When I woke up, I wanted to go home.

Chapter 296 The Beggar's Little Bell

"Is this interesting?"

Zhu Chongjiu rubbed his eyes, which he had just woken up.

"Holy crap, where am I now?"

In a dilapidated, drafty room, Zhu Chongjiu lay on a stained bamboo mat.

The bottom of the bamboo mat was lined with some straw.

Zhu Chongjiu, who had just woken up, realized that he hadn't woken up naturally, but rather had been woken up by the cold.

The wind blowing in through the hole in the house was extremely cold.

There was a bonfire that had already gone out in front of the bamboo mat.

Zhu Chongjiu looked at himself, dressed in tattered hemp clothes covered in pudding and filth.

And it was only a single layer of clothing.

If I had known the next dream would be like this, I would have preferred to stay immersed in the previous one.

Although as the dream unfolds, you will be tasked with some life-or-death missions.

But thankfully, they enjoy delicious food and drinks, and have their beloved family members by their side.

That's really good.

After having dinner with my new colleagues from the Special Affairs Bureau, I felt that the dream was meaningless. I forced myself to wake up and then immediately put myself into another dream.

Rat, what's this level all about?

A dream within a dream?

Inception?

Complaining is one thing, but the current situation is not the time for complaining.

I need to quickly start a fire to keep warm, or I might freeze to death or die of illness. In the real world, I might also die along with the version of myself in my dream.

The levels set up by the mouse won't just be idle, letting you dream about them.

After saying that, Zhu Chongjiu got up and stretched his body.

After getting the blood flowing faster, I started looking for something to burn for warmth in the house.

But after searching for a long time, the only things that could be burned in the bare house were the bamboo mat he used to sleep on and the straw underneath it.

Zhu Chongjiu walked to the doors and windows and saw that they were made of wood and had an ancient style.

The oil paper used to cover the straight-lattice windows was already tattered and worn out.

(The openwork design on ancient doors and windows is called a "straight lattice window")

The cold wind was blowing in through the holes in the straight-lattice window.

"You can't just take down the doors and windows!"

With it, at least there's some shelter; without it, it's really no different from living outside.

Just as Zhu Chongjiu was about to leave the room and go outside to take a look, the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.

Then a small, thin figure wearing only a single layer of clothing, who was shivering all over, pushed open the door and entered.

Upon seeing Zhu Chongjiu standing by the door, the small figure quickly said with a smile:

"Ninth Brother, you're awake?"

I saw that you were asleep and the fire had gone out, so I went out by myself to find some firewood.

Every winter, many people freeze to death in normal households because their fires go out.

Not to mention beggars like us!

"Look, Ninth Brother, I even managed to get a few pieces of coal!"

While the little beggar was talking, he was busy putting the firewood he had just gathered onto the embers of the fire, and at the same time, he handed four fist-sized pieces of coal to Zhu Chongjiu to look at.

"This was given to me by the wealthy family who often gives me leftovers."

At this point, the little beggar suddenly lowered his voice and said mysteriously to Zhu Chongjiu, "That old man also told me..."

If I can survive a few more years and grow up a bit, they will take me in.

Let me do some things in the house.

Not only would they be able to eat their fill and stay warm, but they would also receive a monthly stipend.

By then, Ninth Brother and Little Bell will be able to eat their fill and stay warm.

After happily sharing his secret with Zhu Chongjiu, the little beggar, also known as Little Bell, immediately half-lay down on the ground and began blowing on the embers in the fire with his little mouth.

He wanted to use the remaining embers to ignite the firewood he had just gathered.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Chongjiu immediately bent down and hugged Xiao Lingdang in his arms.

"What's wrong, Ninth Brother?"

Are you afraid that Little Bell will never look for you again after she goes to that wealthy family?

"Then I'll go see that old man tomorrow and tell him I'm not going; I'm going to stay with my ninth brother."

Hearing the little bell in his arms speak to him so directly, Zhu Chongjiu, with two lines of tears already streaming down his face, gently replied to the little bell:

"No, I saw Little Bell was shivering from the cold."

Ninth Brother will warm you up with his own body.

Zhu Chongjiu secretly wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye and released the little bell from his arms.

"Come on, how can we let Little Bell, who will rise to great heights in the future, do this kind of thing?"

"Let Ninth Brother come."

After saying that, Zhu Chongjiu took Xiaolingdang's place and began to blow on the sparks.

With Zhu Chongjiu's skill and much greater force than the small bell, the fire that was about to go out was rekindled in a short time.

Little Bell, who looks only seven or eight years old but is actually eleven, is now happily cheering around the little flame.

When Zhu Chongjiu heard the words "Ninth Brother is awesome, Ninth Brother is amazing," he also knew it through his memory.

I stole the little bell from a group of human traffickers five years ago, on a similarly cold winter day.

Little Bell's parents both fell seriously ill, making their already impoverished family even worse off due to medical expenses.

With her parents passing away one after the other within half a month, Xiaolingdang became an orphan.

The family's house and land were mortgaged to the landlord while they were receiving medical treatment.

Once the adult died, the landlord's family ruthlessly drove Xiao Lingdang out.

From that day on, Xiaolingdang arrived in the county town alone, stumbling and struggling, and became a beggar.

But misfortune never comes singly. Little Bell, who had a hard life since childhood, was left helpless and targeted by human traffickers in the county.

A child can be bought for just a few taels of silver.

However, the children who are bought usually don't live more than a few years.

They either died from illness or from overwork.

As for what they do after they're bought, I won't go into that.

When Zhu Chongjiu heard about Xiao Lingdang, he ultimately couldn't control his compassion.

Taking advantage of the traffickers' inattention, she brought him out, cut his hair, changed his clothes, and told others that he was her adopted son since childhood.

So that someone will be able to smash the funeral basin for him in the future.

Although some people knew about it, Zhu Chongjiu, as an upper-class figure in the beggar circle, would cover for him even if they did.

In order to avoid being retaliated against by those human traffickers who live on the edge.

Although he knew it was a dream, Zhu Chongjiu looked at the flames that had been rekindled before him, seeing them as a source of hope for Xiaolingdang's future.

He decided that he would make this dream a success and see it through to the end!

And so, spring turned to winter, and time passed!

Fifty years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Over these fifty years, Zhu Chongjiu combined his experiences from several lifetimes, or rather, from different places.

He transformed from a beggar into a very wealthy and powerful figure.

His businesses included farmland, salt production, metal mining, tea, spices, shipping, ports, and more!

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that his business empire spans half the world.

Even the king of their kingdom, when making any important decisions, would first personally visit Zhu Chongjiu.

Ask for his opinion before proceeding.

Don't say that a kingdom cannot have someone above the monarch.

That's simply because you're not strong enough yet.

At this point, it's no exaggeration to say that if Zhu Chongjiu wanted to become the ruler of that country, the current emperor wouldn't dare utter a word and would immediately abdicate.

Because he was promoted by Zhu Chongjiu.

Most importantly, Zhu Chongjiu possessed the most terrifying weapon in the world.

This weapon is unique to him and only he can produce it.

Its name is "Gun"!

Another cold winter has arrived.

Inside an incredibly luxurious room, Zhu Chongjiu, with his temples streaked with gray, was holding a chubby hand in his.

"Little Bell, can you stay with Ninth Brother for a few more years?"

With tears in his eyes, Zhu Chongjiu was praying to Xiao Lingdang, who was lying on the bed!

The little bell was no longer the thin, dirty little beggar she once was.

Although Xiao Lingdang now looks plump, his pale face and weak breathing reveal his current condition.

Although tears streamed down Xiaolingdang's face, she smiled and said to Zhu Chongjiu:

"Ninth Brother, the luckiest thing for Little Bell in her life is meeting you."

It was you who brought Little Bell along and allowed her to experience all sorts of lives.

The doctor has already told me.

Because when Xiaolingdang was young, her body was severely damaged.

The fact that Xiaolingdang is still alive is all thanks to Ninth Brother using every rare and precious resource he has used to keep her alive all these years.

But now Little Bell really can't hold on any longer.

I'm also a little tired.

After saying that, Little Bell laboriously raised her hand.

She gently wiped away the tear stains left on Zhu Chongjiu's face.

"Ninth Brother, don't cry."

Over the years, Ninth Brother has experienced countless ups and downs.

I've faced life-or-death crises many times without shedding a single tear.

We cannot shatter Ninth Brother's image in Little Bell's heart just because Little Bell is leaving.

Little Bell went ahead to pave the way for Ninth Brother.

Years later, when Ninth Brother goes to find Little Bell, he won't have to beg for food for her like he did fifty years ago.

As she said this, Little Bell's raised hand slowly fell.

At the same time, her eyes, which were filled with tears despite her smile, slowly closed.

It was also a cold winter day, and Zhu Chongjiu stole the little bell from the traffickers.

Also in the cold winter, Xiao Lingdang left Zhu Chongjiu forever.