Chapter 435

Zhao Zhao Chengan followed Xia Sheng and Chen Chen Qiusheng into the city swaggeringly. It could be seen that she rarely entered the city. Having squatted outside the city for two months, when she entered the city, she was like Xia Sheng, finding everything fresh, wishing she could grow two eyes on the back of her head to look 360 degrees without blind spots.

When the three entered the city, it was almost completely dark. The Beiping city at night had nothing to do with liveliness; there were no night markets, let alone brightly lit, and even the houses where ordinary residents lived were dark.

Lighting a lamp at night was a very luxurious thing, to be saved whenever possible.

Of course, the three of them couldn't visit brightly lit places either.

Chen Chen Qiusheng led Zhao Zhao Chengan and Xia Sheng to the entrance of the bathhouse. There were many rickshaw pullers waiting at the entrance, resting by their rickshaws. Seeing someone coming, their first reaction was business, and then they were all shocked when they saw Zhao Zhao Chengan.

How should I put it? There were many beggars and commoners in the city. Sometimes it was even difficult to distinguish between extremely poor commoners and ordinary beggars with the naked eye; after all, everyone was equally dirty and messy, and no one should look down on anyone else in ragged clothes.

But someone like Zhao Zhao Chengan, who wrapped herself into a mud figure, was really rare.

Although rare, the bathhouse attendant was obviously knowledgeable and had seen all kinds of customers, so he welcomed them enthusiastically. Chen Chen Qiusheng obviously knew the price, directly handed the money to the attendant, and asked the attendant to lead the two to soak in the most ordinary public pool.

The attendant looked at Zhao Zhao Chengan carefully, showing a difficult expression, and explained to Chen Chen Qiusheng that this one was too dirty. If she soaked in the ordinary pool, others wouldn't be able to soak after she was done; she could only soak in the more expensive private stalls, where high-end ones were one person per pool per change.

Chen Chen Qiusheng was a bit reluctant, but facing Zhao Zhao Chengan's expectant eyes, he sighed and gritted his teeth to pay the money.

"Master Chen, are you really not planning to buy me? I don't want money!" Seeing Chen Chen Qiusheng pay, Zhao Zhao Chengan's eyes were shining, looking like she had found the most ideal boss in her heart.

Chen Chen Qiusheng was so scared that he waved his hands repeatedly, indicating he couldn't afford it, and left to buy clothes for the two.

"Xia Sheng, your new master is really nice, I'm so envious of you." Zhao Zhao Chengan leaned towards Xia Sheng very familiarly.

Xia Sheng couldn't be considered socially anxious, but he wasn't very accustomed to Zhao Zhao Chengan's natural social butterfly nature. He just silently stepped back two steps to keep his distance from Zhao Zhao Chengan and observed the situation without saying a word.

Zhao Zhao Chengan didn't care about Xia Sheng's attitude either, her whole body overflowing with the joy of going to soak in a private pool, happily following the attendant inside.

Don't say, the treatment for spending several times more money was different; Zhao Zhao Chengan even had free peanuts to eat in this pool.

Zhao Zhao Chengan was very loyal and only ate half a plate of peanuts, taking the remaining half with her. She didn't give it to Xia Sheng, but left it for Chen Chen Qiusheng, who had gone out to buy a set of cheap, half-old, half-new hemp clothes for the two.

Don't look at the hemp clothes Chen Chen Qiusheng bought for the two as having a few patches; these were already considered very good clothes, better than what Caitou was wearing. Qin Huai had counted carefully; the patches on Caitou's clothes were at least a dozen, big and small, while the patches on these two sets of clothes were only four or five, which were obviously much newer.

After washing clean and shaving their heads, the gap between the two became apparent.

Xia Sheng, as a child who was theoretically 9 years old but actually only 7, was obviously much sturdier than children of the same age in the hands of traffickers, but from Qin Huai's perspective, he was still extremely malnourished, just a thin and small child.

Zhao Zhao Chengan was a head taller than Xia Sheng and looked much sturdier; it felt like one person could beat up 8 Xiashengs. If placed on Caitou's side, she would definitely be considered the best of the mid-range goods, the kind that at least two customers would ask for the price every day.

Chen Chen Qiusheng obviously didn't expect this dirty, even slightly scary little mud figure to be so healthy and even robust, and asked: "How old are you?"

Zhao Zhao Chengan wasn't very sure: "12 or 13 years old, I guess."

This age was a very vague age in this era; she could be said to be a child, but she could also be used as an adult.

Hearing Zhao Zhao Chengan say this, Chen Chen Qiusheng was even more surprised, looking Zhao Zhao Chengan up and down carefully: "What is your name, your parents..."

"I haven't taken a name for myself yet, and I don't have parents. I've been in Beiping for two months and just want to find a stable job." Zhao Zhao Chengan's face was full of longing for a stable job. "I've already thought about it; I don't have a name yet. When I find a job, I'll let the new master give me a name, which will make it easier for the master to call me."

Chen Chen Qiusheng was deeply shocked by this unique way of finding a job. Chen Chen Qiusheng even began to suspect that this child might have some problems with her brain; she looked both smart and stupid.

"How did you... in Beiping these two months?" Chen Chen Qiusheng began to do a background check.

"Stealing things!" Zhao Zhao Chengan said proudly, her back straightening when talking about her specialty. "Master Chen, my stealing technique is especially good. For these two months, everything I ate was stolen! At first, I originally wanted to beg, but later I found that what I begged for wasn't as good as what I stole. The beggars in this city also formed gangs; if I went to their territory, they would gang up to beat me."

"I could beat one, two, three, or four, but if there were too many people, I couldn't beat them, and I didn't want to die so soon, so stealing was safer!"

"At first, I was stealing while looking for work, but the requirements for recruitment in the city were too high; either they required literacy, or they required knowing how to use an abacus. I couldn't do any of these."

"Those with low requirements paid too little, and I had to work day and night, and if I didn't do well, I would easily get beaten. I'm not afraid of being tired to death; I definitely won't be tired to death now. I mainly feel that the money is too little, and getting beaten doesn't add money."

"The rest that I think are okay and look down on me all want me to sign a deed of sale, saying it's for pressing a fingerprint or something. I've secretly observed these masters; good masters don't look down on me and don't buy me, and I don't like the ones who look down on me."

"Later, I thought that since I was going to sell myself, it was too troublesome to promote myself to one household after another, so it was better to go directly to the place where there were many masters. I squatted outside the city for two months."

Zhao Zhao Chengan's wonderful job-hunting experience deeply shocked Xia Sheng. Qin Huai could see from Xia Sheng's dumbfounded expression that he couldn't understand or comprehend it.

Qin Huai could see that Chen Chen Qiusheng didn't quite understand either, but Chen Chen Qiusheng chose not to understand. He directly treated Zhao Zhao Chengan as a fool with some brain problems, and even the look in his eyes when looking at Zhao Zhao Chengan carried some pity.

A normal beggar child being able to raise herself like this could be considered self-reliant, but a fool being able to raise herself like this was somewhat too difficult and gifted.

"Master Chen, buy me. Although I don't know how to read or use an abacus now, I learn things especially fast. I can learn any job, and I'm willing to learn anything!"

"If you are willing to buy me, give me a name; it just so happens that I don't have a name yet."

Although Chen Chen Qiusheng had already spent a little money on Zhao Zhao Chengan, he obviously didn't have the idea of buying another book boy who might not need money, so he shook his head and refused.

"I said, I only need one book boy. I am just an ordinary cook, and my family doesn't need extra servants. Now that you look like this, you can go to Taifenglou to apply for an apprenticeship. Whether you can be hired depends on your fortune; I can only help you this much."

After speaking, Chen Chen Qiusheng led Xia Sheng towards his home, and Zhao Zhao Chengan followed behind happily. After following for seven or eight steps, Chen Chen Qiusheng turned around helplessly, looking at Zhao Zhao Chengan, his face full of the expression: Are you going to pester me today?

Zhao Zhao Chengan couldn't understand the meaning on Chen Chen Qiusheng's face at all and stopped happily.

Chen Chen Qiusheng sighed helplessly again. Qin Huai understood his expression; his face was clearly written with: Forget it, don't argue with a fool; it's not easy for a fool to live like this.

"You don't have a place to live, right?"

"No." Zhao Zhao Chengan shook her head, "Usually I just dig a hole."

Sure enough, Qin Huai didn't guess wrong; Zhao Zhao Chengan followed the fine tradition of mayflies and buried herself underground.

Chen Chen Qiusheng hesitated for a few minutes and finally softened his heart: "Today, you go home with me and stay in the woodshed first. Tomorrow, if you have the luck to be hired, this woodshed will be yours to live in. If not, I can only keep you for this one night."

"But there is one thing you must remember: you must never steal anything. Once I find out, I will immediately send you to the authorities," Chen Chen Qiusheng said sternly.

"Master Chen, don't worry. How could I steal from my master? I only steal from others!"

Chen Chen Qiusheng: "...... You can't steal from anyone!"