Chapter 3, Slop and Hunger

To speak frankly, these leftovers do indeed smell delicious after being reheated, especially for children like Li Zhang, who usually eat food that is even worse than pig feed, and still do not feel full. These leftovers contain both meat and vegetables, rich in oil and flavor, making them a rare delicacy for them.

You need not worry about this; I have ways to make money. However, before that, all of you should go gather firewood, and then come back to cook, bathe, and do laundry!" At this moment, Li Zhang revealed a confident smile, for he had just thought of a suitable way for them to earn money.

The raccoon was also given a large bowl, and at that moment, it resembled a little she-wolf, eagerly scooping the contents into its mouth. Li Zhang instinctively wanted to stop it, but after opening his mouth, he ultimately shook his head helplessly. He found the slop quite disgusting, but for the raccoon, it was a rare delicacy. Imposing his own thoughts onto the raccoon would only make him appear selfish.

It was already late in the day, and at this time as usual, Li Zhang and the others had already gone to bed early. They simply could not afford to buy lamp oil, so whenever it got dark, they would lie down to sleep. Of course, the most important reason was that they often went to bed hungry; by sleeping, they would not feel hungry, and it also helped conserve their energy

"It's nothing, is the mixed dish delicious?" At this moment, Li Zhang took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and then asked Li Er with a warm smile.

"Delicious, I just had two pieces of meat. I remember the last time we had meat was last year when our father won some money and bought us lamb offal, it was so fragrant!" At this moment, Li Er said with a face full of happiness; for her, being able to eat meat was the greatest happiness.

Li Zhang is the leader of the group known as the Beans, and he holds considerable authority among the children. Therefore, his words carry significant weight. Even though the children of the Beans are currently starving, they obediently pour the leftover food into the pot. The raccoon has already started the fire, and before long, a mixed stew, infused with various aromas, is ready.

"Brother, what is wrong? Is your wound hurting again?" The obedient Li Er naturally noticed Li Zhang's unusual behavior and immediately asked with great concern.

The group of orphans, including Douzi, usually had no place to stay, so they set up a few tents against the outer wall of the charity hall. Sometimes, when the winter weather became unbearably cold, they would temporarily take shelter inside the charity hall. Of course, the side room where the Li siblings lived was too small, so they could only squeeze into the main hall, sharing space with the corpses. Although the main hall was extremely eerie, at least it had walls on all sides and a roof overhead, preventing them from freezing to death.

Upon seeing this, Li Zhang hurriedly called the children to a stop, and then instructed Douzi to pour the kitchen waste into a large pot and heat it up. After all, this kitchen waste was not clean to begin with, and now it was spring, the time when illnesses are most likely to occur, so it was necessary to heat it up to disinfect it

These orphans are all associated with Li Zhang. Although his siblings are not orphans, their gambling father is often absent from home for years on end, and when he occasionally returns, he merely tosses a few coins. Therefore, the siblings are essentially in a situation similar to that of orphans. Since Li Zhang was about 7 or 8 years old, he has had to bear the responsibility of supporting himself and his sister. However, relying solely on his own strength is far too inadequate. Fortunately, there is a kind-hearted elder who can take care of them; otherwise, the siblings would have starved to death long ago. Thus, the siblings are indeed quite similar to orphans.

At this moment, Li Zhang was also quite hungry. Apart from the elm seed soup he had in the morning, he had not eaten anything all day. During the Northern Song Dynasty, individuals from the lower social strata, like him, typically only had two meals a day. Of course, some laborers would have three meals, but he had only consumed that small amount of elm seeds. Even before noon, he already felt a gnawing emptiness in his stomach. Now, with the aroma of the mixed stew wafting through the air, his stomach was growling incessantly, as if it were beating like a drum.

"Take a bath? It's quite cold tonight, why take a bath?" Douzi asked in confusion. Although it is already spring, the nights are still a bit chilly. Moreover, this group of orphans sometimes has to beg, and if they are too clean, they won't look like beggars. What if they can't collect any money then?

Later, Li Zhang saved Douzi, and through Douzi, he got to know many orphans. He was intelligent and literate, and coupled with his boldness and sense of righteousness, he gradually became the leader of this group of orphans. They banded together to find food in the surrounding area. Naturally, as a group of children, they did not have any legitimate means of making a living; they engaged in begging, petty theft, and similar activities, as long as they could earn enough to eat. Although they still often went hungry, they were not starved to death.

"What good thing is this?" Li Zhang couldn't help but ask upon seeing the excited expression on Douzi's face

At this moment, Li Zhang was also observing the orphans behind Douzi. He noticed that these children were all short and thin, their clothes patched together with numerous repairs. Beneath their messy hair were dirty little faces, so indistinct that one could hardly tell the boys from the girls. Moreover, these children were carrying a wooden bucket, and although there was some distance between them, Li Zhang could still smell a strange fragrance.

"In the future, when my brother earns money, we will have meat to eat every day!" Looking at Li Er's innocent smile, Li Zhang felt a pang in his nose once again, and he gently rubbed the little one's head.

Well, when Li Er grows up, he will also help his brother earn money to buy meat to eat! Li Er nodded heavily in response to his brother's words

I am not hungry, you go ahead and eat. Li Zhang looked at Li Er's appearance and felt a pang in his heart. After saying this, he pushed his mixed dish in front of Li Er, but turned his head to the side, worried that if he continued to look, he would be unable to hold back his tears

As soon as the mixed stew was ready, Douzi immediately served a bowl to Li Zhang. Then, he and a group of orphans rushed forward, and the children surrounded the pot like hungry wolves, constantly fighting over it. Even when they were scalded and cried out in pain, they were unwilling to spit out the food in their mouths

After taking a shower, Li Zhang finally pulled Douzi aside and gave him a lengthy admonition. However, Douzi still only partially understood. Nevertheless, he did remember several of Li Zhang's requests. In the end, Li Zhang asked him to repeat his own requests, and only then did he allow Douzi and the others to go back and rest

"Elder brother, take a look at what good things we have brought!" In the evening, Douzi arrived at the charity house with a group of ragged orphans. Upon seeing Li Zhang, he immediately ran over excitedly and called out.

Finally, Li Zhang could no longer bear the hunger. He quietly got up and went to the kitchen outside, hoping to find something to eat under the bright moonlight. However, he discovered that the grain jar was nearly empty, with only a thin layer of millet that could not even cover the bottom of the jar. Aside from that, there was nothing else edible in the entire kitchen, not even any oil, salt, or other seasonings.

These children, like beans, struggle daily at the brink of subsistence. Apart from food, there is nothing else that can capture their interest. Moreover, without any elders to discipline them, they are all as dirty as mud monkeys, including Li Zhang and Li Er. If it weren't for Li Zhang's injured foot, he would probably be the first to jump into the tub for a bath

Having searched the kitchen thoroughly, Li Zhang found not a single edible item. In the end, out of sheer helplessness, he could only scoop a large bowl of cold water and gulp it down with a "gurgle gurgle" sound. After filling his stomach with water, he returned to his room and fell into a deep sleep. However, before sleeping, he secretly vowed that he would never allow himself to go hungry again

Speaking of which, Li Zhang liked to eat hot pot. Later, he heard that many hot pot restaurants used "saliva oil," which is the layer of oil collected from the hot pot after customers have eaten. This substance is not much cleaner than leftover food. Li Zhang probably ate a lot of it in the past, but at that time, he was unaware. He just ate it without thinking, but now it feels somewhat disgusting to him. As a result, he rarely eats hot pot outside anymore. Now, when faced with these leftovers, he really cannot bring himself to eat them.

Still, the elder brother knows more! Upon hearing this, Douzi expressed admiration and, after speaking, took the initiative to take off his clothes and ran to join a group of children playing in the water tank. At this time, Li'er took Douzi's clothes away to wash them. After the group of boys finished washing, she and several girls boiled some water and then washed in the wooden tub in the room, and finally helped Li Zhang wipe his body.

"Nonsense, aren't you all supposed to be working in the restaurant? That is a place for dining, but just look at you, each one of you is filthy and dirty, I can smell the stench from several steps away. How can you expect others to eat there? Do you still want to continue working there in the long run?" Li Zhang exclaimed with a glare.

A large bucket of leftovers was devoured by more than ten children, and in the end, they all sat on the ground, rubbing their bellies and groaning. However, at that moment, Li Zhang called over Douzi and whispered, "Douzi, let's find a way to make some money, at least enough to fill the mouths of the ten or so of us!"

However, today Li Zhang was tossing and turning in bed, unable to fall asleep. There was nothing in his stomach, and his empty belly felt as if it were being tightly squeezed by someone. This sensation of hunger tormented him, leaving him with no inclination to sleep. In contrast, the raccoon that had just been pestering Li Zhang for stories had already fallen asleep.

You will know just by looking! The bean said as he waved his hand, and the more than ten children immediately struggled to lift the wooden bucket over.

Is this ... ... swill? When the wooden bucket was brought before Li Zhang, and he looked at the liquid inside, with some bones and vegetable leaves floating on top, he couldn't help but express his disbelief, saying, isn't this just the swill made from leftover food? How can this be considered a good thing?

The elder brother said, but we have neither strength nor skills, who would want to hire us to make money? However, Douzi revealed a troubled expression, for in his view, making money meant working for others, and to work, one must either have strength or skills, both of which they lack

"Brother, why aren't you eating?" In the blink of an eye, Li Er had devoured a whole bowl of mixed stew, and at that moment, while licking the bottom of the bowl, he looked at Li Zhang with a puzzled expression.

"It is not just leftover water; the leftover dishes from the newly opened restaurant on West Street. The chef at the restaurant is from my hometown. Today, we helped him with a small task, and he introduced us to work at the restaurant, mainly washing dishes and sweeping the floor. The compensation is that the leftover food from the restaurant every day will be ours, so we no longer have to worry about going hungry in the future" At this moment, Douzi said excitedly again

Isn't leftover food just slop? Of course, seeing the excited little face of Douzi, Li Zhang couldn't bring himself to say it at that moment and instead praised him a few times, which made Douzi even happier. Meanwhile, the group of orphans behind him could no longer hold back and began to reach into the slop bucket to pick out food to eat