44. Beggar (1)
After introducing himself, Oliver went with Cant’s comrades to his abode, the beggar’s den.
It was in an abandoned building with few people, but apparently not all of them welcomed Oliver.
“No, why the hell did you bring such an awkward bastard?!”
A stocky, thick man shouted.
Called King Fist, though he was dressed as a beggar, his fists were large and fierce, and Cant applauded him with a brazen smile.
“Well·····. Why? I had a good income today, so I was in a good mood, and I met him just in time. If it wasn’t for either one, I wouldn’t have brought it… Isn’t this God’s will?”
“It’s not God…. There are already many useless mouths, so why are you widening your mouth?”
“Hey, don’t be so hot. I’m just following the commander’s will. If you have any complaints, tell the man who left me a will. Because I don’t like it either.”
“No, then why not do it!”
“Oh, this is my friend. How can you break a promise so easily if you don’t like it?”
“It’s not a promise… It was just a request.”
Cant rubbed his cheek. After a long silence, he took out a bundle of money from his arms.
“·······. Come on, stop nagging right here. I just came back and I’m tired. Aren’t you curious about how much money you made today?”
Money has magic.
The words Joseph had told him also worked here, and as soon as King Fist saw the bundle of money, his anger was quenched.
Then he stretched out his hand for the bundle of money, and Cant took it back.
“ah·····.”
“By the way, I am the one who took the money, but they are the ones who made the garbage worth the money. Those who said you were a useless mouth…”
King Fist kept his mouth shut. Still, he seemed to have something to say.
Dark emotions such as greed and dissatisfaction. Oliver saw it all.
“Didn’t I bring you too? Now I have become the person I can rely on the most… Depending on what this friend does, I will be able to pay for my meals.”
said Cant, tapping Oliver’s head.
Eventually, Kingfist reluctantly opened his mouth.
“·······. Yes. sorry. I was a bit rude.”
“Thank you for understanding. thank you! Now, money here. Let’s check it all together and bring it back. I’ll put it in the communal safe.”
“Yes, I understand····. But what was that kid’s name?”
“Oliver. Oliver. I don’t have any parents, but I’m from Weinham. Do you roughly understand the story?”
“Well, yes.”
“Oliver?”
“Yes?”
“Greetings. They are the sticks that protect our beggars.”
“A stick?”
“Yeah, stick. A slang term for those who protect the beggars to which they belong.”
“ah···. hello?”
Oliver bowed his head. However, the strong beggars, including King Fist, did not look very well.
The wariness of others and the displeasure of taking on a new burden shone.
what to say… It was similar but different from when Oliver first went to the Joseph family.
“········.”
“········.”
“Come on then. Now that the greetings are over, let’s guide the others. Follow me.”
Oliver followed Cant’s lead.
There was a boy with a red nose and a blonde hair, a blind old man and a girl he met on the way.
“You two met on the way, did you know?”
“Yes····. Red nose-san and Harmonica-san…”
The red nose burst into laughter.
“I don’t know how many times I have been called ‘Mr.’ in my life. It’s gloomy, but he’s very polite!”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
As soon as the conversation with Red Nose was over, Cant spoke again.
“This man is an inspiration, and he is his grandson . . . Just call him inspiration and grandson.”
“·······. Grandson?”
“okay.”
“You’re a woman, so why grandson?”
Then everyone looked at Oliver, a little startled.
It was the red nose that opened its mouth first.
“This guy… I thought he was short-sighted, but he’s pretty good-looking, isn’t he?”
“How can you not?”
Oliver shrugged.
Roughly examining the emotions, it was possible to distinguish whether it was a woman or a man, but it was not possible to talk directly about it.
“uh···. Just?”
Cant looked at Oliver for a moment before opening his mouth again.
“·······. Yes, the grandson is a girl. But, in the future, don’t spit out such a story. The street is a difficult place for a woman to live. If you open your mouth recklessly, know how to slap your snout.”
Oliver nodded knowing that Cant was sincere. Not only was there simple anger, but there were also concerns about the child, the grandson.
He seemed to really care about the people here.
“Um… these are professional donnyang arches, the harmonica plays the harmonica, and the red nose sells matches with a characteristic wit. The old man and his grandson walk the streets together begging.”
Oliver nodded mechanically.
Cant wondered if Oliver had understood it correctly, but didn’t bother explaining it again.
“They regularly provide a source of income for our beggars through Dongnyang. In other words, they are precious beings that keep us from starving. So, be respectful when you are here.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Cant look at Oliver silently. He was silent for a moment, then led Oliver to a corner.
It showed a living quarters on one side of an abandoned building, and the only dwellings were roughly built tents and old household items.
There were beggars who appeared to be about a dozen or so, and some of them were old men, women and children.
Another unusual thing was a pile of garbage wrapped around both walls.
“These are ordinary beggars of our beggars…. There is no fixed role, but it is no different from the people I met before. Our beggar comrades.”
“is that so?”
“Yes, they are friendly when needed, and when an intruder appears, they fight together.”
“Are you an intruder?”
“okay····. Landa is not very kind to the poor. Everything else is the same, but it’s worse here. Don’t worry though. Until recently, nothing happened.”
Until recently… It sounded like an unsettling word.
“Hmm····. Well, that’s all I’ll explain. You must work with them from now on. Anyway, once we got into our beggars. I’m just saying that in case you don’t know, don’t whine about how hard it is. You don’t know, but it’s not easy being a beggar. So, pay your bills as hard as you can.”
Oliver knew it was the truth.
There was neither cunning nor lies in Cant’s feelings.
“Yes·····. I will work hard at anything. But, specifically, what should I do?”
“Well, if there’s a lot to do, there’s a lot to do. Digging through garbage, receiving aid, receiving donations for old clothes, running errands… Since you are the first, I will teach you the easy ones.”
“Yes. All right.”
“Any more questions you want to ask? Again, I felt good and accepted it into our gang, but you will have to do your part.”
“Yes, I will work hard.”
“Hey, that’s a good attitude. Let’s see how long that good attitude lasts.”
As Cant was about to leave, Oliver called him over.
“Oh, wait a minute. Cant.”
“yes?”
“Didn’t I tell you earlier if you have any questions?”
“Okay···. I was just saying, but why? What are you curious about?”
“·······. Why did you help me like this? Really?”
“·················ogue.”
Cant looked at Oliver without saying a word, and Oliver looked at him as if longing for an answer.
After such a brief silence, Cant spoke.
“·····. Let me know if you become one of those people.”
Sincerity. Oliver nodded in reply.
“Yes, I understand. I’ll do my best.”
***
From that day on, Oliver’s unintentional beggar life began.
It wasn’t my intention at all, but it wasn’t too bad either.
In the first place, it had only a vague purpose, and there was neither a compass nor a map.
Rather, I thought that I should learn about life in this city.
Even though it was a beggar’s life, wouldn’t it be possible to learn something?
And it wasn’t a bad idea.
“Hey wake up… what? Are you awake already?”
A fellow beggar who had come to wake him up said looking at Oliver as he was ready.
He looked quite surprised.
“Yeah, he told me to get up early…”
“Oh, it was. Still, it’s rare to wake up early… Awesome?”
“I usually get up early… Now, what would you like to do?”
“You have to go to the church needy right away. I’m handing out bread today. Get dressed and come right out.”
“Yes, I understand.”
As soon as Oliver answered, he put on a rag that was folded next to him.
I got it after joining the Cant gang, and although it wasn’t particularly useful, I was able to pay the beggars for sure.
Without even washing his face, Oliver immediately followed the senior beggars to a place called a church helper.
Among them, a beggar two or three years older than Oliver mumbled.
“Ugh…. Sleepy. I haven’t been able to do it yet. hey, newbie. Are you not tired?”
“Yes? oh····. I’m tired.”
Oliver answered so, but it was actually a lie.
Although, sleeping, eating, and washing were incomparably worse than when I was in the family, it was not very uncomfortable.
Oliver didn’t know exactly why.
Whether it was because he was from an orphanage mine, accustomed to the barren environment, or because he was naturally ignorant of it, he did not feel any discomfort.
Well, in the first place, Oliver wasn’t interested in such things, so he didn’t even think about it.
If there’s one thing I regret, it’s that I can’t wash it, but after a while, I got used to it.
Therefore, Oliver was neither uncomfortable nor dissatisfied with the life of a beggar.
On the contrary, I even thought that it would be beneficial to calculate the little knowledge I learn every day.
“Is this a poor man’s house?”
Looking at the building with brown bricks, dusty windows and rusty iron crosses, Oliver asked.
It looked like a collection of three boxes, and there was a black iron fence around the building.
However, what stood out more than the desolate building were the numerous beggars waiting near the fence.
“Yeah, this is the Gubinwon. There are too many people.”
“Ahh····. Iknow, right. Damn you all are uselessly diligent.”
“Well, it’s time to get hungry… Don’t be bruised, let’s stand in line.”
At a rush, Oliver lined up with his fellow beggars. In fact, rather than standing in line, I was just standing near the door.
Everyone dressed in worn-out clothes, clutching their hungry stomach, and standing still waiting for the poor man’s door to open, but Oliver suddenly felt curious and asked.
“But why do poor people give out bread or money? Even for free?”
The old beggar raised his finger and said.
“Because that heavenly Father considers it a virtue to be kind to the poor.”
“Five····.”
“Instead, we should be servile to say that we love our father that much.”
A young beggar intervened cynically.
Again said the old beggar.
“But, why are you curious about that?”
“ah···. It was the first time I had been to a poverty-stricken place.”
“Oh right. Have you been looking for garbage all this time? But, isn’t there a needy in Weinham?”
“·····. I do not know. At the time, I wasn’t interested.”
“tt…. That’s why kids these days. You don’t become beggars like us because you buy so roughly. My parents are not going to take care of me for the rest of my life, so I have to look around and learn to live in the world.”
“Yes···. I feel it too.”
Oliver said sincerely.
Even at the orphanage and mine, I didn’t know how much I didn’t know,
After going through the warlock organization and now out of the world alone, he realized how ignorant he was.
In a sense, it could be said that he was more ignorant than a beggar.
At Oliver’s sincere reply, the beggars were humbled and did not reproach any further.
Originally, he came in suddenly, so everyone thought they were dissatisfied.
Of course, there were those who didn’t.
Oliver asked.
“Then, do you think God is a virtue and give you bread here?”
“ah····. Those are official reasons, and there are more direct and secular reasons as well.”
“For direct secular reasons?”
“Yeah, what is that…”
den- den- den-
Just then, the bell rang in the church almshouse.
Then the beggars who were waiting in vain raised their heads like dogs that were ready to eat.
Staff coming out of the shelter with bread.
The smell of old bread was faint, but all the beggars were drooling, and then a man in a stiff priest’s uniform came out.
“I will implement the distribution.”