Chapter 61: A Small Interlude

A few staff members finally realized the severity of the situation and apologized to the customers at the tables before rushing toward the old beggar.
Within less than five meters, the stench hit them. A few more steps in, even the most resilient staff members had to cover their noses and dared not take another step forward.
“Go away, you stinky beggar! Get out quickly…”
The old beggar ignored them, his dirty, broken bowl trembling slightly as he staggered toward the next table.
“Old man, if you don’t leave now, I’ll call the guards!”
As the complaints grew louder, the staff members glared at the old beggar, but none dared step forward again.
“Brother Zhang, go call him over quickly.”
After a few whispered conversations, two of them rushed toward the back door.
“Please, for goodness’ sake! The old beggar is so hungry his eyes are blurred. Even the baby in the broken pen has cried himself hoarse. Please…”
The old beggar circled the hall once before slowly moving inward. Before the guards arrived, he had reached the center.
Foul, sour, and putrid smells overwhelmed everyone—Wen Wangzhong covered his nose and vomited. Lin Dong, Jiang Kui, and Wen Ying could only hold back their nausea. Tian Hao, who had been a beggar as a child, had the strongest resistance to such smells. He stood up first and handed the silver and copper coins in his hand to the old beggar’s bowl.
Wen Ying’s face turned red as she quickly stood up.
“Me too! Me too!”
Jiang Kui followed closely behind, spreading his fan-like palms to reveal a few silver pieces and a dozen copper coins. His loud voice drew everyone’s attention again, but seeing his rough face and muscular build, people instinctively turned away.
The old beggar seemed not to notice Tian Hao and the others; his broken bowl trembled as he reached out to Zhao Fengjie and the others.
“Sirs, please! Give the old beggar some money or leftover food to survive!”
“Go away…”
The three of them waved their hands in disgust almost at the same time.
“The old beggar hasn’t eaten in days. Please, I beg you!” the old beggar pleaded desperately.
“You stink! Get lost! Do you think I won’t hit you?” The three of them shouted angrily, covering their noses. Zhao Fengjie grabbed a teacup from the table, ready to smash it.
“What are you doing?” Tian Hao stepped forward angrily and stood beside the old beggar.
“What do you mean?” Zhao Fengjie glared at Tian Hao, then instinctively glanced at Jiang Kui, who was about to help, and swallowed hard.
Blacker than charcoal—such a person would only ever be a servant. There was no point in arguing with him.

Reassuring himself, Zhao Fengjie shouted at the workers who dared not get too close, holding his nose: “Are you still going to do business or not?”
“That’s right, is this even a place to eat? It stinks to death.”
“If you don’t drive them away, we’re leaving!”
Zhao Fengjie’s words immediately drew countless responses as people started shouting at the workers who were milling about.
The old beggar clearly became frightened. He turned to Lin Dong’s table. Before he could speak, cheerful voices rang out, and small silver coins and copper pennies rolled around in the broken bowl.
“Thank you, thank you…” The old beggar hurriedly expressed his gratitude. Looking at the silver coins and copper pennies in the bowl, he sighed heavily. “They say scholars are well-mannered, but I never expected that out of over thirty tables, only one was willing to give something to an old beggar. It’s better to beg on the streets—at least then there’s enough silver to keep my grandson and me from starving or freezing for months.”
The three of them blushed, annoyed at not bringing more silver with them.
“Dad…”
Tian Hao and Wen Ying looked at Lin Dong and Wen Wangzhong.
Wen Wangzhong hesitated for a moment, holding his nose with one hand and reaching for his money bag with the other. Lin Dong stretched out his arm, opened his fingers, and a silver ingot worth ten taels gently fell into the broken bowl.
“Go back quickly! Buy some good food and have a feast tonight,” Lin Dong said meaningfully.
The old beggar nodded repeatedly, thanking everyone again. Seeing several guards entering the hall with sticks, he quickly left in a trembling manner.
Noticing Wen Ying’s seemingly downcast mood, Lin Dong smiled, pulled Tian Hao back to his seat, and said, “Keep eating!”
“Mm!” Tian Hao nodded, but he no longer had any appetite.
Lin Dong was surprised but soon understood. He patted Tian Hao’s shoulder and asked, “Are you thinking about the past?”
Tian Hao remained silent. The days before he was five or six years old were long forgotten, but the appearance of the old beggar brought back faint memories of his time without proper clothing or food. After a moment of silence, he looked up at Lin Dong resolutely and said, “Dad, I want to go see that old beggar’s grandson.”
“I want to go see him too,” Wen Ying suddenly said.
Lin Dong was astonished, but he reacted quickly, pointing at the half-eaten dishes and saying, “These all cost silver. How can we not finish them? Don’t worry. Didn’t I rent a house just to take in the helpless old, weak, and orphans? That old beggar must have just arrived in Xilan City. I’ll ask the workers to look for them later.”
“Oh!”
The two nodded, their gloomy moods lifting somewhat.

“Jiang Kui, I didn’t expect you to be so wealthy! You just gave away three or four silver coins at once,” Lin Dong said with a smile.
Jiang Kui smiled innocently, fearing his words might shock everyone and not daring to explain.
“Come on, Brother Zhou, Brother Wang, let’s keep drinking. We won’t leave until we’re drunk,” Zhao Fengjie called out from another table.
“Brother Zhao is truly talented in literature and has a great tolerance for alcohol. I’m already a bit drunk.”
“Where do I stand compared to that? I heard Brother Zhou wrote some new verses here last time. I missed it last time when I went to Zuihonglou with Brother Wang; I’m very regretful!”
“Right, Brother Zhou. I’m also filled with regret after hearing about it.”
“It’s unbearable! If you two don’t mind, please help liven up the atmosphere with your company!”
Wen Ying tilted her head, eager to hear the new verses. Seeming to sense something, she looked up and saw Jiang Kui turning his face away as if he were a thief.
Already having thin skin, being stared at by a man made Wen Ying’s cheeks instantly heat up. Ignoring the new verses, she quickly lowered her head to eat.
The incident with the old beggar soon faded away, and the Fenglin Restaurant gradually returned to its lively and refined atmosphere.
In the alley behind the restaurant, Wang Liuzhi sat on the ground yawning, while Zhang Ye and Liu Hao leaned against the wall, occasionally glancing toward the restaurant entrance.
A pungent, unpleasant smell hit them. Wang Liuzhi quickly covered his nose. Looking up, he saw the old beggar standing in front of him, smiling.
“Go take a bath! You keep making things stinky. Your smell is almost enough to kill someone,” Wang Liuzhi said as he got up and stepped back.
“If it weren’t so smelly, I’d have been kicked out by the staff already. Thankfully, things seem to be as expected,” the old beggar nodded cheerfully.
“It’s good that nothing went wrong. Go and clean up quickly. The owner will bring you some fine wine tonight to drink. It’s the best wine in the inn—don’t let your stench ruin its aroma.”
“Alright, I’ll head back if there’s nothing else.”
The old beggar turned and left the alley. Soon, Liu Hao suddenly turned back and woke up Wang Liuzhi, who was still dozing off.
“Brother Liu, some people are leaving the restaurant. It seems to be Boss Liu from Liu’s Textile Shop in the east of the city and Boss Wan from Yangming Bank.”
Wang Liuzhi jolted and sprang to his feet.
“I’ll go greet them and talk about the sign. Liu Hao, keep watching. Zhang Ye, go find Chen Susu.”
“Okay!” The two nodded.
Wang Liuzhi put on a smile and strode out of the alley. Zhang Ye followed, running toward the end of the street.