flstandardbreds Chapter 356
Chapter 356
Pei Yunche hadn't expected that it would be so difficult for a person to survive.
His clothes were too conspicuous, so he went outside and found some clothes that someone else didn't want to wear. Afraid of being recognized, he smeared mud on his face, making his face look gray and dirty, just like a little beggar.
He originally wanted to do manual labor to earn money, but found that no one wanted him. As soon as people saw that he was a man, they all waved him away. He stood on the road, staring blankly at the passersby. Many people even covered their noses and deliberately walked around him. For the first time, the young master Pei, who had always been fawned over by everyone, was disliked by everyone.
A feeling of injustice welled up inside him, but he bit his lip and refused to cry. Then a coin rolled in front of him, and he looked up blankly. A child was staring at him. Soon someone pulled the child away, scolding him as they went, "What are you doing? How dare you come near anyone?"
"Father, that brother looks very pitiful."
"What's there to pity? Who isn't pitiful in this world? We don't have any extra money for you to give us."
The child wanted to say something, but was glared at by the man and could only shut up timidly.
Pei Yunche stared blankly at the copper coins at his feet, feeling a mix of emotions. Having been pampered since childhood, he had little concept of money. But these past two days had been filled with setbacks. If he ran out of money again, what would he do when Nalan Jingwen needed medicine?
Some people took pity on him and gave him a few bites of food, which he tucked into his clothes and took back to Nalan Jing to smell.
Pei Yunche remained standing there, not picking up the copper coin at his feet.
He is a chosen one of heaven, how can he be like a beggar and ask others for money?
Before he could even react, a beggar snatched the copper coin at his feet like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey. As if it were some precious treasure, the beggar blew off the dust and unceremoniously stuffed it into his pocket. Pei Yunche stared at her, his pupils dilating slightly, and he instinctively blurted out, "This is mine..."
His voice wasn't loud, and he no longer had his usual spoiled manner; it was as if he was still struggling with his inner thoughts.
The beggar looked him up and down. "What do you mean 'your'? Whoever gets it first keeps it. Whose fault is it if you don't pick it up?"
Just like in officialdom, beggars' dens are a dog-eat-dog world with their own rules, and there's no logic to it.
"you!!"
Pei Yunche was really lacking in presence, which made the beggar glance at him a few more times.
"Are you new here?"
"What are you doing as a beggar, a man? Don't blame me for not warning you. You'd be better off cleaning yourself up and serving the daughters of wealthy families. That's much better than being a beggar."
Pei Yunche didn't understand; he only felt that the other party was being insulted.
"Dirty!"
"Also, Ben... I'm not a beggar!"
In the past, how could these people have had the chance to speak to him? They couldn't even get close to him.
The beggar scoffed, "Looking like you, who would believe you if you said you weren't a beggar?"
"I finally managed to be a good person, but they don't appreciate my kindness. Just you wait and see."
Pei Yunche didn't understand why this was called not recognizing a kind heart. Was it right to make him clean up and serve others?
But he soon found out.
Throughout the city, apart from him, there were almost no male beggars to be seen. He did see several little boys selling themselves to bury their mothers, but they were quickly bought by others. He was puzzled as to why, until he saw a male beggar who had just arrived being dragged into an alley and humiliated, but who never left the alley. Then he understood.
There is no way for a man to survive by begging.
He clutched the rice he had painstakingly begged for in his arms, then staggered back to the thatched hut. All the fear and grievances he had been holding back all the way poured out when he saw Nalan Jingwen, who was still unconscious.
He curled up next to Nalan Jingwen, fantasizing about nestling in her arms as before, his fingers gripping her clothes tightly, trying to gain some sense of security.
He bit her lips until they turned white, and she silently shed tears, as if she was trying her best to suppress something, until the smell of blood spread throughout her mouth, and then she slowly let go.
He reached out and hugged Nalan Jingwen tightly until he felt her warmth before stopping. He then rubbed the only clean spot on his face against her cheek, his voice trembling with tears.
"Nalan Jingwen, why aren't you awake yet?"
"Are you going to keep sleeping like this? Wake up and look at me, okay?"
"Don't leave me alone, I'm scared..."
No matter how much he pleaded, the person in his arms kept her eyes tightly closed and showed no signs of waking up. Pei Yunche buried his head in the crook of her neck, trying not to make a sound, but he couldn't stop the tears from flowing.
She didn't fall into a deep sleep until she was exhausted from crying.
When he woke up again, it was already dark. He hurriedly got up, not even having time to compose himself, and wiped away his tears before starting to brew medicine for Nalan Jingwen using the small stove he had set up.
He searched for a long time before finding a stove that someone else didn't want to throw away. He picked it up and washed it in the river for a long time before it was clean.
He didn't know how to start a fire at first. He rubbed his hands until they were blistered and burned while boiling medicine, leaving them swollen and red. He finally learned how. Now the blisters on his hands have subsided, but they still hurt when touched, though they are much better than before.
His only consolation was that the doctor was a good person. Before leaving, he gave him enough medicine to last for half a month. Because those precious medicinal herbs were so rare, he had to settle for something less and use something more common. The only difference was that, unlike those precious herbs which had to be taken every few days, this medicine had to be taken every day.
Every time he brewed medicine, he would sit by the stove, staring blankly at Nalan Jingwen, his eyes vacant, seemingly lost in thought.
Pei Yunche was not good at serving people. When he first fed Nalan Jingwen medicine, he would spill a lot of it every time. Later, he gradually got the hang of it. The precious young master was doing many things for the first time, so he was always slow, even when cooking porridge.
The rice in the porridge he initially cooked was still raw. Afraid of wasting it, he ate it all himself. He had a stomachache for a long time, but he didn't go to the clinic to see a doctor or get medicine. He just gritted his teeth and endured it.
The money was meant for Nalan Jingwen to use for his medicine; if he used it, Nalan Jingwen would not survive.
Fortunately, Pei Yunche was smart and gradually learned how to do it. However, after feeding Nalan Jingwen, the remaining porridge would get cold. Starting a fire was too troublesome, and in this abandoned thatched hut, too much smoke would escape, which was suspicious. He had to be careful every time he started a fire, so he simply drank the porridge that had already gone cold.
Actually, these days haven't been too hard for him. He's always felt that he can endure hardship, and he's not a useless person who can only rely on others.
The only thing that made him feel miserable was that Nalan Jingwen remained unconscious. He was constantly worried and afraid that Nalan Jingwen would not make it and would leave him alone.