The Sorrowmender

Chapter 4 – Fortunate Young Lady, Unfortunate Beggar

"Today's lucky number is 88."

The clear voice of a child echoed down the long street, shaking loose a few strands of falling snow.

"87... oh no, just missed it, just missed it."

"Why, why not me again? How many times has it been? I suffer so much."

"Ah... forget it, let's go back and try again tomorrow."

The crowd in front of the door let out a collective sigh, beating their chests and stamping their feet, lamenting aloud.

Ever since Xu Qingzhou gained a bit of fame in Frostsky City, many women had come to seek him out.

With the money he earned, he rented a small shop facing the street in the southern part of the city.

He named it: Pavilion of Forgetting Worries.

As more and more women came, their worries eased, and their ailments vanished, Xu Qingzhou's reputation began to shine in Frostsky City.

In just over two months, mentioning Xu Qingzhou of the Pavilion of Forgetting Worries, everyone from the eighty-year-old grandmothers to the three-year-old children in the eight alleys of the southern city would respectfully call him Mister Forgetting Worries.

He successfully transitioned from a blind street vendor to the most revered and respected gentleman in Frostsky City, admired by countless women.

Naturally, more and more people came to seek relief from their worries.

Not only from within Frostsky City but also from the surrounding countryside.

However, due to system limitations, Xu Qingzhou could only relieve one person's worries per day.

To compete for this sole opportunity, women would inevitably squabble, often leaving clumps of hair scattered in front of the door.

To prevent incidents, he came up with a method.

Since then, there were no more fights or arguments, and instead, every morning, the street in front of the Pavilion of Forgetting Worries would be bustling with people.

Despite some people's confusion and others' resentment over his one-a-day rule, Xu Qingzhou's genuine skills won them over.

He could not only remove household disasters but also heal the world's ailments, even reviving an elderly woman on the brink of death.

After his treatment, she was rejuvenated, carried in but running out on her own.

Now, her health was robust, and it was said that a few days ago during the winter solstice, she even went for a winter swim in the Luo River.

There was also a young lady selling tofu on South Street, worried about her appearance. After Xu Qingzhou merely glanced at her palm, her pockmarked face cleared up, transforming her into the "Tofu Xi Shi."

Her stall, once ignored, now rivaled the Pavilion of Forgetting Worries in business.

Such stories, along with his unique style, fueled increasingly bizarre rumors about him.

Some said he was an immortal visiting the mortal world.

Others claimed he was the reincarnation of a living Buddha, here to relieve the suffering of women.

In any case, the tales varied, and Mister Forgetting Worries's fame spread throughout Frostsky.

"Number 88, who is number 88?" After a long pause with no one stepping forward, the Little Page Boy shouted again.

At this moment, a small figure was struggling through the crowd.

"Excuse me... please let me through, thank you. Make way, thank you."

Before long, a ragged Little Beggar Girl squeezed out from the crowd.

"Why is it a child?"

"Ew, so dirty. Whose little brat is this, causing a scene?"

"Can you even tell if it's a boy or a girl? It must be a boy."

The women who hadn't left pointed at her, mostly with disdain, mixed with some envy and jealousy.

They scorned the Little Beggar Girl's sloppiness, envied the paper in her hand, and as for jealousy...

The Little Beggar Girl kept her head down, timid and submissive. Despite the heavy snow, she wore only a thin, oversized, ill-fitting shirt.

Her small bare feet were red from the cold.

She carefully raised the paper in her hand and weakly said, "Um, um, I'm number 88."

The Little Page Boy looked her up and down, glanced at the number on the paper, and calmly said:

"Alright, come with me. Everyone else, disperse and come back tomorrow."

Though she was just an unremarkable Little Beggar Girl, Mister had said that at the Pavilion of Forgetting Worries, there was no distinction between rich and poor.

Just then, a plump woman suddenly appeared and snatched the paper from the Little Beggar Girl's hand, pushing her hard.

"Give it to me, you filthy beggar. Do you think you deserve this paper?"

The Little Beggar Girl, already frail and stiff from the cold, couldn't keep her balance and fell heavily on the steps, hitting her head, blood soon flowing from the wound.

Scarlet stained the white snow.

Yet the Little Beggar Girl didn't cry out, just clutched her head and struggled to get up, looking at the woman with a pale, bloodless face, weakly questioning:"Why did you take my paper? It's mine."

"Bah!"

The two-hundred-pound woman spat at the Little Beggar Girl, holding the paper high above her head, her eyes full of disdain, arrogantly saying:

"You say it's yours, but who can prove it? This is clearly mine. You're just an unwanted street urchin. Look around, do you even know where you are? Get lost before I have someone beat you to death."

"You're lying, it's clearly mine, everyone saw it." The Little Beggar Girl bit her lip, retorting.

The woman, hearing this, put one hand on her hip, scanning the surroundings.

"Who saw it? Dare to stand up..."

The surrounding women all lowered their heads.

Those caught by her gaze instinctively stepped back.

Everyone knew the fat woman, Zhang Meilan, was Scholar Zhang's sister.

And Scholar Zhang was a wealthy and influential figure in Frostsky City.

Not only was his family rich, but he also held a title, and ordinary people couldn't afford to offend him.

She relied on her brother's power, and though she didn't do as she pleased, she was notoriously arrogant and domineering.

She was a well-known shrew.

It was said that when in a bad mood, she would even catch and slap passing mice.

Naturally, no one wanted to offend such a plague for the sake of a Little Beggar Girl.

As the saying goes, it's better to avoid trouble.

"See? No one saw it, so this paper is mine. You dare accuse me, but I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you off."

Her eyes were filled with smugness, her face a picture of petty triumph.

Combined with the fat on her face, it made people feel nauseous.

The Little Beggar Girl bit her lip, a tear quietly falling from the corner of her eye. She summoned the greatest courage of her life and charged at the woman.

She tightly hugged the woman's leg.

"Give it back, it's mine, give it back..."

The woman, enraged, stomped her foot like a madwoman, trying to shake her off.

But her body was too heavy, and she was wearing too much, so she quickly became exhausted and out of breath.

"Truly a street urchin." The furious woman shouted to a corner:

"You useless fools, what are you standing there for? Get her off me."

Hearing this, several House Servants quickly ran over from the street corner, grabbing the Little Beggar Girl.

"Let go of me, it's mine, it's mine."

The Little Beggar Girl struggled desperately, but as a five or six-year-old child, malnourished, she was no match for the strong House Servants, and was quickly subdued.

The woman lifted her skirt, her face twisted.

"You filthy little wretch, you dirtied my clothes. I'll beat you to death."

"Slap!" "Slap!" "Slap!!"

Heavy slaps landed one after another on the Little Beggar Girl's small face.

Red marks appeared instantly, and after more than ten slaps, the exhausted woman finally stopped, while the Little Beggar Girl was already bleeding from her mouth, nose, and ears.

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"Give... it back, it's... mine..."

The surrounding women, seeing such a tragic scene, showed sympathetic expressions, some even secretly wiping tears, but none dared to intervene.

Even Xu Qingzhou's Little Page Boy hid behind a pillar, trembling with fear.

Looking at the Little Beggar Girl, beaten nearly to death, the woman cursed.

"You infuriate me. You think you can have Mister Forgetting Worries relieve your worries? Dream on. Throw her aside, don't block my way."

"Yes, Lady."

The little girl was thrown into a nearby snowdrift, motionless, left to the cold wind, her thin figure desolate.

"I warn you all, anyone who dares to help her is against me, Zhang Meilan, and I won't let it slide, hmph!"

After saying this, she tidied her clothes, wiped the blood from her hands, and with a seductive smile, headed towards the Pavilion of Forgetting Worries.

Wang Er, wide-eyed, dared not stop her, pretending not to see.

Pushing open the door, with a few strands of wind and snow, she arrogantly stepped into the Pavilion of Forgetting Worries, not forgetting to close the door behind her.

"I, Zhang Guilan, greet Mister Forgetting Worries."

"..."

Many people sighed, full of resentment, lamenting that even in front of the Pavilion of Forgetting Worries, there was no peace.

They glanced at the Little Beggar Girl lying in the snow, barely alive, feeling helpless.

Just as they were about to leave, they were drawn by a commotion inside.

They heard a "bang" sound.

Then the wooden door of the Pavilion of Forgetting Worries shattered, and they saw a large black figure flying out from inside.

Accompanied by a scream.

"Ah!!"

It landed heavily with a "boom," shaking the ground.

Snow from the surrounding eaves fell in a flurry.

The crowd watched the fat woman, who had stirred up a thousand waves of snow, in shock.

Inside, Xu Qingzhou flexed his hand, raised an eyebrow, and clicked his tongue:"Not bad, a two-hundred-pound fatty, punched ten meters away. It was worth putting all my points into strength. My power must be at the Acquired Realm, First Layer level now."

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