I am a master in India

Chapter 5: Treat it like a career
Before entering, Ron had imagined the slum house.

But when he really faced it, he was still shocked, and his face even looked stiff because of excessive surprise.

Anand's house has only one room, and you can see their entire life from the door.

The square room was about two or three meters wide, with a bed placed in the corner opposite the entrance door.

It can't be called a bed. At best, it's a net bag made of ropes on a wooden frame, with large and sparse rope holes.

The foot of the bed is where clothes are hung. A rope is hung diagonally across the two walls, with dry and wet clothes on it. It also serves as a storage unit for the wardrobe.

Opposite the bed was a stove made of stones, with some bottles and jars and cow dung fuel placed beside it.

In the corner of the house on the left side of the entrance door is a mat made of straw.

This is Anand's home, in full view.

If it was just him, Ron wouldn't be too surprised.

But this room of less than ten square meters is crowded with ten people, big and small.

When Anand's wife saw Ron at the door, she smiled at him friendly and shyly, then held the baby in her arms tightly with her hands.

The other eight children, the oldest was twelve or thirteen years old, and the youngest was still crawling on the ground babbling.

Without exception, they all stared at Ron with their big, blinking eyes, curious and fearful.

When Ron met their bright and innocent eyes, he suddenly felt a little ashamed. He shouldn't have come empty-handed.

There is a market downstairs from his apartment, so he can just buy some sweets without being at a loss when facing the eager eyes of his children.

"Jamal, Tilaka, take your brothers and sisters to play outside the house." Anand waved his hand as usual.

In a flash, the children in ragged clothes came out of the house chattering.

When they got outside, they seemed to come alive, excitedly discussing how clean and beautiful the clothes the guest had just worn were.

Anand's wife, wrapped in a khaki sari, held the baby in one hand and poured tea for Ron with the other.

“Anand, I didn’t realize you had so many family members.”

Even now, Ron still finds it hard to imagine how a family of more than ten people could sleep like sardines in this small house.

In response to his greeting, Anand laughed triumphantly.

"Ron, population is wealth. Jamal and the others were able to help with housework when they were five years old, and now they can support themselves."

Anand is unusual in that he believes raising children does not cost money and that the more children you have, the better for the family.

"how old are you?"

"Uh 19"

"Aha, you look like a virgin. Frieda and I had our first child when we were 15."

Anand patted his belly proudly, and his wife Frieda was giggling beside him.

It seems that in their eyes, not having slept with a woman at the age of nineteen is a very pitiful thing.

Ron shrugged and gave him a thumbs-up.

Another burst of laughter was heard, and the awkwardness and slight estrangement in the room quickly disappeared.

Good-natured jokes brought them closer together.

"Freida, go outside and see what the kids are doing. Don't let them damage my rickshaw."

Anand made an excuse to send his wife away, and when they were the only two left in the room, the atmosphere calmed down again.

"This is today's bill. That fat sheep spent a total of 23000 rupees at Colaba Market. What a scary figure!"

Ron also kept a rough record of how much Smith had spent today. He took a quick look and knew it was about right.

"He earns in pounds, and 1 pound is worth 36 rupees. This amount of money is nothing to him."

"That's right! We should give him a good beating!"

Anand's eyes bulged as he urged her on. A fat sheep like this might not come along once a year, so it would be a waste to let it go.

"Let's talk about this later. Where's my money?" Ron didn't forget the purpose of his coming here.

"Uh, Ron. I dragged you around everywhere today, and even helped you negotiate a commission with those difficult guys. Look..."

Faced with Anand's pitiful round face, Ron remained unmoved. He just continued to rub his fingers without saying a word.

"Okay, okay." Anand muttered and took out a paper bag from his waist.

Ron took it without hesitation and counted it. It was 4600 rupees, with denominations ranging from 5 rupees to 500 rupees. Most of them were small 20 and 50 rupee notes. It was a big handful, and it was very reassuring to hold it in my hand.

"It's a pleasure working with you, Anand." Ron was very satisfied that the other party didn't play any tricks.

It was getting late, and the nights in Mumbai were very unsafe, and Nia was still waiting for him at home.

"Wait Ron, we need to discuss tomorrow's affairs."

"what?"

"I'm talking about the commission. You took 20%. I ran around negotiating, so I should get a cut, right?"

Ron stopped and stared at him with a smile without saying a word.

"What...what happened?" Anand shrank his neck.

“What was the commission you agreed with them at Colaba Market?”

"Of course it's 20%."

“Is there 30%?”

"No! Absolutely not!" Anand shook his head like a rattle.

"28%?"

"OK, OK, let's not talk about the commission! Go home!"

Ron smiled and turned to walk outside, where more than ten pairs of big, dark eyes were staring at him.

He stood still and turned back, "Anand, please take me back."

"By the grace of God, we live only a kilometer apart. Are you having trouble finding your way home again, like that day?"

Anand came out of the house cursing, waved away the naughty children, and walked ahead pushing the rickshaw.

Ron took two quick steps behind him, then climbed into the back seat with peace of mind.

“Anand, are there many tourists coming to Mumbai?”

"Of course, this is Mumbai, famous all over the world!"

"So, being a tour guide can become a business?"

"Yes! I'm doing this business now!" Anand in front shouted.

“No, I’m not talking about one’s business, but treating it as a career.”

"That's right! Being a rickshaw puller and guide is my life's work!"

Ron, who was sitting in the back, was so angry that he almost laughed.

"I've decided, Anand, I'm going to do this."

"You want to ride a bike like me?" Anand turned his head in surprise.

"I am a Brahmin master, so of course I want to do big things!" Ron waved his hand proudly, too lazy to explain the difference to him.

"Ha, before that, let's learn how to find our way."

Anand parked the car and they reached the place.

It was almost evening, but the market was still going on. The noisy sounds and lights made the streets even more lively.

"Wait a moment." Ron jumped out of the car and quickly got into the crowd.

A few minutes later, he came back carrying some paper bags.

"It contains fried bread, crispy balls, masala dosa, and a chicken curry. Take it home for the children."

Anand, who was originally a little impatient, suddenly widened his eyes and froze in mid-air with his mouth open.

"Roroen, I am just a Dalit, and you you..."

"Okay, remember to pick me up tomorrow morning." Ron waved his hand and disappeared into the alley.

He seemed unaware of how shocking what he was doing, for a Brahmin and a Dalit.

Even the Indian Constitution could not fill the gap between the two, but he easily crossed it.

He never thought about how much his casual action today would touch Anand.

(End of this chapter)