So5E Chapter 2 - Evicted
“So this is the infamous Widow Alley?” A rotund man stepped out of the luxurious carriage. His eyes contained a hint of contempt as they swept over the small, dilapidated alleyway.
After he finished his evaluation, the rotund man let out a snort and focused his attention on Hou Tu and the group of children.
Hou Tu felt a foreboding sensation the moment he heard the rotund man speak. He lowered the sweets and looked to the children with compassionate eyes and a gentle smile.
“All of you, go enjoy the sweets inside.” Hou Tu placed the box of sweets in Little Angel Da’s hands.
Little Angel Da was a clever girl, and understood the situation immediately. She nodded her head and dragged Little Rascal Zan inside one of the doors with the rest of the children in tow.
“Can this Junior be of assistance, Senior?” Hou To spoke politely as he approached the rotund man.
The rotund man brushed his hand against his extravagant purple robe. It was all he could do to ease the sense of filthiness that looking at this dirty young man gave him.
“Show him the notice!” The rotund man made a commanding hand notion towards a man dressed in servant attire who had been riding at the front of the carriage.
The servant obsequiously bowed at the man’s words and then scurried towards Hou Tu. When the servant reached Hou Tu, he handed him a thick piece of parchment paper.
Hou Tu furrowed his brow as he took the parchment from the servant’s hand. The servant gave him an apologetic look before hurrying back to his master.
Hou Tu could read at the most basic level. He had learned to from Peng Yu so that he would be able to handle contracts and written instructions on the job.
As such, though some of the words confused him, Hou Tu gathered the gist of the information provided on the parchment.
Hou Tu was, however, not pleased with the aforementioned information. His jaw had been firmly clenched in anger since he had read the large words written at the top of the parchment, ‘Eviction Notice.’
When he finished reading over the details, Hou Tu looked up at the rotund man without concealing his resentment.
The rotund man didn’t seem bothered at all. His face held the expression one might have when looking at an ant.
“You have one week!” The rotund man finally spoke to break the silence, and waved his sleeve as he turned around and entered the carriage.
Hou Tu gritted his teeth as he watched the carriage depart from the alley entrance. It had taken him all his strength to restrain himself from clobbering the rotund man.
…
It took several minutes for Hou Tu to calm down, and he quickly gathered the mother’s and elderly men of Widow Alley together while wearing a grim expression.
The mother’s were confused and the elderly men annoyed as they stood in a group and looked to Hou Tu for answers.
“I don’t know how to say this… please look at this parchment.” Hou Tu felt awkward about delivering such grave news with his own voice, and found it easier to rely on the piece of parchment.
Most of the people could not read the parchment, and simply looked confused. But a few of the women and the elderly men began to show depressed expressions.
“How can this be? The landlord hasn’t informed us!” One elderly man spoke in a furious tone, his cheeks red with anger.
“Old Man Bai, what is it?” One of the mothers asked the old man in a nervous voice.
“The buildings have been sold, we have been evicted...” Liao Da responded in a solemn voice in the place of Old Man Bai.
“What!?”
The rest of the mothers all let out shouts of shock as they heard this news, and began frantically discussing it amongst themselves.
Hou Tu watched the group with a face full of despair. Though he would be fine without a house, given his build and the fact that he had worked in a variety of condition, he was concerned about the mothers and their children.
Hou Tu could not help but feel frustrated and indignant whenever the cruel nature of the world exposed itself in front of him. His hands curled into angry balls as he began to consider his options.
A sudden crashing sound echoed throughout the alley. When Hou Tu turned his attention in the direction of the sound, his eyes landed on a pile of children that had tumbled through a door..
All of these children had food stains of various colours around their mouths. Little Rascal Zan, at the frontmost of the pile, showed a mischievous smile as Little Angel Da walked out from behind the rest of the children.
“I told you guys not to eavesdrop!” Little Angel Da scolded.
“Hmm, you say that but you looked just as curious as us!” Little Rascal Zan retorted.
“Mother, is it true?” Little Angel Da ignored Little Rascal Zan and looked to Liao Da with a curious and worried expression. “Are we really being kicked out?”
Liao Da held back her tears as she ran to embrace her daughter. “Don’t worry, your Mother will think of something!”
Similar scenes soon played out between all of the mothers and their children, and Hou Tu felt a surging emotion build within his heart.
‘I can’t let these people suffer!’ Hou Tu was filled with a determination as he rushed into his home to put down the items he had been carrying and grabbed all of the various tools he had acquired during his work as a labourer and secured them in a pack.
When he returned, he looked over the group of people before speaking in a loud and resolute voice. “Everyone, I will make sure we have a place to stay!”
Little Rascal Zan slipped from his mother’s embrace and ran towards Hou Tu. Then, the little fellow looked up to Hou Tu with a serious expression.
“Big Brother Tu, I won’t make trouble for my mom anymore. Let me help you!” Little Rascal Zan spoke earnestly.
Hou Tu was moved at this little rascals actions, and knelt down to gently pat his head. “Don’t worry, your Big Brother will take care of it. As long as you behave, that’s enough!”
Little Rascal Zan seemed reluctant at first, but eventually submitted and nodded fervently at his Big Brother Tu.
Hou Tu then stood up and looked at the group of people once more. “Everyone, I will return at the eviction date to take you all to a new place to live. Please have faith in me!”
Liao Da stood up and looked at Hou Tu with gratefulness in her eyes. Even if he didn’t succeed, his words were enough to move her heart.
“Everyone, Hou Tu has already helped us so much. When my Little Angel Da was sick, he helped me acquire medicine! When Little Rascal Zan angered some thugs, he fought them off! Let’s place our trust in him!”
Several of the other mothers all voiced words of agreement, reciting various occasions when Hou Tu had helped them out of a rut.
“I won’t let you down!” Hou Tu assured them all.
The mothers and children all rushed to give Hou Tu a hug and remind him to stay safe. This caused a warmth to fill Hou Tu’s heart and served to further increase his determination to make sure that none of them were homeless.