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Due to the rise in food prices in the market, many poor people moved to the slums outside the imperial city. The landscape in this area forms a clear dividing line with the imperial city of Galore, crowded and noisy low-rise houses, dirty children There are gangsters gathering and gambling on the streets, you can see them everywhere; there is a street separating the vegetable market from the residential area, and whenever you approach, there will be a strange stench, and the ground is full of animal blood and filth, which is already common in the eyes of the poor. If you let a nobleman pass by, you will definitely cover your nose. More and more residents have moved here in recent years, and they have piled up into a huge human-shaped garbage dump.

Ten-year-old Shesha lived in such a street, probably in a random stone-walled house with a dilapidated rain shed outside and a lot of sundries at the door.

Although very embarrassed, Shesha still welcomed Dasha to come to rest at home.

Shesha's home is a very small room, with a small wooden table sandwiched between two cabinets, two cracked wooden stools, and a stove in the corner, which can be used to make firewood, but now there is only a pile of crushed charcoal. There are a few plates piled up above, not even a decent cup, the room is full of things, there is still dust in the upper part, the lower part has been cleaned slightly, and his sick mother and two-year-old mother are still asleep in the inner room. After explaining to Dasha, he drew the curtain of the inner room. He took out a plate, put the pancakes on it, put it on the table, and invited Dasha to sit on the small wooden stool for a while.

This place is smaller and messier than Dasha's home in the countryside, and a ten-year-old like Shesha is not capable of cleaning it up. He didn't dislike it, but sympathized with it.I didn't expect such poor people to live in the imperial city. Is Jia Ye doing well?

Shesha tore open a part of the pancake and started to eat. He looked extremely hungry, and his dirty little hands had no time to wash. He had never seen such a beautiful brother as Dasha, and asked with his eyes open: "Brother Dasha, what are you doing?" Is it from outside?"

A grown man came to the city and had to rely on the help of a child. Dasha was a little bit embarrassed: "Yes... I came to the imperial city to find someone, and I wanted to find a place to live, but hotels are too expensive..."

Shesha lowered her head guiltily: "I'm sorry, brother Dasha, my house is too small and messy, and my mother is still sick, so it's not convenient to take you in."

Dasha looked at him with a smile, but fumbled for his purse in the bundle. "It's okay, I'll keep looking to see if there's a cheap place."

This time he came to the imperial city to meet his friend who grew up with him, Jia Ye.Since he came to the imperial city to recruit soldiers five years ago, there has been no news, not even a letter sent back. Their hometown, Lianhuaze, is a very hidden small village, and few people in Duoling even heard of it. As I said, it is naturally difficult to receive letters. Jiaye is not very literate, and it may be because he is afraid of trouble, so he did not miss him in vain. However, five years have passed, and he still has not come back. Even if he does not plan to go back, Dasha hopes to see him one side.So in the past few years, Dasha saved some money by selling handicrafts. After finally having travel expenses, he packed up some belongings and came to the imperial city rashly.He knew that he might not be able to find Jia Ye, but he couldn't help but come here.But when he arrived in the imperial city, he panicked. It was too big and chaotic. He asked several hotels in the city center, and the charges were very high. After some passers-by gave directions, he heard that there was the cheapest hotel in the imperial city. Just came here, don't know where it is.

Before he asked about cheap hotels, he wanted to fill his stomach first. After eating a white bun in the market, he bumped into Shesha. Sympathetic, he extended a helping hand, three rupees is not a small amount to Dasha, he is very worried about the next days, counting the sparse old coins in his wallet, he is afraid that he will not be able to last until he finds Kasha night.

Shesha finished eating, as if thinking of something, he said, "Brother Dasha, I know a small hotel where the owner just needs a helper to do chores, and he can also provide board and lodging, but it's a bit mean..." He checked his fingers, wondering if Dasha would take his advice.

Dasha immediately showed a smile, and hurriedly confirmed: "Is this true? As long as there is a place to settle down, thank you, Shesha...can you take me there? Or just point the way." Dasha was moved because he could wrap and eat. Such a condition was enough for him. He only needed to find someone to inquire about Jia Ye, and it didn't matter if he did more work.

Shesha stood up and pushed open the door, ready to lead the way.

"Let me take you there. My mother used to work there, but she was kicked out because of illness."

"Okay, it shouldn't be far there..."

Dasha followed with his burden on his back. It turned out that the small hotel that Shesha mentioned was half a street away, and there were some other small hotels on the road. For accommodation, the roadside is full of wine bottles, and there is a stink.

Shesha pushed open the wooden door of the hotel, and the smell of alcohol came into his nose. Dasha couldn't help covering his nose, and he didn't let go until the room was slightly ventilated.

A plump, dark-skinned middle-aged woman is drinking from a wine bottle on the counter. She is wearing huge gold earrings (supposed to be fake...), which are very conspicuous. More than a dozen bracelets are worn on two plump But she is dressed like this, but she can tell that she is a commoner at a glance. This is Dasha's first instinct. Her yellow teeth under the smoky lipstick, she is a very yellow-faced woman, and she is very cute. Clothes, headscarves and long skirts are also bright patterns... This is the female owner of the inn.

Shesha yelled at her.

"Aunt Tina!"

Tina bit her lip and stretched herself. A wine bottle hit the table with a harsh sound, and her attitude was very bad.

"Little Shesha, you are here to borrow money for your mother again, right? I have already lent you a lot of money for her illness, and you haven't paid it back yet."

But Shesha was not intimidated by her image, he put his palms together in front of the counter and bowed.Dasha also nodded and smiled.

"Aunt Tina, I'm not here to borrow money. Didn't you say that you lack a helper to do chores last time? You see, this brother just came to the imperial city and has no place to live, so he wants to work here."

"So you are introducing someone to me. You are such a good boy." Tina smiled happily as if she turned her anger into joy. At the same time, she also noticed the person standing next to Shesha. Walking up and down, she stared at Dasha in admiration for a long time. She was very surprised by her fair skin. She had rarely seen such a beautiful young man. Her eyes were almost drooling. Sucking the saliva in her mouth, she touched it. With thin arms, Dasha said, "Ah, what a handsome young man, he is so delicate, we are here with free food and shelter, I wonder if you can do rough work?"

Dasha was very excited. Seeing Miss Tina approaching with a smile on her face, he must have accepted his job application, so he introduced himself with great anticipation.

"I...I can do anything, my name is Dasha, can you let me work here?..."

Looking at Dasha's sincerity with folded arms, Tina laughed with satisfaction, the fat on her face was squeezed together.

"Our place is a bit small, and the work is quite hard. Let me remind you first, don't be brave if you can't bear the hardship."

Dasha nodded repeatedly: "It's okay, I just want to find a place to rest temporarily."

Tina twisted her waist and walked towards the small door by the counter.

"Okay, since you have said so, let you work here. Seeing that you can't eat much with your small body, you can stay here, and I will clean up a room."

Dasha laughed towards Shesha, shook his little hand in thanks and shook it.

"That's great, Shesha."

Shesha also smiled together, and retreated to the door.

"Brother Dasha, I'm leaving first. Although Aunt Tina is very fierce, she is a good person. She borrowed a lot of money to see my mother... By the way, if you need my help, my house is right in front You have already been to that street."

"... Shesha, thank you." Dasha watched his young figure go out, and then followed Tina into the inner room.

There is a narrow corridor behind the door. Several doors are not closed, one is the kitchen, one is the latrine, and the other is the utility room, but there is another door that is closed tightly.

Pushing open the door, a burst of damp smell came, and Dasha turned his head to avoid it again.There was a small bed in the room, and there were many sundries, and it was almost impossible to move. Tina brushed off the dust on it, knelt on the bed and opened the old black curtains at the end, and pushed open the only one. The windows are too small for ventilation, I have to say, Dasha's house in the country is much cleaner than here.

"This is your bed, clean it up yourself, don't move the sundries next to it."

Tina beckoned him to come over, and retreated by herself.

There really is only room for one person here.

Dasha put down the package and wanted to find a cloth to dust the sheets again, but he still didn't know how to speak.It can be seen from the thick layer of ash in the corner that no one has lived here for a long time.

"This……"

Seeing Dasha's slow look, Tina said impatiently by the door: "Why, don't you think it's too small? It's already very good. You put the package at the end of the bed, and go up to sleep with the curtains at night. You'll be safe and sound."

"Then, now I..."

"Put down your things, go to the cleaning room with me first, and take the tools to clean the few rooms I just left today. If you have anything to do, we'll talk about it after finishing work at night."

"Okay, okay."

Dasha bowed his head and sighed.

It seemed that we could only wait for the cleaning at night, Dasha sighed, closed the door softly and followed Tina out.

He took the mop and bucket on the first floor, and Dasha's work was about to start soon. Tina mercilessly assigned him the task of cleaning all the rooms on the second floor.

The hotel looks small on the outside, but the rooms inside are quite large. There are fifteen rooms on the second floor, five single rooms, ten slightly larger double rooms, and four large ones on the third floor. Quadruple room.His heart has been stunned by the structure here. The gap between the houses in the city and the countryside is too great. He can hardly remember which one is which. Fortunately, there are house signs, although he doesn’t know many He still knows a word and a number.A few rooms have indeed been occupied, but the bedding is still messy, and some have been unoccupied, but they are almost completely unoccupied. There is a thick accumulation of dust on the table and the floor, which of course needs to be cleaned.

Dasha is very hygienic, and he is willing to clean up, but such a heavy workload is really unbearable. He has not stopped since he got the tools, and Miss Tina reminded him to come to the kitchen for dinner until the dinner time was over. She said that it was specially reserved for Dasha, but it was just a plate of leftovers left by guests, and there were no vegetables or meat, only broken noodles, but Dasha didn't care so much, in order to fill his stomach, he only tasty.

Although he was tired, he still thanked Miss Tina for taking him in. He stayed there for at least half a day. There is no travel expenses left!He also wanted to meet Jia Ye sooner, and if it was safe, he would go back to his hometown.

Just after eating, Tina walked in to remind him again.

"By the way, you also clean up the kitchen on the first floor. From now on, you will be responsible for washing the dishes, washing the dishes, and serving the dishes if you have nothing to do, you know? I have been running this hotel by myself. I just resigned last month. A little girl can't bear hardships at all, so you can take over her job when you come."

"OK……"

Dasha responded silently, there were not many dishes behind him, but a lot of wine bottles.He took the rag and started to wash the dishes, and quickly took care of the kitchen work.

There were a few regular customers drinking outside, and Tina was busy with her, so she told Dasha to go back to bed first.

He asked Tina for a dry towel and a candle, and in the dim light of the fire he wanted to tidy up the little bed a little.Fortunately, there is no need to cover the quilt in summer. The thin blanket seems to be damp and a little moist. If it is in the countryside, it will be taken outside to dry, but it seems that it is not allowed in this area of ​​the city.

Finally straightened the surface of the bed, blew out the candles, and was able to barely fall asleep. Dasha fell asleep with his own burden on his head. He folded several soft clothes inside, which were just right for a pillow.

"When will I be able to find out about Jia Ye? What is he doing now..."

He was really tired today, he just came to the imperial city, and he was content with a place to rest.He fantasized about Kaya's current appearance, and soon fell asleep.

Fortunately, it is summer, and I can wash my face with cold water. Only cold water is provided for Dasha here.

After cleaning up a bit, he was called to clean the room. It turned out that someone had checked out again in the morning, and Miss Tina yawned and ordered him.

She also said that if you want breakfast, you can make it yourself, and make her share by the way.

Dasha was allowed to make breakfast, of course Dasha readily agreed. There are a lot of ingredients piled up in the kitchen, and he can use it freely. Many types of vegetables he has never seen before are cooked according to his method, and they are also very delicious.

Unexpectedly, this morning, after Miss Tina tasted his handicraft, she thought it tasted like her hometown, and asked Dasha to make lunch and dinner. Pale young man.

After working for a few days, Tina would tell Dasha to buy ingredients, and Dasha would secretly send bread to Shesha's house.Shesha's mother suffered from severe lung disease and was bedridden all the time. I heard that there was a kind brother who took good care of Shesha. She wanted to thank her several times, but Dasha left in a hurry because Tina limited his time to go shopping. .

However, the only regret is that during the time when Dasha is free to move around every day, he can't find anyone to inquire about Jia Ye.

In this slum, including the surrounding area, no one knew anyone from the Imperial City Army.Dasha can only work part-time at Tina's hotel first, and is going to work for a while. He will go to the inner city to find someone to inquire about when he is free.

After working here for a week or two, the regulars who come to the hotel already have some impression of Dasha.

Usually it was Tina who was drinking with the guests, but they definitely had no interest in this unattractive old woman, and their eyes gradually fell on Dasha who was busy in the background.

In the evening, Miss Tina could already sit at the table and drink wine comfortably, because Dasha had all the work done, and he didn't complain, and was very grateful.Several shabby-looking strong men sat with Tina, their faces flushed, chatting with wine bottles in their hands.Not long after, she called to Dasha: "Go to the back and get a few bottles of cold beer!"

"Okay, wait a minute..." Dasha ran into the kitchen as soon as he put down the rag.

A man stared at Dasha's slender back for a long time. His summer clothes were so low that his entire neck could be seen. His light-colored hair was laid on the back of his neck, and his skin was nicely lined.

When Dasha struggled to carry the wine bottle again, a few strong men came out to help, staring at him and joking.

"Tina, where did you find someone so beautiful?"

A man's rough hand touched Dasha's tender neck, and he backed away in fright, but the man's hand naturally disappeared, and he stepped forward to stop it.

"Come on, little brother, have a few drinks with our uncles!"

Dasha looked at them in embarrassment, and walked towards the inner room. "...I'm sorry, no, I have to clean the room."

They were obviously a little drunk and very excited. They knocked open the wine bottle and continued to toast. They wanted to bring Dasha back, so they took the wine bottle and stuffed it into his hand. Dasha pushed and refused.

"So what if you have a drink, it didn't kill you!"

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry, I don't know how to drink." Dasha kept his head buried and frowned. He only knew how to apologize, but he didn't dare to look into their eyes at all. He was not used to the strong smell of alcohol.

"What a pleasure to have a drink!"

The man insisted on catching up, and Dasha kept walking behind the counter.

"I don't know how to drink, I'm going to work... Please let go!" His hand had already grabbed the rag by the table, and he almost raised his hand and threw it at the man. Back off.

"Yo, you're really stubborn." Another man sneered at Dasha's back while drinking.

"I'm leaving first...I'm going to work."

Dasha saw Tina's intoxicated expression, he hurriedly said hello and left, closed the kitchen door, and started to wash today's dishes.

Tina drank a bottle of wine and told a few men about Dasha. This was the biggest bargain she had gotten since opening a hotel. As for Dasha's appearance, she was usually taken care of by nobles to become male favourites. Unexpectedly, it was a countryman from other places who asked her to keep it.

"It's only been a few days since I came here, don't make up your mind, the little girls who played with your group a few times ago have been scared back to their hometown! Give me some peace!"

Tina drank a lot with a few guests, and she didn't stand up holding the wine bottle until those people threw money and went out.The whole hall was messed up, and she was about to ask Dasha to clean it up, but when she reached the kitchen door, Dasha was still standing inside.

Her sharp voice made Dasha prick up his ears: "Why did it take so long to clean?!"

Dasha didn't dare to turn his head back, and just stood there, "Ah..." Actually, it was because there were too many guests, and the dinner he had prepared was not enough at all, and he wanted to get something to eat by himself in the evening, so After dawdling for a long time, he just cleaned up almost.

"Hurry up and clean the outside again! Dasha, how dare you refuse guests today? When people come to our hotel, they will give you a tip anyway. How did you cut off your money? Let others stay What about a bad impression?"

Tina rushed in to teach him a lesson, and even under the influence of drunkenness, she grabbed Dasha's hair and tugged a few times to vent her dissatisfaction. Dasha almost lost his footing because of the strong sting.

"Ah... I'm sorry." He thought he had really made a mistake, so he quickly apologized, touched his aching head, and looked at this savage woman guiltily. "I'm sorry, Miss Tina... I will... try my best not to..."

Tina threw the bottle and it hit Dasha's feet. "Use a brush to clean every corner! This kitchen is really dirty every day you toss!"

In fact, it was already much cleaner than when he first came here... Dasha looked at a row of spice boxes neatly arranged by him. When he first came, they were completely piled up in the kitchen.Perhaps Miss Tina was dissatisfied with him because she drank.

"I'll clean up right away..."

……

Dasha swept the entire hall. There was no light outside, and many people had already turned off their lights and gone to sleep. He went to the backyard to blow the cool breeze and let himself be quiet for a while. The bedroom was a bit stuffy.

A middle-aged woman who seemed to be cleaning in the backyard came out to dry with a bucket and a mop. She should be a resident of the next door. She immediately saw Dasha leaning against the wall. Seeing that he was a handsome young man, she greeted him with a tone of surprise.

"Yo, are you new next door?"

Hearing the middle-aged woman's voice, Dasha stepped away from the wall and stood firm: "Yes."

She patted her clothes and was about to go back to the house: "You have to be careful, this hotel often receives some messy guests, you see, you are a young man with a delicate skin and flesh, you will definitely suffer, if you can't do it, hurry up Let's go, I think their family has spoiled a lot of little girls."

Dasha still didn't understand at all, so he asked slowly: "What do you mean..."

The woman sneered mockingly, "What else could it mean? Don't you know that some people are only interested in young boys? Don't blame Auntie for not reminding you."