12dz Chapter 899 Alone in the World
Chapter 899 Alone in the World
Like Tie Shou, Lao Li's sons both serve in the Great Wall Army, so the family pressure is relatively small. In Sha Man Town, they belong to the small group of people who live a good life.
"Old Li, did you just come from Zhang's Department Store?"
Iron Hand asked with a surprised expression, "Old Li came from the direction of Zhang's Department Store."
What surprised Tie Shou and his wife even more was that... Old Li was also carrying two extremely large, plump-looking ducks.
"Yes!"
Sweating profusely as he squeezed through the crowd, Old Li chuckled and said, "I haven't had meat in ages, I was really craving it. I heard Zhang's Department Store sells chicken and duck, so I rushed over here. I made it just in time and bought two ducks!"
Tie Shou looked at the white duck that Old Li was carrying, quacking incessantly, and said with envy, "Old Li, you've struck it rich! This duck must be worth at least one tael of silver, right?"
This is why Tie Shou and his wife hesitated to enter Zhang's Department Store. Whether it was the chickens and ducks described by the scholar earlier, or the ducks that Old Li was carrying at this moment, it all showed that the chickens and ducks in Zhang's Department Store were truly "high-end goods," or even luxury items.
As is well known, luxury goods are something that ordinary people simply cannot afford.
"It can't be that expensive!"
Old Li said with no small amount of pride, "The things in Chenjia Village are really good and cheap. Brother Tie, guess how much I spent on these two ducks?"
"How many?"
Iron Hand asked instinctively.
Old Li held up four fingers and said proudly, "400 coins! These two beautiful and plump ducks only cost me four hundred coins!"
"what?"
Iron Hand and his wife stared wide-eyed in disbelief, as if they had heard some magical story.
Meat is extremely scarce in Shaman Town. Even a gray-feathered chicken can sell for more than 500 coins, and it's the kind of chicken that's priced but not available.
Old Li, however, said that the two ducks he had, with their snow-white feathers and about three times the size of a gray-feathered chicken, were only 200 coins each, which greatly shocked Tie Shou and his wife.
"Old Li, are you kidding me? How could such a good duck only cost 200 coins?"
"Brother Tie, I would never lie to you, no matter who I lie to!"
Old Li said, "These two ducks are indeed four hundred coins, not a coin more!"
"..."
Seeing Old Li's confident demeanor, Tie Shou immediately realized that the duck was indeed two hundred coins each, and a surge of joy instantly welled up in Tie Shou and his companion's hearts.
They can't afford the luxury-grade ducks, but they can certainly afford to buy one or two ducks that cost 200 coins each to satisfy their cravings.
"Old Li, I can't talk to you any longer, I have to hurry inside to buy ducks!"
Tie Shou knew that such cheap ducks would be in high demand, so after confirming the price, he immediately lost interest in chatting with Lao Li and quickly squeezed into the crowd with his wife.
"Don't push! Let me in first!"
"You son of a bitch, you're squeezing so hard yourself, but you won't let us squeeze in?"
"Everyone, make way for me!"
"Give way my ass! You're the only one who can buy these chickens and ducks? Why can't I buy them?"
"Chickens and ducks at 200 coins each, buying them is a steal!"
"Please, please let me in! I want to eat meat!"
"..."
Because there were so many people, the area outside Zhang's Department Store was completely packed with people. Tie Shou could only rely on his strength to slowly push his way forward with his wife.
About fifteen minutes later, Tie Shou and his wife finally squeezed into Zhang's General Store, their foreheads covered in sweat. They found that although there were quite a few people in the store, it was not chaotic. Customers were quickly paying for chickens and ducks under the guidance of the shop assistants.
"Sir, what would you like to buy?"
Just as Tie Shou was looking around, a shop assistant came up to him and greeted him very warmly.
Iron Hand stared intently at the waiter, a look of astonishment on his face: "Xiao Cheng?"
"Huh? Uncle Tie?"
The waiter was also taken aback.
Clearly, Iron Hand and this guy knew each other.
"Xiao Cheng, do you work in this shop?"
Iron Hand asked, his face full of surprise.
Xiao Cheng's full name is Wu Cheng, and his home is less than 50 steps away from Tie Shou's house.
However, different people have different fates. Compared to Tie Shou, whose family is still alive, Xiao Cheng is a very unfortunate person. His parents died in a barbarian invasion when he was young, and Xiao Cheng, who was only 5 years old, and his 10-year-old brother could only depend on each other for survival.
Fortunately, their parents left them a house that could shelter them from the wind and rain, and with the help of neighbors like Tie Shou, Xiao Cheng's older brother was able to grow up smoothly and earn money to support the two brothers.
Logically speaking, after Xiao Cheng's older brother grew up smoothly, the two brothers should have been able to live a peaceful life. However, the hatred in his heart for the barbarians led Xiao Cheng's older brother to make the decision to join the army.
Joining the army would not only allow him to kill barbarians to comfort his parents' spirits in heaven, but also provide him with military pay so that Xiao Cheng could have enough to eat...
In short, Xiao Cheng's older brother, who had just turned 16, resolutely chose to join the Great Wall Army, and shortly after joining, he encountered a battle, and then...
He unfortunately died on the battlefield.
The Great Wall Army would not mistreat the families of fallen soldiers. After his brother died in battle, Xiao Cheng received a considerable amount of compensation. It was thanks to this compensation that Xiao Cheng, who was only 11 years old at the time, was able to survive and grow up to be 18 years old today.
Of course, Xiao Cheng's ability to grow up smoothly was not entirely due to his brother's pension. In fact, by the time Xiao Cheng was 15, the pension had almost run out. He survived by doing odd jobs and with the help of neighbors like Tie Shou who sympathized with him.
From a young age, Xiao Cheng was exceptionally clever and very sensible, which made him very popular with the older neighbors. Out of sympathy, the neighbors always tried their best to help Xiao Cheng.
As Xiao Cheng grew older, he needed his neighbors' help less and less. Most of the time, Xiao Cheng supported himself by doing odd jobs, and he would not accept help from his neighbors unless absolutely necessary.
Xiao Cheng had considered joining the army, but under the persuasion of elders like Tie Shou, he eventually gave up the idea. This was because he was the only son left in his family, and if he died while joining the army, the bloodline of the Wu family would be cut off!
Thus, all alone, Xiao Cheng had to live in the world by doing odd jobs to support himself.
"Yes, Uncle Tie!"
Upon hearing Tie Shou's question, Xiao Cheng replied with a smile, "I heard a few days ago that the newly opened Zhang's Department Store was hiring, so I came to try my luck. I didn't expect that I would actually be hired by the store!"