Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Li Du’s heart softened immediately at the sight of the children. He said to Liu Zi, “Buy them some food.”
Liu Zi snorted with disdain. “Young Master Li, you have such a kind heart. Do not be fooled by these punks. D*mn, they’re even richer than I am. These kids might just be picking rocks off the streets, but what they do pays off from time to time. If they’re lucky, they earn as much as ten thousand in a month, and I mean in RMB!”
After hearing what Liu Zi said, the kids scampered off. Some of them pulled faces at him and shouted, “Master Liu, where is your conscience?!”
Liu Zi waved his hands about. “Away with you, don’t bother Master Liu! Master Liu isn’t pleased with you, let me tell you that!”
Li Du exclaimed in shock, “The kids earn this much just by picking rocks off the ground?”
Liu Zi nodded in confirmation. “They do. Some families even rely on them for income.”
Li Du wondered, “There are so many people in the Chinese Village who are unemployed. Why don’t they do this too?”
Liu Zi replied, “Because they can’t enter the area. Moreover, did you think this is an easy job? It really isn’t. The kids are really territorial and split the area amongst themselves. This makes it really hard for outsiders to join in.”
Liu Zi and Zhang Dapao were still fretting over the million dollars from before. Though Li Du had insisted against splitting the loss with the two of them, they still felt bad about it. The more Li Du insisted on acts of loyalty like this one, the more they treated him as one of their own. Because of that, his loss felt every bit like their own.
The teenager heaved a great sigh. “Look at the state of you. Two respectable men like yourselves, how could you let such a setback bring you down? Don’t gamble on stones if you can’t afford it. Otherwise, you’ll end up losing your life.”
Liu Zi had his hand curled into a fist, poised to punch the teen. He spoke angrily, “Son, what’s with your mouth? Where are you from?”
The boy laughed. “There, there, don’t get all riled up, brother. I talk a lot, it’s just who I am. I mean no harm, honestly. I’m from the mainland, from Diannan.”
Liu Zi snorted. “Diannan, huh? I see. You’ve got good governance and a good economy there, saved by socialism. If you grew up here you’d never have made it past ten years of age with that mouth of yours!”
Zhong Dapao eyed the teen, suspicious. “You’re from Diannan? What are you doing all the way here? How did you even get here?”
Li Du found it weird as well. This was an area he could not access even after using Cole and Winston’s system. Ultimately, he needed Zhong Dapao’s cooperation to enter, so how did the boy get in so easily?
Zhong Dapao said, “Let’s not talk about how you got in here, then. A regular grunt from Diannan like you could never get to Hpakant like this. Spill the beans, what’s the deal with you?”
The teen replied innocently, “I snuck in here. Rode a bike. I look like the local kids, and I learned a bit of the language, so I managed to evade the inspection at the military police checkpoint.”
“Then how did you get into the area?” Zhong Dapao eyed the boy warily. “What are you here for?”
Li Du stared at the youth as well. The boy’s origins were shady, and in this trade, that was taboo. Not knowing where someone was from meant you could not trust them. Especially he and Zhong Dapao, who both harbored their own secrets, could not afford to get too close to strangers.
The boy replied, “I snuck in, I tell you. I worked at a supermarket. When they said they were making deliveries, I snuck into their truck and never went back.”
Liu Zi stroked his chin. “Hey, the kid’s actually quite smart.”
The teen mumbled, displeased, “Don’t insult me. Who’s a kid?”
Liu Zi raised his fist again and the boy cowered. “Alright, alright, boss. You’re the boss! Don’t swing so easily.”
Zhong Dapao pushed Liu Zi aside and shook his head at the teen. “Alright, now we know what happened. Don’t follow us anymore; we’re no passers-by.”
The boy rushed to speak, “Please don’t push me away. You guys are decent, I can tell. Let’s work together. I’ll help you look for rocks, I’m pretty good at that. You were there just now, you know I’m not lying.”
Zhong Dapao shook his head firmly. “Get lost. How could we work with you?”
The teen was desperate. “I don’t mean just like that. I’ll give you some tips first so you can assess how well I work. Would that be fine? Just enough so I can afford to eat.” As he spoke, he lifted his shirt to reveal loose skin and ribs that were visible under his chest. One look and anyone could tell the boy has been on the verge of starving.
Zhong Dapao was insistent with his refusal, but Li Du was willing to give the boy a chance. “Alright, you can come along with us. Start with being our consultant and we’ll see just how good you really are.”
At his words, the teen brightened considerably. “Aye, good man! Just wait and see. All the experts, insiders, and veterans in this area are nothing compared to me!”
Zhong Dapao, on the other hand, had his reservations. “Young Master Li, we don’t know for sure where this runt is from or who sent him. What if he was sent to spy on us? What then?”
The teen hastened to say, “Why can’t you trust anyone, bro? I said I was from Diannan. My Chinese name is Mao Yanzhong and everyone calls me Da Mao…”
Li Du waved his hands about. “Master Pao, who cares who sent the boy? Can’t you ditch your paranoia even at Hpakant?”
Zhong Dapao laughed. “I’m not trying to stir up trouble. As for conspiracies, they’ve never once scared me. I only have one thing to say if we end up getting in trouble: F*ck it!”
Bringing Da Mao along, Li Du left first to order some food at the teahouse. When the food was served, Da Mao sprung up from his seat to shovel whatever he could reach into his mouth. Liu Zi left briefly and was back by the time Da Mao was done eating. He murmured to Li Du and Zhong Dapao, “There’s no issue with the boy. I’ve asked around and they’ve confirmed that he’s indeed a new face that appeared just a few days ago. He’s a poor boy who spent all his time looking at rocks without buying a single one. He couldn’t even afford to eat, so all he could do was pick up the scraps others left behind.”
After he had eaten his fill, Da Mao sprawled out in the chair in contentment. He burped and wiped a trickle of sauce dripping from the corner of his mouth.
“That’s really disgusting.” Liu Zi kicked the boy gently. “Alright, let’s go. Time to get to work.”
It was early evening and the lanterns on the street were lit. The city of Longken came to life.
Li Du left first, buying six stones from a stall near the gate. The bodyguards had bamboo baskets strapped to their backs, which were used to store the stones. Li Du placed five of the stones into the basket, leaving only one in his hands.
The little bugs flitted about the stores that lined the street on both sides. This was hungry work. There were too many stones. Each slab of rock was composed of tens and hundreds of rocks of various sizes, so it was difficult even to sneak a peek. Li Du was very patient, following the little bugs from store to store. The baskets on the bodyguards’ backs slowly started filling with stones, as did his black hole.
Da Mao stroked his tummy in satisfaction as he walked out. Li Du was looking at a glossy black rock retrieved from the mountains. Zhong Dapao huddled to look at the rock as well. “Hey, it’s a black sand rock.”
The store owner spoke in broken Chinese, “You’re correct! You are lucky! Black sand rock are rare these days, don’t miss it when it appear. Only 8 million and its will be yours, guarantee earn!”
Zhong Dapao was tempted. Da Mao came over and scrutinized the rock before fishing out his flashlight to direct a beam of light upon the stone. He sneered at the landlord, “F*ck off with your b*llshit! 8 million? 80 would be too much to spend on this
