From Beggar to Emperor: My Profession Has Its Own Characteristics

It's necessary to tidy up a small room that's temporarily yours.

Zhu Yuan first moved the firewood in the corner to one side, making room for it.

He bent down, picked up the pile of old straw, shook off the dust, and spread it back on the wooden board.

The straw was dry and hard, some still with unhulled grain husks. He then unfolded his old beggar's clothes and carefully laid them on the straw. The clothes were indeed tattered, but it was still better than lying directly on the rough straw.

Will I ever need these old clothes again?

Zhu Yuan lifted one sleeve to look at it; it was covered in stains that couldn't be washed off, and there were holes in it.

If he were to actually use it, then he would be doing terribly wrong, failing the ancient book in his mind. He then forcefully smoothed out his clothes and tucked in the corners.

"Phew, Zhu Yuan, the future can only get better."

Zhu Yuan took a deep breath and said to himself.

After a simple tidying up, the small house finally looked somewhat habitable, which made Zhu Yuan feel a little better.

"It's time to go to the dock."

Zhu Yuan put on his newly bought short brown shirt, patted the hem of the shirt, and walked out.

He had only taken two steps when he suddenly stopped and tapped his forehead.

"I almost forgot."

He discovered a problem.

I haven't even sewed the thick cloth the old man at the secondhand clothing shop gave me onto my clothes yet, to use as a shoulder pad.

So he went back and took off his brand-new shortsocks, revealing his thin old underwear underneath.

What's needed now is a needle and thread.

The amount of cable needed is not much, so it should be easy to borrow.

Soon, Zhu Yuan, carrying the thick cloth and shorts, arrived at the crooked wooden door.

The old woman had taken his money and given him the key, then sat on a small stool by the door, picking vegetables, her hunched back facing him.

"Mother-in-law," Zhu Yuan called softly from behind her, afraid of startling her.

"Hmm?" The old woman stopped what she was doing, slowly turned around, her cloudy eyes looking at him, still clutching a half-finished vegetable stalk in her hand. "What's wrong?"

"Do you have a needle and thread?" Zhu Yuan held up the short tunic and cloth in his hand, pointed to the shoulder area, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'd like to borrow it. I need to sew this on to pad my shoulder."

Upon hearing this, the old woman raised her eyelids, looked Zhu Yuan up and down, and showed obvious surprise on her face.

"You can do needlework?" Her voice carried a hint of disbelief.

"Probably... haha." Zhu Yuan felt a little embarrassed by the look, raised his hand to scratch the back of his head, and chuckled dryly.

He thought to himself, "It's just sewing a piece of cloth onto clothes, it should be quite simple."

He had already gone through the steps in his mind. He had watched his grandmother do needlework when he was a child, and he had also played with needles and thread himself. Threading a needle should be no problem for him.

"That means no." The old woman shook her head, her tone resolute.

She's lived to such an old age and has never seen a man who can do needlework properly.

She put down the vegetables in her hand, supported herself on her knees and stood up with some difficulty, patted the dirt off her hands, and then took the short tunic and thick cloth directly from Zhu Yuan's hands.

"I'll do it, come with me," she said, turning and walking into her room.

"Oh, okay." Zhu Yuan was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded and followed, thinking to himself that he should definitely give the old woman some wages after she finished sewing for him.

The old woman's room was much better than his.

There were tables, benches, cabinets, and beds inside, and some dried vegetables were hanging on the wall.

The old woman sat on the edge of the bed and took out a willow-woven needle and thread basket from the cabinet. Inside were needles, thread, a few scraps of cloth, and a shinbone that was polished to a shine.

She spread her short brown robe on her knees and compared it to the position of the thick cloth.

"Are you going to carry these bags and wear them?"

"Mm." Zhu Yuan stood to the side and responded respectfully.

"Is this all?"

Zhu Yuan nodded again.

The old woman pulled a small, thin piece of cloth out of the cupboard.

"It's better to have a thicker pad on the right shoulder and a thinner pad on the left than to go bare-shouldered."

"Grandma, this fabric..."

"It's just sitting there, it's useless."

As she spoke, she aligned the fabric and pressed it flat with her fingers.

The old woman's hands trembled a little when she threaded the needle, and she had to try several times in the light from the window before she could get it through.

Zhu Yuan stood to the side, unsure whether to stand or sit.

"Sit down," the old woman said without even looking up.

He sat on a small stool opposite the bed, watching her sew.

Her stitches were very dense, one stitch after another, she would insert the needle and pull it out, leaving a straight path on the fabric, and the thimble would tap against the eye of the needle, making a soft clicking sound.

The room was very quiet.

Zhu Yuan looked at the old woman's hands. Her hands were very rough, with dirt stuck in her fingernails, but she held the needle very steadily.

As he watched, Zhu Yuan suddenly felt a lump in his throat.

Those hands, that focused profile, vaguely reminded him of a figure from long ago, sitting under the lamp mending his clothes.

"How did your parents... die?" the old woman suddenly asked, her voice low, but her hands continued moving.

Zhu Yuan remained silent for a while before snapping out of his hazy memories and replied in a low voice, "I came from Fengling County."

The old woman paused slightly as she sewed, the needle hovering in mid-air. She turned her head and quickly glanced at Zhu Yuan.

"Then you..." She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just sighed softly, asked nothing, and lowered her head to continue sewing stitch by stitch.

She realized that the child was most likely a refugee who had fled from war.

It's not easy for a migrant to register his household in Qingyang County; he must have some skill.

After a long pause, she finally said, "My son is thirty years old now."

Zhu Yuan didn't respond, but listened silently, his gaze fixed on her gray hair.

"Ten years ago, he went away to study, saying he would come back after he finished his studies. He even wrote two letters the first year, but then..."

Her son left and hasn't come back, and her husband also passed away long ago. The piece of cloth she just took out was from her husband's old clothes.

As they talked, time slipped by unnoticed. The old woman bit off the end of the thread, turned the short burlap sack over to look at it, then turned it back over and held it up to her other shoulder.

"With your build, carrying heavy loads is a disadvantage; you should eat more."

"Um."

"Do you know anyone at the dock?"

"I don't know him."

"Then go ahead, don't argue with anyone, and don't talk too much." The old woman's tone was like that of an elder instructing a younger person. "Do whatever you are told, keep your head down and do your work with little talk. There are many people and rules at the dock, so observe and learn more and cause less trouble."

"Okay, I've got it." Zhu Yuan replied earnestly.

The padding on both shoulders has been sewn on.

The old woman picked up the short cloth, examined the stitches carefully from all angles, and smoothed the edges of the cloth with her fingers to make sure everything was in place before handing it over.

"Alright, give it a try."

Zhu Yuan quickly stood up and took the short brown coat with both hands; the coat still carried the warmth of the old woman's knees.

He quickly put it on, and the padding was positioned perfectly, just right at the point of greatest stress on his shoulder, neither too tight nor too loose.

He moved his arms and did a few simulated carrying a bag. The padding cloth moved along his body, the stitches were solid, and the cloth did not feel stretched or taut.

"Thank you, Grandma, you sewed it so well," Zhu Yuan said sincerely.

The old woman had already put away the sewing basket, and seeing Zhu Yuan's actions, her face deliberately darkened.

"Put it away, or you won't be renting from me."

"This..." Zhu Yuan's hand froze. Looking at the old woman's deliberately stern face, he didn't know what to say for a moment. "...Alright."

He ultimately did not persist.

As Zhu Yuan left the old woman's hut, he really wanted to slap himself.

He even bargained with the old lady when he rented the house before.

I should have known better than to haggle...