The two little beggars looked more like a duo courting death rather than just a duo begging for food.

One of the companions glanced at a shop on the street with a bit of envy. The shop sold food, and its doors and windows were covered with thick fabric for insulation and warmth. Even through the fabric, the companion could feel the warmth inside and smell the aroma of wine and dishes.

"If I ever get to eat in a place like that, it would be worth dying for," the companion sighed.

The little beggar followed the companion's gaze to the small shop but didn't react.

"Hey, have you ever eaten in there before?" the companion asked.

"No," the little beggar shook his head.

"Your family wasn't that wealthy before, huh? Gouzi said he used to go there often for meals. He said their pig head meat was fatty and fragrant, and their white steamed buns were delicious, not to mention the mutton soup." The companion drooled a bit as he spoke, "What do you think white steamed buns taste like? Are they really that soft and delicious without scratching your throat? What's it like to have a bite of pig head meat? How fragrant is the mutton soup? If I could eat all three in one meal, I'd be way cooler than Scarface."

The little beggar didn't speak.

The companion's fantasies ended as they walked past the shop. The companion swallowed another mouthful of saliva, his stomach growled twice, and his pace slowed. The snowy paths were hard to walk on. The two of them had walked from a ruined temple on the outskirts to the city, taking about two hours. The companion, even though wearing a tattered jacket, was starting to get frozen.

The little beggar, on the other hand, was a spirit that had not failed its tribulation. His physical constitution was clearly much better than ordinary people. Even wearing three thin garments, he walked briskly, practically wearing "I'm in good health, not afraid of the cold" on his face.

The two walked for another half an hour, the companion leading the little beggar on a winding path through the city, finally arriving at the entrance of a steamed bun shop.

Qin's Steamed Bun Shop.

The sign was very familiar, as was the appearance, exactly the same as the one Qin Huai had seen in Chen Huihong's memories.

Is this Beiping?

Qin Huai looked at the sign, appearing rather confused; Beiping City didn't seem like this.

Beiping City was much more prosperous than this small town, with many shops lining the streets, high-end restaurants aplenty, people in the streets regardless of how cold it was, and vendors calling along the streets no matter how thick the snow.

Of course, Qin's Steamed Bun Shop might be a chain store since Qin Huai had also seen one in Qu Jing's memories. The boss of that shop was also a spirit. However, the sign of that Qin's Steamed Bun Shop was different from the one in Beiping, and this shop's sign was obviously the same style as the one in Beiping. Qin Huai even suspected that these two signs were the same.

While Qin Huai was staring at the sign dumbfounded, the companion had already pulled the little beggar to the back door of Qin's Steamed Bun Shop and plopped down onto the ground.

Yes, he just plopped down onto the ground, looking so weak as if he would starve to death the next second. His acting was so superb that even Qin Huai and the little beggar were taken aback.

Seeing the little beggar still standing there in a daze, the companion grumbled in frustration, "What are you spacing out for? Lie down next to me!"

"Why lie down?" the little beggar asked.

"You're about to starve, yet you still have the strength to stand? Listen to me, lie down quickly. Remember what those starving guys in the temple looked like, those who couldn't lift their hands? Mimic them. If you can't, then bury your head in the snow, quickly, while no one's here to take the good spots!"

"Good thing you woke me up. If I overslept and missed the good spot, we'd go hungry again today."

The little beggar didn't understand, but he did as he was told, mimicking the companion's posture and plopping down in the snow. His head wasn't completely down but turned sideways, watching the back door of Qin's Steamed Bun Shop, clearly curious about what lying there could achieve.

Qin Huai: ...

Qin Huai just watched as the two lay stiffly at the back door of Qin's Steamed Bun Shop like two bodies that had suddenly fallen.

What Qin Huai didn't expect was that this was just the beginning.

In less than the time it took to burn two sticks of incense, the entrance of Qin's Steamed Bun Shop was filled with beggars.

There were big ones and small ones, but mostly small beggars. Some acted just as brilliantly as the companion, while others were genuinely too hungry to walk, struggling to crawl to the back door of Qin's Steamed Bun Shop before collapsing, looking like they'd starve in the next second.

Qin Huai was a bit curious about what the people in Qin's Steamed Bun Shop would think when they opened the back door to this scene.

Qin Huai soon found out.

Shortly after the seventeenth beggar lay down at the doorstep, the back door of Qin's Steamed Bun Shop moved. After a series of shuffling sounds, likely clearing the area in front of the door and opening the door bolt, a young girl appeared, looking to be in her teens, wearing cotton clothes, with a plain head devoid of any silver hairpins or accessories, dressed somewhat like a maid. She carried a bamboo basket as she pushed the door open and looked at the spectacle outside, then shouted inside.

"Miss, there are a lot of beggars lying outside again."

"Miss, you really can't keep giving away steamed buns like this. If you do, the whole city's beggars will know. I'm afraid if I push the door open tomorrow, there will be even more beggars outside."

Answering the maid was a crisp but calm female voice.

"Chun He, it's cold today with the snow, after distributing the steamed buns, give each of them a bowl of hot water."

"These black steamed buns are just something I practice with. Once they receive them, they'll leave. They all know the rules. Don't make a fuss, or Father will scold us again."

"Hurry up, I'll go to the kitchen to heat the water now."