Chapter 99: The Fallen Young Master

How could Ma Wu be picking things to eat in a trash heap?

He was a young master from a wealthy family; when he was taking medicine from the peddler back then, he had over a dozen attendants by his side.

Although he had only met him once, Li Li Banfeng had a deep impression of Ma Wu; this person had no airs and spoke frankly; back then, Li Li Banfeng knew nothing about Pu Luo Province, and Ma Wu provided a lot of popular science and gave him a lot of advice.

At that time, Li Li Banfeng had been illuminated by the heavenly light, and Ma Wu had kept urging Li Li Banfeng to find a way to save his life.

Seeing Ma Wu running from the trash heap, Li Li Banfeng chased closely behind.

Ma Wu's body was very weak, and even if he weren't, he couldn't outrun a traveling cultivator; running into an alley, Ma Wu suddenly turned his head and said: "You recognized the wrong person, I am not Ma Wu!"

Li Li Banfeng shook his head and said: "I didn't say Ma Wu, I said one hundred and fifty."

Ma Wu was startled: "What one hundred and fifty?"

Li Li Banfeng said: "I want to hire someone; I've come to Green Water Bay for the first time, I haven't been anywhere, and I don't know any place.

I want to hire a guide, one hundred and fifty a day, are you willing to do it?"

Ma Wu looked Li Li Banfeng up and down, his eyebrows trembling slightly.

After thinking for a moment, Ma Wu lowered his head and whispered: "Really give one hundred and fifty a day?"

Li Li Banfeng nodded: "I'll also provide meals; if you are willing to take this job, let's go eat now."

Ma Wu agreed; he was starving.

Although he had fallen to the point of eating things in a trash heap, he hadn't given up on himself; he still wanted to live.

Li Li Banfeng took Ma Wu back to the noodle shop.

Ma Wu stopped Li Li Banfeng: "This shop, it's best not to go."

"Why can't we go?"

Ma Wu said: "This is not a place for outsiders; the boss here is not a good person."

Li Li Banfeng was very surprised: "I've eaten noodles here, the boss here is quite good."

Ma Wu sighed lightly: "I'm just a guide, I can only say this much; you can make your own decisions about big and small matters."

Li Li Banfeng took Ma Wu into the noodle shop; the noodle shopkeeper was tidying up the broken tables, chairs, bowls, and plates with other "diners." Seeing Li Li Banfeng come, the shopkeeper exclaimed: "Why are you here again?"

Li Li Banfeng frowned: "I'm here to eat! Isn't this a restaurant? How much are the mutton noodles?"

The shopkeeper lowered his head and said: "Five yuan."

Ma Wu asked: "Speak clearly, is it five yuan a bowl, or five yuan a strand?"

It seemed Ma Wu had also suffered losses here.

The shopkeeper raised his head and said: "We are an honest business, naturally it's five yuan a bowl."

This answer made Ma Wu very surprised.

But Li Li Banfeng's next words made him even more surprised.

"Five yuan a bowl? So cheap, is that appropriate?"

The shopkeeper thought for a moment: "Then ten yuan."

Li Li Banfeng frowned: "Is ten yuan appropriate?"

The shopkeeper sniffed and said: "We are a small business."

Li Li Banfeng nodded: "Then ten yuan it is, bring two bowls first."

Ma Wu could understand any sentence of their conversation when taken apart, but when put together, Ma Wu couldn't understand it at all.

Were these two friends?

Were they joking with each other?

The other "diners" looked at Li Li Banfeng, quickly moved tables and chairs, sat down separately, and pretended to eat.

Not long after, two bowls of mutton noodles were served, and the shopkeeper also sent twenty yuan to Li Li Banfeng.

Li Li Banfeng took the money and said to Ma Wu: "I told you this boss is not bad, quite honest."

Ma Wu was completely dumbfounded.

He came to eat noodles, and the shopkeeper gave him money?

But Ma Wu's attention was quickly drawn away by the noodles in front of him.

He was very hungry.

"Eat, eat as much as you want." Li Li Banfeng handed a pair of chopsticks to Ma Wu.

Ma Wu's face turned red; he didn't want to accept charity.

Li Li Banfeng smiled: "Eat quickly, I always provide food and lodging when I hire people to work; this is what you deserve."

Ma Wu picked up the chopsticks and finished the first bowl of noodles in three or two bites.

Li Li Banfeng pushed the other bowl of noodles over: "I've eaten, this bowl is also yours."

Ma Wu pursed his lips, and in the blink of an eye, the second bowl of noodles was also finished.

Li Li Banfeng turned back to the shopkeeper and said: "Cook two more bowls."

The shopkeeper cried: "We are a small business."

Li Li Banfeng frowned: "What, want to raise the price?"

"Then, then let's not raise it, ten yuan a bowl it is."

Not long after, the shopkeeper brought two more bowls of noodles and gave Li Li Banfeng twenty yuan.

Ma Wu ate five bowls of noodles in a row and stopped eating.

Was he full?

He really wasn't full, but Ma Wu had been hungry for a day, and eating more would be dangerous.

"Let's start working, boss, what do you want me to do?"

Li Li Banfeng stood up and said: "Didn't we agree? You're the guide, find me a place to live first."

"Find a place to live..." Ma Wu was in a bit of a dilemma; finding a place to live in Lanyang Village really wasn't that easy.

Leaving the noodle shop, Ma Wu took Li Li Banfeng deep into the village, explaining as they walked: "In Lanyang Village, don't live in the north of the village; the houses there are sturdy, but they could be demolished at any time."

"Why?"

"You should have seen the steamroller when you entered the village; the city is building a road this way, repairing more than ten meters every day, and all the houses along the way have to be demolished."

Li Li Banfeng thought for a moment: "If they keep demolishing like this, Lanyang Village will get smaller and smaller, won't it be demolished completely soon?"

"It won't be demolished completely; the south of Lanyang Village connects to the New Land, and the people in the village are also constantly reclaiming wasteland; demolishing and building for decades, Lanyang Village is still this big."

Ma Wu walked to the center of the village, where wooden houses were the main type of housing, brick houses were basically invisible, but there were also quite a few thatched sheds.

Ma Wu stopped and said: "Let's find a room around here; we can't go too close to the south, that's near the New Land, and the New Land isn't very peaceful either. The houses here are okay, but it depends on who the landlord is.

If the landlord is too tough, they'll raise your rent every three days; if the landlord is too soft, the house might be robbed by someone."

Lanyang Village was really a good place.

The landlords here were also this simple.

Li Li Banfeng looked around: "Then find a landlord who is neither too tough nor too soft."

Ma Wu nodded: "I do know one such landlord, but I don't know if he's at home."

Li Li Banfeng said: "If he's not at home, I'll stay with you first; I'll just pay you the rent."

Ma Wu smiled awkwardly: "It's not very convenient at my place."

He was embarrassed to say clearly that he had no place to live; he had built a shed near the New Land, and just yesterday, that shed had been robbed by someone.

After graduating from high school, during the summer vacation, because he had no dormitory to live in, Li Li Banfeng had once slept in a bridge hole, and at that time, a female classmate had wanted to go to his home to take a look.

Li Li Banfeng was familiar with Ma Wu's expression at this moment.

Ma Wu knocked on the door of a wooden house, and after waiting for a few minutes, a man wearing clothes walked out of the house.

This man's surname was Wei, and Ma Wu didn't know what his name was; everyone called him Landlord Wei.

Ma Wu asked: "Do you have a house?"

Landlord Wei looked Ma Wu up and down: "Do you have money?"

He knew Ma Wu had no money; just a few days ago, Ma Wu had been kicked out by him because he couldn't pay the rent.

Ma Wu turned to look at Li Li Banfeng: "It's not me who wants to rent, it's this boss."

Li Li Banfeng smiled at Landlord Wei: "I have money."

Landlord Wei yawned, took a bunch of keys, and first opened a wooden house.

Two meters long, two meters wide, except for a bed, there was nothing inside.

"Two hundred a month."

"Not renting!" Li Li Banfeng felt bad just looking at it.

Landlord Wei rolled his eyes at Li Li Banfeng and opened another room.

This room was slightly larger, about ten square meters, with a bed and a table.

"Not renting!" Li Li Banfeng refused directly.

"This won't do either?" Landlord Wei looked Li Li Banfeng over, "What kind do you want?"

Li Li Banfeng smiled: "One that matches my status, you weigh it yourself."

Landlord Wei was stunned.

What status did this person have?

Landlord Wei couldn't tell either.

Seeing him so arrogant, he decided to give him a tough one.

Landlord Wei led the two to a two-story wooden building; the houses here weren't so crowded, and the environment was good.

Li Li Banfeng nodded and followed the landlord into the first floor.

The first floor had a living room, a bedroom, and a water pump well, and the second floor had two bedrooms.

Overall, this could be considered a small villa, and the tables, chairs, cabinets, and beds were all complete.

The most precious thing was that water pump well.

In Pu Luo Province, a house with a well and a house without a well were not on the same level; with a well, you didn't have to queue for water.

Li Li Banfeng nodded: "This looks like a place to live, how much a month?"

"Two thousand five! Pay once a month, if you're three days overdue, please move out." Landlord Wei stated the rent, wanting to see Li Li Banfeng's reaction.

Li Li Banfeng counted out five thousand yuan: "Rent for two months first."

"Straightforward!" Landlord Wei took the money, and Li Li Banfeng took the keys.

Ma Wu stood at the door without entering: "Boss, Old Wei's reputation is okay, you stay here first, I'll come find you tomorrow morning."

Li Li Banfeng shook his head: "Tomorrow morning won't do, one hundred and fifty a day, I'm hiring you for a full day, regardless of day or night."

Ma Wu frowned upon hearing this: "What use is it to keep me here at night?"

"Great use, I'll explain it to you in a moment, come in and pick a room first."

Ma Wu lowered his head, his cheeks turning red again.

He entered the wooden house, raised his head, and smiled at Li Li Banfeng: "Thank you, Seventh Brother."

He recognized Li Li Banfeng at first glance.

Although he had only met him once at the peddler's, although they hadn't told each other their real names, he remembered this person; he remembered he was called Li Qi.

Li Li Banfeng reached out toward the room: "Please, Young Master Five."

PS: I think Ma Wu still hasn't let go; with his temperament and his ability, as long as he goes out to sell himself, ensuring food and clothing is absolutely no problem!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 100 =====