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“Take your things away! We won’t eat them.”
The boy spoke coldly, clearly still unwilling to accept Qingli’s food.
At this moment, the children inside were attracted by the aroma and emerged, their eyes fixed on the food on the ground, their desire unmistakable.
“Nan Ge, it would be a waste if we don’t eat this food.”
A little boy spoke up, his eyes full of reluctance.
Qingli noticed that the child called Nan Ge was the leader among them, and the other children listened to him.
Qingli carefully observed the boy and then smiled, saying, “Kid, do you have a persecution complex? I came here to do a good deed, and yet you’re suspicious of me. Truly, good deeds often go unappreciated.”
The boy’s face remained serious as he replied, “The last person who brought us food tampered with it, putting in a drug that would make us faint. Luckily, we noticed in time and didn’t eat it. The person before him also brought drugs. I later learned that those people were human traffickers, trying to sell us. I’m not trying to doubt you on purpose; it’s just that we can no longer risk eating things given by strangers.”
His words were a bit more comforting, and Qingli didn’t blame him. After hearing his explanation, she nodded and said, “Yes, it’s good to stay vigilant; it helps protect you. But I really am here to do good. How about this: if you’re not at ease, pick any of these foods and let me eat it first. If I’m fine, then you can relax and eat too. It would be a shame to waste so much food otherwise.”
The boy who had just spoken eagerly chimed in, “Yeah, yeah! Nan Ge, let this sister eat first, and then we can eat. If it’s poisonous, she wouldn’t dare eat it.”
Nan Ge glanced helplessly at the boy beside him and then at the food on the ground. He couldn’t bear to waste it either, so he finally nodded, “Alright.”
He squatted down and randomly picked out a bun and some pastries for Qingli to try.
Without hesitation, Qingli took a bite and quickly finished the food. Then she said to the boy, “Alright, can you all eat now? If you don’t hurry, it will get cold.”
Seeing this, the children immediately became restless.
The boy had nothing more to say; his doubts had diminished significantly. He grabbed a bun and took a few bites before telling the other children, “Eat up!”
At his command, all the children gathered around, but rather than fighting, they shared the food in an orderly fashion.
The boy apologized to Qingli, his expression earnest. “I’m sorry, sister. You are a good person, and I shouldn’t have doubted you.”
He felt a bit ashamed, shedding the seriousness he had earlier.
Qingli smiled and gently patted his head, saying, “It’s alright. Being vigilant is a good thing. You’re doing great; it seems like you’re taking care of these younger children. That’s impressive!”
The boy blushed at the praise. Despite having doubted Qingli moments ago, he was surprised that she bore him no ill will.
Feeling a bit shy, the boy smiled back. Qingli urged him to go eat, then found a stone to sit on, watching them eat.
She counted the children; there were quite a few—nine in total, with two girls and the rest being boys.
The children ate quickly; it didn’t take long for all the food to be devoured.
The earlier boy approached Qingli again, thanking her once more, and then asked if there was anything he could help with to repay her kindness.
Qingli looked at him with interest. “What can you help me with?”
The boy replied earnestly, “I can help you gather information. That’s what I’m best at.”
He earned a living by gathering information to support the younger siblings he was taking care of, but he didn’t share this with Qingli.
Qingli chuckled, “Thank you, but I don’t need any information right now.”
Hearing this, the boy felt a bit disappointed. He didn’t like to owe people favors without being able to return the kindness; it made him uneasy.
“What’s your name?”
Qingli asked him.
The boy quickly replied, “My name is Xue Nan.”
Qingli continued, “What about your family? You seem to know your name quite well, so you shouldn’t be an orphan, right?”
From his appearance, she could tell that his parents were alive, but she wondered why he was wandering alone as a beggar.
At the mention of family, Xue Nan’s eyes filled with a calm indifference, but it was quickly masked. He spoke in a flat tone, “I don’t have family anymore. Right now, they are my family.”
He looked toward the younger siblings still squatting on the ground, a smile appearing in his eyes.
Qingli nodded and didn’t press further about his private matters. Instead, she said, “Taking care of so many people by yourself must be tough, right?”
Xue Nan shook his head lightly, “No, it’s quite good. I like being with them; it feels like home. I can earn money to support them.”
Qingli asked curiously, “How do you make money? Can you tell me? Don’t worry, I won’t take your job. My profession is fortune-telling and ghost catching.”
“Ah? Sister, you can tell fortunes and catch ghosts?”
Xue Nan looked at her in surprise, his expression suddenly resembling that of a child, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape, filled with astonishment and skepticism.
Qingli nodded, jokingly saying, “Yes, if you ever see a ghost and get scared, you can find me. I’ll help you for just one wen, a friendly price.”
Xue Nan thought she was joking and didn’t believe her, but he didn’t press the issue further, just nodded, “Okay.”
Qingli asked him, “Can you tell me how you make money now? I’m really curious!”
Xue Nan leaned closer and whispered, “Sister, I know a lot of people’s secrets, and I can gather a lot of information. I make money by helping people find out information. It’s just not much, sometimes not enough for our meals in a day. But earning something is better than nothing. For kids like us, no one will hire us for work, so we have to think of other ways.”
Qingli’s eyes lit up as she praised him, “You’re really smart. For some people, information is indeed very valuable. And children like you are often underestimated; it’s easier to gather information because others let their guard down. This way of making money is quite good and worth developing.”
Xue Nan looked at her with confusion, asking, “What do you mean by developing?”
Qingli explained her thoughts and even offered some strategies. For example, he could start an information network, beginning small and letting it grow as he aged. This way, by the time he grew up, he would have built something of his own.
However, she realized that establishing a real information network wouldn’t be easy. After hearing her suggestions, Xue Nan furrowed his small brow. “Sister, I can barely afford to eat. How can I do so many things? It’s too hard for us, and we need to be literate. No one teaches us, so we can’t read.”
Qingli thought for a moment; indeed, if he relied solely on himself, he was just an eight or nine-year-old child, and it was genuinely too difficult for him.
She said, “How about this: as long as you can establish an information network on your own, I will cover your food expenses for three years. During these three years, you won’t have to worry about not having enough to eat. You can focus on doing what you want. But this support only lasts for three years. After that, you have to figure out how to support yourselves; I won’t help anymore.”
Xue Nan was very intrigued by her words. In fact, he had had some vague thoughts about this before, but he hadn’t considered them deeply. Now, Qingli’s words stirred up his desire to pursue those ideas. However, he felt embarrassed to trouble her and clearly understood that there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
“We’re strangers; you helping us like this makes us feel guilty.”
Xue Nan’s small face was filled with difficulty and unease. He didn’t know how to repay this kindness and whether he should agree, nor did he know if Qingli had some ulterior motive.
Qingli smiled and patted his head lightly, speaking in an easy tone, “Just think of it as me doing a good deed to accumulate merit. Helping you is also beneficial for me. You don’t need to feel burdened. If you’re truly grateful to me, just do well. If I ever need information in the future, I’ll find you. That will count as your way of repaying me.”
Her warm smile left Xue Nan in a daze. He thought he had never seen someone so beautiful, like a fairy from the heavens—pretty and kind, and her eyes were so pure.
Xue Nan couldn’t help but believe her, trusting that she was indeed a good person who didn’t seek anything in return.
He nodded vigorously, his tone resolute, “Okay, sister. Thank you! I won’t let you down.”
Qingli smiled and patted his head again. “Alright, let’s start by covering your meals for this year. Also, you should find a new place to live! This place is too dilapidated and isn’t suitable. Find a suitable place to buy, and I’ll give you the money. But this isn’t free; you’ll have to pay me back once you start earning.”
Xue Nan hadn’t expected Qingli to think so far ahead for them, and he was very touched. He had actually considered finding a suitable place to live for a long time but couldn’t afford to buy anywhere, as they were living day by day through begging.
Even the most rundown house was out of reach for them, so they had been residing in this broken temple, which at least sheltered them from the wind and rain.
He hesitated for just a moment but ultimately didn’t refuse. His gaze became more determined. “Alright, thank you, sister! I know where to buy. Sister, could you please take me to buy it? I’m just a kid; they won’t sell to me. I asked before how much it would cost, and they said children can’t buy.”
Qingli didn’t hesitate either. She nodded in agreement, thinking she might as well go all the way in doing good!
Xue Nan immediately led Qingli to the place he had in mind, and the other little beggars followed suit.