Chapter 89

Hu Wenhua jumped three feet away!

“You must be a runaway slave! Don’t get me in trouble,” he exclaimed.

The government had strict rules, and harboring a runaway slave could lead to punishment.

The person lying on the ground, hearing this, had no choice but to get up. He dusted off the dirt from his clothes and slowly took out a piece of paper from his pocket. “Look, I’m not a runaway slave!”

Fan Jin and the others looked at the young man before them. He seemed around the same age as Hu Wenhua.

He was dressed in rags—genuine rags! His sleeves and pant legs were almost entirely frayed, and his clothes were so dirty that their original color was unrecognizable.

Hu Wenhua thought to himself, given how dirty those clothes were, the ground was probably cleaner. Was it even necessary to dust them off?

No wonder the boy had no hesitation in throwing himself to the ground; his clothes couldn’t get any dirtier.

But that wasn’t the main point!

He looked at the boy’s calm demeanor and frowned, “Judging by your attitude, it doesn’t seem like you need us to ‘save’ you.”

The boy replied indifferently, “I just wanted to add some tension.” But it seemed that these three weren’t easily moved.

He turned to the most gentle and scholarly-looking of the three, Fan Jin. “I wasn’t lying; I do need your help. Otherwise, I’m afraid I won’t survive this unusually harsh winter.”

He needed them to cover for him, or else if his stepmother’s people found him, he might die unnoticed. He couldn’t die before avenging his mother, who had been harmed by his stepmother.

Hu Wenhua and Fan He knew he was telling the truth.

This winter was indeed unusually cold and early. “But there are so many beggars on the streets, we can’t take in all of them!”

Recently, their own life wasn’t much better than that of beggars.

Even though things were better now, Fan He remained frugal.

Taking care of someone wasn’t easy. It meant providing food, clothing, medical care if they fell ill, and arranging shelter… Previously, they had saved Heizi, but that was an emergency. They knew Heizi would eventually go back.

But this boy was different; he might have nowhere to go!

If he stayed with them, it would be a burden on his parents.

The boy handed the paper to Fan Jin, knowing he was the literate one among them.

He explained, “Look, I’m not a beggar or a lazy person. I’m not a vagrant! I just… I just fell on hard times. If you take me in this winter, I will repay you double, no, tenfold in the future!”

Fan Jin looked at the paper and was surprised by the boy’s noble background. He discreetly conveyed to Hu Wenhua and Fan He, “He’s indeed not a beggar or a vagrant.”

Fan He was skeptical about the promise of repayment. Why was he so doubtful?

The boy continued to plead, “I am very diligent and can work. I can do any kind of work! I just need a place to stay this winter. By next year, I will be able to leave.”

Hu Wenhua looked towards his brother-in-law. It wasn’t his decision to make.

Fan He recalled someone else who had made similar promises but ended up causing trouble. They had run away after working for a few days, taking the only valuable clothes with them. If it weren’t for his mother’s quick thinking, he wouldn’t have gotten his jade pendant back.

He looked at the boy in rags and asked quickly, “Do you have any valuable items on you?”

If he did, it wouldn’t be a loss to keep him!

The boy laughed, “Do I look like someone who has valuable items? If I had any, I’d be staying at an inn, eating well, and having a place to stay. I wouldn’t be worried about surviving the winter.

To be honest, I’ve run out of money. I’ve been getting by with odd jobs for food, but now that it’s getting colder, it’s harder to find work.”

Hu Wenhua thought about it too.

He pulled his young nephew’s sleeve and whispered, “This attire can’t hide anything. He relies on odd jobs to earn his keep; where else could he have money?”

Fan Jin thought to himself that this man seemed capable and principled.

He didn’t live off begging but searched for work everywhere.

He was also sharp, noticing abnormal weather this year and planning ahead for himself.

“I’ve been observing you three for a while. I know you brew and sell wine. Look at me—I can drive carts, lift things, attract customers, and even brew wine at home. I’m strong and I don’t eat much. You won’t regret keeping me!” Ling Ran continued to sell himself.

Fan Jin: … His mind is sharp too, observing very carefully. No wonder they chose him.

Fan He took in a sharp breath; this man was selling himself just like he sold his rice wine! He knew how to hit the key points.

Hu Wenhua was quite moved.

Her sister’s household was indeed short of people, especially capable ones!

With young children to care for, along with pigs, chickens, rabbits, vegetable gardens, and fields, they had plenty of work. Now, with brewing to sell, he would be leaving in a few days. Having someone who could work was really good.

At least they wouldn’t feel bad about using him.

Fan Jin thought brushes needed to be sold personally. Soon, they would need someone to fill in the gaps. Having more people would definitely make things easier.

“Alright.”

Fan He: Another one picked up.

Dad and Mom really loved picking people up. How could they keep picking up one after another?

Fortunately, they weren’t lacking in food or clothing now. The only bad thing was that they couldn’t stretch their legs when sleeping at night.

I wonder how Big Brother was doing at home. Did he miss them?

“Oh, isn’t this Brother Fan? I didn’t expect to run into Brother Fan from the Nandu Bai family. You have to rely on selling wine for a living now. Who would believe it if I told them?” Zhao Fugui, shaking his folding fan, loudly proclaimed from the railing of the second floor of Shanhailou.

Beside him were Zheng Pingsheng, Zhou Wenzhang, and Sun Qiang.

When they heard “Nandu Bai family,” their eyes widened.

That was the renowned Bai family, occupying half of the city.

Zheng Pingsheng hurriedly asked, “Fan Jin is connected to the Nandu Bai family?”

Fan Jin suddenly had money. Could it be because of the Bai family?

Last time, he had asked Wan Yue to inquire and was told it was money from his father-in-law. He had secretly resented his father-in-law for being useless at home and unable to help him in his career or financially. Even Fan Jin’s pig-killing father-in-law was better than that.

Who knew he was deceiving Wan Yue! The real money-making business was relying on the Bai family!

“Is it true?”

“The Bai family would take a liking to him? Isn’t this just talk?”

Zhao Fugui snorted, “Who knows if it’s true or not? They just asked a child to bring out a piece of white jade and claimed it was from the Nandu Bai family. We can’t just go and ask the Bai family to confirm, can we?”

Even if he wanted to go, he would need the Bai family to open the door and let him in, right?

Moreover, the head of the Bai family was so busy, how could he possibly have time to receive him?

“If even Brother Fugui can’t get in touch with them, is Fan Jin worthy?”

“Yeah, Brother Fugui has tried several times to get on the Bai family’s boat but failed every time. How did Fan Jin manage to get on?”

“It must be another trick!”

Inside the side room, a young man suddenly stood up!

Next to him, a strong hand reached out and grabbed the young man’s arm.