Chapter 199: Kindness
When she bought the small Siheyuan, she was short of US$ 20,000. Jian Zhiqing didn’t hesitate to give it to her; she felt that even if she had initially asked for US$ 50,000, he would have given it to her.
US$ 20,000 is a considerable amount in this age, enough to build a two-story house in the countryside.
Around nine o’clock, it was time for her to close up her stall. There were a few unsold scallion pancakes left, although the vegetables were sold out. There was also a burnt one, which she decided to take home to eat. Mounting her tricycle, she prepared to head home.
Exiting the park’s gate, she unexpectedly noticed more beggars around.
During this period, there weren’t as many frauds. If possible, who wouldn’t want a home, perhaps not rich, but with a roof to shelter from the rain and enough food for three meals a day, that would be enough.
Qin Xiangnuan remembered the leftover scallion pancakes she had, including the burnt one which was still edible, originally meant for her own consumption.
After thinking for a bit, she got off her tricycle, packed the remaining pancakes into a bag, then walked over to the beggars, squatting down next to them. They were quite elderly, their faces dirty and thin, their bodies nearly all skin and bones. They were indeed starving.
"I have some leftover pancakes, they’re a bit cold, would you like some?"
The beggar nodded desperately and said in a barely intelligible local dialect, "Having something to eat is great, thank you," as he tearfully accepted the pancakes from Qin Xiangnuan. Qin Xiangnuan opened her mouth, not sure why, but she felt a tinge of sadness in her nose.
"I sell pancakes over there," she pointed inside the park, "I start my stall at 5:30 in the morning. If you’re hungry, you can come over. I won’t charge you, or just wait here for the leftovers. There are only two of us in my household," and as she said this, she inadvertently thought of another person, who also seemed to count.