Beggar

  The town of Zhushan was bustling with activity, with residents coming and going, exchanging New Year's greetings, and filling the air with wishes of "good fortune". Luo Yi led four officers through the town, attracting countless gazes. According to Luo Yi's plan, they set out from one end of the town and went door-to-door into the residents' homes to pay their respects. The residents were quite familiar with Luo Yi and his officers, especially with Yue Jialin, whom they had a good impression of. This was because every time the assault company hired people from the town to do work, it was Yue Jialin who handled the payment.

  "Wishing Captain Luo wealth and prosperity, a three-level promotion!"

  "Wishing you brothers an early promotion and bringing glory to your ancestors!"

  The villagers blessed Luo Wei and his party with all kinds of auspicious words, while Luo Wei left a small red envelope at each household, containing two silver dollars. This was the New Year's gift money given by the assault camp to the town residents. Fortunately, Zhu Shan Town is not big either, and the total amount sent from the whole town does not exceed one thousand silver dollars.

  Lu Shuangyong and others' girlfriends were all from the town. When they went to these girls' homes, Luo Yi would let the person in question take the lead, while the others stood behind as accompaniment. The actions of the several military officers visiting their future fathers-in-law were all very successful. The fathers-in-law saw the young military officers coming to their doors with big and small gifts, and also saw their daughters secretly rejoicing, so they understood a bit in their hearts. The assault battalion had a high status in Zhushan Town, and the several military officers looked young and handsome, deeply gaining the favor of the fathers-in-law and mothers-in-law. Luo Yi estimated that within a few months, these brothers would all be able to bring beautiful women back home.

  After walking through the entire town, Luo Yi and his group were exhausted. This trip was more tiring than running 10 kilometers with a heavy load. Luo Yi felt like the muscles on his face were about to cramp up, it seemed that selling smiles wasn't easy either, after putting on hundreds of smiling faces, the energy consumption was huge.

  "Are you done with your respects?" Luo Yi asked Le Jialin.

  "It's all over." Le Jialin said, he is now a local tyrant, and everything in Zhushan Town is clear to him.

  "What's with that house?" Luo Yi pointed to a low and small grass house outside the town, asking Le Jialin, "Is it inhabited by a family?" He was somewhat uncertain, because the door of the grass house couldn't see any spring couplets, and there was no smoke coming out of the chimney, looking like nobody lived there.

  Lao Lin glanced at him and said: "That household... it's hard to say."

  "What's wrong?"

  "That was a beggar's family. The old couple just relied on begging for food to get by."

  Luo Yi glared at Le Jialin and said, "How can there still be beggars in Zhushan Town? Didn't I instruct you to provide special relief to poor families?"

  Lao Lin said: "In the past, they were begging for food. After you told me about it, I sent someone to deliver some money a few times and they seemed to have stopped begging for food. However, sometimes when the money ran out, they would still go on the streets to beg for food."

  "Come on, let's go pay our New Year's respects."

  "What?" several officers exclaimed in surprise, "Giving New Year's greetings to a beggar?"

  "Are beggars also residents?" Luo Yi was surprised instead, "Beggars are also residents."

  It all comes down to the difference in mindset between Luo Yi and the officers. As a man from the 21st century, Luo Yi was still deeply influenced by the humanitarian spirit, and in his mind, beggars were no different from others in terms of their human dignity. At this time of the new year, beggars should also receive blessings. The officers, although they too came from poor backgrounds, subconsciously believed that beggars were inferior and did not deserve for them to pay a visit.

  A group of people arrived at the beggar's house and Luo Yi knocked on the door.

  "Who's there?" An old woman replied from inside.

  "I'm the captain of the town's security team, I've come over to give you both a New Year's greeting."

  "New Year's greetings?" The old woman said with a suspicious tone.

  After a while, the door opened and an old woman in tattered clothes appeared before Luo Yi and others. Her face was full of wrinkles, making it impossible to tell her age.

  "Hello, Auntie. I'm Luo Yi, the captain of the security team. These are our officers. Today is New Year's Day and we've come to pay our respects to you and your husband. We wish you a long life, longevity comparable to that of the Southern Mountain." Luo Yi said with a humble tone. At this moment, he felt like an official who had been sent to a poor village to help with poverty alleviation, facing impoverished villagers with a hint of disdain in his heart, yet still trying to put on a warm and friendly face.

  "Oh dear, sir, I've made a mistake. Let me kowtow to you." The old woman was about to kneel down, but Luo Yi quickly held her up. The clothes on the old lady's body seemed not to have been washed for days, and Luo Yi felt a slippery feeling when he touched them.

  "Old man's home, I don't dare to be presumptuous. Is the master of the house not at home?"

  "He... fell ill," said the old woman.

  "Are you ill?" Luo Yi was startled. "Is it serious? Have you seen a doctor?"

  The old woman lowered her head and didn't answer, Luo Yi guessed that maybe she simply had no money to see a doctor.

  "Let me go take a look," said Luo Yi.

  The old woman led Luo Yi into the house, and Luo Yi secretly felt a sense of desolation, thinking that he finally understood what it meant to be left with nothing. Among the several officers, only Le Jialin followed him into the house, not because everyone was unwilling to enter, but because the house was really too small, and if more people entered, they would hardly have room to turn around.

  The old beggar lay on the bed, covered with a quilt. Actually, Luo Yi could only confirm that it was indeed this family's bed and quilt from their positions, because their shapes and textures were far different from normal beds and quilts.

  "Uncle, what's wrong with you?" Luo Yi had no choice but to continue pretending to be a rural cadre. No way out, who made him the leader? If it were during his university days, he would rather die than interact with such poor people.

  "Sir, I'm ill and can't get up to greet you, forgive me." The old beggar said in a weak voice, Luo Yi could hear that he was suffering from severe asthma, speaking with difficulty. However, his words made Luo Yi somewhat surprised, such elegant language coming out of an old beggar's mouth felt somewhat unrealistic.

  "Old sir, you're very ill, have you seen a doctor?" Luo Yi unconsciously changed his form of address. He thought that perhaps this old beggar was once a scholar or something like that, for example, Kong Yiji...

  "Alas, old illnesses have taken root, and looking at them is useless."

  "Jialin, go and ask the doctor from the town to come over." Luo Yi said to Yue Jialin. Seeing Luo Yi being so serious, Yue Jialin was also affected and quickly ran to ask the doctor from the town to come over.

  The doctor came over, felt the old beggar's pulse, and turned to Luo Yi: "Captain Luo, he doesn't have any major illness, just a relapse of his asthma. I'll prescribe some medicine for him, which can help alleviate it for a while. However, this house is too cold, if he stays here, the illness will recur."

  "Like this?" Luo Yi thought for a moment, then said to the old woman, "Madam, your house is really quite dilapidated. When spring arrives, I'll have my brothers rebuild it for you. For now, would you and your husband be willing to stay in our security team's barracks for a few days?"

  "We dare not, we dare not, how can we trouble the officials?" The old woman said hastily.

  Luo Yi smiled and ordered Le Jialin to run another errand, calling back a few soldiers from the assault camp. Together, they lifted up the old beggar and sent him back to the camp's barracks. The barracks were built for thousands of people, but now there were many empty rooms. Luo Yi arranged for the old beggar to have a room with two beds, and also got new bedding. A charcoal fire was lit in the room, making it warm and cozy. The old beggar didn't say much, letting the soldiers fuss over him. However, Luo Yi could see that in this warm environment, the old beggar's asthma seemed to be alleviated a bit, and his dark lips were starting to show some color.

  "Le Le, tell the kitchen to deliver meals to this elderly couple every day. Add some ginger to the dishes, as people with asthma are afraid of cold. Don't give Mr. Old any bamboo shoot-like dishes, they help Qi." Luo Yi instructed Le Jia Lin based on his own knowledge from memory, he had a relative who also had asthma in the past and understood some of its care.

  "Luó Zǐ, you're being too good to this old beggar, aren't you? You provide for his food and lodging, even what dishes he eats?" Lè Jiālín asked in puzzlement, "What have you seen in him?"

  Luo Yi said: "Every household in Zhu Shan Town, we must take good care of. As for other places, if we can manage them, we will; if not, then there's nothing we can do about it. Also, have someone investigate the background of this old beggar, I think he's quite extraordinary, seems to have experienced some things."

  "You don't think he's another Zhang Tianyou, do you?"

  "It's hard to say. I found that Zhushan Town has a bit of a hidden dragon and crouching tiger flavor. Look at Old Xu, isn't he an example?"

  "Got it!" Le Jialin stood up straight and bowed, "I'll go ask around right now. By the way... I also made an appointment with my future wife to buy fabric."