The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 555 The Beggar (The End)

Although An Youyou was tempted by Jiang Weiguo's suggestion, her pursuit of the profession of beggar ultimately overcame her desire for stable money. An Youyou neither agreed nor refused, but simply pretended to be very sleepy, ate some cornbread and drank some cold water before going to bed.

When the boss wanted to sleep, the younger brothers naturally didn't dare to disturb him and all crawled into their blankets to sleep.

Only Qin Huai, an outsider, could vaguely see through the dim moonlight outside the window that An Youyou hadn't slept at all; she had basically kept her eyes open until dawn.

The consequence of staying up all night is that you feel very tired the next day, which seriously affects your work.

During her prosperous times, An Youyou had millet porridge every morning, and it wasn't just one bowl; she could drink as much as she wanted. During her impoverished times, An Youyou didn't have such good treatment. If she wanted millet porridge, she'd have to drink a bowl of cold water to fill her stomach, and she could only drink two bowls of cold water.

Many families moved into the bluestone brick houses. The river water was not as clean as the well water. So many families relied on the well water for their daily lives. If they drew two extra buckets of water, they would be scolded and quarreled.

After watching the exhausted An Youyou gulp down two bowls of cold water, Qin Huai knocked on the door of the next room to make sure that Chen Sao hadn't starved to death. He then instructed Chen Sao's son to make sure that Chen Sao ate at least two bites of food before going out to beg for food.

The current year is really bad.

Just as An Youyou said, even though there was no war, Jiang Weiguo's salary had even increased, but their begging gang was getting poorer and poorer. The begging gang was poor because the whole city was poor. Qin Huai remembered An Youyou, who liked to roll on the ground and act pitiful, and the few good shops frequented by rich young ladies and gentlemen had all closed down.

Not only were the silk shops, pastry shops, bookstores, and general stores that mainly sold soy sauce all closed down, but even the steamed bun shop that An Youyou used to buy steamed buns as a reward for herself before she knew Jiang Weiguo would make them had closed down.

The streets were desolate, with many shops closed, and indeed they were. Before, when Qin Huai accompanied An Youyou to watch her beg for food, there were always many people on the streets: women coming and going, workers, rickshaw pullers, students in school uniforms rushing to catch trams, and drunken playboys... Now all of them were gone.

Just like the shops that closed down on the street, they disappeared in the past two or three years.

As a result, there are far fewer beggars on the streets.

The good-natured shopkeepers had also disappeared. As a beggar with aspirations, An Youyou generally wouldn't beg from those kind-hearted shopkeepers who regularly distributed food to beggars. She preferred challenges and specifically sought out wealthy young men who were too intimidating for ordinary beggars to approach.

Even those spoiled brats with several bodyguards behind them, An Youyou dared to roll around in front of the young master, using her agile movements to dodge the bodyguards' punches and kicks, and then get a reward of two coins.

The world has changed. Bodyguards beat people without paying them, and the kind-hearted shopkeepers have disappeared along with the shops where beggars used to hang out. In their place are fierce-tempered shopkeepers who will chase a beggar for hundreds of meters with a stick if they see one approaching, adults who are unhappy and will kick a little beggar if they see him, and gang members everywhere.

These gang members not only claimed territory and collected protection money, but also kidnapped beggars, and beggars like An Youyou were among their targets. An Youyou spent most of her day begging, but she didn't actually beg for much; she was on the run. Because she hadn't slept well the night before, she was exhausted and her evasion skills weren't maxed out, so she took a few kicks.

He finally limped home.

The boss's injury enraged the underlings. They searched a dilapidated temple in the suburbs all day without success, but Xiao Jiu, who had stolen two heads of cabbage, dug up some wild vegetables and a few grass roots, angrily shouted that he would avenge his boss. After An Youyou mentioned the gang's name, he immediately forgot his hatred and instead flattered his boss. An Youyou was really clever; she only got kicked a couple of times and wasn't killed by members of such a gang.

"Xiao Jiu, if you can't speak properly, you can shut up. No wonder you haven't been able to beg for food for the past few months with that mouth of yours." An Youyou, who had been kicked twice and whose stomach hurt a little, glared at Xiao Jiu unhappily, then sat on the haystack clutching her stomach, sulking to herself.

"Have you found a place yet?" An Youyou asked.

Xiao Jiu immediately switched to a dejected state: "Boss, it's not that Xiao Shi and I aren't working hard, it's just that it's not easy to make a living in the city now. Many beggars in the city are running away, and the dilapidated temple is almost full."

An Youyou has taken a liking to Xiao Yi.

Xiao Yi immediately followed Xiao Jiu's example and lowered his head: "Boss... there's no place in the city. But Xiao Qi heard that a new factory has opened in Hankou and they're hiring workers. All you need to do is know a few words. Didn't we all learn a few words from Brother Shun?"

Xiao Qi quickly said, "Yes, they said there was a test, just to let people see if I could work there. They said if I was accepted, I would get a silver dollar, and I would get a full two silver dollars a month. I would work seven hours a day, and they would provide food and lodging."

"Boss... Boss, Xiao Yi and I didn't study hard when we were learning to read, so they probably won't want us there. But Ninth Brother knows a lot of characters. If Ninth Brother goes, he'll definitely get a silver dollar!"

When Xiao Jiu heard what Xiao Qi said, his eyes lit up and he said excitedly, "Boss, I can give it a try! When I get to Hankou, I'll send you all my wages from every month, I won't keep a single penny for myself!"

An Youyou's heart skipped a beat for two seconds, then she suppressed it and said sharply, "Xiao Jiu, what do you mean? You're going to give up such a great job as a beggar to go to that... Han..."

Hankou.

"In Hankou, you'll earn me two silver dollars for working seven hours a day?"

Xiao Jiu thought An Youyou thought two silver dollars was too little: "Boss, two silver dollars is a lot. Things are different now than before. These days, you can't even save half a silver dollar a month carrying bags at the dock. Besides, carrying bags is hard work. If you don't eat your fill, you'll die of exhaustion in a few months."

"To pull a rickshaw, you need to rent a vehicle, and we don't have the money to rent one right now."

"It's not like before when you could do odd jobs to earn money even if you couldn't beg for food. Now, none of the shops are hiring odd jobs, and there are very few shops still open."

"What?!" An Youyou exclaimed in shock. "When you were begging for food, you didn't beg properly. Instead, you went behind my back to do odd jobs and neglected your duties?! When did you start doing odd jobs? When did you begin?"

Xiao Jiu hadn't expected to let something slip, and looked annoyed. She could only bite the bullet and tell the truth: "Two years ago!"

"Two years ago? When I still had 13 little brothers, you were already secretly doing odd jobs behind my back?" An Youyou felt like the sky had fallen. She never expected that her most valued little brothers had long since abandoned the glorious profession of beggar.

"Boss... Boss, let me explain." Xiao Jiu's voice trembled with fear. "The main thing is, we haven't been able to get any food for the past two years."

“Other beggars steal, rob, and cheat. Boss, you think we can’t beat them and are afraid we’ll get beaten to death for doing these things, so you never let us do it.”

"But these days, if you only beg for food, you really won't get any."

“We had no choice. We didn’t want you, Boss, to beg for food and support us all. We also didn’t want Thirteen to work so hard. At first, Thirteen said he would pay two silver dollars a month for rent and food, but in the past few years, he has spent all his wages on us. We don’t want to eat and live here for free.”

“Yes, yes.” Xiao Yi nodded frantically. “Boss, you and Brother Thirteen have raised us for so many years, we want to make some money too.”

An Youyou asked with a pained expression, "So you went to work as handymen?"

Seeing that she could no longer hide it, Xiaoqi simply confessed everything: "Actually, it's not just about being a handyman. Handymen's jobs are unstable. If you have the skills, you can work as a porter at the docks. Brother Jiu was particularly lucky the year before last. He was recruited by a factory, but unfortunately, the factory went bankrupt after only three months. That's why I thought that Brother Jiu might be able to get a job at the factory in Hankou this time."

"Boss... Actually, we've been secretly doing other jobs all these years, we haven't been begging much."

An Youyou:......

An Youyou took a deep breath, trying hard to control her emotions and breathing, afraid that she might lose control and collapse.

Just then, Xiao Jiu, whom An Youyou valued most, delivered a fatal blow: "Boss, what Thirteen Brother said is actually right, begging is really unstable."

“Now even you can’t get food. We all think the job of an accountant in Jinling is pretty good. Why don’t you go to Jinling?”

"Don't worry, boss, we'll always be your little brothers. We'll work hard to find jobs and survive in Shanghai, and we'll send you any extra money we have each month."

An Youyou:......

An Youyou took another deep breath.

She desperately wanted to curse, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. She still firmly believed that begging was the best job in the world, but her underlings didn't seem to think so, and she couldn't say it with much conviction now, because she really couldn't support them by begging, and they had long since stopped begging altogether.

They all went out to find work behind her back!

How could you secretly look for a job? Begging is clearly the best job in the world!

Qin Huai could tell from An Youyou's expression that it wasn't just the sky that had fallen for her; her entire world had collapsed.

An Youyou stood up and said calmly, "It's too stuffy in the room, I'm going out for a walk."

"Boss." Xiao Jiu wanted to follow, but An Youyou stopped her.

Qin Huai followed An Youyou to the riverbank where she washed her muddy face every day after begging for food. Watching An Youyou sit by the river, seemingly questioning her existence, he felt she might do something like the manta ray and jump into the river to commit suicide at any moment. Surprisingly, the location was quite close.

While An Youyou was questioning the meaning of life, a few gang members on the other side of the river threw several sacks into the river, doing something as trivial as murder and disposing of a body.

An Youyou watched calmly the whole time; the darkness was her best camouflage. She just quietly questioned the meaning of life.

Until Jiang Weiguo came to find her.

"Xiao Jiu and the others have been looking for you like crazy." Jiang Weiguo was unaware of the exciting events that had occurred on the other side of the river. "I told them not to wander around outside so late at night because it's not safe, and to all go home. Xiao Jiu told me all of that."

“I was the one who persuaded them that begging was just a temporary measure and not a long-term solution. Don’t blame them; it was all my advice.”

An Youyou was very sad: "Isn't begging the best job in the world? Why do they still have to be fickle, lustful, opportunistic, two-timing, and always looking for other jobs?"

Jiang Weiguo: "...Is this how you use the idioms Chen Shun taught you?"

Although Jiang Weiguo said that, he was also relieved because he could see that his boss still had the same mental problems as before.

"Maybe it's because... begging isn't the best job in the world." Jiang Weiguo has become bolder now, daring to bring down the pedestal of begging right in front of the boss.

An Youyou:!

An Youyou really wanted to jump up and yell at Jiang Weiguo, but she held back and asked angrily, "Then what do you think is the best job in the world?"

"If it were me, I would definitely think the cook is."

"Nonsense, being a cook is nothing. Besides having a more stable job, a higher income, meals provided, and the ability to sneak food in the kitchen and bring back leftovers... what's so great about being a cook?" An Youyou said, her confidence faltering as she continued, "It's definitely not as good as begging."

“But I can be a cook for the rest of my life, but you can’t beg for food for the rest of your life, boss,” Jiang Weiguo said. “Xiao Jiu and the others were too young before, and they couldn’t survive if they didn’t beg for food. Now they’ve all grown up and can do other jobs, so of course they can’t beg for food like before.”

“Nonsense.” An Youyou still retorted subconsciously, “It’s all because you corrupted my underlings. Before I found you, every one of my underlings was begging for food with me properly. Not one of them thought about becoming a handyman or working in a factory.”

Jiang Weiguo: "Is it possible that before you found me, all those underlings were still children who could only beg for food?"

An Youyou:......

An Youyou was speechless. She could only glare fiercely at Jiang Weiguo and then angrily say, "Jiang Weiguo, you're even more rude than Chen Shun right now!"

"Boss, why are you calling me by my name?"

"Don't call me boss. What kind of boss am I? I can't even support my underlings. I used to be able to support 13 underlings, but now I don't have enough people and I don't dare to take any more. You're the one who supports my underlings. I don't want to be the boss anymore. You can let Xiao Jiu and the others call you boss. Anyway, they all learned from you. They learned to be idle and not want food, so they went to find jobs."

An Youyou grew angrier as she spoke, wishing she could pin Jiang Weiguo to the ground and beat him up right then and there. But after glancing at Jiang Weiguo's figure, she realized he was a formidable opponent and decided against taking the risk.

Otherwise, if she can't beat Jiang Weiguo, not only will her underlings have to call Jiang Weiguo "boss," but she will also have to call Jiang Weiguo "boss."

After An Youyou finished being angry, she seemed to have made up her mind and walked back on her own.

None of the younger brothers in the house were asleep. Xiao Jiu stood anxiously at the entrance of the courtyard waiting for An Youyou to return. When An Youyou came back, he didn't dare to speak and could only obediently wait by the side.

Xiao Jiu poured An Youyou a bowl of water.

An Youyou downed the water in one gulp, cleared her throat, and asked in a low voice, "What are we having for dinner tonight?"

Jiang Weiguo reluctantly handed the white sugar cake from his bag to An Youyou. An Youyou was happy to see that the food had improved today and she was even eating white sugar cake, but she didn't want to show her happiness, so she took a big bite of the white sugar cake.

"The last time I ate white sugar cake was during the Chinese New Year," An Youyou said sullenly. "It seems that following me as a beggar really doesn't lead to anything."

Xiao Jiu anxiously protested, "Boss, that's not how it is. I'm following you..."

Jiang Weiguo stopped Xiao Jiu, telling him not to speak yet and to let An Youyou finish speaking.

“I really can’t support you all by begging. I’m almost unable to support myself by begging now.” An Youyou took another bite of the white sugar cake indignantly. “Maybe begging really isn’t the best job in the world.”

Upon hearing this, all of An Youyou's underlings, including Jiang Weiguo, were stunned. They never imagined that these words would come out of An Youyou's mouth one day.

“But the best job in the world is definitely not a cook,” An Youyou said, looking at Jiang Weiguo. “And it certainly isn’t an accountant.”

"There must be other, better jobs."

"How much did that accountant in Jinling earn per month again?"

"Three silver dollars. If you do a good job, your wages can increase. Food and lodging are also provided," Jiang Weiguo said.

An Youyou pouted and asked Xiao Qi, "Does that factory in Hankou really provide room and board and pay two silver dollars a month?"

Xiaoqi nodded frantically: "It's true, but the requirements are a bit high; they need to hire people who can read."

"You guys have really been doing odd jobs behind my back for the past two years?"

The younger brothers all bowed their heads in repentance.

"Fine, do whatever you want. I'm going to Jinling to be an accountant. Even the boss doesn't need to beg for food anymore, so you guys shouldn't either."

Let's break up.

"Boss, we won't break up!" Xiao Jiu said excitedly. "Even if that factory in Hankou hires me, we won't break up. I really will send you my two silver dollars a month to Nanjing!"

"Boss, once I find a job here, I'll send all the money I have left over each month to Jinling!" Xiao Qi said hurriedly.

"Me too, boss!"

"Me too!"

"I……"

"Alright." An Youyou interrupted her underlings' chatter loudly, "Do you know how expensive it is to send a letter these days? Apart from Xiao Jiu's job which might be a little more stable, how much money do you guys earn in a month? I haven't seen you earn much money for me in the past two years."

“Xiao Qi, send me your wages every six months, and keep the rest in Shanghai to take care of Aunt Chen and the others. Jiang Weiguo, you…you buy me a boat ticket to Nanjing and give me a silver dollar. I don’t have any money right now.”

Jiang Weiguo: ...

Jiang Weiguo accepted his boss's bandit behavior, saying there was no problem and that the boat tickets could be bought anytime. He would send a letter to Chen Shun the next day.

An Youyou stuffed the last bite of white sugar cake into her mouth and swallowed it: "You all just wait. When I find the best job in the world, I'll come back and be your boss. You'll still have to follow me then, you hear me?"

"I know, boss!"

Qin Huai has left behind her memories.

(End of this chapter)