Wei He not only collected the homework of Sheep Braid here, but three other children also came to him to find a ghostwriter.
It's all because one of his unique skills in his previous life was to be able to imitate different styles of handwriting. Handwriting like that of a child is easier to imitate.
After collecting a pile of homework papers, Wei He rolled up the things, hid them inside his clothes, stood up, and hurried back toward home.
When passing by Shiqiao Street by the river, a slight noise came from the weeds on the river bank.
It was also mixed with the cries of women and the roars of men. There were also the sounds of sticks beating human bodies.
Wei He paused, speeding up and crossing over.
The lecture hall is in the inner city, where it is very safe and has officers patrolling it at all times.
But his family lived in a slum area, which was very chaotic.
This Shiqiao Street is already located in a slum area.
When he got home, Wei He used the charcoal pencils he had prepared and finished his homework one by one. Then he patted the charcoal dust again, rolled it up and put it away.
The second sister, Wei Ying, made a dish and a soup using ready-made vegetables. The two of them sat at the table, waiting for the rest of the family to come back.
It was getting dark.
The eldest sister Wei Chun still hasn't come back.
There is no news from my parents.
Wei He's parents are both craftsmen who specialize in carving stone statues for people. Recently, they have been carving Buddha statues for Mingde Temple outside the city.
"My parents may have to spend time in the temple again today." Wei Ying, the second sister, whispered. "But why doesn't the eldest sister come back?"
The eldest sister Wei Chun comes back every day.
"...."
Wei He didn't say anything. He looked up and looked out the window. The sun was almost sinking and he couldn't see it anymore.
The wind blowing in has also cooled down, and there is a faint smell of other people's cooking.
"Sister always comes back at this time." Wei Ying glanced at her younger brother and murmured in a low voice, as if she was talking to Wei He, but also seemed to be just talking to herself.
"I'm going to take a look. Don't go anywhere at home." Wei He stood up. He always felt that something was wrong and felt uneasy.
"Go early and come back early," Wei Ying warned.
"Um."
Wei He put on a coat. Although it was full of patches, it could at least keep him warm.
Pushing open the wooden door, he immediately saw several tall and strong men standing at the entrance of the alley on the right.
There were three people in total, wearing gray shorts, their arms exposed, and their dark skin was full of strong muscles.
Wei He knew these three people, they were Chen Biao, a well-known gangster nearby, and his two followers.
Chen Biao didn't work as a clerk. He just idled around all day long. He didn't know where he got the money to live. He was still so strong.
But Wei He had heard that some people suspected that Chen Biao was related to the gang. He often helped the gang steal people everywhere, and secretly abducted people and sent them to the gang to sell.
Children want it, single women want it, and even some good-looking men want it.
None of this actually matters. The key point is that Chen Biao saw Wei Ying, Wei He's second sister, before, and she often wandered around after that.
Later, he had a conflict with his eldest sister Wei Chun, and then he calmed down a little.
Wei Chun belongs to the Blackwater Gang. Although he is not the leader, he is not a gangster who can bully him.
After that, Chen Biao often took advantage of Wei Chun's absence to wander around the area.
Wei He looked over from a distance and happened to glance at the short-haired and strong Chen Biao.
There was a strange light in Chen Biao's little eyes, and he smiled at Wei He, then turned back to talk to his two followers.
Wei He's heart tightened.
I know that this guy is waiting for the eldest sister to come back. The reason why the eldest sister Wei Chun comes home on time every day is probably because of this guy.
People in gangs are in trouble and have a lot of troubles. Who knows what accidents will happen one day.
So Chen Biao definitely has some bad intentions.
‘Trouble.’ Wei He quickened his pace, walked out of the alley, and walked familiarly towards the Blackwater Gang branch where the eldest sister was.
The eldest sister Wei Chun looks different from the other brothers and sisters. She is naturally tall and thick, with a strong body, a bad temper, and a lot of strength. Therefore, she is somewhat famous in the Blackwater Gang branch.
The Blackwater Gang's branch is a small courtyard in all directions. In the courtyard, several men are lifting stone locks, and a man with pigtails stands aside and yawns.
"Wei Chun? She accepted a task this morning, saying that by completing this trip, she could earn enough money for her family to go to the inner city, and she could also save enough money for her younger brother to learn boxing.
It should be a more important task, why didn't she tell you?"
"No." Wei He shook his head, but his heart sank.
"A lot of brothers are trying to grab that, and the helmsman only picked a dozen or so good ones, and your sister is among them. Don't be in a hurry." The man replied with a smile.
"Then do you know when they will come back?" Wei He asked.
"I don't know. Such important tasks usually don't take too long, so don't worry. Okay, I'm still training here. You go back and wait. I'll notify your sister first when someone comes back."
The man waved his hand, meaning to get out quickly.
Wei He knew that was all he could ask, and the other party would not tell him no matter how much he asked.
Turning around, he slowly walked out of the door.
Standing at the gate of the courtyard, he turned around and looked at the sign hanging on it, which read the words "Black Water Rudder".
'The Blackwater Gang is a small, unpopular gang. There are dozens if not hundreds of gangs in the outer city. Where can I find jobs that can make so much money?'
Wei He felt very heavy.
He had a bad feeling.
He is not the other ignorant and uneducated poor people who know that there must be something wrong here.
But now that he is gone, he is just a sixteen-year-old boy who knows nothing.
If you can read Braille, what can you do?
When he got home, Wei He didn't see Chen Biao or the others at the entrance of the alley.
But when I got home, I opened the door and saw my second sister, Wei Ying, with a pale face and a panicked and depressed expression.
Seeing him come back, Wei Ying seemed to be relieved of a heavy burden and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Xiaohe...what's going on, eldest sister?"
"Did Chen Biao come just now?" Wei He asked in a deep voice.
"I've been here, I hid and didn't make a sound, he, he thought there was no one, so he left." Wei Ying stuttered a bit when she spoke, obviously she was frightened.
Wei He saw that there was a slight dust of yellow soil on the door, and knew that there must have been quite a commotion just now.
"Sister went on an important mission and won't be back for a while. Let's eat first." He tried to stay calm.
He and his second sister are alone now. If he is still panicking as a man, the timid second sister will probably be even more scared.
"Yeah." Wei Ying responded in a low voice.
The two of them closed the door and the window. With a little light coming through the cracks in the window, they sat down in silence, picked up their chopsticks and ate slowly.
The dishes are stir-fried carrots and bean curd, and cabbage and tofu soup. The rice is wheat bran rice with a lot of corn added.
Without meat, most people can't afford meat. The reason why the eldest sister Wei Chun is so tall is because she has a big frame and looks strong. In addition, she has some help from the gang, so she eats more than the rest of the family.
But the food of the Wei family and other people around them is of this standard. A little bit of oil is considered good.
After dinner, Wei Ying went to wash the dishes, while Wei He spread out his homework on the only table and began to complete the homework of the little brats.
Only then did he dare to use flint to light the oil lamp and write by the light.
Wei Ying sat aside, carefully mending her clothes with needle and thread. Neither of them said much.
At night, they each sleep in a bed.
The next day, Wei He returned his homework and the money was finally in place. He finally saved enough money to learn boxing.
The eldest sister Wei Chun still hasn't come back.
Even my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Weitang, still didn’t reply.
Wei Ying sat at home and no longer dared to go out to pick up jobs. She could only wait for Wei He to come in and out all day and bring back some news.
Wei He went to the helm again and found that the man who was willing to see him before was gone. Perhaps he didn't want to talk nonsense with him anymore.
He was blocked at the door.
Three more days passed.
There is no news about his parents or Wei Chun.
At the entrance of the alley next to our home, Chen Biao and his gang appeared more and more frequently. They spent more and more time staring at the Wei family.
Wei He's heart has sunk to the bottom.
He knew that the worst case scenario he had imagined might happen.
So he knew that he had to find a way as soon as possible.
In this world, it is very common for people to disappear suddenly. When they go out, they encounter disasters, or they encounter wild beasts, or they get seriously ill and die on the road.
There are so many factors that can cause people to disappear.
Bring money with you on the morning of the fourth day.
Before dawn, Wei He took a wooden stick as thick as his forearm and quietly came out of the house.
After tightening all the money he had spent on apprenticeship, he looked back at his second sister, Wei Ying.
"Hide well at home, don't go out, don't make any noise."
"Yes." Wei Ying nodded vigorously. She seemed to notice that her little brother was unusual today.
Now the eldest sister is not here, and neither are her parents. She and her younger brother are the only ones dependent on each other, so she will definitely not be a burden to the younger brother.
Taking advantage of the dim skylight, Wei He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled it to calm himself down.
"I originally planned to save some food money before going, but now I have no choice..."
He could feel his heart pounding. He was carrying the money he had saved for more than two months. Success or failure would depend on this battle!
He carefully hid the bag containing the money under his clothes. It was all his savings and there was absolutely no room for loss.
Then he blocked it with his hands and a wooden stick. Wei He tightened his grip on the stick and walked quickly towards the entrance of the alley.
Crossing Shiqiao Street and crossing the stone bridge, there are already many farmers on the road carrying vegetables and fruits for sale.
There were also well-dressed wealthy people riding in carriages, who seemed to be going out for an outing.
The poor peasants in simple clothes and the gentlemen and ladies in silk clothes were all on the same road, forming a sharp contrast.
He didn't go far, and soon he saw Chen Biao and three others bragging standing on the roadside.
The three people exchanged words in low voices while constantly looking at the men and women passing by. When they met someone who was pretty or pretty, they would stare deeply at others.
It seems that he wants to keep people in his heart.
Wei He's heart tightened. He had all his savings in his arms now, so he must not let anything go wrong.
The more nervous he became, the more he pretended to be as if nothing had happened.
Moving forward, he soon reached the part of the road where Chen Biao and three others were next to each other.
If he hadn't been seen by Chen Biao before, taking a detour would actually be the best way.
But now that he has been seen, taking a sudden detour would seem too abrupt and deliberate.
On the contrary, it may cause trouble.
Therefore, the more natural and safer it is at this time!
Wei He walked steadily and walked past the three people.
"etc."
Suddenly Chen Biao stretched out his hand and stopped him.
"Xiaohe, yes, why? I have to go to the inner city again today. I go to the inner city every day. If we don't look for work in our own town, have we joined some big family?" Chen Biao said with a sinister smile.
His voice was a bit shrill, and he didn't have the aura of a tall and strong man at all. Instead, he looked a bit like a rooster.
"What does it have to do with you? My eldest sister helped me find a job." Wei He said indifferently with the same attitude as usual.
"Hey, eldest sister, yes, eldest sister is a good member of the Blackwater Gang. Okay, I won't stop you." Chen Biao laughed a few times and took back his hand.
Wei He continued to move forward.
"Wait a minute." Chen Biao was in trouble again.
His two small eyes glanced at Wei He's somewhat bulging pockets.
"Brother Xiaohe, your clothes seem to be a little bulging today...Is there something hidden in your clothes?"
"I work at the construction site every day. I get hungry when I'm working, so I need to bring some dry biscuits. What's wrong? No?" Wei He pulled open his clothes, took out a piece of dry biscuit and shook it.
"Okay, of course." Chen Biao smiled and took back his hand, saying no more. "Go, go, remember to say hello to your second sister. I have liked your second sister for a long time."
"..." Wei He said nothing, quickened his pace with a cold face, and left quickly.
He kept walking quickly, and soon after walking for more than a mile, he breathed a sigh of relief.