Hope

Wei He did not just collect the braided girl's homework here; three other children had also come to him to hire him to write for them.

It was all thanks to one of his special skills from his previous life: he could imitate different handwriting styles. Children's handwriting was even easier to copy.

After taking in a pile of rolled-up homework sheets, Wei He rolled them together, tucked them inside his clothes, got up, and hurried home.

As he passed Stone Bridge Street by the river, faint sounds of commotion drifted from the weeds along the bank.

Mixed within were a woman's crying screams, men's furious roars, and the dull, repeated thuds of clubs striking human bodies.

Wei He paused, then quickened his pace and went around them.

The Scripture Hall was in the Inner City, where it was safe and constables patrolled at all times.

But his home was in the slums, where things were chaotic.

Stone Bridge Street itself already lay within the slums.

When he returned home, Wei He used the charcoal pencil he had prepared long ago to finish the homework one by one. Then he dusted off the charcoal ash, rolled everything up again, and put it away.

Using the vegetables they had stored, Second Sister Wei Ying made one dish and one soup. The two sat by the table, waiting for the rest of the family to return.

The sky gradually darkened.

Eldest Sister Wei Chun still had not returned.

There was no news from their parents either.

Wei He's parents were both craftsmen who specialized in carving stone statues for others. Recently, they had been carving Buddhist statues for Mingde Temple outside the city.

"Father and Mother may have to stay at the temple again today," Second Sister Wei Ying said softly. "But why hasn't Eldest Sister come back yet?"

Eldest Sister Wei Chun came home every day.

"..."

Wei He said nothing. He lifted his head and looked out the window. The sun had nearly sunk below the horizon and could no longer be seen.

The wind blowing in had also turned cool, carrying the faint aroma of cooking from other households.

"Eldest Sister always comes back around this time." Wei Ying glanced at her younger brother and murmured softly, as if speaking to Wei He, yet also as if talking to herself.

"I'll go take a look. Stay home and don't go anywhere." Wei He stood up. He always felt that something was wrong, and his heart would not settle.

"Go early and come back early," Wei Ying urged.

"Mm."

Wei He put on an outer coat. Though it was covered in patches, it could at least keep out some of the cold.

When he pushed open the wooden door, he immediately saw several tall, burly men standing at the mouth of the alley to the right.

There were three of them in total, dressed in gray short jackets with their arms exposed. Beneath their dark skin were bulging, powerful muscles.

Wei He recognized them. They were Chen Biao, a notorious local thug, and his two lackeys.

Chen Biao did no work and handled no business. He loafed about all day, idle and aimless, and no one knew where he got the money to live on. Yet his body was still so robust.

But Wei He had heard that some people suspected Chen Biao had ties to the Thief Gang. He often helped them steal people—secretly abducting them and delivering them to the Thief Gang to be sold.

They wanted children, single women, and even some good-looking men.

None of that really mattered. The key was that Chen Biao had seen Wei He's Second Sister, Wei Ying, before, and had started loitering around the area ever since.

Later, he had clashed with Eldest Sister Wei Chun, which made him restrain himself somewhat.

Wei Chun belonged to the Blackwater Gang. Though she was not some leader, she was not someone a mere thug like him could bully.

From then on, Chen Biao only came around when Wei Chun was absent.

Wei He looked over from afar and happened to meet the gaze of the short-haired, brawny Chen Biao.

A strange gleam flashed in Chen Biao's tiny eyes. He smiled at Wei He, then turned back to speak with his two lackeys.

Wei He's heart tightened.

He knew that fellow was waiting for Eldest Sister to return. Wei Chun's habit of coming home on time every day was likely not unrelated to him.

Those in gangs lived amid vicious storms and endless trouble. Who knew what accident might happen someday?

So Chen Biao was definitely harboring ill intentions.

Trouble. Wei He quickened his pace, left the alley, and headed familiarly toward the Blackwater Gang branch where his eldest sister was.

Eldest Sister Wei Chun looked different from her other siblings. She had been born broad-shouldered and thick-built, with a sturdy frame, a violent temper, and considerable strength. Thus, she had gained a little reputation in the Blackwater Gang branch.

The Blackwater Gang branch was a square little courtyard. Several men inside were lifting stone locks, while a man with a small braid stood nearby yawning.

"Wei Chun? She took on a job this morning. She said that once this trip was done, she'd earn enough for the family to move into the Inner City, and even save enough for her little brother to learn boxing.

"It should be a fairly important job. What, she didn't tell you?"

"No." Wei He shook his head, but his heart sank.

"A lot of brothers were fighting over that job. The branch master only picked around ten skilled hands, and your sister was among them. Don't worry, don't worry," the man replied with a smile.

"Then do you know when they'll be back?" Wei He asked.

"I don't. Important jobs like that generally aren't short. Don't worry about it. All right, I'm still training here. Go back and wait. Once they return, I'll be the first to notify your sister." The man waved his hand, clearly telling him to leave quickly.

Wei He knew that was all he could get out of him. The man would not tell him anything more.

He turned and slowly walked out through the courtyard gate.

Standing outside the gate, he turned back and looked at the hanging plaque. Four words were written on it: Blackwater branch.

The Blackwater Gang is only a third-rate little gang. There are dozens, if not hundreds, like it in the Outer City. Where could they find a job that earns so much money?

Wei He's heart felt heavy.

He had a bad premonition.

He was not like those other ignorant, uneducated slum dwellers. He knew there had to be something wrong here.

But the people had already left, and he was only a sixteen-year-old boy who knew nothing.

He could recognize a few words. What else could he do?

When Wei He returned home, Chen Biao and the others were no longer at the alley entrance.

But as soon as he opened the door, he saw Second Sister Wei Ying standing there, her face pale and her expression panicked and suppressed.

When she saw him return, it was as if a huge weight had suddenly been lifted from her shoulders. She let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Little He. How is Eldest Sister?"

"Chen Biao came by just now?" Wei He asked in a low voice.

"He came. I hid and didn't make a sound. He... he thought no one was home, so he left." Wei Ying was even stammering, clearly frightened badly.

Wei He saw faint yellow dust on the door where it had been kicked. He knew there must have been quite a disturbance just now.

"Eldest Sister went to carry out an important job. She won't be back for now. Let's eat first." He tried his best to remain calm.

Right now, it was only him and Second Sister. If he, the sole male in the house, panicked too, timid Second Sister would probably be even more afraid.

"Mm." Wei Ying answered softly.

The two shut the door and windows. By the little light filtering through the cracks, they sat down in silence, picked up their chopsticks, and slowly ate.

The dish was shredded carrot stir-fried with bean crumbs, along with cabbage and tofu soup. The meal was wheat-bran rice mixed with a large amount of corn.

There was no meat. Ordinary families could not afford it. Eldest Sister Wei Chun had grown so big and sturdy entirely because she had a large frame and merely looked strong, while the gang also supplemented her meals, so she ate more than the rest of the family.

But the Wei family and everyone around them ate at this same level. Having even a little oil in the food counted as decent.

After dinner, Wei Ying washed the bowls while Wei He spread out the homework on their only table and began completing the little brats' assignments.

Only then did he dare strike flint to light the oil lamp and write by its glow.

Wei Ying sat beside him, carefully mending clothes with needle and thread. Neither of them said much.

When night came, each went to sleep in their own bed.

The next day, Wei He returned the homework, and the money was finally in hand. He had at last saved enough to learn boxing.

Eldest Sister Wei Chun still had not returned.

Even their parents, Wei Tang and his wife, had sent no word.

Wei Ying no longer dared leave home to take on work. All day, she could only wait for Wei He to come and go, bringing back whatever scraps of news he could find.

Wei He went to the branch again, but the man who had been willing to see him before was gone, perhaps unwilling to waste more words on him.

He was stopped right at the entrance.

Another three days passed.

There was still no news from either his parents or Wei Chun.

Meanwhile, Chen Biao's group appeared more and more frequently at the alley entrance near their home. They also spent longer and longer staring toward the Wei residence.

Wei He's heart had already sunk to the bottom.

He knew the worst possibility he had suspected might have come true.

So he knew he had to find a way as quickly as possible.

In this world, people suddenly vanishing was common. They might encounter bandits on the road, savage beasts, or fall gravely ill during their journey and fail to recover.

There were far too many things that could make a person disappear.

On the morning of the fourth day, Wei He took his money with him.

Before dawn, he took an arm-thick wooden club and quietly slipped out of the house.

He tightened the money on his person—the money meant for finding a master—and looked back at Second Sister Wei Ying.

"Hide at home properly. Don't go out, and don't make a sound."

"Mm." Wei Ying nodded hard. She seemed to have noticed that her younger brother was different today.

With Eldest Sister gone and their parents gone as well, only she and her younger brother had each other to rely on. So she absolutely could not become a burden to him.

Under the dim yellow light of dawn, Wei He took a deep breath and slowly let it out, calming himself.

"I'd originally planned to save a little more for food before going, but there's no choice now."

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He was carrying the money he had saved for more than two months. Success or failure would be decided in this one move!

He carefully hid and tied the money pouch within the inner layer of his clothes. It was all his savings, and nothing could be allowed to happen to it.

Then, shielding it with one hand and the wooden club, Wei He gripped the club tightly and strode quickly toward the alley entrance.

After passing through Stone Bridge Street and crossing the stone bridge, he found that quite a few farmers had already arrived with loads of vegetables and fruit to sell.

There were also well-dressed wealthy families riding in carriages, seemingly preparing to leave the city for an outing.

Simply dressed farmers and slum dwellers shared the same road with young masters and ladies in silk, creating a sharp contrast.

He had not gone far before he soon spotted Chen Biao and his three companions standing at the roadside, bragging.

As the three spoke quietly among themselves, their eyes kept scanning the men and women passing by. Whenever they saw a pretty woman with any looks at all, they stared deeply at her.

As if they wanted to carve her image into their hearts.

Wei He's heart tightened. All his savings were in his clothes now. Nothing could go wrong.

The more nervous he was, the more he pretended to be utterly unconcerned.

He continued forward, and before long reached the stretch of road where Chen Biao's group stood.

If Chen Biao had not seen him before, taking a detour would have been the best choice.

But since he had already been seen, suddenly taking a detour now would look far too deliberate and conspicuous.

That might instead invite trouble.

So at this moment, the more natural he acted, the safer he would be!

Wei He kept his pace steady and was about to pass by the three men.

"Wait."

Chen Biao suddenly stretched out an arm, blocking him perfectly.

"Little He, is it? What, heading to the Inner City again today? Going there every day instead of looking for work in our own Town—did you latch onto some wealthy household?" Chen Biao sneered in a strange, mocking tone.

His voice was rather shrill. It carried none of the imposing force one would expect from such a huge brute; instead, it sounded somewhat like a rooster.

"What does it have to do with you? My eldest sister found me the work." Wei He replied coldly, using the same attitude as usual.

"Hehe, Eldest Sister, huh? Right, your eldest sister is a skilled hand from the Blackwater Gang. Fine, fine, I won't stop you." Chen Biao chuckled and withdrew his hand.

Wei He continued onward.

"Wait." Chen Biao started again.

His tiny eyes swept over Wei He's somewhat bulging clothes.

"Little He, your clothes look a little puffed up today. Are you hiding something in there?"

"I work at the construction site every day. I get hungry while working, so I bring some dry flatbread. What, is that not allowed?" Wei He pulled open his clothes and took out a piece of dry flatbread, waving it around.

"Allowed, of course it's allowed." Chen Biao withdrew his hand with a grin and said no more. "Go on, go on. Remember to give my regards to your Second Sister. I've liked your Second Sister for a long time."

"..." Wei He said nothing. With a cold face, he quickened his steps and rapidly left.

He kept walking swiftly for more than a li before finally letting out a fierce breath of relief.