Chapter 21

"Big Brother, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, don't worry about me, go chase him quickly!"

Although Qiaogui said this, his eyes were burning and tears kept streaming down. The thick lime powder made him cough continuously.

Wang Huaishui took this opportunity to jump out of the yard and fled.

Zhang Ke also rushed over. Seeing Qiaogui's condition, he hurriedly said, "Don't chase him, first wash your eyes, Brother Gui."

"I'm fine!" Qiaogui said anxiously, "Wang Huaishui has escaped. If our plans are exposed, we're finished!"

Zhang Ke smiled and said, "Brother Gui, don't worry. How much does Wang Huaishui really know? Besides, would he dare to report us?"

Although Zhang Ke was very annoyed that Wang Huaishui had escaped, he thought it over and realized that Wang Huaishui didn't know about the death of the steward or the arson. He was just a fraudster and wouldn't have the nerve to report them to the authorities!

After Zhang Ke's explanation, Qiaogui finally relaxed. He hurriedly returned to the room and washed his eyes with well water. Fortunately, not much lime had gotten in. After about fifteen minutes, Qiaogui finally recovered, but his eyes were still swollen like peaches.

"Damn, Wang Huaishui must have been prepared. Who would carry quicklime otherwise!"

Zhang Ke sighed, "I was too greedy, always thinking of squeezing out a bit more. I forgot to be cautious, and underestimated Wang Huaishui."

"Brother Ke, we're not without gains. Didn't Wang Huaishui drop a box? Open it and see if there are any silver bills inside."

As Qiaofu said this, he opened the broken wooden box. Sure enough, there were three silver bills inside.

Strictly speaking, these weren't silver bills. The only legal paper money in the Ming Dynasty was the Great Ming Treasure Note, but by the late Ming, it was so worthless that it was thrown into the gutter. Carrying large amounts of silver was inconvenient, so some money shops issued exchange notes, similar to deposit receipts that could be cashed on demand.

Each of the three silver bills was worth fifty taels, with the words "Yongchang Money Shop, Payable on Sight" and intricate patterns around them, making them quite elegant.

Qiaofu held them, looked at them again and again, and asked doubtfully, "Brother Ke, can such a thin piece of paper be worth white silver?"

"Of course it can, but... we need to verify if these silver bills are genuine first!"

"What, did Wang Huaishui deceive us?"

"Hard to say! There's nothing about him that's genuine from head to toe!"

Qiaogui, who had been silent, suddenly clutched his head and said painfully, "It's all my fault. If we had caught Wang Huaishui, we wouldn't have to worry! I'm afraid he'll try to frame us. As the old saying goes, a strong dragon can't suppress a local snake!"

"Right, Brother Gui, you're right. Let's go now."

The three of them went to the carriage outside, carefully checked it, and found that nothing was missing. There was even an extra cart with about five or six taels of silver, which was a small gain.

Just as Zhang Ke was about to leave, he suddenly heard a groan behind him. Turning around, he saw it was Liu Er, who had just regained consciousness.

Without a word, Zhang Ke approached and struck Liu Er's temple with the hilt of his sword. Liu Er immediately fell unconscious like a lump of mud. Zhang Ke then found some rope, tied him up like a big dumpling, and gagged his mouth.

"I'm letting you off easy. Whether you live or die is up to your fate!"

Zhang Ke wasn't a cold-blooded killer. With Wang Huaishui gone, killing Liu Er to silence him was pointless.

Outside the house, Qiaogui and Qiaofu were busy. They had hidden the stolen ingots in the carriage, covering them with clothes, leather, and a stove, so nothing could be seen from the outside.

Zhang Ke checked and found no problems. The three of them drove the carriage and hurriedly left Wang Huaishui's house. By then, the night had faded, and many merchants preparing to go to the horse market had started moving. Zhang Ke and his companions pretended to be merchants and walked down the road as if nothing had happened.

Although the three of them hadn't slept all night, they were all exceptionally excited. Yesterday, they were penniless, but now they had over a thousand taels of silver in the carriage. The sudden wealth felt even better than winning the lottery in the future. Their steps were particularly light, as if they could fly.

As the carriage passed by a land temple, Zhang Ke jumped down from the carriage. At the entrance, a dozen little beggars were waiting, all looking eagerly. After Huizi had shown the way, Zhang Ke had sent him back, as some things were not suitable for him to see.

Back at the land temple, Huizi couldn't sleep. It felt like a dream to him. He wouldn't have to be a beggar anymore, wouldn't have to endure cold looks, wouldn't be chased by dogs, and wouldn't be despised. He could stand tall and be a decent person!

This was something he had dreamed of many times, and it was finally becoming a reality. But he was also worried that Zhang Ke was just joking. Huizi repeatedly braved the cold wind to look outside.

Finally, as the first rays of sunlight appeared, Zhang Ke drove the carriage over. From a distance, Huizi ran to the front of the carriage.

"Master Zhang!"

"Ha ha ha, didn't I tell you to call me Big Brother?"

Zhang Ke smiled, looked at Huizi, and then at the group of little beggars standing at the door, all looking eagerly. Zhang Ke reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of silver.

"Huizi, treat your friends to some food!"

"Okay!" Huizi nodded in surprise and quickly called out to Erle and Xiaodouzi. In no time, they returned with a large bowl of food. There were fried dough sticks, soy milk, baked buns, and meat buns, all steaming hot and fragrant. The little beggars' mouths were watering.

Huizi ran back and, instead of giving the food to his friends, respectfully presented it to Zhang Ke. Zhang Ke smiled in satisfaction, grabbed a few baked buns, and Qiaofu and Qiaogui also took some food.

Only then did Huizi give the food to everyone. The little beggars reached out, grabbed the food, and stuffed it into their mouths. Some choked and rolled their eyes, but Huizi quickly brought them soy milk, and they finally swallowed.

In less than a quarter of an hour, all the food was gone, and everyone's bellies were full.

"Let's go, it's time to hit the road!"

Hearing Zhang Ke's words, Huizi's eyes welled up. He grabbed Erle's hand and said, "I'm leaving. Take care of Xiaodouzi. He's still young, don't let the dogs bite him. If I can make it, I'll come back for you."

"Okay," Erle smiled. "Huizi, follow Master Zhang well, don't think about us. The old beggar said winter is like a ghost gate. Whether we can get through... live well for us!"

Tears streamed down Erle's face, and the others also started crying. Despite their young age, many of them knew that this might be the last time they would see each other.

The carriage moved slowly forward, and Huizi followed closely, occasionally looking back at his friends. They were still following, through the streets, the little beggars like shadows, not a single one left behind.

"Brother Ke, they're still young but very loyal. I think we might as well take them all!"

Before he finished speaking, Huizi's eyes lit up. The little guy ran to the front of the carriage, knelt down, and kowtowed.

"Big Brother Zhang, take them with you. Otherwise, they'll freeze or starve to death. Please, have mercy!"

You're asking for trouble!

Zhang Ke glared at Qiaofu and then pulled Huizi up.

"Huizi, we're not rich. Following us might mean suffering and hardship, even life and death."

Huizi clenched his fists and said firmly, "I'm not afraid, none of us are afraid!"

Zhang Ke took a deep breath and said, "Alright, I agree!"

"Thank you, Big Brother!"

Huizi jumped three feet high, his old shoes breaking, but he didn't care and ran barefoot.

"Brother Erle, look, Brother Huizi is back!" Xiaodouzi pointed excitedly.

Erle, who was about to leave, quickly turned around. Huizi, like a cannonball, ran over and shouted excitedly, "Big Brother Zhang has agreed to let everyone follow him. We all have a chance to live, and we can stay together!"

Hearing this, the little beggars were silent for a moment, then burst into joyful laughter, genuinely happy. Erle wiped the tears from his eyes with his dirty hand.

"Everyone, go thank Master Zhang!"

A dozen little beggars rushed to Zhang Ke, kowtowing on the ground.

Zhang Ke's head spun. He wasn't running an orphanage, and he hadn't figured out his next steps. Taking in this group would just add to his troubles!

"Brother Ke, I believe in your abilities. A hero needs help, and doing things always requires some manpower. I think they're pretty good!"

Huizi nodded quickly, "Big Brother Zhang, we'll be obedient. Whatever you say, we'll do!"

"I'll have you change your clothes and wash up properly. Don't look like beggars anymore."

Erle scratched his head, "Master Zhang, being dirty is better. If we wash, our skin will crack from the cold, which hurts a lot."

"Stop talking nonsense. You want to be beggars, and I don't want to be a gang leader!"

Zhang Ke gritted his teeth and pulled out two taels of silver. He had brought three taels from home, spent one on the way, and got five from Wang Huaishui, leaving him with seven taels. The remaining silver ingots and the uncertain silver bills couldn't be used. Taking out two taels was painful.

"Qiaofu, go buy them some cotton shoes and clothes. I'll take them to wash up!"

They found a small bathhouse on the street. The dozen boys lined up and got into the pool. Halfway through, the owner came crying to Zhang Ke.

"Sir, look, the water is black after they washed. How can I serve other customers?"

"Ah!" Zhang Ke sighed and took out ten coins. "Boss, please bear with it!"

The owner smiled bitterly, "Young man, if it weren't for your kindness in taking in these little beggars, I would have kicked them out!"

Finally, they finished washing, and Qiaofu returned with the clothes and shoes. The boys immediately changed into new clothes, looking like they were celebrating the New Year.

"Alright, our... no, our merchant team is ready to go!"

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