Wen Ye thought Gu Sheng’s voice was truly pleasant to listen to. She did not know how to describe it, but she was reminded of that small stream in her village from the past. The water was clear and cool, and the sound of its flow was clean and crisp.
Wen Ye stared blankly and imitated, “Gu Sheng.”
She wondered in her mind which two characters they were, since she did not know many words.
Gu Sheng turned back around. She did not want to speak much with the people here, and she was trying to figure out how to contact her mom and dad. She had memorized her phone number by heart, but she had no opportunity to make a call, and she did not even know where she was right now.
Gu Sheng had not slept all night. Using the limited knowledge she possessed, she thought of many ways to escape, but she dismissed every single one of them because they were simply impossible to achieve.
Dawn broke. Unsure of what she would experience today, Gu Sheng felt very uneasy and subconsciously looked toward the only person with whom she shared any connection.
Wen Ye had also just opened her eyes. Meeting Gu Sheng’s gaze, her blurred vision gradually adjusted to the bright light outside the window, and she smiled amiably at Gu Sheng. “Gu Sheng.”
Gu Sheng nodded, considering it a greeting.
Wen Ye climbed up, casually rolled up the cotton-stuffed quilt that had several holes torn in it, leaned it against the wall, and then said to Gu Sheng, “Get up, I will help you roll up your quilt.” Gu Sheng looked like someone who did not know how to do these things.
Gu Sheng did not let her help, mimicking the movements to roll up her quilt and leaning it next to Xiao Wu’s quilt.
After setting it in place, Gu Sheng remained silent, simply following behind Xiao Wu.
Wen Ye smiled and led Gu Sheng to the ground floor to queue up for breakfast. Aunt Rong and Uncle Kai were sitting right at the main entrance, holding bowls and drinking congee.
Wen Ye was considered early today. When it was her turn in line, there was still congee left. The blond-haired man dishing out the food had a cigarette dangling from his mouth, used his ladle to scoop up a bit of the clear rice soup from the top layer, and was about to fill the bowl.
“Brother Mang, help me stir it up. Later on, I will slip you a cigarette, hehe.” Wen Ye grinned, flashing a smile at the blond man.
The blond man took a puff of his cigarette. “Fine.” Xiao Wu usually stashed away a few of the cigarettes she swiped to share with him, and last time he even managed to get two Golden Leaf cigarettes from her, making her a good kid.
The blond man plunged the rice ladle deep down into the bottom, scooped up a solid bowl of congee as thick as cooked rice, and handed it to Wen Ye.
After receiving it, Wen Ye first turned around to give it to Gu Sheng, then turned back and smiled ingratiatingly. “Brother, one more bowl.”
“Damn it, you are quite loyal, aren’t you?” The blond man cursed with a smile, gave her another bowl, and waved his hand to tell her to get lost quickly.
Wen Ye brought Gu Sheng to the corner, moved two small stools over, placed the bowls on top of them, and squatted down. Pouting her lips right up to the rim of the bowl, she slurped half a circle around the edge, squinted her eyes with blissful satisfaction, and let out a sigh of relief.
Gu Sheng looked at the stool and hesitated slightly, but ultimately chose to squat down just like Xiao Wu. Squatting completely straight, she held the bowl and took a small sip. Frowning, she thought how awful it tasted and how it was even a little sour.
However, since she had barely eaten anything last night, Gu Sheng forced herself to drink more than half the bowl. To escape, she needed to have physical strength.
As for the remaining half bowl, once Wen Ye confirmed that Gu Sheng truly was not going to drink any more, she swept it clean.
After finishing breakfast, at precisely 7:00 AM, all the children gathered on the first floor.
Aunt Rong, Uncle Kai, and several other enforcers stood opposite them.
Aunt Rong stated, “Earnings haven’t been good the past few days. There is a concert at the stadium today, which is a good opportunity. Four and Six, you aren’t going to the rooftop; go sit near the stadium. Xiao Kai, keep an eye on them so the police don’t hassle them.”
Uncle Kai replied, “Mm.”
Xiao Four had a broken hand and Xiao Six had a broken leg, injuries Wen Ye had witnessed being inflicted firsthand because they could never learn how to pick pockets. They had been caught twice while picking pockets, but due to their young age, they had not been taken away by the police. Aunt Rong felt they messed things up, so she simply assigned them to full-time begging, and full-time begging required looking pitiful enough to actually get money.
That day, Xiao Four and Xiao Six had been pinned onto benches, crying and shouting that they would pick pockets properly and swearing they would never get caught again. It was useless, though; without even batting an eye, Aunt Rong had people cover their mouths and used a club to break their bones right then and there.
Aunt Rong ordered, “One, Five, Seven, Eight, Nine, go to the stadium and pick pockets.”
Finally, Aunt Rong looked at Gu Sheng, turned to the blond man, and said, “Blondie, make a sign for Number Ten saying her grandfather is gravely ill, and hang it around her neck.”
“Got it, Sister Rong.” Receiving his instructions, the blond man went to write the sign.
A glimmer of hope rose in Gu Sheng’s heart. She would be able to interact with people outside, giving her a chance to ask for help.
Hope arrived just as fast as it was extinguished.
Gu Sheng sat by the flower bed with the sign placed in front of her. The blond man, wearing a grayish-black wig, sat beside her playing the role of her father.
She had been far too naive. Right, how could things possibly be this simple?
If she were to scream out loud, the blond man would probably immediately move her to a new location. And the moment a single attempt failed, not only would she lose any further chances of getting out, but she might also end up crippled, having her organs sold, or being sold off to someone else as a wife, or at least, that was how stories in television went.
People continuously tossed money toward her. Gu Sheng felt a sour and painful ache deep in her heart. She was so close to these people, yet it felt as though they were separated by two different worlds. Every passerby had a home of their own, whereas she might never be able to return to her own home again.
Sitting there all morning under the scorching midday sun beating down on the top of her head, Gu Sheng’s lips began to chap.
She looked at the blond man, desperately wanting a drink of water, and asked softly, “Can I have some water?”
“Water my foot. You’ve only made this little money all morning; Sister Rong won’t accept this result.” Ignoring her, the blond man checked his surroundings to ensure no one was watching, pulled a water bottle from his pocket, took a swig himself, and quickly tucked it away again.
Gu Sheng said nothing more. Licking her lips, she found that the more she licked them, the thirstier she became.
Just then, Wen Ye slipped over, checked the surroundings, and sat down beside the blond man on her haunches.
“What do you want?” the blond man asked, looking at her.
Wen Ye dropped a pack of Soft Sunshine cigarettes from her sleeve, kept them concealed by her sleeve, and handed them to the blond man. “Brother, here’s a cigarette for you.”
The blond man’s eyebrows lifted with delight just as his nicotine cravings were acting up, and he accepted the cigarettes.
Wen Ye said, “Brother, why don’t you go smoke over there? I’ll keep an eye on her.”
The blond man rubbed the cigarette pack, hesitating a little.
Wen Ye added, “It’s fine, just smoke under that tree; you can still see us from there anyway.”
The blond man nodded. He wasn’t the only one stationed nearby, so she wouldn’t be able to run off.
As soon as the blond man lit his cigarette, Wen Ye produced a small bottle of mineral water from her chest as if by magic, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to Gu Sheng. “Drink up quickly.”
Gu Sheng hesitated to take it, glancing first at the blond man not far away and then at her surroundings.
Knowing what she was thinking, Wen Ye whispered, “Don’t even think about running; you won’t get away. There are other people around besides the blond guy. Someone tried running away before, and their fate was miserable.”
Gu Sheng’s eyes dimmed. She took the water, tilted her head back, and drank it down in large gulps until the bottle was nearly empty.
Watching her, Wen Ye licked her lips. She hadn’t even stolen a single sip for herself yet. Was this person part water buffalo? She had polished off the whole thing in one breath.
Gu Sheng handed the empty mineral water bottle back to her. “Thank you.”
Wen Ye tucked the bottle back into her shirt. “If you want to cry, just cry.”
Gu Sheng turned to look at her, unsure of what she meant.
Wen Ye explained, “Crying will get you more money, and you won’t get beaten when we get back.”
Gu Sheng turned back around.
Seeing that she ignored her, Wen Ye was not annoyed. Noticing that the blond man had finished his cigarette and was about to head back, she told Gu Sheng, “I’m leaving now. I will bring you more water later.”
Gu Sheng replied, “Thank you.”
Her voice was low, devoid of much gratitude.
At 6:00 PM, the atmosphere for the concert began to heat up, and pedestrian traffic around the stadium surged dramatically.
Wen Ye’s shirt front became tightly packed and bulging, her harvest quite fruitful.
Finding a spare moment, she rendezvoused with Iron Brother, the man assigned to watch her.
The two of them slipped into a pitch-black alley.
Wen Ye pulled out the items from her shirt one by one and tossed them into Iron Brother’s bag.
“Xiao Wu is doing pretty well. I’ll report this to Sister Rong and see if she can let you grab a meal.”
Iron Brother was a bulky man who looked honest and sincere, but Wen Ye remembered that when Xiao Four’s hand had been broken, it was him holding the boy down, his massive hands keeping Xiao Four completely immobile.
Touching the water bottle hidden inside her shirt, Wen Ye asked, “Iron Brother, can I go find Number Ten and eat with her?”
Iron Brother scratched his eyebrow. “No way. There are too many people right now; if you go over there, her cover is likely to get blown.”
Wen Ye did not press the issue. “Understood.”
Iron Brother made a phone call to Aunt Rong, secured her permission, and tossed a bag of instant noodles and a bottle of water out of his bag to Wen Ye.
Wen Ye caught them eagerly. This was the snack she craved most; crushing the noodles inside the bag and sprinkling the seasoning powder over them made for an absolute delicacy.
Leaning against the wall, Wen Ye ate a bite of noodles followed by a sip of water. After finishing more than half the bag, she folded the opening over and tucked it into her pants pocket.
She still felt no sense of fullness in her stomach. Wen Ye licked her lips and took a few more gulps of water.
Urged on by Iron Brother, she knew it was about time to get back to work.
With a flash, Wen Ye vanished back into the crowd.
As for Gu Sheng, she had only consumed the small half-bowl of congee that morning and the bottle of water provided by Xiao Wu all day long, and her stomach was already aching from hunger.
Clasping her knees, she sat staring blankly at the ground in front of her.
The blond man nudged her with his elbow. “You need to lift your head up. Look pitiful at them, or else how is anyone going to drop money?”
When Gu Sheng remained motionless, the blond man poked her even harder. “If you don’t cooperate, I’ll tell Sister Rong when we get back! Do you want a beating?”
Numbly, Gu Sheng lifted her head, her gaze vacant as she looked out at the passing crowds.
Some passersby lingered for a second look, their expressions filled with pity, disgust, curiosity, or probing interest. A select few would stop to look at the sign on the ground before tossing a couple of coins toward her.
Suddenly, a pair of puppy-like eyes locked gazes with hers. There was neither contempt nor pity within them, reflecting only the backdrop of glowing light sticks behind her, making those pupils look as if they were shining.
It was Xiao Wu.
The blond man was startled too, using his eyes to warn Xiao Wu not to pull any stunts.
Glancing at the blond man and pretending they were strangers, Wen Ye pulled out half a pack of instant noodles and a bottle of mineral water, placing them right in front of Gu Sheng. “Big sister, I don’t have any money, but I have some food here. Have a bite first.”
From a passerby’s perspective, she truly looked like a kind-hearted child.
Wen Ye was betting that the blond man wouldn’t dare to have a falling out with her in public and would simply have to play along.
Sure enough, the blond man merely glared at her. Seeing that someone was watching their direction, he had no choice but to pick up the packet of instant noodles and hand it to Gu Sheng. “Quickly, thank her.”
Looking at Xiao Wu, Gu Sheng did not understand why Xiao Wu was being nice to her, but she remembered her mother saying that one should judge actions rather than intentions; regardless of what Xiao Wu was thinking, it was a fact that she had helped her.
“Thank you.” Thank you, Xiao Wu. Gu Sheng said those words with genuine sincerity.
Gu Sheng was truly starved. Ripping open the packaging, she tilted her head back and poured the contents into her mouth. Choking slightly after a couple of mouthfuls, she hurriedly unscrewed the water bottle, took a big gulp to wash it down, and let out a deep breath afterward.
Seeing that Gu Sheng had eaten and drank, Wen Ye went back to work. Having just spotted Iron Brother frowning at her from not far away, she knew she likely wouldn’t have an easy night ahead, so she figured working a bit harder might help her suffer fewer punishments.