The cripple, after slashing the ruffian's face several times with a dagger, casually picked up a stone from beside him, stuffed it into the ruffian's collar, sealed the opening, and forcefully pushed him into the river.
Darkness had already fallen. The blood-red river, after flowing for a night, would return to normal the next day. Even if the bodies of these ruffians were discovered, no one would care.
The people of West Street would surely clap their hands in approval, and the street officials would not waste any manpower or resources on these scum.
To be precise, on ordinary days, if a few insignificant people died on the street, the officials would simply treat them as stray dogs and dispose of them.
After the cripple had dealt with everyone, he moved to the riverbank, took off his clothes, and washed the blood off his body.
He was no good person, but when he thought of the little children who had said they would take care of him and his younger brother for life, he felt he should adhere to some principles.
The next day, Lu Yun and the five children arrived at the Tu Niangniang Bridge early in the morning. Other than a large patch of dark red bloodstains on the bank of the small river, the ruffians were nowhere to be seen.
Uncle Cripple was dozing against a bridge pier. Seeing them arrive, he opened his eyes and noticed that Wu Wa were not wearing masks today.
He braced himself on the ground, his gaze lingering on Tianya, Lu Yun, and Lu Yu for a long time, a look of immense shock and deep doubt flashing in his eyes.
Seeing Uncle Cripple staring at them motionlessly, Tianya stepped forward and said, "Uncle Cripple, last night we found Uncle Fool, and we've found a place for you two to stay. You'll come with us later. From now on, you can stay home and look after Uncle Fool, and we'll earn money to support you."
The cripple snapped back to reality. He suddenly felt the thoughts that had flashed through his mind were ridiculous. The people had been dead for so many years; what was he thinking about?
He looked at Tianya's face and smiled, "Little beggar? So it's you. How did you become rich?"
Tianya's face lit up with joy. "Uncle Cripple! You finally remember who I am!"
He pointed to Lu Yun and the others and introduced them. "This is my brother Lu Yun, my younger brother Lu Yu, brother Tian Dou, brother Tie Zhu. I... I haven't become rich. My master and mistress have adopted me."
"Master and mistress?" Uncle Cripple found it hard to believe. Hmph, were there such kind people in this world? Would they adopt a little beggar for no reason?
Lu Yun immediately smiled and said, "It's my brother and sister-in-law!"
Lu Yu stepped forward. "Uncle Cripple, Tianya is no longer called Little Beggar. He's called Tianya. My elder brother gave him that name."
"Oh, a good name," Uncle Cripple smiled. "Little... Tianya, did you find my brother? Where is he now?"
"At the place we settled you," Lu Yun said. "Don't worry, he's very safe."
Uncle Cripple visibly relaxed. "Thank you for your trouble, but my brother and I don't need you to settle us. We can take care of ourselves. Please trouble Brother Yun to bring my brother over."
"When we brought Uncle Fool over, he refused to come. He likes the place we arranged for him," Lu Yu said with a touch of pride.
Tianya's face showed anxiety. He squatted down, grabbed Uncle Cripple's arm, and said, "Uncle Cripple, this time, no matter what, you must come with us. Your leg is inconvenient, and you can't take care of Uncle Fool by yourself. He got lost this time, and he might get lost again in the future. What will you do then?"
Lu Yun also persuaded him kindly. "Uncle Cripple, you should know that if Uncle Fool is alone outside, who knows how bad people will bully him. Even if you don't consider yourself, you should consider him."
Uncle Cripple naturally knew that it was difficult for him to take care of his foolish brother alone, but he didn't want to trouble others. He paused and asked, "Where is the place you arranged?"
Lu Yu eagerly replied, "It's in a secluded small courtyard at my home. Don't worry, my elder brother and sister-in-law don't know about it. Only the five of us know."
"Oh?" Hearing Lu Yu's words, Uncle Cripple smiled helplessly. It seemed these little children wanted to hide them in their home secretly.
Tianya immediately explained, "Actually, if I confess to my master and mistress, they will surely take you in because my master and mistress have very kind hearts. But as an adopted child, I... I really don't want to cause them any more trouble. I plan to earn money to support you, that's why we..."
Tian Dou patted his chest. "Uncle Cripple, don't worry. We are all very good at making money. I already have over ten taels of silver saved up."
Tianya seemed to remember something and immediately took out his money bag, placing it into Uncle Cripple's hand. "Uncle Cripple, this is my money. I also have over ten taels of silver."
"And my money too. We can definitely support you," Tie Zhu said with confidence.
Lu Yu blushed slightly. "I don't have money now, but I will work hard to earn it in the future."
The cripple looked at these children with sincere faces, and an inexplicable softness welled up in his heart. He had not felt such fragility for many years.
He thought his heart had long since turned into cold, hard stone, and besides his brother, he would not feel kindness towards anyone.
Even when he rescued the little beggar—Tianya—from the ruffians, it was only because he felt Tianya resembled an old acquaintance.
For so many years, he and his brother had lived like rats in tunnels in the capital, and they had become unaccustomed to interacting with people.
Tianya's eyes reddened, and he shook Uncle Cripple's arm. "Uncle Cripple, please, come with us."
Lu Yun's eyes darted around, and he said indignantly, "When we found Uncle Fool yesterday, his mouth was full of excrement. Someone must have bullied him. Uncle Cripple, if you don't come with us today, you'll regret it if anything happens to Uncle Fool in the future."
The cripple was somewhat moved. His health had been deteriorating over the years, and his foolish brother was becoming harder to keep by his side. After a long hesitation, he nodded. "Alright, I'll go with you."
"Oh, that's great!"
The five children were all excited.
After the little beggars had collected their 10 copper coins as payment, everyone worked together to carry Uncle Cripple onto the bridge. A carriage was indeed waiting there.
The driver was an old man, and the carriage slowly made its way towards Yuhua Lane.
Upon reaching the back of the Lu family residence, the five children carried Uncle Cripple out of the carriage.
Uncle Cripple looked at the back wall of the residence, then turned and scanned his surroundings, suddenly stunned.
His body trembled violently, his eyes instantly turned crimson, and he looked up, staring intently at the children, and hissed in a low voice, "Who exactly are you? Why did you bring me here?!"
Seeing Uncle Cripple suddenly become so agitated, the five children were a bit bewildered.
Tianya quickly stepped forward to comfort him. "Uncle Cripple, I'm Little Beggar. Last year, you and Uncle Fool saved me. Look, I still have that crescent moon birthmark on my shoulder!" Tianya pulled open his collar to show Uncle Cripple.
Lu Yu said cautiously, "This is our home. My elder brother and sister-in-law just bought this large house this year."