spoiled brat

Chapter 11. Eliminating Evil (Part 11)

Buying flowers?

Zhao Zhao pinched her nose, unable to contain her curiosity about why he bought flowers.

Even the most fragrant flowers would become unbearably smelly if they were to pass by such a stinky manure truck for a while.

"Buying it as a gift for a girl?" The old man didn't laugh at Ah Ming, but pointed to the garden inside the gate:

"What a coincidence! My master has planted a whole yard of white magnolias, which are in full bloom and still covered in dew. Why don't you go in and pick some?"

Amin thanked him, but declined with a smile, saying, "I smell bad, I'm not going in."

People at the bottom of society are so poor that all they have left is their self-respect.

The old man didn't press him, asked a few questions about Amin's father's illness, and then closed the door.

Amin pulled his manure cart, walking steadily along the bluestone road, his clear voice echoing throughout the alley:
"Osmanthus fragrance, human urine yellow, golden juice, beware!"

By then it was already daylight, and people were gradually appearing on the road. Everyone avoided walking past Ah Ming, glancing back with disgust from time to time, as if the stench was coming from Ah Ming.

Zhao Zhao and Xiao Duo had already returned the lantern and were quietly following behind A Ming, watching him wander through the streets and alleys, hiding filth and filth.

A short while later, Amin pulled the manure cart to the outside of Zhao Si's house, stopped, and shouted the same few words again, but this time in a louder voice.

A few cuckoo calls rang out from inside the courtyard wall, and Amin imitated them, then a long bamboo pole stretched out from the courtyard with a basket hanging from it.

Amin was dirty, and his essentials were stuffed into the lining of his inner shirt. He carefully took out a piece of cloth, unwrapped it, counted the silver notes inside, and put it into the basket.

The basket was taken back, and a moment later, the main gate of the house opened.

Zhao Si walked ten paces away from Amin with a gloomy face, and shook the silver note in his hand:
"Your father and I agreed on an interest rate of 30% per month, with a total principal and interest of 572.8 taels. Why did you only pay less than 500 taels?!"

“Last year, several counties within a hundred miles suffered from locust plagues. Farmers either died or fled, and half the land outside the city was left barren,” Amin said. “This spring, fewer people are planting, and our market is not good…”

"Don't complain to me!" Zhao Si interrupted him fiercely.
"Although we have a secret agreement, without a written contract, you should know what will happen if you can't pay back the money!"

Amin clenched his fist and explained:

"Uncle Zhao, please be lenient with us. It's not just my family that's in this situation; the other men who have taken the job of cleaning the latrines aren't much better off either."

"If I forgive you, then who will forgive me?"

"If it's inconvenient for you, could you please introduce me to someone higher up so I can say a few words to them..."

"Who do you think you are, daring to disturb this old man?" Zhao Si pointed at A Ming's nose and cursed, "Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror, see how filthy and smelly you are!"

Amin was speechless and lowered his head.

He inadvertently saw his own hands—rough, dirty, and old, like those of a fifty or sixty-year-old laborer.

He didn't dare hold hands with the girl he liked, nor was he able to provide shelter for his ailing father.

"Uncle Zhao..." Ah Ming's voice was a little hoarse, and his tone softened: "We've been partners for several years, but this time there's really no other way. Can you give me a few days? Wouldn't it be better if we could take it slow and grow together?"

"A steady stream of income? How am I supposed to make a profit then!" Zhao Si's expression was fierce and mean, as if he wanted to devour him alive: "Ah Ming, I don't care if you're selling land or houses, you have to settle the accounts for me!"

He stepped forward and sneered, "If you really can't balance the accounts, that's fine too... I remember you have a younger sister, she's quite pretty, you could probably sell her to a brothel for a good amount of money..."

Before he could finish speaking, Amin interrupted him, his fist clenched and eyes red: "You dare!"

Zhao Si was momentarily stunned by the hatred in A Ming's eyes, then laughed contemptuously. What was there to be afraid of in a powerless brat?

With a slap, Amin was knocked to the ground. Zhao Si, disgusted by his filth, only kicked him, and after a few kicks, Amin's face was covered in bruises.
"You shameless wretch!" Ah Ming was young and strong, and could actually beat Zhao Si.

But he knew that Zhao Si was the county magistrate's lackey, and he couldn't afford to offend him, much less cause trouble for his family because of a momentary impulse.

He silently endured the beatings, like a sandbag that couldn't make a sound.

After Zhao Si had beaten him enough, he stepped on A Ming's head, intending to hurl a few insults, but then he heard A Ming, beneath his feet, give in:

"Uncle Zhao, please give me half a month's grace..."

Zhao Si sneered, grabbed A-Ming's head, and slapped his bruised face with a silver note:

"Today is the 20th. If I haven't received the money by the fifth of next month, I'll go to your house and kidnap you."

After saying that, he smelled the lingering stench on Ah Ming again, disgustedly shook off his hand, and entered the mansion.

Amin struggled to his feet, dusted himself off, and silently pulled the manure cart away.

In a corner not far away, Xiao Duo frowned and said:
"It's over, Zhao Zhao'er. Zhao Si has squeezed all the clerks who took the job of cleaning the latrines dry. Even if you manage to talk to them and make connections, you won't earn any money."

Zhao Zhao shook her head and said, "Not necessarily," before quietly following A Ming.

He was pulling a manure cart, which was already smelly, and his filthy body and injuries made passersby's annoyance almost turn into disgust.

Amin found an empty spot nearby where no one lived, parked his manure cart, and carefully squeezed into the market. He took out his copper coins at the flower vendor's stall.
"Boss, I want to buy a white magnolia."

The flower stall was originally filled with fragrance, and even people who didn't buy flowers liked to gather around the stall to smell the aroma. But as soon as he arrived, everyone left, and the once bustling stall instantly became deserted.

The flower vendor gave him a disgruntled look: "How many stems do you want?"

Amin didn't know the price of the flowers, so he simply laid out the copper coins in front of him. The flower vendor randomly picked a few white magnolias from the wooden bucket, not caring whether they were fresh or not, tied them into a bunch, and tossed them to Amin.
"Take it and get out of here, it's bad luck!"

Amin protected the flowers as they walked out of the crowd, but when they returned to the manure cart, they were in a dilemma.

He only has two hands, so he can't use them to hold flowers.

Should I put it in my arms? I'm afraid it will get crushed.

Biting your lips? That's ridiculous.

After much thought, I decided that inserting it into my hair bun would be the best option.

Just as he was thinking this, a light and melodious voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"Amin."

Amin looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the person was a girl of about thirteen or fourteen years old.

She had a fair complexion and a slender body. Her delicate features were framed by a pair of eyes more cunning than a cat's, which held a faint, almost imperceptible smile that tarnished her otherwise upright demeanor.

Amin quickly lowered his head. He had already confessed his feelings to the girl he loved, and it was neither proper nor logical for him to look at other girls.
"who are you?"

A pair of slender, white hands, calloused yet covered in calluses, appeared before him and snatched the flower branch from his grasp.

Strangely enough, Amin didn't resist at all.

"My name is Zhao Zhao."

Zhao Zhao was skillful and quickly wove the flower branches into a wreath, which she then placed securely on Amin's head.

"I'm here to help you."