Before the apocalypse, Song Tao heard a few girls in his class complain that in ancient-setting novels, people were always dumping everything on beggars.
A maid who had made a mistake, or a heroine or supporting heroine who'd been let down in love: the characters would hand them over to the beggars at the drop of a hat. Why did they assume beggars would take anything?
Forced to transmigrate into a beggar and have things shoved in his face, Song Tao secretly swore he would work hard and make something of himself! He would escape poverty and get rich!
As long as he could make money, he could become the best lackey! The best manual laborer!
But he'd stopped being a beggar, so why did he still have all the habits of one?
He'd take the old clothes people threw away, and the old tables and chairs too. They had to come in handy one day, right?
But why were you dumping a person you'd picked up on me? You! Are! So! Mean!
If you find someone, take them to a clinic or the county office. Why bring them to me, an honest, hardworking businessman? I really do NOT take JUNK!
Everyone in the neighborhood knew a poor, destitute boy had moved into the little courtyard at the end of the lane, bringing a small child with him.
But if you brought things you no longer needed, or junk you'd picked up outside, to his door, and he found anything he could use, he'd give you a steaming bowl of scallion noodles in exchange.
The scallion noodles tasted unbelievably good, nothing like the kind sold outside. One bowl was enough to make you crave them for days!
Because of that, people came every day, bringing unwanted household goods or found junk in exchange for a bowl. At one point, there were so many people outside the boy's house that even flies could barely get through.
The troublemaking neighbor who lived closest to the boy scratched his head in frustration. Come to think of it, how many bowls of scallion noodles could he get in exchange for the person he'd picked up?
Shen Xuandu considered himself a hardworking, thrifty man who loved nothing but saving money. Getting even a few coins out of him was harder than climbing to heaven.
But he never imagined that one day, after making one wrong turn, he'd be half-dead and dragged right to someone else's doorstep.
As he lay unconscious, his nose twitched. The miser, who'd never willingly spent an extra coin, couldn't help thinking: How many coppers would it take to buy a serving of whatever smells so good?
Song Tao: Another day of being forced to bring home a pile of junk.
Shen Xuandu: You're so good at finding things, so good at making a life for yourself. I love you so much!
Song Tao: (Politely declines) Don't love me, there's no future for us, unless you give me all your silver.
A reluctant junk-hoarding recipient x a stingy, frugal pursuer
Theme: Don't go picking up junk for no reason.
