Chapter 134: Pick it up when you have time
Chapter 134: Pick it up when you have time
At Jiang City West Station, there was a pedestrian bridge.
Underneath the bridge, sheltered from the wind and rain, there was a lot of foot traffic. Such areas typically had strict patrols, and you wouldn’t usually find vagrants or beggars there. But every rule has its exception. Under this particular bridge, there was an old man in his fifties. He carried a tattered bag that seemed to have come from a trash bin, and he limped around the area.
He didn’t fit the image of a typical beggar. He didn’t place a broken bowl on the ground to solicit alms, nor did he ask anyone for money. Yet, he wasn’t just a wanderer either—he had no money, no income, and was often helped by others.
“They say he used to be quite well-off, working as a construction contractor—a lucrative job back then. But then there was an accident, and his back was injured. The construction site didn’t compensate him, the project was abandoned, and the developers fled without paying him.
“Most of the workers under him were either from his hometown or people who had followed him for years. He couldn’t let them down and ended up using his own savings to pay their wages. Then, alone, he came to Jiang City to chase the developers. But his injury made walking difficult—he had to rest every few steps. He finally made it here, only to find the developers long gone.”
“And then what?”
“There’s no ‘then.’ That’s just how misfortune works. It’s not about the times or effort—it just happened.”
Xu Qing stood at a roadside stall, planning to buy some candied chestnuts for Jiang He, who was with him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the right season, so he opted for a piece of sugarcane instead, asking the vendor to peel and cut it into segments.