Chapter 5: Begging for Food

Since begging for food was their livelihood, the first thing everyone did upon waking up was head to the town to beg for food.

Before they left, Cao Xi told Qin Zhao that, because his foot was injured, he shouldn’t go and should stay in the temple to rest.

Li Feng didn’t care at all. “If you don’t go begging, there won’t be any food.”

Cao Xi replied, “I will beg for food for him.”

Since Cao Xi was willing to give up her own rations for her brother, Li Feng had no reason to stop her.

The group left the land temple, and Cao Xi leaned close to Qin Zhao’s ear.

“If you’re hungry, you can take the mixed-grain cakes in the bag. If you’re scared, hide them under the altar. I will definitely come back.”

Qin Zhao was reluctant to part with Cao Xi, but he couldn’t convince her to take him along. He simply allowed her to arrange things as she wished.

She left him with a hint that she would come back.

Li Feng, waiting outside, grew impatient.

“Come on, hurry up! If you don’t leave now, we won’t make it into the city.”

Cao Xi hurriedly replied, “Coming!”

“Don’t stand up.”

Qin Zhao helplessly frowned.

Li Feng sneered at Cao Xi as she came out, mocking her, “So troublesome.”

Cao Xi…

Li Feng and the others turned and headed towards the city gate. They took a narrow, overgrown path to sneak under the city wall.

As they got closer, Cao Xi noticed a small waterway connecting the inside and outside of the city. The water was shallow, and the hole was small but not deep.

Li Feng pressed his ear to the wall and listened for a while. Then he stood up, pulled a wooden basin out of the bushes, and placed it in the water.

He pulled on a rope in the water, which, if you weren’t careful, you’d miss noticing—it was tied to both ends.

They moved quickly. Da Yong and Da Zhuang were the first to sit in the basin, and the two of them quickly made their way into the city using the rope.

The rest of the group followed suit, sitting in the basin one after the other

Cao Xi stared dumbfounded, realizing that she was sneaking across.

Cao Xi was the last one to enter. She was sitting in a wooden basin, pulling the rope with all her strength. The basin swayed dangerously and almost tipped into the water.

In the morning, the town was quiet. Li Feng led everyone into a narrow alley.

Li Feng said, “Let’s sit here for a while. We’ll go out once more people gather.”

Cao Xi, being new, just followed the arrangements and quietly waited for the crowd to grow.

She wondered how to ask for food and how to ask for money. She needed to buy medicine for Qin Zhao’s foot injury.

The sun gradually rose, and the merchants began opening their shops.

Cao Xi wanted to ask if they could go out now.

Li Feng saw through her thoughts and said, “Going out to beg so early in the morning? Isn’t that bringing bad luck to people? Wait a little longer.”

Cao Xi endured the wait until noon, her stomach growling with hunger.

Finally, Li Feng spoke, “Now we can go out. We’ll gather here again at sunset to head to the land temple together. We won’t wait for you if you’re late. Also, be careful. If something seems off, just run—don’t wait to get beaten.”

Cao Xi nodded repeatedly and promised to return on time and not cause trouble.

Seven people left the alley, and six of them found their positions.

Cao Xi stood confused in the middle of the street, after all, she was a beginner, and it was truly difficult to speak up.

She had heard that begging was divided by areas, and stealing someone else’s territory could lead to a beating.

Cao Xi walked up and down the street, constantly observing passersby, and she secretly watched how Li Feng begged for food.

She couldn’t help but admire, “As expected of a professional, in such a short time, he managed to get a little money. Impressive.”

The roads in Qizhou City were like a chessboard, crisscrossing and bustling. She watched as other beggars set up their makeshift stalls.

Cao Xi felt a mixture of shame and survival instinct, struggling to move forward, unable to take a step.

But thinking of waiting for Qin Zhao in the temple, she gathered her courage and approached the scholar she had been observing for a while.

As she rushed to the scholar, Cao Xi immediately regretted it. When the words were on her lips, she found it hard to speak, her expression tangled with hesitation.

The scholar’s path was blocked, and the young beggar’s face turned red from the effort.

“First time begging?”

Cao Xi stammered, “Yes, my younger brother is sick, and I don’t have money to buy medicine. Could you please help me, sir?”

Cao Xi acted as if she were completely captivated by the young lady’s beauty, completely forgetting about her purpose of begging, in an attempt to please her.

The young lady smiled and said to her maid, “Why be so harsh? She’s just a child; it’s not easy for her. Give her a few copper coins and let her go.”

Seeing that her mistress was not upset with her, the maid stopped fussing over Cao Xi’s rude behavior.

She pulled out five copper coins from her purse and handed them to Cao Xi, who accepted them blankly.

Staring at the young lady, Cao Xi confidently said, “You must be a fairy. Only a fairy could be this beautiful.”

The young lady, amused by Cao Xi’s silly expression, burst into laughter and said to her maid, “Let’s go, it’s time to head back.”

She felt especially happy today. Children don’t lie, and the compliment from a stranger made her feel even more confident about her appearance.

It wasn’t until the pair disappeared from sight that Cao Xi quickly looked down at the money in her hand—five copper coins in total.

She felt elated. She had begun to treat her begging targets like customers, closing nearly every “deal,” and her earnings steadily increased.

By late afternoon, she had collected twenty-seven copper coins and walked into a pharmacy with the money in hand.

The shop assistant saw her and immediately tried to shoo her away.

“This beggar can’t come in here. Hurry up and leave.”

“Brother, my younger brother’s feet are bleeding, and I want to buy some medicine for him.”

“You filthy beggar, where did you get the money?”

The assistant grabbed Cao Xi by the arm and threw her out onto the street, causing her to land hard, her teeth gritted in pain.

Rubbing her aching shoulder, Cao Xi walked to another pharmacy, “Limin Medicine Hall.”

The shop assistant, who had just stepped outside to collect something, heard her muttering and looked at her in surprise. “You can read?”

Cao Xi felt embarrassed, her face reddening. “Not much.”

The assistant replied, “That’s already impressive.”

Cao Xi said, “Brother, I’d like to buy some medicine for wounds. How much does it cost?”

Impressed by her literacy and because the shopkeeper was kind-hearted, the assistant said, “The cheapest wound medicine costs three copper coins, but if you only need a small amount, you can get by with two.”

The price was not high, so Cao Xi was relieved and decided to buy it.

“Then I’ll take six copper coins’ worth. That way, my brother will have more medicine and heal faster.”

The assistant took the money, handed over the medicine, and smiled as he wished her brother a speedy recovery.

As the sun began to set, Cao Xi hurried to the vegetable market. She wanted to collect discarded vegetable leaves to take back and make porridge for Qin Zhao. However, many of the stalls were already nearly empty.

Cao Xi wandered through the various stalls, her sharp eyes spotting an elderly man cleaning his stall.

There were still many cabbage leaves scattered on the ground, and Cao Xi quickly ran over.

“Grandpa, could you give me these cabbage leaves? I’ll help you clean up the stall, and you’ll be able to go home sooner. Is that okay?”

The elderly man was momentarily startled by the sudden appearance of the child and took a moment to respond.

“Just pick the good cabbage leaves, no need for a little one like you to clean up for me.”

Cao Xi quickly thanked him and picked up the best leaves, continually praising the elderly man for his kindness. The elderly man smiled broadly, clearly pleased by her words.

At the meat stall, Cao Xi found a discarded bone. The bone had been stripped clean, so much so that even a dog wouldn’t bother with it. On her way out of the market, Cao Xi bought a steamed bun with the little money she had left, and with the bone and cabbage leaves in hand, she hurried toward the alley to meet up with the others.