Chapter 1516 The Blabbermouth Consultan (1/2)

Li Du's heart softened immediately at the sight of the children. He said to Liu Zi, ”Buy them some food.”

Liu Zi snorted with disdain. ”Young Master Li, you have such a kind heart. Do not be fooled by these punks. D*mn, they're even richer than I am. These kids might just be picking rocks off the streets, but what they do pays off from time to time. If they're lucky, they earn as much as ten thousand in a month, and I mean in RMB!”

After hearing what Liu Zi said, the kids scampered off. Some of them pulled faces at him and shouted, ”Master Liu, where is your conscience?!”

Liu Zi waved his hands about. ”Away with you, don't bother Master Liu! Master Liu isn't pleased with you, let me tell you that!”

Li Du exclaimed in shock, ”The kids earn this much just by picking rocks off the ground?”

Liu Zi nodded in confirmation. ”They do. Some families even rely on them for income.”

Li Du wondered, ”There are so many people in the Chinese Village who are unemployed. Why don't they do this too?”

Liu Zi replied, ”Because they can't enter the area. Moreover, did you think this is an easy job? It really isn't. The kids are really territorial and split the area amongst themselves. This makes it really hard for outsiders to join in.”

Liu Zi and Zhang Dapao were still fretting over the million dollars from before. Though Li Du had insisted against splitting the loss with the two of them, they still felt bad about it. The more Li Du insisted on acts of loyalty like this one, the more they treated him as one of their own. Because of that, his loss felt every bit like their own.

The teenager heaved a great sigh. ”Look at the state of you. Two respectable men like yourselves, how could you let such a setback bring you down? Don't gamble on stones if you can't afford it. Otherwise, you'll end up losing your life.”

Liu Zi had his hand curled into a fist, poised to punch the teen. He spoke angrily, ”Son, what's with your mouth? Where are you from?”

The boy laughed. ”There, there, don't get all riled up, brother. I talk a lot, it's just who I am. I mean no harm, honestly. I'm from the mainland, from Diannan.”

Liu Zi snorted. ”Diannan, huh? I see. You've got good governance and a good economy there, saved by socialism. If you grew up here you'd never have made it past ten years of age with that mouth of yours!”

Zhong Dapao eyed the teen, suspicious. ”You're from Diannan? What are you doing all the way here? How did you even get here?”

Li Du found it weird as well. This was an area he could not access even after using Cole and Winston's system. Ultimately, he needed Zhong Dapao's cooperation to enter, so how did the boy get in so easily?

Zhong Dapao said, ”Let's not talk about how you got in here, then. A regular grunt from Diannan like you could never get to Hpakant like this. Spill the beans, what's the deal with you?”

The teen replied innocently, ”I snuck in here. Rode a bike. I look like the local kids, and I learned a bit of the language, so I managed to evade the inspection at the military police checkpoint.”

”Then how did you get into the area?” Zhong Dapao eyed the boy warily. ”What are you here for?”

Li Du stared at the youth as well. The boy's origins were shady, and in this trade, that was taboo. Not knowing where someone was from meant you could not trust them. Especially he and Zhong Dapao, who both harbored their own secrets, could not afford to get too close to strangers.

The boy replied, ”I snuck in, I tell you. I worked at a supermarket. When they said they were making deliveries, I snuck into their truck and never went back.”

Liu Zi stroked his chin. ”Hey, the kid's actually quite smart.”