As we walked along the road, it didn't take long for the number of people to increase in number. We must have entered a busy city.
There are many shops on the left and right, including oil and rice shops, garment shops, blacksmith shops, north and south groceries...
Sniff sniff...
Looking for a sweet smell, Shen Hao found a roadside stall selling camellia oleifera. Shen Hao liked this one, and he couldn't walk as long as he smelled it.
The stall owner was very busy, but when he saw Shen Hao's black brocade robe with the Taotie pattern embroidered on the chest and the Yanji knife on his waist, he couldn't help but tremble. The smile on his face suddenly collapsed and became Feel uneasy.
"Sir, what do you want to eat?"
The prestige of Xuanqing Guard is not just words. It has a very high deterrent effect on local officials and ordinary people. In many cases, this deterrence will spontaneously turn into a habitual fear. For example, this person The owner of the oil tea stall.
"A bowl of oil tea, so crispy and spicy." Shen Hao was used to the fearful look in his eyes, so he found a small table next to the stall and sat down directly to wait for his food.
The dignified gentleman of Xuan Qingwei came to a roadside stall to eat? This is strange!
So even though I was scared to death, several of the guests who were eating oil tea at this stall did not leave. Feng Ming stood to the side with a bowl in hand, and while eating, he peeked curiously at the eldest man of Xuan Qingwei.
I ate with Mr. Xuan Qingwei. This cowhide can last for a month without getting tired of it!
Soon a large bowl of fragrant oil tea was brought to Shen Hao.
"Woo!"
After taking a breath, Shen Hao's eyes lit up.
"Not bad, very authentic!"
"Hey, you just need to eat as long as you feel comfortable. If it's not enough, I'll mix another bowl for you."
Hearing Shen Hao praise the deliciousness of the oil tea he made, the boss suddenly became more courageous. Originally, Xuan Qingwei generally didn't deal with ordinary people, so awe or fear were all heard. Maybe this gentleman is particularly easy to talk to?
"No need, you can't eat too much of a good thing in one sitting. It's best to eat it with a feeling of regret."
"Yes, yes, you are right."
After a bowl of oil tea, Shen Hao paid for it and was about to leave, but stopped when he saw a few ragged figures huddled on a street corner not far away, looking longingly at the food at the oil tea stall.
"Beggar?"
The boss tremblingly accepted the money Shen Hao forced him to pay. When he heard the question, he glanced quickly and replied: "Yeah, what a lazy bunch of second-rates."
"Second-rate son? Are there many such people in the city? No one cares?" It was the first time Shen Hao heard the term "second-rate son", but he could understand what it meant, which was similar to tramps and beggars.
"It's quite a lot. One or two of them are like local dogs. They don't even look for work. They just wander around the streets. They rely on the government's relief to avoid starving to death. It's very annoying."
Native dog? Annoyed?
Nodding, Shen Hao was thoughtful.
After leaving the oil tea stall, Shen Hao did not continue to wander, but walked straight towards the second-rate people on the street corner.
Just like what the oil tea stall owner said, those second-rate people are really no different from local dogs. When they saw Shen Hao approaching, they immediately retreated into the alley and disappeared into nowhere.
"You can't run away." Shen Hao followed the perception like a leisurely pace and chased after him. His feet seemed to be leisurely but his speed was extremely fast.
A moment later, two ragged guys were blocked in a dead end by Shen Hao.
"Don't be afraid, I'll ask you something."
"...Sir, what's the matter?"
Even a second-rate guy knows what the black brocade robe and wild goose spine knife are about, and he is so scared that he almost pees like a quail.
Facing two pairs of frightened and helpless eyes, Shen Hao smiled and said, "What are your names?"
"Little one, Zhao Gou."
"My name is Li Wu."
Shen Hao: "Zhao Gou, Li Wu? Well, let me ask you, how long have you been hanging around in Wuyang City?"
"One year."
"Me, I'm about the same."
Shen Hao: "Are there many homeless people like you in the city? Do you know them all?"
"A lot, at least eighty or ninety people, right?"
"I know most of them, but I don't necessarily know their names."
Shen Hao: "So many people? Do you see them every day?"
"You can basically see them. Because of the curfew in the city at night, we don't dare to run around for fear of being beaten to death by Wu Hou, who is watching the night, so we basically spend the night in Ci'an Hall in Yamen Lane, so we can see them from time to time. "
"Yes, sir, who are you looking for?"
Shen Hao smiled and said, "Are there many elderly people among you?"
"Older people? Sixty? That's not many. I remember only three or two, right?"
"It doesn't seem like much."
Shen Hao: "Not many? Who is there? Can you find them?"
While talking, Shen Hao raised an extra piece of broken silver that he had found in his hand and said, "I will give you a piece of this when you find someone. Do you want to do it?"
...
Went to Ci'an Hall first.
"Sir, this is Ci'an Hall. It is run by the Yamen. There may be some smell in it..."
Licheng also has Ci'an Hall, which is similar to a public shelter. The environment inside is not too bad, but it's just that when there are too many homeless people inside, the smell is really not something that ordinary people can bear.
It was just in time for lunch, and there were quite a few people inside, maybe fifty or sixty people.
I glanced at the food and found that it was basically devoid of any oil or water. It was just brown rice with some rotten vegetable leaves. It was enough to fill you up half full. If you wanted to satisfy your craving, you were overthinking it.
Shen Hao's arrival naturally attracted the attention of the Cian Hall guards, but Shen Hao didn't say a word, and they didn't dare to come up to say hello rashly. They just waited from afar in fear.
Not long after, Li Wu and Zhao Gou led two old men in their sixties over.
"Sir, we found two. Hehe."
Shen Hao flicked his fingers, and two pieces of broken silver fell into their hands as agreed. Then he said: "Is it just the two of them?"
"No, not only, but also, it seems that I haven't come back. Sir, please wait for me and I will look for you now!"
Unexpectedly, they could actually see Yinzi. This was like beating chicken blood, which made Li Wu and Zhao Gou's eyes turn red. Not only can you exchange money for food, but you can also spend the night in a brothel!
But Li Wu and Zhao Gou were not the only ones who were anxious. The two old men they pulled over were equally anxious. They were still uneasy and at a loss before, but they saw that Yin Zi also understood after hearing the conversation.
"Sir, who are you looking for? I've been hanging out in Wuyang City for five years, so I know everyone!"
"I'm familiar with you, sir. I've been staying in Wuyang City for almost seven years!"
Hearing this, Shen Hao smiled and said, "Oh? Then tell me how many homeless people are around your age in Wuyang City?"
The two looked at each other and thought for a while before saying, "There are only four people around our age."
"No! There are three. One of them got dehydrated from something he ate last month and died."
Shen Hao narrowed his eyes, raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and said, "That means that including the two or five homeless people who are about your age in Yangcheng, there is one more? Where is he?"
