches on them, they were already considered very decent garments — even better than what Cai Tou wore. Qin Huai had counted carefully before: the clothes on Cai Tou’s body had at least a dozen patches of various sizes. These two outfits only had four or five patches, clearly much newer.

After washing up and shaving their heads, the difference between the two boys immediately became obvious.

Xia Sheng, who was theoretically nine years old but actually only seven, was clearly much sturdier than other children of the same age in the traffickers’ hands. But from Qin Huai’s perspective, he was still severely malnourished — just a tiny, skinny child.

Zhao Cheng’an, meanwhile, was much taller than Xia Sheng and looked far sturdier too. He seemed like the type who could beat up eight Xia Shengs by himself. Over on Cai Tou’s side, he absolutely would have counted as top-quality stock among the middle-tier goods — the kind at least two customers a day would ask about.

Even Chen Qiusheng clearly hadn’t expected this filthy little mud-man, who had looked somewhat frightening earlier, to actually be so healthy — even robust.

“How old are you?” he asked.

“Either twelve or thirteen, I think,” Zhao Cheng’an answered uncertainly.

At that time, such an age was very vague. One could still be considered a child, but could just as easily be treated as an adult laborer.

Hearing this answer, Chen Qiusheng became even more shocked. He carefully looked Zhao Cheng’an over again.

“What’s your name? Your parents…”

“I haven’t given myself a name yet, and I don’t have parents. I came to Beiping two months ago looking for stable work.” Zhao Cheng’an’s face was filled with yearning for a steady job. “I already planned it all out. Since I don’t have a name yet, once I find work, I’ll let my new master give me one. That way it’ll sound more natural when he calls me.”

Chen Qiusheng was deeply shaken by this unique approach to job hunting. He even began suspecting that this child might be a little mentally slow — somehow both smart and foolish at the same time.

“And how exactly have you survived these past two months in Beiping…” Chen Qiusheng began what was basically a background check.

“Stealing!” Zhao Cheng’an declared proudly. When speaking of his specialty, he straightened his back with pride. “Master Chen, I’m extremely good at stealing. Everything I’ve eaten these past two months came from stealing! At first I tried begging, but later I realized begging wasn’t as good as stealing. The beggars in the city all form gangs too. If you beg in their territory, they gang up and beat you.”

“I can beat one, two, three, even four people, but if there are too many I can’t win. And I don’t want to die so soon, so stealing’s safer!”

“At first I stole while looking for work, but the city employers had requirements that were too high. Either they wanted literacy, or they wanted someone who could use an abacus. I can’t do either.”

“And the jobs with low requirements paid too little, plus they worked you day and night. If you didn’t do well, you’d get beaten. It’s not that I’m afraid of being worked to death — I definitely won’t die from exhaustion now. I just think if the pay’s too low, getting beaten without extra money isn’t worth it.”

“The remaining jobs I thought were okay, and whose employers liked me, all required signing slave contracts and pressing fingerprints and stuff. I secretly observed those employers too. The good employers didn’t want to buy me, and the ones who did want me, I didn’t really like.”

“Then I figured if I was going to sell myself anyway, going door to door promoting myself was too troublesome. So I just squatted outside the city where there were lots of employers and waited there for two months.”

Zhao Cheng’an’s colorful job-hunting experience deeply shocked Xia Sheng. Qin Huai could tell from Xia Sheng’s dumbfounded expression that he neither understood nor could comprehend any of it.

Qin Huai could also tell Chen Qiusheng didn’t really understand either — but Chen Qiusheng simply chose not to understand. He directly categorized Zhao Cheng’an as a fool with something wrong in his head, and even the way he looked at him carried a hint of pity and affection.

If an ordinary street urchin managed to raise himself this well, that counted as self-reliance and determination. But if a fool managed it, then it was practically miraculous talent mixed with incredible hardship.

“Master Chen, please buy me. Even though I can’t read or use an abacus now, I learn very quickly. I can learn any kind of work, and I’m willing to learn anything!”

“If you’re willing to buy me, then give me a name too. I happen not to have one yet.”

Although Chen Qiusheng had already spent some money on Zhao Cheng’an, he clearly had no intention of buying another pageboy he might not even need. He directly shook his head in refusal.

“I already said I only need one pageboy. I’m just an ordinary cook — my household doesn’t need extra servants. Looking the way you do now, you can already try applying as an apprentice at Taifeng Tower. Whether they hire you depends on your luck. This is as far as I can help you.”

After speaking, Chen Qiusheng led Xia Sheng toward his home, while Zhao Cheng’an cheerfully trotted after them.

After following for seven or eight steps, Chen Qiusheng helplessly turned around, his face clearly saying: Are you planning to stick to me for the rest of today?

But Zhao Cheng’an completely failed to understand the expression on Chen Qiusheng’s face and simply stopped happily.

Chen Qiusheng sighed helplessly again. Qin Huai could clearly read his thoughts:

Forget it. No point arguing with a fool. It’s already impressive enough that a fool managed to survive like this.

“You don’t have anywhere to stay, do you?” Chen Qiusheng asked.

“No,” Zhao Cheng’an shook his head. “Usually I just dig a hole.”

Sure enough, Qin Huai had guessed correctly. Zhao Cheng’an had inherited the mayfly race’s fine tradition of burying himself underground.

Chen Qiusheng hesitated for several minutes before finally softening.

“Come back with me tonight and stay in the woodshed. If you’re lucky enough to get hired tomorrow, then you can keep living in that woodshed. If not, I can only take you in for one night.”

“But remember one thing: you absolutely cannot steal anything. The moment I discover you stealing, I’ll immediately hand you over to the authorities,” Chen Qiusheng said sternly.

“Master Chen, don’t worry! How could I steal from my employer? I only steal from other people!”

Chen Qiusheng: “…You can’t steal from anyone!”

After saying that, Chen Qiusheng stopped talking and simply turned around to lead the way ahead. Xia Sheng followed closely behind, while Zhao Cheng’an happily trailed along at the very back.

Just as Chen Qiusheng had said, his family was by no means wealthy or noble. His home was located in an ordinary hutong alley within the city. They had their own courtyard and didn’t need to share it with others. Aside from a small main hall, the house had four rooms total: one woodshed and three living rooms.

The layout of Chen Qiusheng’s house was rather strange. At a glance, it was obvious it had been split off from a larger property. Judging purely from the layout and size, it was far more luxurious than the little house Chen Huihong rented in the outer city, and there was much more furniture as well. There was even a writing desk in Chen Qiusheng’s son’s room.

That was considered a major household item.

“Father.”

Seeing Chen Qiusheng return, his son and an old servant came out carrying a kerosene lamp. Both were stunned when they saw the two boys following behind him.

The yellow light of the kerosene lamp made people’s complexions look waxy. Qin Huai carefully observed the relatively introverted son Chen Qiusheng had mentioned before and realized the young master’s health truly was poor. His face genuinely looked pale yellow and somewhat sickly white. He was also rather thin and frail, standing there skinny and small while holding the old servant’s hand, looking only five or six years old.

No wonder Chen Qiusheng didn’t want to buy an older child. If an older child harbored bad intentions and happened to be clever, he really might bully Young Master Chen.

“Ping’an, it’s cold outside. Hurry inside.” Seeing his son standing at the doorway, Chen Qiusheng quickly stepped forward and took Chen Ping’an’s hand. Noticing Chen Ping’an curiously sizing up Xia Sheng and Zhao Cheng’an, he pointed at Xia Sheng and said:

“Ping’an, from now on he’ll be your pageboy. He’ll study with you and play with you.”

“Greetings, Young Master,” Xia Sheng immediately greeted respectfully.

“As for him…” Chen Qiusheng pointed at Zhao Cheng’an, hesitating slightly. “No need to pay him much attention. He’s only staying for one night.”

Zhao Cheng’an cheerfully greeted Chen Ping’an with a grin, startling Chen Qiusheng so badly that he quickly dragged his son into the house.

“Master, this is…” The old servant was rather confused about the situation.

Chen Qiusheng briefly explained what had happened and instructed the servant to arrange for Xia Sheng and Zhao Cheng’an to sleep together in the woodshed that night — and to keep an eye on Zhao Cheng’an.

The old servant quickly agreed. He didn’t even prepare bedding, merely spreading some straw casually in the woodshed. He stuffed one coarse black-flour bun into each boy’s hands, gave them a jar of water, then locked the door from the outside.

After hearing Zhao Cheng’an was supposedly a dim-witted master thief, the servant felt locking the door was the safest option just in case.

The lock could stop Zhao Cheng’an, but naturally it couldn’t stop Qin Huai. Qin Huai wandered around for a bit before finally returning to the woodshed, only to discover Zhao Cheng’an and Xia Sheng were already lying down.

Xia Sheng lay stiffly and cautiously, nerves practically stretched taut because of the responsibility he carried. Zhao Cheng’an, meanwhile, looked completely relaxed and comfortable.

“This straw is so soft,” Zhao Cheng’an said happily. “Way more comfortable than burying myself in dirt. It’d be great if I could live like this every day.”

Xia Sheng was speechless. He gave Zhao Cheng’an a long look before asking:

“You really don’t have a name?”

“Nope,” Zhao Cheng’an answered decisively. “Names are important, especially your first one. You have to be careful about it.”

Xia Sheng asked bluntly, “Is there really something wrong with your head?”

“Hey, why do you speak so harshly?”

Xia Sheng stopped talking.

But once Xia Sheng went silent, Zhao Cheng’an became dissatisfied again. Lying on the straw, his face full of envy, he said: “I’m really jealous you found such a good master. I don’t think I’m bad either, so why won’t employers buy me? I don’t even need wages.”

“Is it just because I can’t use an abacus or read?”

“If I could live such good days every day, and casually steal a little outside too, I’d even be willing to die early.”

Xia Sheng: …

Xia Sheng had now completely concluded Zhao Cheng’an had something wrong with his brain, and he relaxed his guard against him slightly.

And once he relaxed, he suddenly felt like talking.

“I don’t want to die early,” Xia Sheng said softly. “I want to live. I want to live for a very long time.”

“My father, my mother, my grandparents, my older sister — they all wanted me to live well. Along the journey from Jin Province to here, there were many times when I thought maybe I should just stop and collapse by the roadside and die. But I didn’t want to die.”

“If I die, then my grandparents died for nothing.”

Zhao Cheng’an couldn’t understand the complicated emotions hidden inside Xia Sheng’s complicated words, but he strongly agreed with the conclusion.

“I also think living is good. Of course you should live as many years as possible. I want to live longer too.”

“I still haven’t found an employer willing to give me a name. Once I do, I’m definitely going to ask them for a nice-sounding one. Then when I die someday, at least I’ll die carrying a nice name.”

“Oh right, actually I never understood what Master Chen said earlier. What kind of place is Taifeng Tower? And what’s a cook? I do know what an apprentice is — working for free, right?”

Xia Sheng replied, “…Taifeng Tower should be a large restaurant. A cook is someone who specifically prepares food for important people.”

“Cooking?! The braised pig head meat, yellow wine, offal, and white steamed buns I stole a few days ago — were those all made by cooks too?”

“Yes!”

“Then can cooks eat whatever they want?”

“…Probably not whatever they want, but they can probably eat a little.”

“Wow, Master Chen really is such a good person! He actually recommended me for such an amazing job!”

“When I was looking for work before, why didn’t I ever come across such a good job? Back then, they only wanted me to carry things back and forth, or grind millstones.”

Xia Sheng thought silently: Probably because the recruiters took one look at you and realized you were an idiot, so they couldn’t even be bothered explaining things.

Ignoring Zhao Cheng’an, Xia Sheng rolled over, closed his eyes, and went to sleep, leaving Zhao Cheng’an alone lying excitedly on the straw.

Qin Huai: …

It was difficult to evaluate, yet somehow strangely reasonable.

As a spirit creature who had only just entered the human world, Zhao Cheng’an was nothing like Chen Huihong, who had Huiniang as a wonderful teacher. Having absolutely no common sense was perfectly normal for him. In feudal society, someone like him could easily have been captured as a monster and burned alive.

Yet he also happened to possess a skill — stealing.

And because of that, his survival somehow became entirely reasonable.

Besides, he really did resemble a fool a little too much.

This guy truly dared to say anything. He spoke every thought openly and honestly, so much so that it was hard not to think he was actually an idiot.

One could only say that everything had worked out in the best possible way.