Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 18 018 Wall

Looking over there, at the edge of the open space, Feng Xiuhu saw a group of children gathered there playing.

Feng Xiuhu jumped off the stone and walked over there.

When they got closer, the kids saw him and Shunzi coming, and someone suddenly shouted, "Here comes the lackey!"

"Run!"

The children dispersed in a hurry.

Feng Xiuhu's nose was crooked with anger. He pointed at the children's backs and cursed, "You are the lackeys! Your whole family are lackeys!"

Turning around again, Feng Xiuhu saw a little girl who had not yet run away, closer to the high wall.

She picked up stones from the ground and threw them at the high wall, repeating this action, but her strength was too weak and the stones hit the high wall lightly without even making a sound.

Feng Xiuhu felt much better. It seemed that some people still liked him.

So he turned around and walked towards the little girl again. When he got closer, he could see clearly that the little girl was about four or five years old, with pigtails, bare feet, and only a dirty, ill-fitting skirt on her body.

"What are you doing?"

Feng Xiuhu asked behind her.

The little girl looked back at him, then saw Shunzi again, and looked wary without saying a word.

Shunzi walked over and touched her head. The little girl shook her head and moved aside to avoid him.

Shunzi explained to Feng Xiuhu: "She is the younger sister of Da Mazi, Er Mazi, and San Mazi."

Feng Xiuhu suddenly realized: "So you are Si Mazi."

"spit!"

The little girl made an angry face at him and said, "My name is not Four Pockmarks, my name is Little Pigtail."

Shunzi went on to say, "The three brothers, Ma Dazi, Ma Da Er, and Ma San, are actually called Ma Da Er. The youngest sister is her, Ma Hua, and "Little Braid" is her nickname."

Shunzi pointed to a house not far away and said, "That's their home. Sanmazi is recuperating at home."

Feng Xiuhu noticed that the brothers who collected the offerings avoided that household.

This is reasonable. It doesn't make sense that the choir's own family members should pay offerings.

As if he could see what Feng Xiuhu was thinking, Shunzi whispered, "Because of the three Damazi brothers, their family isn't very popular around here. Even the kids don't want to play with Xiaopiazi."

Feng Xiuhu suddenly realized - no wonder he was not liked.

He squatted down and asked Xiaobianzi, "Sima Zi, do you also think I'm a lackey?"

Xiaobianzi glared at Feng Xiuhu, then looked at Shunzi timidly. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded.

Feng Xiuhu asked again: "What about your brothers?"

Little Pigtail had never thought that this would happen. Her face wrinkled and her expression was extremely conflicted.

Feng Xiuhu stopped embarrassing her and changed the subject with a smile: "You haven't told me why you picked up stones."

The pigtail girl's attention was diverted: "Because I heard from my second brother that the Broken Wave Bridge is too high, so high that no one can climb out in their lifetime."

She puffed out her chest proudly and said, "That's why I come here every day to break down the wall. One day, the wall will collapse, and then our whole family can get out."

Feng Xiuhu was in awe. He felt that what Xiaobianzi said made sense.

Feng Xiuhu said seriously, "You better work hard. When you get out, I'll be your lackey for once."

"Then make a pinky promise."

The little pigtail stretched out her little hand.

Feng Xiuhu hooked her little finger and said, "It's a deal."

There was a noise coming from not far away.

A group of brothers had a quarrel with a resident. Feng Xiuhu and Shunzi hurried over and found out that the family had refused to pay after the brothers had finished singing.

Feng Xiuhu was surprised: "He really sings?"

He always thought it was just a saying.

Shunzi took out a crumpled piece of paper from his bag and showed it to Feng Xiuhu.

Feng Xiuhu took a quick look and saw several verses of lyrics written on it, all of which were praising or eulogizing the God of Mist.

Shunzi explained quietly, "The process is very simple. We drag the person out of their home, sing a verse in front of them, and then they pay. It doesn't take long."

Feng Xiuhu was incredulous: "How can you sing clearly with your hoarse voice? And you still charge people for it?"

The man of the household pleaded with Shunzi: "Gentlemen, I really have no money!"

"The asylum is closed, and my wife and mother were forced to return home. We have three mouths to feed tomorrow, and I just paid taxes to the Rat Tail Gang yesterday. I really can't come up with any money."

Feng Xiuhu raised his eyebrows when he heard this: "Yesterday?"

He was unhappy and asked Shunzi, "Why is the tax collected one day earlier than ours when the weather is good?"

Shunzi replied, "It has always been like this."

Feng Xiuhu poked the host's chest with her finger. "What do you mean? You look down on the God of Mist, don't you? If you have money, you pay tribute to the Goddess of Wind and Rain, but if you don't have money, you pay tribute to the God of Mist?"

Shunzi secretly tugged at Feng Xiuhu and whispered, "Brother, stop it. Most people in Fancheng believe in the Goddess of Wind and Rain. The God of Mist has only been here a few years."

After saying that, Shunzi persuaded the host again: "Uncle with the fake leg, find someone to borrow some more money. This money will not be wasted. The God of Mist will bless you, and you will be able to catch more crabs in the future."

Feng Xiuhu looked down and saw that the right trouser leg of the man was empty, with half of a wooden stick sticking out and propped up on the ground.

The uncle with the prosthetic leg had tears and snot running down his face. "Borrow... where can I borrow it from? Every place has this policy?"

He repeated what he had just said: "The asylum is gone, all the money has been given to the Lady of Wind and Rain, and I'm a cripple who can't even catch a mouse, and I have three mouths to feed..."

Feng Xiuhu was too lazy to listen. He asked Shunzi directly: "What should we do in this situation?"

Shunzi initially avoided looking at the uncle with the prosthetic leg: "In cases like this... usually they're whipped. They're bedridden for days, and then they're in pain. So they know to prepare the offering silver early next month."

He hesitated for a moment. "But someone like Uncle Peg-Leg...if he gets whipped and can't get out of bed, his whole family will starve to death."

Feng Xiuhu waved his hand to show he didn't care. "What if you can't hand it in next month?"

Shunzi pursed his lips and said, "Then sell people."

"Sell his wife first, then him. Sell him to the harbor. There's a specialized market there. A missing limb like his isn't worth much, but he can be sold as bait to the fleet."

The uncle with the prosthetic leg was so scared that he sat down in the mud, slapping his thigh and crying loudly.

Feng Xiuhu was furious.

“Do you understand what sustainable development is?”

"Who am I going to ask to collect the money next month after I sell him out?"

Shunzi felt that he had said something wrong and muttered in defense: "So I let him borrow it..."

"Besides, we don't charge much. The Rat Tail Gang charges per head, ten copper beads per person, but we only charge ten per household."

It's so fucking dark!
Feng Xiuhu gnashed his teeth and said, "The Rat Tail Gang is cutting into my flesh!"

After saying this, Feng Xiuhu turned around and left angrily.

Shunzi quickly caught up with him and said, "Brother, we won't accept offerings anymore?"

"And collect your fart."

Feng Xiuhu sneered, "The kindhearted people from the Rat Tail Gang collected the money for me yesterday. I'll go ask them directly for it."

(End of this chapter)