Chapter 80

"What's your name?" Uncle Shui asked.

Gu Zhi paused for a moment and felt that it wasn't appropriate to give his real name, so he said, "You can call me Xiaogu."

"Xiaogu..." Uncle Shui looked at him. His fair face didn't resemble that of a beggar at all. "Come here."

Gu Zhi obediently approached Uncle Shui, who wiped his hand on the ground and then rubbed it on Gu Zhi's face.

As he watched Gu Zhi's face smudged with dirt and then ruffled his hair, Uncle Shui finally smiled and said, "Now you look more like a beggar!"

Gu Zhi instinctively touched his face but didn't pay much attention. This way, it would be difficult for those two Miao tribesmen to recognize him.

At noon, the group of beggars gradually returned.

Gu Zhi suddenly noticed that most of them were disabled, even Uncle Shui had a disabled leg and needed a crutch.

The only one who seemed normal was the man who had been aggressive towards Gu Zhi yesterday.

After he returned, he bought some steamed buns and shared them with the beggars.

If they had money to give, they would hand it over to that man. If they needed food, he would distribute it to others. The group was relatively united.

Leaning on his crutch, Uncle Shui approached that man and said, "Da Li, when you go out later, take Xiaogu with you and teach him how to beg."

Da Li looked at Gu Zhi with some disdain. "Uncle Shui, he's perfectly capable. Why are you keeping him?"

"He may be physically capable, but... his mind isn't quite right," Uncle Shui whispered.

"Is that so?" Da Li looked at Gu Zhi with some suspicion.

Gu Zhi overheard Uncle Shui's words but didn't argue.

"Alright, I'll take him with me later!" Da Li agreed without much thought.

...

In this way, Gu Zhi followed this group of beggars to beg in Lan City for two days.

However... he hadn't earned any money at all.

Even though he hadn't earned any, Da Li still shared his meals with him.

Cai Na and Ku Li searched for Gu Zhi in Lan City for two days but couldn't find any trace of him. They even went to the Fu Hua Building but still couldn't find him.

They never imagined that Gu Zhi would become a beggar.

"It's so hot!" Cai Na and Ku Li sat in a tea house and took a sip of tea.

"Where do you think he could have gone? He doesn't know anyone here!" Cai Na fanned herself irritably with her hand.

Suddenly, she seemed to have thought of something and immediately stood up.

"What's wrong?" Ku Li asked.

"I know a place, let's go to the Four Beauties Pavilion!"

"What's that place?"

"Gu Zhi's bell bracelet is in the hands of a girl there. Maybe she knows Gu Zhi!"

The two of them immediately set off and headed towards the Four Beauties Pavilion.

Meanwhile, Gu Zhi was sitting on the ground not far from the Four Beauties Pavilion with a group of beggars. There was a tattered bowl in front of them.

While others were observing the passersby and targeting potential donors, Gu Zhi's eyes were fixed on the entrance of the Four Beauties Pavilion.

"Gu Zhi, have you seen that girl? She's dressed nicely and looks gentle. She must be a kind-hearted person. Why don't you go and give it a try!"

A beggar said to Gu Zhi, but he didn't hear a word, still looking towards the Four Beauties Pavilion.

"Gu Zhi?"

The beggar tugged at Gu Zhi's arm, and only then did he react and immediately shifted his gaze.

"What are you looking at?" The beggar also looked over and asked, "The Four Beauties Pavilion? It seems to be newly opened. Do you know someone there?"

Gu Zhi shook his head and remained silent.

"Why don't you go and try that girl?" The beggar pointed to a girl in a blue dress buying something ahead.

Gu Zhi looked over and only saw her back, but he felt a hint of familiarity.

"I..." Gu Zhi hesitated to go.

"If you can't get anything today, Da Li will get angry!" the beggar said.

Gu Zhi paused for a moment, but eventually got up and walked forward.

"Miss... could you... please?" Gu Zhi extended the broken bowl in his hand.

When the girl in the blue dress turned around, she saw a dirty beggar standing behind her, towering over her by a head.

After seeing her face, Gu Zhi was so scared that he immediately covered his face!

He was about to run, but Xia Miaomiao grabbed him.

Xia Miaomiao took a glance at him. Gu Zhi had messy hair and was lowering his head to shield his face. Xia Miaomiao didn't recognize him at that moment, but she felt a sense of familiarity. "This is for you." Xia Miaomiao took out a piece of broken silver and put it in Gu Zhi's tattered bowl.

"Thank you..." Gu Zhi immediately took the bowl and ran away.

Xia Miaomiao muttered, "Why did he run so fast? Why does this person feel somewhat familiar..."

At that moment, Sang Li happened to walk out from another store.

"Miaomiao, did you finish your shopping?" Sang Li asked.

"I'm done! Sister Li, I just encountered a beggar, it was strange!" Xia Miaomiao held Sang Li's arm.

"A beggar?"

"Yes, I gave him a piece of broken silver, and he immediately ran away! Is it common for beggars here to be like this?"

"Is he disabled?" Sang Li asked.

"It doesn't seem like it. He ran really fast!"

"Someone who is able-bodied but chooses to beg isn't worthy of sympathy."

As they were talking, they happened to pass by the place where the beggars were staying.

Gu Zhi saw Sang Li from a distance and immediately turned around, sitting on the ground and burying his face in his knees.

Sang Li took a look at them and noticed that they were all disabled people. "For these disabled people who beg out of necessity, it's understandable."

She walked over and gave each of them a piece of broken silver.

"Thank you, ladies! Thank you, ladies! You are really kind-hearted!"

The beggars joyfully kowtowed to them. While others would give them at most a few copper coins, they directly gave them silver!

When Sang Li gave the last person their silver, she noticed that the person sat with their back towards them, burying their face in their knees without saying a word of thanks.

She paused and observed Gu Zhi's figure.

"Xiao Gu, Xiao Gu!" The beggar next to him tried to pull Gu Zhi, but he refused to get up.

"Hehehe, miss, my younger brother here has some mental problems, please don't mind," the beggar quickly explained.

Sang Li paused for a moment, then took out several pieces of silver from her waist and put them into Gu Zhi's bowl.

The eyes of the other people lit up.

Sang Li glanced at his figure once more, then returned to the Four Beauties Pavilion with Xia Miaomiao.

It was only after Sang Li and her companions left that Gu Zhi slowly lifted his head.

"Xiao Gu, Xiao Gu, those two young ladies gave you several pieces of silver!" The excited beggar handed the bowl to Gu Zhi.

"It seems having some mental problems is more useful than our disabilities!"

Gu Zhi didn't hear what they were saying, his gaze fixed on the silver in the bowl, lost in thought.