Today, she didn’t have an appointment with Xin Xi, but she knew where he lived. The area where Xin Xi resided was the dirtiest part of the city, a wide-open space used for dumping trash. Sometimes, the bodies of murder victims were also discarded here, and heartless mothers would abandon their unwanted newborns in this place. Almost all the beggars in the city lived here, making shelters from dried grass just enough to shield them from wind and rain. However, during the bitter cold of snowy nights, some people, weakened and frail, would die miserably. A little girl, not yet ten years old, walked into the beggars’ community. Since she didn’t know which shelter Xin Xi lived in, the cleanly dressed, adorable-looking girl created a stark contrast in the beggars’ community, like white against black. She seemed like an oddity, and the beggars, young and old, looked at her with curiosity, some even with a hint of greed. After a while, a familiar voice was heard coming from one of the dilapidated shelters with missing parts of its roof. "Why are you here, Sister?" Xin Xi asked in panic, quickly pulling her into his small shelter to avoid the predatory gazes of the wolves. Inside the shelter, there was only a pile of old clothes and a few belongings. She looked up at the roof made of grass full of holes, wondering how one could stay here when it rains. "I came looking for you." "Don’t you know how dangerous this place is? Let’s get out of here," Xin Xi warned, more cautious than ever. This place was full of beggars and thugs. When she walked in, everyone saw a lovely girl, clean and neatly dressed. Although her clothes were not of high quality, they were new and without patches. She must be a merchant’s daughter with some wealth. It would be a shame not to rob her; one brass coin is still money, and even a mosquito, no matter how small, is still flesh. Xin Xi quickly gathered a few belongings into an old bag. He only had two sets of tattered clothes. Once everything was packed, he slung it over his shoulder. "Let’s go. Once we’re out, run back the way we came as fast as you can." But only a few steps out, three gaunt men jumped out to block their way. "What’s this, little Xin Xi? Since when you have become acquainted with this young lady?" "She’s a friend of mine," Xin Xi responded, glaring at them. "She looks like she has money. Hand over your money now!" one of them barked threateningly. "Let her go. She doesn’t have any money," Xin Xi pleaded, pale faced. "Lies! How can she not have any money? Hand it over!" This kid’s clean clothes and healthy complexion, at least she must be a merchant’s daughter with some money. "I don’t have any!" Zhenzhu shouted. You evil. Even if she had money, she wouldn’t give them a single brass coin. Her money was hard-earned, while these thugs only knew how to rob others. "Then come here!" One of them lunged at her, lifting her up, while another grabbed Xin Xi. Zhenzhu kicked hard at the man’s legs. "You little devil! So strong!" He was about to slap her when Zhenzhu took the benefit of her little body to dodge and kick again. He fell sprawling on the ground. Being a spirit energy cultivator, a few thugs were no match for her. She then turned and delivered punches and kicks to the remaining two. Although she had not learned martial arts, her chaotic punches and kicks were enough to leave all three lying on the ground, defeated. The thugs hadn’t expected such strength from a small girl. They didn’t even have the strength to get up, feeling as if they had been beaten by several giant men. "Hmph, you should carefully look before you try to rob someone." They bitterly thought they already look, that was the reason why they attempted to rob her. "Y...Yes," Xin Xi, still in shock, followed her meekly. Zhenzhu took Xin Xi to a small restaurant and ordered some simple dishes. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✶𝓷𝓮𝓽 "Thank you, Big Sister Zhu," he said, looking down shyly. "Why haven’t you bought new clothes? The money I paid you for the job should be enough for some necessities and clothes," she observed his old shelter had nothing but two sets of torn clothes and a few belongings. "I can’t, Sister. If I had new things, those thugs would rob me," he replied. The money he earned from Zhenzhu was the most he had ever had. Xin Xi was abandoned as a baby and raised by an old beggar until he passed away when Xin Xi was just five. Since then, Xin Xi had lived a solitary life, begging for money which led to people beating him, splashing water at him. He grabbed the dog’s food and got bitten wound all over his body. In winter, he had to curl up to endure the coldness of nature, and finally made it. He wanted to work and get some food in return, but he was too young, no one hired him. He dreamt of earning money and leaving the beggars’ community one day. The money he earned from making the delivery was a significant amount for him, Zhenzhu then became his benefactor that sparked a small hope in his heart. He wished to buy clothes and a warm blanket to fend off the cold. But his environment made it impossible. Whenever beggars earned, even a small amount, they were robbed by thugs. Xin Xi was clever; he hid the money he earned elsewhere before returning or carried only a couple of brass coins to avoid suspicion. He wanted to save enough money to move away, but after today’s incident, returning seemed impossible without risking another beating or worse. "Why not report to the soldier?" "Soldiers don’t care about beggars like us," he said, looking down. Zhenzhu felt deep sympathy for him. It was fortunate that his heart remained pure despite growing up in such a place. There were many children like him in the community. Looking back at herself, she was fortunate to have a warm family, although they started poor but managed to survive. But this boy had never felt his mother’s warmth. "What will you do now? You can’t go back there." He was silent, unsure of his next steps. If he had nowhere to go, he might end up sleeping on the streets. "Xin Xi, would you like to work with me?" She asked, thinking he might prefer to be alone or want more freedom than working for someone else. "I would like to," he replied, eyes shining, not even asking what the job was. He was eager to work with Big Sister Zhu, willing to endure any hardship without complaint. "I’m planning to cultivate a mulberry plantation. Would you help me plant and take care of the mulberries? There’s worker’s accommodation behind my house," she said. Though the construction wasn’t completed for all the small and large workers’ houses she passed by in the morning, some were ready to be occupied. "Yes, Big Sister Zhu. I’ll help plant mulberries and deliver herbs." This was great. He would have a place to stay. "Great. But I came today to find workers with you, and now this has happened." "Big Sister Zhu, do you need workers for planting mulberries?" "Yes.” She was looking for just temporary workers to pay daily, as she can’t just accept anyone into the workers’ housing without screening. Human nature is unpredictable, and if she mistakenly hires a rogue, it could endanger my family." "There’s daily hiring of slaves at the slave market, or you can buy outright. You’ll need to talk to a slave trader." "Is that so? Can you take me there, Xin Xi?" After eating, Xin Xi led her to a slave market. Some people were buying slaves for labor, some were selling themselves into slavery, and others were slave traders. Seeing this, Zhenzhu felt a deep sadness. She was born in an era where society was free from such oppression, where all humans were born equal. Yet, in an era where slavery had not been abolished, she could only accept it. She was just an ordinary villager without the power to change the social structure. They arrived at a moderately sized, clean-looking slave trading house. "Welcome, little miss. Are you here to buy or sell?" The manager, a middle-aged man, greeted them. He saw the neatly dressed young girl and a scruffy boy following her. This young miss might be here to buy a slave, or perhaps she was bringing a slave to sell. "Oh, uncle, my father wishes to hire daily laborers. How much would that cost per day?" "You’ve come to the right place, miss. Our establishment offers both strong male laborers for heavy work and females for general tasks. We also have some skilled laborers. May I know what type of labor your father needs?" he asked politely, treating even a young girl as a valuable customer. "Male laborers for digging and chopping, please." "We have 15 male laborers suitable for such work, ranging from young men to middle-aged. The daily wage is 70 brass coins from dawn till dusk, including one meal at noon. If you want us to provide the meal, it’s 80 brass coins. If you need a large number, our establishment can send a supervisor to oversee the work at no extra charge." "I’ll need all 15 for two days, and the establishment can provide the meals." "Alright, then. May I ask when you need them? If it’s tomorrow, I’m afraid that’s not possible as some have already been hired out to another manor." "In two days, please, and prepare the people for me, manager." "Certainly, miss. Please leave a deposit of 20 percent." Zhenzhu paid the deposit and received a hiring contract before leaving. She then went to a quarter that sold clothes and entered a men’s clothing store. "Uncle, can you find about four or five cotton outfits for him, please?" she pointed to Xin Xi, who looked at her with wide eyes. "Just receive them, don’t talk too much. I haven’t allowed you to speak." The manager from the store hurriedly selected outfits while Zhenzhu picked clothes for her father, older brother, younger brother, and herself, each getting two or three sets. Ah... the feeling of spending money was indeed delightful. After leaving the clothing store, they headed to a blanket store and other shops for various items. Xin Xi couldn’t argue because Zhenzhu reasoned she was buying things for him in return for his future work. He just followed quietly, and soon, they had too much to carry back by themselves, so they had to hire a horse cart. "Did you see who went to see Master Tiao just now?" "How would I know? All I know is it was a young miss, very beautiful. I’ve never seen her before." "I heard she’s Hui Lin, the adopted daughter of the leader of the Water Dragon." "Really? But why would she meet Master Tiao?" "It’s not just her. Lately, many strangers have been visiting Master Tiao every day. I heard that since Master Tiao made friends with a powerful inscription master, many people have been seeking to establish connections with him. You don’t know anything. Even the Governor respects him." Conversations among the merchants could be heard. Now, Master Tiao of Fengfu City was a big name, but the bigger the reputation, the bigger the troubles that came with it, such as the many people coming to meet him. Zhenzhu was relieved she had asked him to represent her, letting him enjoy the company of influential people. "Make way! Make way! Make way!" Loud shouts accompanied by the sound of things falling and dishes breaking. Zhenzhu turned towards the noise and saw a horse charging towards her like an arrow. A woman’s voice followed. Read ‘Rebirth: This Farmgirl Has Spirit Fish Scales’ before anyone else with more Chapters at https://www.jinovel.com/en