Chapter 817: Chapter 817: Got Into a Fight
Xiao Lian Hua looked closely, her eyes lit up—it was a small corner of a silver ingot.
She looked up and saw a man with a radiant face walking by, saying, “Little beggar, I won big today, need to spend some to avoid bad luck, here’s your reward.”
Xiao Lian Hua picked up the corner of the silver ingot, feeling a little pleased, glanced at the sign with the word “gambling,” and casually said, “Thank you, big brother, you’re sure to always win big at gambling.”
The man, about to leave, found these words very pleasing, perfectly suiting his mood.
He turned back, “Hey! This little beggar speaks well. I’m happy, here’s another one.” He casually tossed another piece of silver over, smiling as he walked away.
This silver ingot was much larger than the corner one earlier; Xiao Lian Hua’s eyes sparkled. She seemed to have learned something—the beggar’s act really gets money!
Just as she was about to pick it up, the silver ingot was stomped by a worn-out shoe full of holes.
Following the shoe upward, she saw a ragged, tousle-headed boy about thirteen or fourteen, holding a broken bowl. “Where did you come from? Don’t you know the rules? This area of the casino belongs to me!”
A few beggars of similar age slowly gathered around, faintly led by the boy in front of her.
Xiao Lian Hua saw through them right away.
Hmph, she wasn’t afraid of fights, especially now when she was quite upset!
Xiao Lian Hua pursed her lips and said nothing, then suddenly charged forward with overwhelming strength, knocking the boy over, quickly picked up the silver piece, and bolted.
The move was swift and fierce; the other beggars were stunned. Before they could react, she darted away like a loach.
The boy fell hard, angrily shouting, “Catch him!”
Just as the other beggars realized and were about to chase her, they were startled. Xiao Lian Hua, having distanced herself, stopped ahead, pulled out a slingshot from her chest, quickly grabbed some pebbles, and shot them continuously. Each pebble almost hit a person.
The scene turned chaotic. The group of little beggars, clutching their heads, was being pummeled and screamed chaotically. They couldn’t dodge at all. The pebbles seemed to have eyes, hitting wherever they hid, making them flee frantically.
Some tried to endure the pain to catch her, but Xiao Lian Hua wasn’t foolish; she shot whoever ran fastest, constantly widening the gap, and the group of beggars just couldn’t catch this little beggar.
The thirteen-year-old boy was hit the most and hurt the worst, battered and bruised. They were kids from the city without parents, reduced to beggars. Often bullied by the older beggars, they gradually banded together, managing to carve a niche among Xuanzhou City’s beggars. Fresh chapters posted on novel✶fire.net
They valued this prime land near the casino, where gamblers who won were generous. That’s why they came.
The boy, unable to take the beatings, started threatening they didn’t care about the silver piece, telling Xiao Lian Hua to go quickly, pretending they hadn’t seen her.
But Xiao Lian Hua wasn’t having it. Back in her hometown, no child ever dared to defy her when she was the boss. Hearing the boy’s stubbornness, she shot pebble after pebble, making him jump.
The group of beggars was intimidated by Xiao Lian Hua’s tactics, finally begging for mercy and admitting defeat.
After a while, Xiao Lian Hua felt much relieved. These past days had been extremely stifling, and this incident made her feel like she was back to her old self, her mood very cheerful.
Seeing their plea for mercy, Xiao Lian Hua stopped the assault. Everyone shared the same fate. These beggars were even pitiable; most of them had lost their parents long ago, living from hand to mouth.
She thought for a moment, tossed the large silver piece to them, and left without a word.
She wasn’t a beggar; she had parents and a brother, waiting for her. She had a journey to make and couldn’t delay time here, nor could she truly see herself as a beggar.
The group of young beggars, initially startled by the thrown object, instinctively dodged. Once realizing it was a silver piece, they were stunned. Then a small beggar picked it up and handed it to the boy, who touched the silver dazedly, watching Xiao Lian Hua’s departing figure, momentarily unsure of how to react.
Someone said, “Boss, that little beggar really shoots accurately.”
Another said, “Yeah, seems like he knows where I hide. But that slingshot looks really nice. If I had that slingshot, I could shoot as accurately.” He was tempted by the slingshot.
The begging group jeered, one cursed with a laugh, “Wang Daniu, stop boasting. You can’t even catch the buns thrown by Landlord Wang’s family on the east side, and you talk about shooting with a slingshot.”
Wang Daniu’s face turned suspiciously red, scratching his messy hair in forced defense, “Wasn’t that just a rare mishap? Boss, why don’t we snatch that slingshot?”
The group of beggars looked towards the thirteen-year-old boy.
The boy touched the silver in his hand and slapped Wang Daniu, “Get lost, don’t be ridiculous. There’s no shame in lacking skills. If Iron Pillar’s sister weren’t sick and in need of money, I wouldn’t bully him alone. Don’t forget we all started just like him, and he looks younger than us.”
His luck was better than theirs; this silver piece was big, probably worth at least two taels, right?
The group of young beggars suddenly fell silent.
As for Xiao Lian Hua, she carefully secured the small corner of silver, warily walking the streets. Thinking it over, she figured she should take advantage of the crowd and hurry out of the city. If the person really recognized her and started looking for her in the city, she’d have nowhere to hide at night, easily getting…what was the word again—like catching a big turtle in a rice vat.
For transporting goods worldwide, there are only two routes, one by water, one by land. Xuanzhou Prefecture lies at the intersection of both. From South to North, merchants settle in Xuanzhou Prefecture, where they can take ships from Guxi River straight to Yangtze River, reaching opulent places like Jinling, Zhenjiang, and then venturing onto the Grand Canal to bustling Yangzhou, continuing north; or choose land to cross Yangtze River via official roads, through the flat central hinterland to the Imperial Capital.
Xiao Lian Hua had already inquired about all this. She hadn’t decided how to proceed. If she took the waterway, it would be better—fast travel without struggling to navigate or fearing getting lost.
But firstly, she didn’t have the silver for passage, and no one would allow a little beggar on board;
Secondly, on a boat, she’d easily get caught in one go, unable to hunt or find food.
Thinking it through, traveling by land seemed safer. But first, she needed to cross the wide and turbulent river, uncertain if the small piece of silver she had would suffice at the crossing.