Chapter 17

In order not to stand out, Cheng Duo purposely wore the outfit made for him by Yong-ge. His hair had grown a bit recently, but he couldn't tie it up, so he simply wrapped it with a long cloth and pressed it against the back of his head.

Cheng Duo thought he would look strange like this, but he didn't expect to see many people in Twenty-Li Slope who were even stranger than him. There were those who shaved their heads bald, leaving only a small patch on the top, and even braided it. Some had a strong build, wearing arm bracelets and large earrings. Some had short hair but had colorful braids hanging down from the back of their heads.

Among these people, there were both Great Xia people and people from other ethnic groups, all of them with a rugged and fierce aura.

In addition to them, there were also some idle men wearing patched shorts, covered in dust, squatting in groups by the roadside, seemingly bored.

According to Shanzi, these people were just like his father, skilled laborers who squatted by the roadside waiting for work.

In fact, skilled laborers were also classified into different levels. Casual laborers were at the bottom because they had no organization and relied solely on luck to get jobs. Moreover, they were isolated and vulnerable, easily having their business snatched away by other larger forces, and if they couldn't fight back, they would also be beaten.

But having a powerful foreman was different. Foremen had connections and were more likely to receive large orders, and a group of people working together would be faster. Of course, the drawbacks were obvious as well. The foreman would take a cut from the money received, and even how much each person earned was determined by the foreman.

Shanzi's father, Zhao Shugen, followed a foreman surnamed Ding. That foreman treated them well and even rented a large courtyard for their convenience. However, it was clear that the environment of that courtyard would not be too good, as several men would usually sleep in one big bunk bed.

Shanzi was only eleven years old, so he could squeeze with his father, but Cheng Duo and Yong-ge couldn't. They dropped Shanzi off at the entrance of the courtyard rented by the foreman and agreed to meet at the village intersection three days later at noon, then they went their separate ways.

With Shanzi gone, Yong-ge appeared much more restrained. He covered his face with an old piece of clothing on the way, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed, and looked at Cheng Duo, asking, "Are we going to sell the pelts now?"

Cheng Duo shook his head, "Let's find a place to stay first."

This was a habit he had developed over time. When arriving in a new place, he would find a safe place to settle in so that he wouldn't be left in the dark once night fell.

Yong-ge thought about the fact that the two of them would be staying outside together and couldn't help but feel nervous. He blurted out, "Alright, I know a cheap place, follow me."

He took two quick steps forward before realizing he had misspoken. As an unmarried young ger, he was too familiar with the places to rest in Twenty-Li Slope. Moreover, Mahti Street was a place filled with all sorts of people, and Cheng Duo might think there was something wrong with his character.

Yong-ge quickly added, "I, I've been there with my father before."

"Okay," Cheng Duo didn't pay much attention to it.

Although Yong-ge was a young ger, he wasn't someone who never left the house. It was unlikely that he had never been to the nearby largest town.

Yes, a town. Cheng Duo had always thought that Twenty-Li Slope was just a small market. But after arriving, he discovered that it was actually near the western Ling Pass, where many traveling merchants passed through, unknowingly forming a large town.

But this real ancient town was not as glamorous as it appeared in TV dramas. The stone pavement was dilapidated, covered in dry yellow mud, and when a carriage passed by, the mud would be splashed by the wheels, filling the air with dust.

Not to mention the dung of cows and horses, which could be seen every few steps…

But compared to Mahti Street, all that dirt was nothing. As Cheng Duo and Yong-ge walked in, they narrowly avoided a slop cart passing by. The slop water splashed along the road, permeating the entire street with a sour and stinky smell.

And in some hidden alleys, there would occasionally be a strong smell of urine, indicating that people who came and went here didn't pay much attention to hygiene, and it was common to relieve themselves anywhere after drinking too much.

Cheng Duo used the phrase "drinking too much" because in an open courtyard, he saw seven or eight women and young men, their clothes in disarray, looking haggard, washing themselves by the well. Obviously, this place would turn into a brothel at night, the kind of lower-class place where only poor laborers would come to spend money.

When Cheng Duo caught them looking at him, one of the young ger, aged around twenty-four or twenty-five, who was lazily washing himself, threw a seductive glance at Cheng Duo and even opened his already loose clothes a bit.

This… trying to seduce him in broad daylight? It seemed that people in ancient times weren't as conservative as he had imagined…

Cheng Duo hadn't done anything yet, but Yong-ge angrily blocked his way and indignantly said, "Don't look, they are not respectable people!"

Then he glared at the person and pulled Cheng Duo, ready to leave.

Cheng Duo habitually surveyed the surroundings and wasn't interested in that kind of place, so when Yong-ge pulled him, he obediently followed.

The person sneered disdainfully but gradually became envious when he saw the tightly packed Yong-ge pulling his man along. There was a time when he also wanted to marry a tall and reliable man, but unfortunately, his parents sold him to support his younger siblings…

Cheng Duo stopped in his tracks, surprising Yong-ge. He thought Cheng Duo had been enticed by the person and didn't want to leave. Then he heard Cheng Duo ask, "Are you sure your father would bring you to a place like this?"

"Not exactly… my father…" being exposed, Yong-ge awkwardly lowered his head.

"Then who?" Cheng Duo thought of something, his face turned dark. "Your eldest brother or second brother?"

If it was them, he felt that those two scoundrels had received less punishment than they deserved!

Yong-ge quickly explained, "No, my father didn't allow me to go out with them." His father didn't even let him show his face, so how could he trust them to take care of him?

Seeing Cheng Duo staring at him, with no way to avoid it, Yong-ge had to confess, "I used to come to Twenty-Li Slope to find work. I heard that the cheap lodging is on Mahti Street, so I stayed there once or twice…"

"Once or twice?" Cheng Duo's face turned serious. "If you knew what kind of place it was the first time, you shouldn't have gone again."

Yong-ge didn't know why, but he suddenly felt a bit defiant. "I don't go out at night, and my roommates are all young ger. Besides, it only costs eight wen to stay here for a night, much cheaper than those inns outside!"

"You really… care about money more than your life!"

Cheng Duo couldn't help it and ruthlessly poked Yong-ge's head, which was held stiff. Yong-ge instinctively covered his head, and then belatedly realized that they were actually arguing over such a trivial matter? Cheng Duo even laid hands on him, why did it feel so strange…

Cheng Duo also felt like he had gone too far. He coughed lightly and raised his foot to turn around. "Let's just stay at an inn."

He shouldn't have listened to this young ger. He would have known how stingy he was!

After taking two steps, Cheng Duo noticed that Yong-ge was still standing motionless. He turned around and glared at him, pretending to be fierce. "Aren't you coming?"

To outsiders, this scene probably made them think the young ger was pitiable, married to a husband who was both cruel and wicked, and might even resort to violence. But Yong-ge couldn't be scared, otherwise Cheng Duo wouldn't have asked so many questions if he didn't care…

Seeing the other person about to walk far away, Yong-ge quickly caught up, unwilling to give up. "Don't think I'm lying to you, the inns outside are really expensive. A room costs at least thirty to forty wen per night!"

"I'll pay. Is that alright?" Cheng Duo said impatiently.

Yong-ge shrunk his neck. "No, how can I let you pay…"

If it wasn't for him, Cheng Duo could have gone back after selling the fur. Why would he stay overnight? It was only fair and reasonable for him to bear the cost of their accommodations…

Yong-ge stole a glance at Cheng Duo and really wanted to grit his teeth and say that if he didn't mind, they could share a room, and he wouldn't mind sleeping on the floor!

But Cheng Duo didn't even give him a chance to speak. Once they entered the inn, he directly asked the innkeeper for two rooms and paid the rent, acting as if money was not a concern at all.

Yong-ge: …wasteful spender!

Cheng Duo took Yong-ge to the backyard to take a look and found that while the rooms were small, they were still clean and the doors and windows were intact. Then he led him to leave.

After leaving the inn, Yong-ge took out his money pouch and was about to pay: "Let me give you the room fee…"

Cheng Duo didn't bother with formalities either. He looked around and pointed to a stall on the roadside selling small wontons, steamed buns, and fried pancakes, saying, "No need, treat me to lunch instead."

Yong-ge paused while reaching for his money: "Okay."

Cheng Duo went over and asked about the prices. He ordered a bowl of small wontons, a fried pancake, and two fist-sized steamed buns.

The bowl of small wontons probably had about twenty of them, and it only cost six wen. Cheng Duo initially thought the stall owner would be operating at a loss by selling them so cheaply. But when he bit into one and discovered that there was only a small piece of meat the size of a soybean, with the rest being vegetable leaves wrapped in cornmeal…

"…"

In fact, Cheng Duo misunderstood. While Twenty-Li Slope had many travelling merchants passing through, the roadside stalls wouldn't sell wontons filled entirely with meat. Only the eateries or restaurants with established businesses would offer that.

Yong-ge knew that Cheng Duo enjoyed meat. Seeing him staring at the wontons with a displeased expression, he suppressed his laughter and comforted him, "When I have money in the future, I'll treat you to wontons filled with meat."

"In that case, why don't you just come to my house and cook for me?" Waiting until he had money, who knew when that would be? Did this young ger think money could be saved easily?

Yong-ge hesitated for a moment, "Then… when I go to water the crops in the vegetable field later, I can help you cook along the way. Is that okay?"

Cheng Duo became happy, "That's settled then. I'll go hunt a deer or a goat to eat when the time comes."

Since Yong-ge left, Cheng Duo hadn't been as enthusiastic about hunting. Mainly because the food he cooked himself didn't taste as good as a simple meal!