Chapter 5:
"Sir, would you like a newspaper?" A young boy with a dirty duck-billed cap slung over a massive leather satchel appeared in front of Lin Qi.
The boy appeared to be around eleven or twelve years old, looking at Lin Qi with some anticipation. He opened his satchel, revealing the newspapers inside.
These kids belonged to various "News Heads ()," not the front page news head, but the managers of the newsboys.
They controlled the mobile newspaper sales market in certain areas by means of relationships, tactics, or other methods. Only their newsboys could sell papers here; others couldn't enter, and newsstands weren't involved.
Every morning they gathered outside the newspaper office to load the papers, still warm from the presses, onto carts and wheeled them back to their "base." Then they distributed them to these kids and chased them onto the streets.
Each child had a sales target, a minimum limit. If they fell below that limit, they'd get beaten or go hungry. Only after exceeding this standard could they have food, but without any reward.
Orphanages and some poor families had already taken away their earnings. All they had to do was work as much as possible to exchange for a place to shelter and two meals to survive.
Some might perceive it as a hellish situation, but compared to those plunged into deeper despair, these children were like angels in heaven.
Lin Qi pulled out a one-buck note from his pocket and selected two newspapers. Local publications cost fifty cents each, while national ones cost a buck each.
The newsboy repeatedly thanked Lin Qi, even going as far as taking off his hat and bowing. For Lin Qi, a buck for two newspapers might be an unavoidable part of life, but it was the daily redemption this kid craved most.
As the boy prepared to leave, Lin Qi called him back.
"Sir, is there anything else I can assist you with?" asked the boy.
Children like him often adapted better to society than those from decent families still in school. Observing the somewhat immature yet reality-experienced smile on the boy's face, Lin Qi felt a twinge of emotion.
It was the worst of times, yet the best of times.
"Do you want to make money?" Lin Qi asked.
The boy immediately nodded. "I dream of it, sir, but I won't do anything illegal."
Where there is light, there will be darkness; as light accentuates its brilliance against darkness, it concurrently magnifies the depth of darkness.
Some used these kids to sell newspapers, while others exploited them for criminal activities. These were not secret rumors; in this society's thriving process, everyone was blinded by wealth.
As long as money could be made, there would always be someone doing whatever work was available.
Lin Qi shook his head. "Do you have ninety-seven cents?"
Though hesitant, the newsboy quickly took out ninety-seven cents from his pocket. He had some change placed in his satchel by the news head upon leaving.
This money didn't belong to them. After returning, the news head would tally it up. If someone lost or had less money, they'd suffer hunger or even beatings. This made these kids very sensitive about money.
Seeing the newsboy's ninety-seven cents all in coins, Lin Qi took out a buck and placed it in the boy's left hand, then retrieved the ninety-seven cents from his other hand.
"Sir, you're still three cents short. I'll find it for you now," the newsboy thought Lin Qi wanted change. Urban transport generally issued two types of tickets: ten cents and twenty-five cents, one for within five kilometers, the other for beyond five kilometres.
Whether by bus or subway, they didn't give change. If one gave them fifty cents, they'd only issue two tickets, not one ticket and change.
This led many people to carry some change to avoid losses.
Lin Qi stopped the newsboy's action and repeated, "Do you want to make money?"
The newsboy hadn't caught on yet. Being able to take advantage so openly for the first time made him somewhat uneasy. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded and said, "Yes, sir, I do, I've always dreamed of it!"
Lin Qi's gradually emerging smile made the boy feel as if he saw the newly risen sunnot glaring, but gentle, yet capable of tearing through darkness and illuminating the entire sky!
"Do you have ninety-seven cents?" he asked again.
The newsboy, briefly stunned, shocked, and bewildered, quickly pulled out the ninety-seven cents from his bag, cupping it in his palm.
His face flushed red, revealing excitement, nervousness, suspicion, and anticipation. His clear eyes fixed on Lin Qi, watching what this guy was about to do.
Lin Qi gave another buck, placed it in the newsboy's hand, and took the ninety-seven cents from his hand. With a soft smile, he repeated, "Do you want to make money?"
The newsboy at this moment was so excited that he was trembling. He nodded repeatedly and handed over all the change he could gather, "It's all here, sir..."
Lin Qi counted twelve bucks and handed it to him, then pocketed all the change. "Looks like this is all you have."
The newsboy was excited. Even though he had exchanged only fourteen bucks in change from Lin Qi, he already had forty-two cents, almost half a buck of his own income.
In his current role, even if he did his job well, he wouldn't get a single penny. The news head would only give the rewards to the orphanage.
This newsboy was a child raised in the orphanage. In the orphanage's view, they should do something for the orphanage. After all, the orphanage had raised them for so long without asking for anything in return.
Typically, once they surpassed ten years old without being adopted, the chances of adoption were minimal. Except for some girls, their adoptions happened for other reasons and purposes.
However, the orphanage wouldn't intervene much. Once the kids passed fourteen, they could refuse adoption. And after sixteen, they had to leave and enter society alone.
In other words, boys over ten years old were essentially on the "fringe" of the orphanage. It was challenging to earn adoption subsidies or adoption donations from these kids. Thus, they had to work.
They had to use work to repay the orphanage's efforts in raising them over the years. Whether this was right didn't matter, as nobody cared. Everyone only focused on things directly related to their own interests.
For these children who had begun to engage with society, the most pressing issue was how to quickly integrate into society after leaving the orphanage and find a place to belong.
If they could gather some money before leaving, not too much, just enough to get through a short period, they'd have a chance to survive.
Lin Qi's exchange of change opened up a path of hope for this child. Just as he asked beforedo you want to make money?
And the child's responseI always dream of it!
As he put the money away, the newsboy hesitated and asked, "Sir, will you be here tomorrow?"
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